A personal kitchen diary. I try new recipes and make notes on what works and what doesn't. Sometimes I can things, and sometimes I dry herbs. This is the story of my kitchen.
Merri’s Saturday Chili 1 lb 80% lean ground beef 1 yellow onion, chopped 1-2 cloves garlic, minced Chili spice mix (see below) 1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed 1 can diced tomatoes (do not drain) 1 quart tomato juice (mine was home-canned) Chili …
I’ve always been a little afraid of making Prime Rib since it would be a pretty expensive mistake if it didn’t come out. But last year a friend told me about this method and I took the risk. It came out perfectly, and I did …
My husband doesn’t like any kind of spicy heat at all. At home in the US, he rarely eats Pico de Gallo. But when we are in Costa Rica, well, let’s just say he had a healthy appetite for the Pico de Gallo he got there.
So during lunch one day, I asked the guide we were with how they made their Pico de Gallo. The main difference seems to be using sweet pepper instead of jalapeño (or any hot pepper), and using lime juice.
(Pardon the photo quality, I was in a cabin in Costa Rica with not great light)
Steve also preferred the Picos that had a smaller dice. In addition to the sweet pepper, I also picked up sweet onion. Amounts were purely by starting with one tomato, then eyeballing it so that the amounts of onion and pepper basically looked like the Pico de Gallos he had been eating.
I added lime juice, and a little salt to taste.
I then made Steve taste it, and it was still a little sharp. I thought about how I add a tablespoon of sugar to my lasagne sauce, and I know a lot of people add a little sugar to anything with tomato. So I added just a little sugar and the flavor was there. Finally, the Pico really benefits from sitting for about 30 minutes to meld the flavors.
Steve’s Pico de Gallo
1 large beefsteak tomato, diced into 1/4 inch dice (at most 1/2 inch)
1/4 to 1/2 sweet onion, diced into 1/4 inch dice
1/4 to 1/2 sweet pepper (Anaheim chilis work nicely), 1/4 inch dice (remove ribs and seeds)
Juice of 1/2 lime, or whole lime if smaller
1 scant teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste. Combine, taste, and adjust. Let sit 30 minutes to meld the flavors.
Heirloom Cherry Tomato Tart A generous pint of large heirloom cherry tomatoes Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry – one sheet 1 generous tablespoon Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard 8 oz Gruyère cheese 1 Tablespoon olive oil A handful of fresh thyme and chives Coarse sea salt, …
Prosciutto-Wrapped Roasted Sea Bass Sea bass filets (or other white flaky fish) Olive oil (1 tsp per filet) Salt & Pepper to taste Prosciutto, cut into 1 1/2 inch thick strips Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, and …
Crispy Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Aleppo/Honey Dip
8 ounces brussel sprouts
2 tsp to 1 Tbsp olive oil
Coarsley ground salt and pepper to taste.
Ground Aleppo pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit. About halfway through the preheating, place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven.
Rinse the brussel sprouts and then make sure they are completely dry before preparing for roasting. (Pat with a dishtowel or paper towel, or do what I did which was to prep them the night before and leave them covered in a colander in the fridge overnight.)
Cut a tiny bit off the root end then halve the sprouts lengthwise. Place in a medium bowl and drizzle two teaspoons of olive oil over them. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently mix to coat and if you think it needs more oil now, add one more teaspoon.
Place the brussel sprouts cut side down on the preheated sheet. Roast for 20 minutes. They should be done, but check them and roast up to 30 minutes if needed. Take out of the oven and season with the Aleppo pepper immediately.
Dip
I’m afraid I didn’t measure, but I used probably 3/4 Cup of Non Fat Greek Yogurt. I squeezed in a tablespoon or so of honey and added a generous amount of Aleppo pepper. After stirring, I added probably one teaspoon of lemon juice, maybe more, and a grind or two of sea salt. Just check the seasoning and adjust to your taste.
Next time I make this I will be sure to measure then update it here.
I made this first as a black bean dip, but, it tasted so good that I also used it on a baked sweet potato, and later thinned it with some broth and ate it as soup! Black Bean Mix 1 Tablespoon grapeseed oil 1 red …
Salmon Cakes 1 – 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 cups chopped white onion 2 stalks celery, diced 1 red bell pepper, finely diced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 3 cans 15 oz sockeye salmon, drained and picked through to remove bones, skin, …
Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup
1 butternut squash (appx 2 lbs) peeled and seeded, halved and quartered. Very big pieces are fine.
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon each: ground ginger, cumin, coriander, paprika (I used s semi-sweet smoked paprika)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Olive oil to taste
To serve:
Fresh lemon juice
roasted pumpkin seeds (or clean and roast the squash seeds)
Sambal Oelek
Add the squash, onion, garlic, and spices to the slow cooker. Drizzle olive oil over, and turn veggies and spices to cover. Pour over the chicken broth and cover. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8.
Use an immersion blender and blend right in the slow cooker.
Right before serving, squeeze in some lemon juice and stir, and garnish as you like.
Pollo Alla Romana 5 oz diced pancetta 6 bone in, skin on chicken thighs, cut in half Salt and pepper 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil 1 red bell pepper, trimmed of stem, ribs, and seeds and cut into 1 inch pieces 1 yellow bell pepper, trimmed …