Apple Tartlets

 I love apple pie, but I can't eat a whole one! Well, I probably could, but never mind. These tartlets are two delicious bites of apple pie each. And if I'm posting, you know it's super easy.

Ingredients

5 good size apples. The original recipe calls for Granny Smith, I was happy with the honey crisp.

2 1/2 Tbsp. white sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

pinch of salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. melted butter

splash of lemon juice

Toss all of the above and then cook with another Tbsp. of butter over medium low for 5-7 minutes, until softened, but not mush.

You can also prepare a crumble for this. But I don't have a lot of luck with that, so if that's what you want, you're on your own.

The pastry part is easy with a package of prepackaged pie dough. Using a glass with a diameter of 4.25", I was able to make six circles out of each crust. Grease a regular muffin tin. For the best placement, I sort of fold them up and try to drop it into the center of the muffin spot. Then fill them up right to the top with the apple mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes.

This is courtesy of the Recession Chef, on Substack.

Swedish Meatballs

 

This is so fast and easy and do I need to say - delicious? One of the comments suggested using French onion soup instead of broth. I did that and I think it probably made all the difference. Serve over egg noodles. Makes for a nice meatball sandwich the next day, if you're lucky.

Ingredients

1 cup of broth (or French onion soup)

1 cup milk (original recipe calls for heavy cream)

3 Tbsp. flour

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. ground rosemary

10 oz. thawed meatballs

Directions

The original recipe said to just whisk together all the ingredients except the meatballs and cook in a large pan over low heat until smooth, around 10 minutes. Seems easy, but I was a bit skeptical.

So I made a proper roux with 3 Tbsp. of butter and the 3 Tbsp. of flour. Then I slowly added the milk (that I always warm first in the microwave). Then the spices, then the broth. I think you could use a 1/4 more broth and thereby create a little more sauce for your meatballs in which to simmer. Cook for 10 minutes or until meatballs reach 160 degrees.

Buffalo Chicken and Rice

Here's another delicious meal from Better Homes and Gardens. Very easy to put together. I only used 1 tablespoon of hot sauce and did not use the Anaheim chile pepper. I don't know my way around chile or peppers so I go easy and add hot sauce when eating, if that's what I think it needs. This had just a nice warm kick to it. Nothing that would blow your head off. Also, it was done way sooner than 6 hours, but that is pretty standard, at least for my crock pot. 

Ingredients

3 green onions

1 ¼ lb. boneless chicken cut into 1-inch squares

2 stalks celery, cut into ¼ inch slices

1 cup very thinly sliced carrots (2 medium)

½ cup tomato sauce

½ cup reduced sodium chicken broth

⅓ cup coarsely chopped Anaheim chile pepper

1 1-oz. envelope ranch dry salad mix

2 Tbsp. hot pepper sauce

4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese

3 cups hot cooked brown rice

¼ cup crumbled blue cheese

Directions

Thinly slice green onions, separating white and green parts; set green parts aside.

In a 3-quart slow cooker combine white parts of green onions and all the ingredients through hot sauce. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.

Stir in cream cheese and green parts of green onions. Cover and cook for 30 minutes more.

Serve chicken over hot cooked rice. Sprinkle it with blue cheese for serving.

Roasted Indian Cauliflower and Carrots

 

This recipe is so simple to make and tastes like a million dollars. I followed the recipe, but omitted the crushed red pepper because I don't have any and I am skittish about experimenting with heat. I don't think it suffered a bit without it. I cooked some pearl couscous on which to serve it and both Amy and I were in heaven. You can thank Better Homes & Gardens for the recipe.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. peanut oil

2 tsp. Sugar

2 tsp. Yellow or black mustard seeds

2 tsp. Grated fresh ginger (or squeazy ginger)

1 ½ tsp. Ground turmeric

1 ½ tsp. Ground cumin

1 tsp. Ground coriander

½ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Crushed red pepper

3 or 4 carrots

1 small head of cauliflower broken into florets

Directions

Preheat oven to 425. Line a 15X10X1 inch baking pan with foil; set aside. In a large bowl stir together everything but the vegetables and then toss in the carrots and cauliflower.

Put it on the pan and roast for 30 minutes, stirring twice. 

The recipe says the vegetables are only 146 calories!

Zucchini Pie

 

The Guardian has some lovely recipes. I haven't made this yet, but it sounded so good that I wanted to get it stored somewhere.

Μπατζίνα Batzina (Zucchini pie)

This is a delicious crustless savoury pie that originated in Thessaly, near central Greece. As it’s pastry free, it’s lovely and light. It is also very versatile: substitute the zucchini for everything from grated pumpkin or sweet potato to any cheese, or just use zucchini without the eggs and cheese. Enjoy it hot or cold, as a main or as part of a meze platter.

Serves 6

4 zucchinis, grated
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp Greek‑style yoghurt
3 eggs
2 spring onions, chopped
1 cup chopped mint 
1 cup chopped dill 
1 cup chopped flat‑leaf parsley 
 3/4 cup plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 cup Greek feta, crumbled
4 tsp extra‑virgin olive oil
1 cup breadcrumbs

Place the grated zucchini in a colander, cover with salt and set aside to drain for two hours. Once drained, use your hands to squeeze out any remaining juice.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine drained zucchini and all the remaining ingredients (except for the oil and breadcrumbs) in a bowl, stirring gently with a wooden spoon to create a thick batter. Season with salt and pepper.

