Buck Cooks

Buffalo Burgers Colorado

2010-06-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

This special buffalo burger recipe is one we often use when entertaining with a BBQ in the gardens. We frequently grill buffalo and have a plentiful availability where we live. There is a large buffalo ranch a few miles from our home and we often take visitors there to view the grazing herd. We keep on the safe side of the fence since the buffalo can be a feisty animal if irritated. Our recipe works well with ground beef as well as buffalo.

Buffalo Burgers

Ingredients:

2 eggs beaten
4 tablespoons half & half
2 slices bread torn up
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 ½ tsp salt
2 tsp horseradish
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dry mustard
2lbs ground buffalo
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup ketchup (catsup)

Preparation:

Mix eggs, half & half, torn bread, onion, salt, horseradish, pepper, thyme & dry mustard
Stir well and let stand for 10 minutes
Stir again and add ground buffalo & mix well
Melt butter and ketchup together and keep warm
Form 9 patties
Place on heated grill medium high heat
Grill one side 2- 3 minutes
Turn and brush with butter –ketchup mixture
Grill on second side until medium rare

Service: Buffalo Burgers served on a sourdough bun is a western touch. Lettuce , tomatoes & onions on the side with a bottle of Cholula handy are accompaniments that complete the Colorado Buffalo Burger

Tips: Buffalo is a very lean meat. Do not overcook. We make sure that it does not cook beyond medium. The egg mixture adds a moist consistency which works especially well with lean meat –either buffalo or ground beef.

Afterthought: Beef burgers are best with a 20% fat content. If fat content is troubling to you, this recipe will meet your needs with beef, since a leaner ground beef can be used

Pork Chops Stuffed and Grilled

2010-05-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

We often grill in the winter with snow on the deck but the real grilling season starts on Memorial Day. I’ll be cleaning and scouring the winter off the gas grill this week and reviewing favorite grilling recipes to start the warm weather grill season.

If you are a looking for a special, different BBQ item for guests, Thick Pork Chops stuffed and Barbecued are a great grill item. We’ve done grilled stuffed pork chops many times but recently have stepped up the level of stuffing inspired by a recipe from Fast Entrees by Hugh Carpenter and Terri Sanderson.

Thick Stuffed Pork Chops on the Grill

Ingredients:

4 fresh pork chops(bone in) at least 1 ½ inches thick
5 ounces goat cheese(soft
3 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup mixed dried fruit chopped well
BBQ sauce-1/2 cup of your favorite

Preparation:

Cut a horizontal pocket in each chop to accept the stuffing
In a bowl, mix the cheese, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper flakes and fruit
Stuff the mixture in the chops
Brush both side of the chops with BBQ sauce
Place on a medium hot grill
Sear each side of the chops for about two minutes
Lower heat to medium low on a gas grill or to indirect heat on a charcoal grill
Cook turning every 5 minutes (about 15 minutes total)
Brush on additional BBQ sauce
Cook till meat reaches 145’ on your meat thermometer and is slightly pink in the center

Service- On a warm plate accompanied with a fresh colorful salad.

Asparagus Time

2010-05-18T07:53:00.001-07:00

Asparagus can be found in Florida and California as early as February and March. Most of America is now enjoying fresh locally grown asparagus In April and May. Those green spears poking up in a brown garden mean that Spring is really, finally here.

Asparagus are truly an elegant accompaniment to a spring dinner or as a stand alone luncheon treat.

I think the best asparagus are those that are about a ½ inch in diameter with tightly closed buds. Asparagus can be steamed, boiled. baked, grilled or stir fried. Whichever method you use takes about the same time to cook the spears. Just make sure you do not over cook them. Steaming or boiling takes about 6-8 minutes for ½ inch spears. You can test with a fork or small knife. Easily pierced means they are done.

Preparation:

Cut about 1 inch off the bottom of each spear(or more) and make them all about the same length .
Lightly peel each spear with a swivel blade peeler(Lightly I said)
Swish the asparagus in cool water to clean and remove any sand in the buds
You are ready to cook.

Cooking & serving::

1.Steam or boil for 6 to 8 minutes
Arrange on a serving plate-
Dress with olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt

2.Alternate--Serve cold with a Shallot Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette ingredients:
3 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon dry mustard
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot minced

In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients
Place the cooked asparagus spears in a small baking dish
Pour the mixture over the asparagus and turn to coat well
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate

Service : arrange spears on glass plates and spoon a bit of dressing on the top

There a dozens of ways to serve asparagus both hot and cold. The spears can be used with an interesting dip. Simply baked in butter or as a soup are alternate asparagus treats.
The key is to enjoy this great vegetable now while the asparagus is sprouting in spring

Pastel De Tres Leches (3 Milk Cake)

2010-04-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

When I announced that I was thinking the Easter dinner should have a Russian Paskha as dessert an immediate alternative was suggested. A Three Milk Cake is another dessert we had not yet made but have had several times and enjoyed very much. It was pointed out that if I planned to venture into new territory with dessert, Mexico was closer than Russia and the cake was outstanding when we had it at a dinner several months ago.

I was a bit conflicted and thought about making both for a while but we finally decided on the Three Milk Cake. It was great and is a cake that can be used on many special occasions. This cake disappeared so fast that there is no doubt that we will be making it again. Here is the recipe for the Pastel De Tres Leches (Three Milk Cake) which I know you will enjoy.

Three Milk Cake

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 13 ounce can evaporated milk
3 cups heavy cream
Fresh fruit sliced(your choice –strawberries or mangos etc)

Preparation:

1. Spray cooking oil on the sides and bottom of a 9”x3” springform pan
2. Preheat oven to 350’
3. Sift flour, baking powder and salt & set aside
4. Beat eggs and water in bowl on high speed till doubled in volume
5. Reduce to low speed and add water and 1 tsp vanilla
6. By hand with a spatula fold in dry ingredients(gently)
7. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 35 till 40 minutes until cake is firm and has pulled away from the sides of the pan.
8. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes and place a cake plate over the cake and turn it right side up
9. Set aside and continue cooling
10. Whisk together the condensed milk, the evaporated milk, 1 cup heavy cream and remaining vanilla
11.Skim off the top of the cake with a serrated knife and discard.
12. Prick the cake with a long tooth pick. then pour milk mixture over the cake in several batches allowing it to soak in as much as possible each time.

Serve: Beat heavy cream in a chilled bowl until stiff peaks form. Spread over top and sides of cake and garnish with the fresh fruit slices. This will serve 8-10

Lamb at Easter

2010-04-02T16:03:00.001-07:00

Lamb at Easter

Lamb is traditionally served at our Easter Dinner. There is something about lamb that is married to Spring and it works well with the joy of Easter. Easter dinner should be bright and warm after the solemn Good Friday that precedes Easter. The traditional Easter Egg hunt with the grandkids is first on our afternoon schedule. After the fun and awarding of small prizes for the number of eggs found, our schedule calls for the gathering at Easter dinner. The Lamb fills the bill perfectly on Easter Sunday and is the dish which our whole family enjoys.

Roast Lamb at Easter

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon each of:
Fresh chopped rosemary, marjoram, thyme and (savory*)
3 or 4 crushed garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 lb. boned leg of lamb
½ cup red wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter-cut into 6 pieces

Preparation:

Pound then grind herbs and garlic in a mortar to form a paste
Gradually work in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper
Rub mixture over lamb
Tie lamb into a neat shape and place in a roasting pan
Leave at room temperature for 2 hours
Roast in preheated 425’ oven for 15 minutes
Reduce heat to 350’ and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes for pink meat
Baste with wine while cooking
Remove Lamb to a warm patter and cover with foil
Pour off most of the fat from roasting pan and then heat remaining drippings
Add wine, stirring and scraping over high heat
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes while stirring
Add the butter a piece at a time while stirring

Serving: Slice ½ of the roast generously and pour a little sauce over the slices
Garnish the plate around the roast with roughly chopped parsley for color

Notes: *Savory is a hot peppery herb that is not always easily found in the U.S.
If you can’t find it don’t worry the other herbs will carry the day
I think that the roast ½ sliced with the slices and remaining roast on the serving platter makes an attractive presentation;
Use a thermometer to check the meat for appropriate “doneness” before removing from the oven. I cut into the roast to check in addition to the thermometer reading
Make sure you cover the roast and set aside while making the gravy. The meat will “finish” while you are preparing the gravy.

Afterthoughts: The accompaniments to the lamb should be bright and traditional Easter items if you have the time and inclination. Thinking about lamb and Easter often makes me review my recipe for Paskha a traditional Russian Easter dessert similar to cheesecake.
I have never made the dish but may give it a try this year. It involves a clean clay flowerpot. This has intrigued me for years but I never had a pot that I felt comfortable cooking anything in after taking out the geraniums. If I do it this year I’ll buy a new flowerpot.
If any readers have Paskha advice or recipes send them along. I’ll appreciate it

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2010-03-25T07:34:00.001-07:00

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Scallops Seviche (Ceviche)

2010-03-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

I’ve been thinking about fish as spring approaches with particular attention to certain fish I avoid in the winter. I have known many commercial fishermen and am familiar with the difficult work they pursue in all kinds of weather. I don’t eat scallops often during the winter months simply because I know how tough the Atlantic can be in winter months. Scallops are something I can wait to enjoy in the Spring.

Here’s a scallop dish that is a great appetizer on a warm Spring day or as a luncheon dish served in the garden on a sunny Spring afternoon

The Seviche recipe we used for years was from Craig Claiborn’s NY Time’s Cook Book.
Moving to the West introduced us to some variety in the preparation that we especially enjoy

Scallop Seviche Mexican

Ingredients:

1 pound sea scallops chopped coarsely
Juice from 4 or 5 limes
2 tomatoes peeled, seeded, diced
1 cup finely chopped green onion
1 ripe avocado peeled and diced
¼ cup minced cilantro
2 tablespoons green chiles seeded & minced(optional)

Preparation:

Place scallops in a glass bowl
Cover with lime juice
Cover bowl and place in refrigerator for two hours till scallops become opaque
Drain and mix scallops with tomatoes, onion and avocado
Season with salt and cilantro to taste

Service:
Line small plates with lettuce and top with scallop mixture

Note: This dish can be prepared using a firm white fish instead of the scallops
The glass bowl is something we have always used and I am not completely sure why. Something to do with the acid of the limes-- it works well in the glass bowl so we continue to use it.

A Special Shepherd's Pie

2010-03-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

Recipes for Shepherd's Pie often proclaim the quick and easy nature of the dish. For a St Patrick day celebration a little more than quick and easy should go into a Shepherd's Pie. This recipe has been in our house for years and we have made a few adjustments to make the original a bit easier but it is not exactly quick, easy and inexpensive. It is simply excellent.

Ingredients:

For the filling

2 lb boneless lamb shoulder cut into ½ inch slices
4 or 5 carrots cut diagonally into 1/3 inch slices
2 turnips peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
4 leeks ( white & pale green part) cut into ½ inch slices
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 ½ tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup beef broth
1 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 ½ tablespoons softened unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

For the Potato Topping:

2 lb baking potatoes
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:

Blanch onions for 1 minute then put in cold water. Drain-peel and trim
Wash leek slices in a bowl of water Change water and repeat several times
Dry lamb and season with salt and pepper
Place lamb and 3 tablespoons flour in a plastic bag-shake to coat
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet on med.high heat
Brown ½ the lamb for 8 minutes add 1 tablespoon garlic for final 2 minutes stirring
Set aside
Repeat with remaining lamb and garlic
Set aside
De-glaze skillet with white wine over high heat 1 minute
Add tomato paste stir until liquid is reduce by ½ about 4-5 minutes
Add all ingredients(lamb-vegetables-broth –water-salt& pepper)
Bring to simmer over med-high heat then remove from heat
Transfer ingredients to a baking dish and cover with foil
Place in a 350’ oven and braise for about 1 ½ to 2 hours
Stir a few times and season to taste with salt and pepper

Preparation of Potato Topping:

Peel and quarter potatoes
Place in pot and cover with cold water salted
Simmer uncovered until tender ( at least 25 minutes) Drain in colander
Bring cream, milk and butter to simmer in now empty potato pot over moderate heat
Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper
Put potatoes through a ricer into hot cream mixture- Stir to combine-cover & keep warm

Final Assembly and broil

Remove baking dish from oven- set aside uncovered
Place 1 ½ tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons flour in a small bowl and stir to a paste
Take about 1 cup of liquid from baking dish and bring to a boil in a small sauce pan
Add paste and whisk over heat in liquid until thickened ( 2 minutes)
Stir gently into lamb and vegetables
Spoon potatoes over lamb and vegetables and spread evenly with a fork
Place baking dish 3 inches under the broiler for about three minutes

Note—Keep an eye on the last step under the broiler. Pull the Shepherd's Pie when the potatoes are golden

This is not the time to take a break for a Guinness. A minute too much and the
Gold on the potato topping will be gone. Enjoy the Guinness along with the complements; you will receive, about the best Shepherd's Pie that has ever graced the table at a St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Other notes: Rinse the leeks really well. FYI: The paste that is combined at the end to thicken the lamb & veggies is called "beurre manie" If your Irish Crowd is like mine they really won't care what it is called. They will be enjoying the dish and the Day.

I think the original recipe came from the, now gone,Gourmet Magazine to which we subscribed for many years.

Irish Stew

2010-03-06T07:26:00.000-08:00

St Patrick’s day is a few weeks away so it is not too early to think about how to make the day a truly Irish Celebration. Everyone knows a little bit about this English missionary priest who went to Ireland and converted this nation of wild Irish pagans to Christianity.
The shamrock was used by St. Patrick to explain the difficult concept of the Trinity to pagan leaders.

The Irish may not be known for a delicate complicated cuisine but have some classic dishes that are appropriate dishes to be used on March 17th when it seems everyone seems to have a “bit of the Irish in them”. My grandparents immigrated from County Cork and one of the recipes that came with them was for an Irish Stew that is enjoyed at more times than simply St Patrick’s day.

Irish Stew

Ingredients:
3 pounds lamb shoulder-cubed
2 pounds Russet potatoes Generously cubed
5 medium onions quartered
3 large carrots sliced
6 stalks celery sliced
1 bunch parsley chopped
1 stalk dried thyme
2 quarts beef stock
12 ounces Stout
Salt & pepper to taste
1 ½ cups water
1 cup pearl barley

Preparation:
Cook the barley in water and 1 cup of the beef stock for 20 minutes –set aside
In a large pot
Season the lamb with salt and brown in oil- then set aside sprinkle lightly with flour
Saute onions carrots and celery with thyme for 3-4 minutes - add the stout and deglaze, then set aside- remove thyme sprig
Return lamb to the pot with the barley and enough stock to cover
Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer-cook for 1 1/2 hour
Add back the onions, carrots and celery with remaining stock
Add potatoes as the final layer of ingredients
Low Simmer till meat is tender (about 1 1/2 hours)
Check seasonings
Add parsley & cornstarch (mixed with 3 tablespoon water) and cook for several minutes to thicken.

Notes: We use Guinness Stout. I’m not sure what my Grand mother used
Make sure that you cut and dice the ingredients into sizable pieces. The long cooking would make small pieces soft and unappetizing. Some add rosemary to the herbs- your choice- not my favorite

Service: An Irish Skillet Bread goes well as does the more usual soda bread. A few bottles of the Guinness is an attractive beverage addition

Spam, Scrapple & Deviled Ham

2010-02-17T11:29:00.000-08:00

In a conversation with a college classmate he interjected a few comments and questions about my Blog. With a questioning tone he asked if I remembered some of our youthful food favorites now that I was writing with an often healthful tone to my posts.

He stimulated the trip down memory lane by mentioning Spam as something he still sneaks into the house a few times a year. I confessed that I have done the same thing from time to time. I take a lot of criticism from my wife when I buy that small can about once every five years. I admit that I still enjoy that very rare trip down the Spam memory lane. I make sure that I do not review the ingredients and nutritional value. That might spoil the moment.

Joe then mentioned some of his youthful favorites which he smuggles into the house occasionally. Deviled Ham, Scrapple and Taylor’s Pork Roll were three other items of food contraband that are quietly brought home occasionally.

Those items were favorites of mine at in my youth, that time, distance, availability and nutritional pressure have eliminated their consumption in our house. The time factor is simple to understand. I have lived for decades during which I have been pleasantly indoctrinated to a sensible eating regimen in a household having a nutritional Czar running the kitchen.

Distance is another factor. I live 2000 miles away from Philadelphia, the center of fast food excellence where nutritional concerns are only accidentally encountered. My friend Joe is not burdened with my distance from Philly. He only lives 15 miles out of town.

My location near Boulder Colorado is an area where excess weight is almost a capital offense. Scrapple is probably considered an illegal substance and if available would hardly sell enough to warrant the space in the market. Taylor Pork Roll, a Trenton NJ specialty, is a past favorite I have not seen since I crossed the Mississippi.

The Deviled Ham is an item of particular interest. I haven’t had that on a Ritz cracker for at least forty years. I’m no longer sure what devils the ham, if I ever knew or cared. I’m not even sure if it is still available. Thinking about it almost has brought back a remembrance of the taste and how much I enjoyed opening that small can of spreadable bliss.

My old college friend has revived pleasant memories of youthful food favorites. I think that the conversation concerning the foods of our youth is a pleasant combination to serve on a snowy winter day. We didn’t even have to set a table.

I think I am about to make a quiet search of the markets to see if I can find and recreate a dangerous moment or two of enjoyable food memorys. This will be a time travel experiment back to years ago when we were only concerned with the taste and not calories, fat content and cholesterol levels. I know that there will be questions raised concerning my apparent loss of good sense and apparent lapse into some form of senile dementia. I’ll take the gaff and see if Deviled Ham is as good as the memory.

Gluten Free Pizza

2010-02-16T12:50:00.000-08:00

This post could also be called: Confessions of a Pizza & Pasta Eating, Hoagie Loving, Cheese Steak fan from Philadelphia.

Several years ago when a family member was opening his Pizza restaurant in Boulder I got involved in a conversation about his proposed menu. The menu outline contained an item called Gluten Free Pizza with Dairy Free Soy cheese as an option.

My astute opinion was offered concerning these items. I told him he was complicating his operation by offering a pizza item that nobody would order. I told him that people who had wheat problems would never even come through his door.

Luckily he ignored my advice and put the Gluten free pizza on the menu. He now sells a ton of this pizza. He was the first to offer the product in the Boulder market and has an appreciative faithful audience even though other pizza places are now adding a gluten free offering. I’m not convinced that all those ordering a gluten free pizza have a wheat problem but those that do are especially grateful. Many of those folks have not been able to sit down with family to enjoy a pizza on a Friday night as do millions of Americans.

Gluten free items are extending beyond pizza. I saw a store window with a poster featuring gluten free beer. Gluten Free products are sweeping across the country.

I digress a bit so, lets get back to the pizza. Gluten free pizza is not exactly like a South Philly pizza but serves a need for an important audience. Those who have a serious wheat allergy should take some precautions when ordering a Gluten Free pizza in a pizza joint also serving typical pizzas.

1. The Gluten free pizza must not be cooked on an oven deck that is used for wheat pizzas.

2. The sauce needs to be applied from a container used only for gluten free and has its own ladle. A ladle that has been used on a normal pizza all night will not be good practice. That ladle will carry flour into the sauce and defeat the gluten free option.

3. The pizza maker cannot be the one who does gluten free. If you wonder why, just check out the floured hands and apron of a pizza maker.

4. Gluten Free preparation needs to be segregated in the kitchen from the flour laden area where pizza is hand tossed.

Taste of a gluten free pizza can be improved by the addition of certain toppings. Salty and hot spicy toppings help a lot. Green olives, anchovies, marinated artichoke hearts and jalapeños are some likely candidates.

Real whole milk mozzarella instead of dairy free imitation cheese is a big taste enhancer. If you have both a wheat and dairy problem learn to love anchovies.

A pizza crust of any description serves as a plate for the toppings. If you need gluten free, concentrate on the meal being served on that crust. You are now able to join the family pizza party and maybe even bring along a six pack of that Gluten Free Beer.

Enjoy the party!

The photo is from a Celiac oriented site with good information for those with wheat problems.

Vanilla- Not Jusy Plain

2010-02-14T07:46:00.000-08:00

Vanilla is the addition to pastry, cakes and sweet things that often makes them special. I wonder how something like vanilla happens and winds up in my cupboard with such an important place in so many things that we bake.

Vanilla comes from a tropical vanilla orchid and is thought to have first been used by the Aztecs. They added vanilla to their hot cocoa drinks. It was not much different from the way news of interesting food items spreads today. Vanilla was soon being used in baking and in sweet drinks in far flung cultures with little connection to the Aztecs.

I suppose that the Spanish Conquistadores took vanilla and vanilla orchids back to Spain where it’s use expanded rapidly. As with other food related items discovered in the “New World" trade moved vanilla around much of the known world. The growth of world trade after Columbus, can be tracked by the appearance of food items around the world that were found by explorers in the Americas

There are now artificially created vanilla products on the grocery shelves but there are none that compare to the natural product. Marcy Goldman is a source for vanilla information from whom I have liberally extracted much information. Marcy has tracked what she believes are the sources of the finest vanilla available. Those premier vanilla sites are Reunion Island (off the coast of Madagascar), Tahiti, Uganda and Veracruz Mexico.

Since about 1840 the pollination of vanilla orchids has been done with a bamboo stick . This technique has minimized the bees pollination requirement and has stabilized production. The weather and labor costs involved have made vanilla one of the most expensive of flavor sources. The cost is a secondary consideration when the natural goodness of vanilla becomes part of your baked treats.

I do not pretend to have the expertise to rate the various vanilla blends but do know one important part of using vanilla. Do not use an artificial, man made product. Only use the natural vanilla extract. Your baked goods will know the difference as will those who are enjoying your baking effort.

Marcy Goldman was a valuable source of the vanilla information used in this post. She is the author of The New Best of Better Baking.com and a Passion for Baking( Oxmore House-2007)

Steak a la chicana

2010-02-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Each year a neighbor in our section of the Colorado Mountains holds a themed Dead Of The Winter party. This year there was an Immigrant theme with each couple challenged to bring a dish from the nation of their family’s origin and to dress as their immigrant forebearer.

Our host provided a dish that I have enjoyed previously called “Steak a la chicana” There was an additional surprise this time since he has shared the recipe. There were Swedish, German, Norwegian, Irish and Italian dishes at the dinner and it all worked well but the “Steak a la chicana” was a stand out.

Rich’s Steak a la chicana for a party

Ingredients:

Tri-Tip strips (the large package from Costco)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 cans "Stewed tomatoes."
Red chili powder, 2 tablespoons
1 or 2 chopped jalapeno peppers (check to see how hot they are before deciding on 1 or 2)

Preparation:
Step 1. Brown the tri-tip on the grill and seal in the moisture.
Step 2. Remove from grill and slice into 1/2 inch thick small pieces.
Step 3. Put into a crock pot at a high setting
Step 4. Add the remaining ingredients and start cooking. Stir every hour.
Step 5. Use a the high setting for 2 hours and then set to low for about 3 more hours
Step 6. Taste along the way after 3 hours in the pot. The meat should become tender.
Step 7. Add 1 0r 2 tablespoons of flour to thicken the sauce

Serve by itself or inside a burrito with a slice of Jack cheese.

At the party the service was as a Burrito. Included in the service, was several minutes of instruction as to how I should correctly roll my R’s when saying burrito. I almost have it

If you are not having a party and the big Costco package of Tri Tip strips is too much, a Skirt Steak will also work well.

Linda's Apple Compote

2010-02-01T10:04:00.000-08:00

My friend Linda sends me a recipe from time to time and they always are special and have an surprise ingredient. This chunky apple offering is a fresh compote that is a sure winner at the meal in which it is served. Hot or cold works as a dessert or as a tart accompaniment to a pork dish.

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups water
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
7 medium size Granny Smith or other firm tart apples
½ cup good Sauternes
6 tablespoons red current jelly
2 cinnamon sticks
grated zest of 2 lemons
½ cup shelled chopped walnuts
½ cup raisins

Preparation:
Step 1. Mix half of the water and half of lemon juice in a bowl
Step 2. Peel and core the apples and cut them into 1 ½-inch chunks and place in water
Step 3. In a medium size saucepan combine the remaining water and the Sauternes
Step 4. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add apple chunks
Step 5. Partially cover and cook gently until apples are tender and remain whole
Step 6. With slotted spoon transfer apples to a bowl, add current jelly and cinnamon sticks to the remaining syrup.
Step 7. Set on medium heat bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until reduced by one third
Step 8. Pour the syrup over the apples. Stir in walnuts and raisins

Service: Warm or cool The recipe makes 6 portions
Sweet tooth folks add 1/3 cup of sugar but Linda feels that it is perfect without the additional sugar and so do I

Boston Baked Beans

2010-01-23T12:11:00.000-08:00

Every day for the last week the news has been centered in Massachusetts.. This has me thinking about recipes and restaurants that I have experienced in that area. I would pay more attention if the news included a great recipe from the area. I don’t know how to make that happen but I think that there would be broader appeal if there was an excellent recipe for Boston Baked Beans attached. Here is a recipe that will please, however you feel about the news..

Boston Baked Beans

Ingredients:
3 cups dried navy beans
½ lb sliced bacon
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic finely minced.
¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 cup dark molasses
Several cups of boiling water

Preparation:
Step 1. Cover beans with cold water, cover & refrigerate overnight
Step 2. Next day drain, then put beans into a 6 quart kettle-cover with 2 quarts water
Step 3. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer covered for 30 minutes
Step 4. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Step 5. Cut bacon into chunks & place into 3 quart bean pot or casserole Add beans –stir
Step 6. Mix other ingredients without the water and pour over beans
Step 7. Add enough boiling water to cover the beans( about 1 cup)& stir briefly
Step 8. Bake covered for 6 hours stirring once every hour(add a little water if they start to dry)
Step 9. Remove cover for final 30 minutes to brown top of beans

Service: I think this recipe can(should) be served in it’s own small side dish. Relegating it to a paper plate next to a hamburger or hot dog at a picnic always leaves me thinking that it deserves a better final resting place.

Crustless Quiche

2010-01-19T07:30:00.000-08:00

When time is rushed a fast meal can be prepared that has nothing to do with “Fast Food”. That happened over the weekend when we were faced with more commitments than a sensible schedule should contain. We answered one dinner challenge with an excellent crustless quiche being prepared and served in less than an hour. A cup of tomato soup preceded the quiche and was prepared in about 10 minutes while the quiche was in the oven.

A Quick Quiche

Ingredients:

5 large eggs
3 slices crisply fried bacon (broken up)
¼ cup diced onions
1 cup blanched spinach
Several sliced mushrooms
One cup finely shredded cheeses (Jarlsburg-Asiago-Feta)
1 cup half & half
½ tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper
1Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive oil
Several dashes of Cholula

Preparation:
’
Step 1. In olive oil, sauté onions & mushroom for several minutes add spinach for last minute
Step 2. Whip eggs in bowl –add half & half-salt & pepper –dash of Cholula hot sauce
Step 3. Butter pie dish and then cover bottom with ½ cup cheese
Step 4.add veggies & bacon to dish
Step 5. Pour in egg mixture with remaining cheese
Step 6. Bake 40 minutes in 375’oven till inserted toothpick or skewer comes out clean

Service: Invert onto serving plate and cut into 6 slices

Quick Tomato soup to serve while the Quiche is finishing in the oven

In a sauce pan sauté several diced Roma tomatoes and ½ cup of diced onions
After a few minutes add a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup and a can of milk along with some fresh basil.
Heat thoroughly and serve in a small bowl with a sprinkle of crumbled Feta cheese centered on the soup—Hide the Campbell’s can and no one will guess and I’ll never tell

Note: The cheeses for the quiche were what we had on hand. Use what you prefer and have at hand, but use several types if possible.
Break up the bacon but do not crumble

Farmers- A Threat to America?

2010-01-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

At a pleasant New Years Eve gathering of friends at dinner I sparked a general conversation of some excitement by commenting on organic food production in America. I wondered how organic product growth could keep pace with our country's need for produce and other food items.

Some surprising thoughts were offered over a dinner that involved wild caught salmon as a main course. It was pointed out by one guest that nearly everything on the table was organically grown and there was a need for organic products that extended beyond the issue of healthy eating.

The surprise to me was the animosity towards farming in America that was expressed. One diner expressed the thought that farming had done more damage to America through the years than any other group.

I was bewildered by such a thought and said so.
The list of farm transgressions was produced without hesitation starting with farmers as the supporters of the slave trade, the misuse of the soil that produced the Dust Bowl and erosion of the thirties, the importation and then mistreatment of illegal aliens brought to America to harvest crops at miserable wages, outrageous political tactics to assure government crop support and stimulate an agricultural business that is continuously eliminating the family farm and locally grown produce. The expanded use of Ethanol was described as simply a political perk for farmers than made no sense in solving oil use and environmental issues. Then the nitrogen poisoning of water ways was put on the table for discussion.

It was pointed out to me that the fertilization of farms in Pennsylvania had caused pollution that ran down the Susquehanna River into the Chesapeake Bay. The increased nitrogen content of the inflow has seriously degraded various fish stocks and the oyster production in the bay.

Apparently improvements and farmer education,in the Chesapeake watershed is producing a slow improvement in the situation. That seems not to be the case in the Gulf of Mexico where dramatic change is happening. The entire watershed of the Mississippi drains down the center of the country into the Gulf and is causing a growing dead zone. Apparently this dead zone supports no life and is caused by farm fertilization with a concentration of nitrogen. No fish , no mollusks, no plant life—no nothing—and the dead zone is growing.

I had heard about the Chesapeake problem and the improving situation there. I had not been aware of the Gulf dead zone and am only familiar with the presentation I received at dinner after a glass of wine or two. The dead zone story was followed up with a recommendation that I become aware of the “acidization” of the oceans that was taking place. Fortunately I was rescued by the presentation of a beautiful Trifle for dessert and the suggestion that we save the oceans problems for another dinner gathering.

While we as a nation are arguing over the issues of global warming and Co2 emissions from fossil fuel use, there is a real and present danger that has been on the back burner of political interest. It seems that action against oil companies and the auto industry are easier targets than farmers. I think it is because we imagine farming as a family effort when that is not the typical case any longer.

I’m half way converted to organic products wherever possible to alleviate the nitrogen pollution of the water ways by the mega farms along the major rivers. I’m a big proponent of fish as a healthy dinner choice and really never connected the farms as such a threat to Grouper and other species in the Gulf of Mexico. The problem with my friends at dinner is that their knowledge and interest extends beyond just eating the meal.

Now I’ve got to think about farmers in an expanded light. In the meantime our hostess has promised the recipe for the magnificent salmon marinade that made the New Years Eve dinner so memorable. I think she offered the recipe as a consolation prize for my lack of farming knowledge but a demonstrated willingness to learn.

As a long time big city dweller I have only really had one extensive tour of a farm in my life. That was a dairy farm. I haven’t had a glass of milk since that visit which was about 35 years ago. Those cows didn’t look like Elsie which was my prior vision of what a cow was supposed to look like. I'm a bit hesitant to visit many farms. I really want to imagine that the food I eat magically arrived in the refrigerated cases after being lovingly grown and harvested by the Waltons.

Happy New Year and let me hear from the farmers both organic and otherwise. I’m sure that I didn’t get the total picture over that salmon at dinner.

7 Layer Mexican Dip

2009-12-25T15:52:00.000-08:00

About 30 years ago we had a small party on a dock in South Jersey and hired a local caterer to put together a few starters for the gathering. One of the suggestions was a 4 layer Mexican dip. My reaction was negative but thankfully overridden by my wife who was the main organizer. She said I was a bid staid and was simply reacting because I didn’t know Mexican food or for a matter of fact knew no one of Mexican heritage. Both were true observation so I said OK. I agreed to go with the dip as my first tiny exposure to things Mexican.
I’m glad I agreed because the 4 layer was a hit and we have since made it our own through the years with additional layers and it is always a winner no matter the theme of our party. So you can be assured, if you use our 7 layer dip at your next event it will be well received and probably a real hit.

7 layer Mexican Dip

For starters here are the layers

1st. Back and Pinto Bean mixture( recipe follows below)
2nd. Guacamole
3rd Sliced green onions
4th. Sour Cream sprinkled with Chili powder
5th Diced fresh tomatoes
6th Sliced Black Olives
7th Mexican Cheese Blend, Shredded

Bean Mixture: Drain and rinse
1 can of black beans
1 can of pinto beans
Puree beans.
Then sauté ½ cup chopped yellow onion and 2 cloves of garlic in olive oil
Add pureed beans, ¼ cup chopped cilantro and 1 cup of picante sauce.
Simmer for 2-3 minutes then let cool

Preparation:
In a shallow bowl:
Spread the bean mixture
Top with prepared guacamole
Then sliced green onions
Next spread 1 cup sour cream and sprinkle with chili powder
Add a layer of diced fresh tomatoes
And sliced black olives
Finish with a generous sprinkled layer of shredded Mexican cheese blend

Serve with a combination of blue and white corn tortilla chips

Our serving bowl is a shallow 12 inch diameter solid green colored bowl with a brown lip. It has a Mexican or Native American appearance.
My knowledge of Mexican food has improved over the last 30 years and now living in Colorado has exposed us to the colorful culture of the folks that shared and were important participants in the settlement of this great part of America.

Brie en Croute

2009-12-14T14:26:00.000-08:00

A Christmas party is something we always look forward to hosting. Having friends and family join us to share the joy of the season is a highlight of our year. We enjoy the company and do our best to have an array of food dishes that are festive and appropriate for this gathering in the holiday season.

There is a significant amount of preparation required for this party every year, so careful planning is the first step in making sure the event is a success. Each of the food items cannot take hours to assemble. There needs to be balance not only in the type of food but also in the time needed to get it ready to be served

A wonderful first offering to get the party off on a bright note is a Brie en Croute. This is quick, easy to prepare and is an interesting use for Brie (generally a dessert cheese) to start the party

Holiday Brie en Croute

Ingredients:
Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets
1 Brie Cheese round about 2.5 lb
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp. half & half

Preparation:
Roll out the 1 sheet of thawed puff pastry on a floured board
Cut corners of the pastry to make a circle roughly 24 inches in diameter
Place the wheel of Brie in the center of the pastry
Gather the pastry evenly around the Brie with a bundle on the top
Tie the bundle of dough with cotton twine to hold it in place and together
Trim excess dough and chill the cheese on a parchment lined baking sheet for 1 hour

Cooking
Preheat oven to 400’
Step 1.Combine egg yolk and half & half and brush on top of pastry
Step2. Bake till pastry puffs and is golden brown about (35 minutes)
Step 3. Keep an eye on the baking and reduce temp if it is browning too quickly
Step 4. Cool Brie on a rack for 20 minutes

Serve warm, accompanied with water crackers or those of your preference.

Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

Note:

The Brie I call for in the recipe will be appropriate for a party of 15-20 people with the other Hors d'Oeuvres being served. For a smaller gathering use a 1 lb Brie. There are recipes that call for apricot preserves, cranberries and toasted almonds on the Brie before the pastry encloses it and it is placed in the oven. We have tried these recipes through the years and have settled on the unadorned Brie en Croute recipe. The preserves and other ingredients are often messy and really unneeded to create this impressive start for the evening..
I think it was a Martha commentary that convinced us to try this classic presentation. She was right –as usual with Hors d’Oeuvres.

Cranberry Scones and Snowshoes

2009-12-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

Our plans for this morning were to take a drive through the mountains to Estes Park to do some Christmas shopping. Plans were changed when we woke up to 10 inches of snow that fell over night. With all that beautiful new Powder we decided the shopping could wait. It was snowshoe time with some hot chocolate and scones to follow. Not yet ready for a long trek on the snowshoes, an hour or so would be fine for our first venture of the winter. We are always ready for scones and hot chocolate and this was a perfect time to use some of those cranberries left over from Thanksgiving There are many varieties of scones that we bake for ourselves but this is the one that is our favorite on a snowy morning.

Cranberry Orange Scones

Ingredients:
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped
½ cup sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 stick chilled unsalted butter
1 large egg
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange peels

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375’
Step 1. Stir cranberries and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl( let stand-5 minutes)
Step 2. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl
Step 3. Cut butter into small cubes and distribute over dry ingredients
Step 4. With two knives or a pastry blender cut in the butter until course crumbs are formed
Step 5. In a small bowl beat egg, buttermilk, juice, vanilla and grated orange peel
Step 6. Add the egg mixture to the flour and stir to combine-the dough will be sticky
Step 7. Flour hands and knead in the cranberries till distributed throughout
Step 8. Drop 1/3 cup fulls on ungreased baking sheet.
Step 9. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in scone comes out clean
Step 10. Set on wire rack to cool slightly - Serve warm

Makes approximately 1 dozen scones

Afterthoughts: Steps 7 and 8 are a bit messy. It is not a mistake, simply sticky steps.
The recipe is a tried and true winner developed in our kitchen but the photo is another story. It is a Weight Watchers Photo which looks like it was taken in our kitchen of our scone(it wasn't) It should encourage anyone who needs to drop a few pounds to look into their program

Dinner for Lions

2009-12-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

Food issues are the subject of my Buck Cooks Blog but I do some writing on other subjects Old friends from Lansdowne keep asking me about life in Colorado and how a Philly guy handles the different life style. Sooo About once a month I'm going to incluide an article about the area in which Buck is doing all this cooking. Like a line from a famous movie slightly changed " You're not on Lansdowne anymore Buck.

Last week I wrote about a bear incident at our home in the Colorado mountains, It was an event that seemed to have some interest among old friends who know me as an East Coast big city guy. Dueling with 500 lb. Bears in the night seems somewhat like a scene from Raiders of The Lost Ark to my old friends in Philly. Not said in my article was the fact that I always have an exit strategy when dealing with the bears on our property. They seldom attack other mammals and sleep about 6 months of the year. Using common sense we do not particularly worry about the bears other than the yearly loss of a bird feeder.

Our mountain lions are another story. We have some resident lions in the neighborhood.
One friend does not go out or the house after dusk without carrying her Lion stick, which is a stout 4 foot long dowel. Asked why she was carrying such a stick she replied “ that damn lion has been prowling around my house almost every other day. If he decides to attack, I want something handy to give him What for.”

I am not exactly sure “what for” is but I think something more than a 4’ broom stick will be needed to give him “what for’. No matter what “what for” exactly is all about.

I have lived in the mountains for 10 years and never have seen a lion. My wife has, every neighbor has and my youngest grandson who lives a few miles below us on the edge of the mountains has seen 4 lions or one lion 4 times.

I worry that the lion has picked me out for some reason. If a lion doesn’t want to be seen you won’t see him. Since I am the only local that hasn’t seen one I figure they are checking me out for special treatment. I am starting to think that I need to be carrying something more than a broomstick when I walk down to the road after dark to get the mail.

Our lion(s) have not eaten any local people recently, but dogs frequently disappear without a trace. Last year our friends and neighbors George and Mary were sitting in their sun room at the end of the day having an after dinner, quiet moment. Their beautiful dog was playing on the deck a few feet away from where they were seated.

Suddenly over the rail a large lion pounced on the 30 lb dog and leaped back over the rail carrying the dog in his jaws. George is a big guy and followed the lion over the rail and into the woods. He never found the lion or any trace of their dog.

A few years ago our friend and neighbor Tamara heard a commotion on her front landing. She opened the door to find her dog being attacked by a young lion. Tamara is not about to let a lion eat any of her living relatives or pets and went after the lion with a broom. I’ve seen Tamara shovel snow and sweep a sidewalk. . Her broom skills came in handy because she beat off the lion, rushed her dog to town for stitching up and he lived for several more years

The grandson who has seen all the lions lives in town surrounded by homes at least ½ mile away from open space. A lion was caught by the Wildlife folks across the street from his house, 100 yards from the street on which he regularly skateboards. A little scary close.

It is well known that the lions are slowly moving down out of the mountains for several reasons. The deer are moving down into residential areas where they are protected from hunting by people. They are not protected from hunting by lions. The lions have found out that dogs and cats are an easy snack now and then on their trip to town for dinner.

My mountain neighbors defending hearth and home with broomsticks also may be a reason for their drift to lower elevations. I think I’d better work on my broomstick skills.
Unlike George charging into the woods after his lion with bare hands I need to think of a better defense/attack technique, just in case I need one

Deep Fried Turkey-Cajun Style

2009-11-23T11:05:00.000-08:00

I first thought about deep frying a turkey while I still lived in Philadelphia. After studying the frying procedure I determined that this was a process that should be limited by law to a bayou in Louisiana or to a home next to a firehouse with EMT's trained in burn treatment stationed next to the cooking turkey.

I feel that deep frying a turkey is akin to sky diving, hang gliding or climbing a rock face covered in ice. I have obtained this recipe from New Orleans friends and can attest to the fact that it tastes great. I have yet to deep fry my first turkey but have held the fire extinguisher while others have performed the feat. I have friends who have successfully deep fried many turkeys without mishap. I'm not sure how that has happened?? Perhaps a Bayou Deep Fryer is the answer

Cajun Style Deep Fried Turkey

Ingredients:

• 12 pound turkey
• 4 to 5 gallons peanut or canola oil )
• 3 tablespoons onion powder
• 3 tablespoons black pepper
• 3 tablespoons white pepper
• 2 tablespoons sweet basil
• 2 teaspoons ground bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons file powder
• 3 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 1/2 cup kosher salt

Directions:
Preheat oil to 375 degrees F.
Step 1. Mix the salt and seasonings until well blended. Use 1/2 to 2/3 cup for a 10 to 12 pound turkey..
Step 2. Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey. Rinse the turkey with cold water and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels including the inside cavities..
Step3. Place in a large pan and rub the interior and exterior of the bird with the seasoning mix.
Step 4. Do not truss or tie legs together so that the oil can circulate during fying. Cover pan and place in refrigerator overnight.

Safety Instructions
Place the outdoor gas burner on a level dirt or grassy area. Never fry a turkey indoors, in a garage, or in any structure attached to a building. Do not fry on wood decks, which could catch fire, or concrete, which could be stained by the oil. Have a fire extinguisher handy and put the fire company on speed dial.

Frying the Turkey:
Step 1. Add oil to a 7 to 10 gallon pot with a basket or a rack. At medium-high setting, heat the oil to 375 degrees F. this should take about 20 to 40 minutes).
Step 2. Meanwhile, place the turkey in a basket or on a rack, neck down. When the deep-fry thermometer reaches 375 degrees F. slowly lower the turkey into the hot oil. The level of the oil will rise due to the frothing caused by the moisture from the turkey but will stabilize in about 1 minute. To prevent burns from the splattering oil wear oven mitts/gloves, long sleeves, heavy shoes, and even glasses. (It is wise to have 2 people lowering and raising the turkey).
Step 3. Check the oil temperature and increase the flame so the oil temperature is maintained at 350 degrees F. This is important—do not let the temp decrease—
Step 4. Fry about 3 to 4 minutes per pound, or about 35 to 42 minutes for a 10 to 12 pound turkey. Stay with the cooker at all times, as the heat must be regulated. Cook to 170 degrees F. in the breast or 180 degrees F. in the thigh.
Step 5. Remove the turkey from the hot oil. –Carefully- 2 coordinated people preferred
Step 6. Allow the turkey to drain on a rack for a few minutes.
.Step 7. Remove turkey from the rack and place on a serving platter. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Important thoughts:

Before starting: Put water in the pot and then put in the turkey to determine how much oil to use. You don’t want to be dunking the turkey into 375’ oil and spilling oil over the side into the open flame..

I recommend putting a skewer through the bird with a strong cord firmly tied so that you can safely lift the bird out of the oil to test temp and remove when done. Practice this with the bird in the water. I’m not totally comfortable with baskets and racks with a 12 pound turkey unless you are using equipment specifically designed to do this job.

Afterthought: Season the turkey and fry it for 40 minutes or so. Easy cooking-same as French fries with a few differences 12 lbs of turkey and 5 gallons of hot oil in a makeshift cooking apparatus. The important issues are safety and the stability of the cooking pot and how to get the turkey in and out of that pot. If you handle those issues it will be fun and a memorable Thanksgiving. If you don’t, it will surely be memorable.

Mother Lorene Gatton's Corn Pudding

2009-11-20T13:52:00.000-08:00

My friend Robert (don't call him Bob) is from Kentucky and promotes the food of his youth at every possible occasion. Pulled pork, chicken with dumplings and other Southern dishes are frequently found on his and Nancy's table. The food is not only good but it usually comes with a history lesson, since with Robert, " old times there are not forgotten".

Robert has passed on a Gatton Family Farm corn pudding recipe that will be a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving dinner. Robert says: "This recipe is from the farm family that has been curing Kentucky country ham since 1840. The Gatton family considers this a family art. The farm is located in Bremen, Kentucky. Charles Gatton began curing country hams in 1840 and the Gattons do it the same way today."
The Gatton's know something about corn pudding also.

Mother Lorene Gatton’s Corn Pudding  

Ingredients:
4 Cups corn 
6 eggs 
2/3 Cup sugar 
1 1/2 tsp salt 
1 Tbsp cornstarch 
3 (1/2 pints) whipping cream 
1 stick butter (melted)  1/2 tsp white pepper  

Preparation:
Step 1.Beat eggs in blender.
Step 2  Add salt, sugar and cornstarch and beat again. 
Step 3. Place corn in a medium bowl
Step 4.Pour beaten mixture over corn. 
Step 5.Add melted butter.  whipping cream and stir mixture. 
Step 6. Pour mixture in "greased" baking dish
Step 7. Drizzle butter on top.
Step 8.  Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

This really is a wonderful corn pudding and my thanks to Robert for reminding me as to how perfectly this goes on a Thanksgiving table.

Afterthought:
I am not sure what they use for "grease" in Step 6 down in Kentucky.
I suggest that you "butter" the baking dish before pouring in the final mixture.
I appreciate Robert sending me the Gatton Corn Pudding recipe. I hope he follows up by sending us a Gatton Country Ham.

Turkey Day Tips

2009-11-16T11:29:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was not a favorite meal years ago when our boys were young. We never seemed to get the turkey to taste good enough to justify the effort. It was always dry and not particularly interesting until the next day when it went into sandwiches with lettuce , tomato and plenty of mayo.

On Thanksgiving we had much to be thankful for but our turkey meal was not one. To avoid the turkey trauma we sometimes took a trip to New York for a few days. We would see the parade and have dinner at a nice hotel where the boys could have turkey and there were other choices for Dorothy and me.

This was a pricey way to spend Thanksgiving simply to avoid dried out turkey. The whole picture changed when someone suggested that we soak the turkey overnight before cooking. We tried it on a weekend that was not a holiday and found the secret to a moist delicious turkey that would allow us to entertain family instead of hiding in Manhattan on Thanksgiving.

With the turkey trauma behind us we were able to work on accompaniments that would make our Turkey Day really special. Sweet Potato Cheesecake appeared years later and is a special elegant end to this special meal

Turkey Preparation Tips

Frozen turkey needs about 3 days of defrosting in the fridge

Soaking the Turkey
Place turkey in a large pot or clean bucket big enough to cover bird with water
Add 2 cups of kosher salt and cold water to cover bird
Rub salt into the bird and stir water until salt dissolves
We put the bird in a large trash bag first then put the bagged bird into a very large pot and then add the water, salt and rubbing process in the bag, then tie the bag with the water salt and bird inside.
Set in a cool spot for 10 to 12 hours
Remove from water and rinse under cool running water. Rinse cavity and skin till all salt is removed.

You are now ready to roast and everyone has a favorite roasting method.
The one suggestion I will give that may not be in your cookbook or your mother’s instructions is to start the roasting with the bird in a v-rack with the breast side DOWN for ½ hour to 45 minutes. Bring turkey out of the oven and turn in the rack to have breast side up then continue roasting. Baste frequently through the roasting.

After the turkey and before the game on TV
If you are having the family for Thanksgiving they will be making the obligatory turkey accolades. “This turkey was wonderful and the white meat was soooo moist.” The major addition to the comments is that they will be true this time.

Now it is time to absolutely change the way the family thinks about Thanksgiving dinner
Bring out Galatoire's Sweet Potato Cheesecake for dessert and you will knock their socks off.

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Crust Ingredients:
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

Cheesecake Filling
3 packages (3 ounce)Philadelphia cream cheese,softened
1 cup sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 ¾ cups previously baked mashed sweet potaoes
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Topping:
2 cups sour cream, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:
Step 1. Heat oven to 350’
In medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter till combined
Press into bottom of spring form pan and 1 inch up the sides
Bake 6-8 minutes until set -NOT BROWN
Remove from oven, set aside to cool

Step 2. Beat cream cheese with mixer till smooth.
Add sugar & brown sugar beat till smooth
Add sweet potatoes, eggs, evaporated milk, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, beating until well combined.
Pour into cooled crust
Bake 55 to 60 minutes until edge is set remove from oven and set aside

Step 3. Whisk sour cream, sugar and vanilla to combine.
Spread over warm cheesecake
Return to oven and bake until set—about 5 minutes
Cool on wire rack. When cool remove side of pan and chill for several hours or overnight

This will provide about 12 servings that will stimulate family Huzzahs for weeks
The Photo is Galatoire's in New Orleans. I'm not sure how and when we got the recipe but the note said Galatoire's which is a famous old line New Orleans restaurant. We haven't been in New Orleans for years but Galatoire's is still rated well. The cheesecake is rated by us to be simply great

A huzzah is a good thing.

Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

Smart Shopping

2009-11-09T09:49:00.001-08:00

Price is important when shopping for food but it is not the only factor in choosing your purchase when wheeling that cart through the market.

The lasagna recipe I recently posted received an interesting comment from a friend with a strong Italian heritage. Jeannie reminded me that the quality of the ingredients was the important element in making good lasagna, with great ricotta as a key.

She made an important point which perhaps I have not emphasized often enough. As with some other items, we haven’t found good ricotta since we moved to the West. Our ricotta comes from either New Jersey or New York. When we lived in Philadelphia excellent ricotta was no problem locating. There were many fine local, ricotta brands available. Finding good ricotta for lasagna is one example of the needed attention in selecting ingredients for any meal..

Garlic is a current example of concern. Until recently we were able to find quality garlic at Costco’s. They carried a garlic from Gilroy California which is where most of the nation’s garlic is grown. Christopher Ranch has excellent garlic and we were happy with their product. Suddenly someone at Costco decided that garlic was not important and it is now a discontinued product. Figure that? We went to Sam’s club to check their garlic and found that they were bringing in a Chinese garlic. This garlic changes our recipes that require garlic and is not acceptable. We are on currently on a garlic search.

Mushrooms are another story. Kennett Square Pennsylvania is the mushroom capital of America and is where a million pounds of great mushrooms are grown each year. It is the Gilroy equivalent for mushrooms. Since moving West I have learned to tell a non Kennett Square mushroom by simply picking up one of the mushrooms being sold. Most of our locally grown mushrooms have no heft and really do a mediocre job when a mushroom is an important ingredient in the recipe

Locally grown, fresh products often are the heart of a great meal, but just because it is local doesn’t always mean it is best.

A great recipe can become less than a great meal if the ingredient selections are not carefully purchased. Finding products that work with your kitchen adventures is a very rewarding part of the effort.

An example of time well spent is the selection proceedure when green beans are part of your menu plan. Green beans, grabbed by the unexamined handful and shoving them into the plastic produce bag is not the way to buy for the home kitchen. Take a few minutes to select the unmarred beans from that pile in the produce section of your market. The same kind of careful selection should be made in every produce purchase. If your selection is wilted and worn with brown spots at the market, it isn’t going to suddenly perk up in your kitchen. You pay as much for the ugly beans in the pile as you do for the fresh ones.

Jeannie’s comments on the lasagna brought my attention a step back from the recipe and preparation side of cooking a great meal. It is the foundation of quality ingredients that are the structure of a meal that will produce results that get huzzahs from your guests. Take the time to make sure that those ingredients have received your serious attention at the market.

Note: A huzzah is a good thing
Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

Root Vegetable Curry

2009-11-03T10:46:00.000-08:00

When November is on the calendar Root Vegetables are in our kitchen. Root soup is sure to appear before long and the first root dish of the fall season is often our version of Root Vegetable Curry. I say “our version” quietly because this is one of those examples where Dorothy Cooks and Buck Writes

I might have a job dicing on the root veggie dishes but I don’t take a step past that activity. I know who is the master in our kitchen of the root vegetable recipes and their seasoning, so I just dice and say little. I limit my comments to, how beautiful this sunny, blue sky day is, with the mountains covered in fresh snow and just keep dicing.

Root Vegetable Curry

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
A 6 to 8 cup mixture of diced root vegetables-carrots, sweet potato, potato, rutabaga, parsnip plus cauliflower and brussel sprouts.
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ cups chicken stock
2/3 cup tomato puree
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Preparation:

Step 1. Place onion, garlic and ginger in food processor and chop fine
Step 2. Heat oil in skillet and sauté onion mixture for about 3 minutes
Step 3. Add root vegetables and sauté for 10 minutes.
Step 4. Combine dry ingredients and stir into vegetables-cook for 1 minute
Step 5. Gradually stir in chicken stock and tomato puree. Bring to a boil.
Step 6. Cover reduce heat to simmer and cook till vegetables are tender(30 minutes)
Optional – add ¾ cup golden raisins for last 10 minutes

Service: Serve over steamed (white) Basmati rice –garnish with cilantro

Afterthought: Steam a little more rice than you think you will need. It will be used when your diners ask for seconds of this Root Vegetable Curry. White or Brown
Basmati rice works. We use the white with this dish.

Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

Crispy Flat Bread and Olives

2009-10-30T08:38:00.000-07:00

The usual snacks that accompany watching the World Series or Monday Night Football deserve an occasion special boost. I make a crunchy snack using pizza dough and olives that is always the first item to disappear when some friends are over to watch a game or play poker. I have done variations for some time without thinking of putting the directions on paper but a TV food show stimulated me into action. I was watching a food show with suggestions as to what to serve when the guests were over to watch a game. They were among other items, making my crispy flat bread snack.

Their procedure was close enough for me to think that they might have been at my house one time when I served the snack. There were some major differences but it was close enough to confirm that this is an idea to be shared and enjoyed while watching the Phillies beat the Yankees when they come home to Philly on Saturday

Crispy Flat Bread and Olives

Ingredients:
8 ounce pizza dough ball
8 ounces of pitted olives (Kalamata and Manzanille)
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons, extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon .Balsamic vinegar
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400’
Step 1 in food processor mince olives then add, garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Step 2. process again until all elements are mixed( about 30 seconds) then set aside
Step 3 hand flatten pizza dough ball and then use a rolling to flatten very thin
Step 4.cut dough into strips about 2” wide and about 4 “ long
Step 5 arrange strips on a cookie sheet
Step 6. place a generous amount of the olive mixture down the center of each of the strips
Step 7. bake in oven until strips are brown and crispy ( about 8 or 10 minutes)

Service: Sprinkle Parmesan lightly over olive mixture.This recipe makes about 18 decent size crackers if you have rolled the dough really thin.

Afterthoughts: Get the dough ball at your local pizza shop and adjust ingredients if the dough ball is more than 8 ounces. Keep an eye on the baking so the strips are not overdone.
I have a pizza stone that I use in the oven which works well but the cookie sheet does the job if you don’t have a pizza stone
Kalamata are the purplish Greek olives and the Manzanille are green Spanish olives
If you have a crowd and want some variety, Basil Pesto also works well down the center of the strips

Remember: Roll the dough really thin!

Phillies Victory-Chicken Curry

2009-10-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

I hesitate to put quick and easy into a recipe description since it leaves out the description of the most important element of a dish. That of course is how it tastes.

When preparing meals for the family nutrition and food group balance is obviously important. Taste must be the starting point for me with the other elements following. The recipes that are in Buck Cooks are “taste tested”. If it doesn’t taste good to me it will not make the grade here without serious caveats as to why it is appearing.

The chicken curry recipe is here because I think it is a great tasting recipe but it also happens to be quick and easy to prepare.. I can attest to that since we prepared it the other night under severe time constraints. We got home 57 minutes before the Phillies were scheduled to play the Dodgers in game 5 of the National League Championship Series

Chicken Curry was ready for serving by the first pitch by Cole Hamel and the taste was enhanced by the Phillies winning of the National League Pennant again.

Phillies Victory Chicken Curry (6 servings)

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup minced onion
1 cup chopped celery
4 cloves garlic minced
½ cup flour
1-2 Tbsp curry powder (we use more)
1tsp dry mustard
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
dash cayenne
1 ¼ cup strong chicken stock
1 cup light cream
3 Tbsp catsup
2 boneless poached chicken breasts diced
1 cup rice

Preparation:
Step 1. Start the rice in the rice cooker according to your cooker directions
Step 2. melt butter in large skillet
Step 3. add onion, celery and garlic- sauté for 2-3 minutes
Step 4. combine dry ingredients & add to the onion mixture
Step 5. Slowly add chicken broth and cream
Step 6. add catsup and cook for 2 minutes
Step 7. add diced chicken
Step 8. reduce heat to simmer, stir occasionally for 5 minutes
Add chicken broth if the mixture is too thick

Service: The rice should be ready and the chicken curry is served over rice.

Some traditional Condiments to accompany the dish are:
Raisins
Chutney
Shredded coconut
Peanuts

Afterthoughts:
This dish is especially good after a night in the fridge.
We sometimes add diced apple to the cooking process but skip it most of the time.
The apple in the dish is not necessary (leave it out)
The basic recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of curry – we use 4- try 2 the first time

Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

Creme Brulee

2009-10-22T14:17:00.000-07:00

I suppose there is someone who doesn’t like Crème Brulee but I haven’t met that person... A ramekin with the caramelized golden sugar top covering the smooth creamy Crème Brulee is a perfect way to end the meal.

I have had some memorable examples of this dessert. Langan’s Brasserie located just off Picadilly in London was often visited years ago not only for the special atmosphere, but I knew that whatever level of excellence of the meal it would end well with their Crème Brulee. Langan’s has now become a small chain of interesting operations but Peter Langan is gone and Michael Caine who initially financed the operation is nowhere in sight and their great Crème Brulee has disappeared with them.

That Crème Brulee of years ago has been a fond memory until recently. A friend who is a special cook served this dessert a few months ago at a dinner party and it transported my memory back to the Langan’s of years ago. Mary has shared her simple classic approach and I know you will have success and kudos from friends when you end your meal with this reprise of Langan’s Crème Brulee as done by our friend Mary.

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
Pinch salt
1 vanilla bean
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream

Preparation:
Step 1. Combine egg yolks sugar and salt and whip together
Step 2. Put cream into a sauce pan
Step 3. Split and scrape vanilla bean into cream
Step 4. Heat cream over medium heat until bubbles appear along side of pan
Step 5. Remove from heat
Step 6. Add heated cream slowly into eggs while stirring continuously
Step 7. Pour mixture into ramekins
Step 8. Place ramekins into a water bath that reaches mid way up the side of the ramekins. ( The water previously having been heated to boiling)
Step 9. Bake @ 325’ for 30 minutes
Step 10. Remove from water bath cover each ramekin with film and refrigerate for several hours or overnight

Prior to serving: Sprinkle a generous amount of white sugar on top of each ramekin
Caramelize sugar using a propane torch (burnz-omatic type)

Important afterthoughts;
I believe the type of torch used by a plumber does a better job than the dainty ones sold at high end kitchen supply shops. Before lighting the torch, make sure that no flammable items are nearby. Just remember to move the flame to the Crème Brulee slowly until you get an idea of distance and time needed to make the golden caramelized crust that will create a collective Ahhhh from your guests when you serve them Crème Brulee

Important tip from Mary:
She always finely strains her mixture before pouring into the ramekins. This removes any tiny egg elements that may have approached being cooked when adding the heated cream.
Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

Puffy French Toast

2009-10-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

French toast was the subject of a recent post in Simply Recipes by Elise Bauer. Elise writes a blog that is a source of valuable information for anyone interested in food preparation.

I checked her offering with a bit of trepidation since I was thinking about posting my French Toast recipe on Buck Cooks. The recipe offered by Elise is worth reviewing, as is almost everything she writes in her Blog. Fortunately for me she did not use my approach to French toast..

My Puffy French toast was a favorite in a small waterfront restaurant we operated years ago in conjunction with one of our projects. On weekends I would go into the restaurant kitchen and annoy the operators by working breakfast for a few hours each Saturday and Sunday morning during the summer months. I enjoyed those few hours since I only did a few things – the Omelets and the Puffy French Toast-

Beach Marina’s Puffy French Toast

Ingredients:
½ cup milk
1 egg
¾ cup of your favorite pancake mix
4 slices of dense white bread slices(crusts removed)
½ cup shortening
Maple syrup

Preparation:
Step 1. In bowl- beat milk, egg and pancake mix until combined
Step 2. Cut each bread slice diagonally in half
Step 3. Dip each bread slice in batter and leave in batter for a minute
Step 4. heat shortening in a heavy skillet
Step 5. cook bread slices in shortening about 3 minutes on each side until golden and puffy

Serve warm with heated maple syrup and a sprinkle of powdered sugar

Simply Recipes suggests a Silver Palate Cookbook addition of some grated orange zest to their recipe. That sound like a good idea and I think I’ll try it next time with the Puffy French Toast. You now have two excellent approaches to French Toast. Give them each a try and send along any comments you might have to contribute

Afterthoughts: I use a Pepperidge Farm white bread that is left out for a day before preparation. Make sure you use a dense bread, either white or wheat. The airy loaves won’t do the job. In the restaurant I used professional equipment but I have done this at home in a heavy skillet successfully many times. The sugar is simply for effect since the maple syrup is sweet enough. A thin twisted slice of orange on some greens along side the toast also adds to the visual effect of the offering

Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

Irish Skillet Bread

2009-10-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

The local news on TV last night covered the opening of The Loveland Ski area which was the earliest opening in more than 20 years. The sight of skiers on good snow accelerated my thoughts of recipes and entertaining themes that warm things when the snow is falling. One of the amazing things about living in the mountains of Colorado is that that there is seldom a day when we are snowed in, but a snowy day is one that starts well with a warm slice of Irish Skillet Bread and the morning coffee..

The Irish have a way with breads and our skillet bread recipe has more of a cake like texture than typical soda bread. Each has a place in our recipe file, but today with a light snow falling at our elevation, it is a Skillet Bread day.

Irish Skillet Bread

Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
¾ cup raisins
¼ cup butter (melted)
1 egg
1¾ cups milk

Preparation:

Step 1. Mix all dry ingredients with the raisins
Step 2. Beat egg with milk and add to dry mixture beating lightly until mixed
Step 3. Stir in melted butter
Step 4. Place in iron skillet and bake in oven for 1 hour at 300 degrees

Served with an assortment of jams and coffee it will be a perfect start on a chilly morning.

Checking the condition of boots and snowshoes is a worthwhile activity on a day like today. There will be serious snow soon and it is important to be ready to make it to the dinner parties that accompany the season. Snow is no excuse for not entertaining. In the mountains if you are having party and it snows on the day –keep cooking - everyone will show up. Flatlanders on the guest list might have trepidations but the high country folks don’t think twice.

Afterthought: When the Phillies show up in Denver to play the Rockies on Saturday I think I’ll send some warm Irish Skillet Bread to their locker room. There may be weather conditions in which the “Boys of Summer” did not expect to be playing baseball.

Butternut Squash Soup

2009-10-06T11:58:00.000-07:00

This is the season to organize the soup recipes. Cooler weather means soup time is back in our house. There is something that is more than warming provided by a bowl of a special soup on a crisp Autumn day. Soup is a special comfort food and our Spicy Butternut Squash Soup fills the need to meet the cooler weather with a seasonal answer. This seasonal special soup was our cooking activity last Saturday and the result was as good as the memory.

Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:
2 ½ Lb. butternut squash
2 tablespoons butter
2 onions thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. chili powder
3 ¾ cups chicken broth
2/3 cup light cream or half & half
salt & pepper to taste
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Preparation:
Step 1. Peel squash with vegetable peeler
Step 2. Cut into thick slices and then cube
Step 3. Remove seeds which you will find in the thicker part of the squash
Step 4. Melt butter in pot and add then sauté onions, celery and garlic for 5 minutes
Step 5. Add squash and spices and cook for 5 minutes longer
Step 6. Add chicken broth, cover pot, cook over medium heat till squash is tender(15-20 minutes)
Step 7. Cool slightly then puree in batches in blender or food processor
Step 8. Return to pot, stir in cream & heat to serving temperature
When serving garnish with chopped cilantro. The cilantro adds more than color!

Afterthoughts: When we were making this we didn’t bring out the food processor we simply used a blender. When blending I tried to remember when we bought the blender I was using. It was too long ago to remember but it has served us well for many , many years. If you are thinking about getting a new blender the Waring surely needs consideration. Few people remember Fred Waring’s early TV appearances with his Choral group the Pennsylvanians but the blenders invented by Frederich Jacob Osius, financed by Waring and named the Waring Blendor(with an O) are still blending well.

Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

Osso-Bucco

2009-09-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

In the early Spring we were at a dinner party with 14 or 15 good friends and our hostess announced her entrée while we were having a glass of wine and some hors devours. She warned not to eat too much because she was serving Osso Buco with Rissoto and it was going to be a challenge to finish if we were not hungry.
The announcement of the Osso Buco delighted me since it is one of my favorite dishes but I had never prepared it for company or even for ourselves at home..

It looked like a big deal to prepare and easily finding veal shanks where I live is problematic. The meal that Mary prepared that night dispelled all reasons for not trying Osso Buco at home. Mary and her husband have not always shared special recipes which I understand, but under pressure she released her Osso Buco to me to share.

I’m working on getting the secrets of a few other terrific dishes that she and her husband have served through the years. The release of the Osso Buco will have to suffice for now. Maybe I can get her to unlock the secret of her Flan recipe later this year.

Mary’s Osso Buco

Ingredients:

6 pieces veal shank 3” thick( with marrow bones)
1 cup flour
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly gound pepper
¾ cup chopped onion
¼ cup grated carrots
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp.. basil
2 tbsp. tomato past
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup water
2 tsp grated lemon rind
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp. minced parsley

Preparation:
Step 1. Roll veal shanks lightly in flour
Step 2. Heat butter and oil in a heavy sauce pan or Dutch oven
Step 3. Brown shanks very well
Step 4. Turn bones upright
Step 5. Add salt, pepper, onion, carrots and basil
Step 6. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes
Step 7. Mix wine, tomato past and water and to pan.
Step 8.Cook for1 ¾ hours over low heat till meat is tender
Step 9. Add lemon rind, garlic and parsley> Cook for 5 minutes
Step 10. Discard garlic before serving

Service: Serve with boiled rice or plain risotto garnished with parsley

After thought: Summer is a great time but cooler weather opens up the possibility for preparing a host of meals that are really not part of our summer menu. Osso Buco is one such item. The cool weather that I woke up to this morning brought the Osso Buco to mind along with Braciole and a few other favorites that will be part of our fall family menu.

Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

Oil Roasted Vegetables

2009-09-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

This is the season that brings an abundance of fresh harvested vegetables to the farmer’s markets. A platter of oil roasted vegetables served as a side dish is an especially attractive addition to any dinner table

There are many combinations you can use but our favorites for color, texture and taste are green beans, yellow squash, zucchini and red and yellow bell peppers. This combination has received huzzahs when ever we have served it. It is also a great dish as a contribution to a pot luck dinner. It travels well and doesn't need reheating at the event.

The recipe is simple:

Step 1. Preheat oven to 375’
Step 2. Wash and Dry vegetables
Step 3. Except for green beans* cut vegetables in strip1/2-1” wide & about 3” long
* Green beans to be added whole for roasting after first blanching for a few minutes
Step 4. Arrange in a shallow baking dish in a single layer( you may need to do two batches depending on the amount you wish to serve)
Step 5. Brush vegetables with olive oil
Step 6. Sprinkle with course salt-about 1-2 tablespoons. They can stand more salt than you would think
Step 7. Bake in oven about 20 minutes until slightly limp

Serve on a large platter slightly warm or at room temperature. Arrange the vegetables in separate groupings on the large platter rather than mixed, so guests can select preferences

Tip: The comment on salt should be considered. The only mistake we have made with this recipe is too little salt. Don’t pile it on but be slightly more liberal in your application than instinct indicates. (Note that I said Slightly)

Pot Luck Pasta

2009-09-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the best meals are concocted from imagination and ingredients at hand. As often happens we came home at ithe end of a busy day with no meal in mind. Dorothy looked in the fridge and said we have a package of spinach ravioli that I’ll do something with….She in minutes created a sauce for the ravioli that is great, quick and can be used with various pastas.

Her ingredients were in the refrigerator and the only additional ingredient needed was imagination.

Ingredients:

3 green onions sliced

1 clove garlic minced

½ cup chopped fresh tomato

½ cup frozen peas

3 slices of bacon cooked crisp

¼ cup chopped parsley and fresh basil combined

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil

½ cup-half & half

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:

Step 1. sauté onions and garlic in olive oil for 1 minute (med-hot pan)

Do not allow garlic to burn.

Step 2. add tomatoes and continue to sauté 1-2 additional minutes.

Step3. add peas, bacon, parsley, basil and half & half, lower heat to medium and simmer for a few minutes.

Pour over hot, cooked pasta that has been placed in warmed serving dishes.

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Garnish with a sprig or two of fresh parsley

Makes 2 to 3 servings

Serve immediately

Tips: This dish, when using spinach ravioli is best served individually rather than in a large serving dish. The peas and tomatoes centered on the top of the ravioli is very attractive and contrasts with typical pasta serving with the sauce mixed throughout the pasta. Chianti is the perfect accompaniment to this dish and luckily that was in the cupboard waiting to join in the pot luck evening.
Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

Fish On A Budget

2009-09-21T07:02:00.000-07:00

Fish is no longer the inexpensive dish that it was when I was young. Lobster was never really cheap but fish was generally looked upon as an item that helped stretch the weekly food budget. Fresh fish has now become a budget buster if careful shopping is not the first step in meal preparation.

Since I now live in an area where fresh fish often has traveled several thousand miles after being caught, fresh is somewhat of a misnomer to attach to the fish being sold. We have been checking out alternatives to the sole , red snapper and tuna that is on display at high prices in our local markets.

Several frozen entries from Asia and Australian waters have caught our attention and are helping fill the family fish meals without a budget breaking price.

We recently tried the Barramundi Frozen fillets that are appearing in the frozen fish cases of our local markets. These are surprisingly good and deserve your attention.
The Barramundi we tried were Wild Caught. There are also Barramundi fish farms in Australia producing great quantities of this fish for the world market.. The fish is frozen in fillets that are generally about 6 ounces and cost about $2 per fillet.

We prepared the fish using a simple baked technique and accompanied it with a rice dish that worked well with this excellent fish.

Baked Barramundi and Rice Indonesian

Ingredients:
Fish:
4 Barramundi fillets 6 oz each
½ cup butter
1 lemon

Rice
4 cups cooked rice
½ cup frozen peas- cooked
½ cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
salt
1/4 Tsp cayenne
¼ tsp cinnamon
1Tbsp cumin

Preparation- Fish

Step 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Step 2. Melt ½ cup of butter in a baking dish
Step 3. Coat both sides of the fillet with the melted butter.
Step 4. Season the fish with salt and squeeze lemon juice over the fillets.
Step 5. Bake for about 20 minutes until fish flakes when tested with a fork

Rice Preparation:

Step 1. In a skillet sauté in extra virgin olive oil–the onion, minced garlic, spinach till wilted, add cooked peas, cayenne pepper,cumin and cinnamon
Step 2. Add 2 cups of cooked rice.
Add salt & pepper to taste.
Step 3. Then saute all ingredients together until heated through.

Service:
Serve fish and rice on a warm plate with dash of paprika and chopped parsley as a garnish on the fish

Cost:
This Barramundi and rice dish can reach your table for about $3 per serving and will meet the family needs for a reasonably priced, excellent tasting, healthy fish entrée.. Our experience is that the Barramundi is still a quality fish even after freezing and transport.

Afterthought: Search for the Barramundi, it is becoming generally available. The recipe will work with any firm white fish. Barramundi is an aboriginal name meaning large scaled perch. There are various names. Barra, giant perch and others but Barramundi is the name being marketed in America

Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

Coffee: Best Home Brewed

2009-09-16T17:27:00.000-07:00

I’m a coffee drinker. I make it at home, drink it in coffee shops and end every dinner in a restaurant with a cup of coffee. Somewhere along the coffee drinking trail I came to realize that the vast differences in the quality the coffee I was drinking was worth figuring out.

The .25 cent cup of coffee that I used to drink in a diner on the way to work was simply a caffeine boost to get me rolling. The enjoyment was often only minimal. I got to thinking seriously about coffee after an excellent cup I had after dinner at a friend’s house many years ago. I thought that if this is Maxwell House or Folgers they must have a brewing secret about which I didn’t have a clue.

I asked about the coffee and my friend went into a rhapsody about his insistence on Arabica beans and his current find of genuine Mocha from Yemen which were the beans he ground, brewed and served to us that night. My dumb look stimulated a brief explanation of the difference between Arabica and Robusta beans and why I should only think Arabica.

My experimentation and reading started after that dinner and it seems in recent years much of America has had a similar stimulus to upgrade the quality of coffee being consumed. I found with just a little attention, great coffee can be prepared at home without the intense detail that my friend followed in his coffee preparation.

The coffee beans of the world are similar in their diversity of flavor as the nuances found in wine. Storage, roasting and grinding methods are all important in defining the flavor and body of the cup of coffee. The flavor is produced by the combination of acidity, aroma and body. Body is the weight or thickness you feel on your tongue when drinking your coffee.

There should be a taste test opportunity with coffee like there is with wine at the vineyards. I have spent years doing my own taste tests and have switched favorites often.
My current favorite is from Kenya. This is the second or third period that I have decided I prefer Kenyan coffee. My Kenya coffee preference has been interrupted from time to time and often it is Guatemala that interjects it’s acidic flavor into first place in my coffee bean list.

Find an independently owned coffee shop that also retails coffee and features different coffees as the house coffee during the week. This is a good way to get a sense of diversity available and which bean you prefer.

In a pinch Medellin from Columbia makes a good balanced non- controversial cup of coffee. The coffee from Columbia is all Arabica and hand picked, which is an important part of the process. If you are a regular at one of the famous coffee chains, coffee experimentation would be worth pursuing. Learning about the drink is fun and the a good cup of coffee at home can be a big money saver.

Making a good cup of coffee for yourself or for dinner guests need not be a complicated affair . An automatic drip coffee maker produces excellent coffee without much problem. Braun, Krup and many others make drip coffee makers that do an excellent job.

There are a few steps that will help make your coffee special

Step 1. When you select your coffee buy the beans
Step 2. Grind the beans just before making the coffee
Step 3. Measure 2 level table spoons of the ground coffee per cup
Step 4. Add fresh spring water (6 ounces per cup)
Step 5. When the coffee is done filtering serve promptly

Details: At a dinner party I brew the coffee and place it in an air pot which keeps it hot without further cooking. Leaving a coffee pot on the heat deteriorates the quality rapidly and it becomes bitter in taste.

It is important that you add water that tastes good. Municipal water with chemical additives might be good for your safety but often is not so great to make coffee. Remember coffee is mostly water.
Using freshly ground beans is important. Once ground, coffee loses quality much more rapidly than if stored as beans.
I do not use sugar with my coffee. Sugar detracts from a well brewed cup of coffee.
Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

Chicken Cacciatore

2009-09-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

In our household, certain recipes are prepared only when an important major ingredient is in season locally. Chicken Cacciatore is an example and now is the time to cook this succulent dish. Fresh tomatoes from your garden or the farmers market are the important ingredient that transforms this dish into something very special. Canned or hothouse tomatoes just will not do the job.

When I was a kid my family often ate Sunday dinner in a restaurant called Cinelli’s Country House in New Jersey. They really knew about Chicken Cacciatore and that was what I ordered every time we ate there.
The Country House is long gone and I pursued my cacciatore memories for years. This recipe ended the pursuit. My wife insists on the fresh tomatoes and that is what puts our Chicken Cacciatore into a league of it’s own.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons oil
1 frying chicken cut up
1 large onion peeled and chopped
1 medium green pepper, cored, seeded & chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
3 ½ cups fresh ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded & chopped
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
½ cup red wine(chianti)
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 Bay leaves
¼ cup Chopped Italian Parsley (for garnish)
¼ cup Parmesan cheese(for garnish)

Preparation:
Step 1. Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven and sauté chicken pieces until golden on all sides.
Step 2. Remove chicken from skillet
Step 3. Add onions, green pepper and garlic and sauté lightly
Step 4. Add remaining ingredients and cook for three minutes
Step. 5 Return Chicken to skillet
Step 6. Simmer uncovered for 45-60 minutes until chicken is fork tender

Serve with crusty Italian bread and garnish with parsley and Parmesan. It also works well over Risotto

Tips To peel tomatoes-Cover with boiling water for a few minutes –Plunge into ice water and peel skins away easily.
Cacciatore is even more flavorful the second day. You can prepare this a day in advance if entertaining.
Parmigiano Reggiano is always the preferred Parmesan to use. Buy some grated and freeze. It is special and also a bit expensive, but as a garnish adds a special touch.

Buck Cooks is a daily blog covering the best recipes and kitchen cookware information.

Southern Fried Chicken: An American Recipe

2009-09-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

We have been invited to a celebration of citizenship on Saturday. A couple from France with whom we are friends have just become United States citizens and a big party for about 50 people is being thrown to celebrate.

They asked the hostess (also a friend of ours) to tell everyone that no presents are required but that everyone should bring their favorite American recipe on a 3×5 card. The are becoming citizens but remember they are from France and food remains important

So many of our recipes have other country origins, that we had to think about a recipe that was strictly American. It took a little thought because not only must it be an American recipe but it needed to be a great one since, our friends really understand food

We decided to share our special recipe for:

Southern Fried Chicken

Ingredients:
2 ½ -3 lbs chicken, cut up
3 cups buttermilk
salt
2 onions sliced thin
1 cup flour
3 tsp. Kosher or sea salt
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. cracked black pepper
1 cup vegetable shortening
½ cup butter

Preparation:
Step 1. Place chicken in bowl and sprinkle with salt & let set for 2 hours
Step 2. Remove salt by rinsing with water
Step 3. Place chicken back in the bowl and cover with onions and buttermilk
Step 4. Cover and refrigerate overnight
Step 5. Place flour, salt(3 tsp)cayenne and black pepper in a paper of plastic bag-shake to mix.
Step 6. Drain chicken & place in bag one piece at a time. Shake to coat with flour mixture
Step 7.Repeat until all pieces are coated & keave to dry and come to room temperature.
Step 8. Melt shortening and butter in large skillet over high heat. Add chicken and cover
Step 9. Lower heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes then turn and cook for 8 minutes

Service: Pile on a serving platter and everyone, take a piece of this great fried chicken

Tip: Take a quick peek at the chicken after 6 minutes to make sure your heat is right to get a golden brown chicken after 10 minutes on that first cooked side. Adjust the heat up or down as needed.

Bobby Flay and Philly Pizza

2009-09-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

Bobby Flay recently did a segment on the CBS Morning Show on Pizza. He of course focused on New York where he is from. New York has great pizza and is where pizza came to America in the early 1900’s. Flay didn’t explain why most New York Pizza makers have a crick in their neck. It doesn’t come from anything to do with making pizza. It comes from looking down the turnpike to Philadelphia trying to figure out why Philly has such “really” great pizza.

Philly has thin crust outstanding pizza with every neighborhood boasting that theirs is the best pizza in Philly and it is from the shop “down the street”. The pizza proponents from Philly and NY probably will never yield in their contest as to where the best pizza is made. The one thing that they will agree upon is, that the best pizza in America continues to be produced in that East coast stretch from Southern Connecticut to Wilmington Delaware with New Jersey occupying the heart of the area.

It is easy to understand why the pizza is excellent in this stretch of America. It is where the Italians are located. I don’t mean that only Italians make great pizza but they definitely set the standard for all the pizza makers in the East.

Flay in his CBS piece said that the pizza you grow up with is the pizza that is the standard by which all others are judged. I think that is true. I grew up with Philly Italian Style Pizza and I still think it is best. I can recognize an East Coast pizza maker wherever he is making that pizza.

I was in a pizza joint in North Boulder Colorado that has great pizza, helping to roll the dough balls one day. I suggested a Wolfgang Puck technique of finishing the dough by rotating/rolling it on the table for 30 seconds. The owner a Philly guy, who is related to me, trained in Philly and committed to excellence turned to me and commented: “Puck is from Austria and I’m not about to copy an Austrian making Pizza. Pastry yes, pizza no! If Tacanelles or Station Pizza does it I’ll try it. That’s not pizza Puck is making it’s something else” Needless to say the pizzas referred to by the Philly expatriate in Boulder are in Philly.

When you are in New York be sure to try the pizza . I know you’ll love it. You also now know why the NY pizza maker has that crick in his neck. It’s from continuously looking down the turnpike towards Philly trying to see how really great pizza is made.

Making Pizza at home:

Making a pizza at home can be a fun family activity. There are a few items needed to make a good pizza in your home oven. You will need a baking stone to put into the oven and a peel on which to prepare the pizza and slide it onto the stone. These are not expensive and when purchased can be used for years. Amazon has these items reasonably priced Old Stone Oven Pizza Stone Round

When you are ready to bake your first pizza contact your favorite pizza maker and get them to sell you a dough ball or two. A 14" pizza is a good size to try at home.

Getting ready: Put your Pizza baking stone onto the lower rack of the oven. All other racks removed preheat the oven to 500'

Step.1 Work the dough ball flat and round on a floured counter surface. Use both palms ,press down and rotate the dough until it is pretty round and less than a 1/2" thick
Step.2 With a rolling pin work the dough thin and smooth turning the dough 45degrees after each roll or two to maintain its round shape
Step 3. This is a bit tricky and easier to show than explain. Pick up the dough and drape it over the backs of both hands that are in a semi fist configuration. Move the dough from fist to fist to complete the forming of a round pizza
Step 4. Put the pizza on the peel which has been lightly floured.
Step 5. Dress the pizza lightly with tomato sauce then cheese and your favorite topping.
Step 6. Slide the pizza off the peel onto the hot stone in the oven. Tilt the peel about 20degrees with front edge touching the stone. A few short backward jerks of the peel will slide the pizza onto the stone

In a 500' oven the pizza should take about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pizza by sliding the peel under the cooked pizza and bring it to the table to cut into 6 or eight slices

Tips: Don't load the pizza with sauce and cheese. Keep it light until you get the technique down pat.
When you buy the dough Balls ask if you can watch a pizza being formed so you can figure out the back of the hands rotation. It's really not a big deal. A little practice and you will be fine

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