Grease a 11 inch round cake tin with two teaspoons of olive oil and sprinkle two tablespoons of breadcrumbs over the base of the tin (this will help prevent sticking). Pour mixture into the tin and top with remaining breadcrumbs and olive oil. Bake for 40 minutes, or until golden.

Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

 

I was very pleased with the outcome of this recipe. For myself, I made a few changes. I didn't use heavy cream. I'm sure it would have been even more delicious with cream, but 2% milk is good enough for me. I will use some smoked paprika next time and add that in when the garlic goes in. We had leftover rice from the Chicken and Chorizo recipe you can find here in the Nanners and I added that to the soup instead of the orzo. In the directions you'll find that she calls for a tablespoon of salt. Not even. I used a teaspoon and thought it was just fine. In fact, the reason for making soup is to get around the high sodium content found in canned soup, so thanks for no thanks on tons of salt. 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons good olive oil

• 3 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 4 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
• Large pinch of saffron threads
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Grilled Cheese Croutons (recipe below)

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, saffron, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, add 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes. (It will -finish cooking in the soup.) Drain the orzo and add it to the soup. Stir in the cream, return the soup to a simmer, and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently.

Serve hot with Grilled Cheese Croutons scattered on top.

Grilled Cheese Croutons (Serves 4 to 6)

• 4 (½-inch-thick) slices country white bread
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 4 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated

Heat a panini grill. Place the four slices of bread on a cutting board and brush lightly with the melted butter, being sure to butter the corners. Turn the slices over and pile Gruyère on two of the slices. Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of the Gruyère, -buttered sides up.

Grill the sandwiches on the panini grill for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Place on a cutting board, allow to rest for 1 minute, and cut into 1-inch cubes.

Copyright 2012, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof by Ina Garten, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, All Rights Reserved

Mushroom Curry

 

This is an easy vegetarian dish you can put together quickly. The sweetness of the coconut milk really comes through. I put plain yogurt on mine when I served it up. 

2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated

one inch piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
2 14 oz cans chopped tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 can coconut milk
2 cans black-eyed beans (or any bean you like), drained and rinsed

Heat the oil in a pan, add the onions and cook over a low to medium heat for five minutes, until softened and starting to colour. Add the garlic and ginger, cook for a minute, then pour in the tomatoes and cook on a low to medium heat for five minutes.

Stir in the salt and ground spices, followed by all the remaining ingredients, stir well and bring to a boil. Cover, then leave to cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes. (If you have more time, cook it over over a lower heat for 30-40 minutes.) Serve warm.

From Chetna Makan, The Guardian

Chicken with Rice, Chorizo, and Tomatoes

 

Chorizo is a type of pork sausage from the Iberian peninsula. I had it first in Portugal and I love it even more than bacon. Just like bacon, anything you put it in will immediately become the most delicious thing in the world. This is a one pan meal and that, combined with delicious, makes this one of my favorite recipes.

Ingredients:

2 pounds chicken thighs

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

3 TBSP oil, divided

4 ounces cured Spanish chorizo, diced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped  

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

¼ cup white wine or 2 TBSP white wine vinegar

One 14.5 ounce crushed tomatoes or 1 3/4 cups diced fresh tomatoes

1 ½ cups uncooked white rice

2 cups chicken broth

 

Directions:

Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat and add 2 TBSP of oil. Brown the chicken 3-4 minutes on both sides. Transfer to a plate.

If the pan looks dry, warm the last TBSP of oil in it. Otherwise, just add the chorizo and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until it’s beginning to crisp. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the cumin and paprika, and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine (or vinegar) and cook until it’s almost all reduced, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes plus 2 tsp salt (I don't use all the salt). If using whole tomatoes, cook until they lose their shape. Otherwise, a few minutes will do. Nestle the chicken back into the pan, including any juices that collected on the plate. Pour in the broth and rice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, and cover the pan. Cook for 20-25 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the liquid and is tender, and the chicken is cooked through. Add more water if the rice is undercooked and continue cooking until done.

If you like you can make the rice crispy by putting on the lid and increasing the heat to medium-high. Cook, moving the pan around every minute or so, allowing the bottom to color evenly. You’ll hear it crackling in the pan. Remove it from the heat and let it rest with the lid on for 10 minutes.

From Smitten Kitchen Keepers, D. Perelman. (2022)

Not Risotto

 

This dish is so easy to make. And even better, you can adapt it to what you have in your refrigerator. This was billed as a risotto "type" dish so we call it Not Risotto. Mike makes this often and has even used frozen vegetables or leftover meat and stirs those things into the rice and then puts the mushrooms on top. He feels the cheese is optional, mostly because he doesn't usually have cheese in his refrigerator. How un-American. I just put some squeezy garlic in with regular olive oil.

Serves 4
Prep 5 min
Cook 40 min

For the mushrooms
450g mushrooms
3 tbsp garlic-infused oil

For the rice
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
2 cup vegetable stock, boiling hot
1 tbsp dried thyme
½ tbsp dried or fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
½ white or black pepper
1/2 cup extra mature cheddar, grated
Small handful of chives, finely chopped, to serve
Rocket salad, to serve

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. In a small bowl, combine the mushrooms and garlic-infused oil.

Add all the ingredients for the rice (apart from the chives and rocket) in a 23cm x 33cm roasting dish and mix well. Lay the mushrooms on top and put in the oven for 40 minutes. Top with chives and serve with rocket.

Mushroom and Leek Tart

 

I am making the beginnings of this delicious mushroom and leek tart today because I have both leeks and mushrooms that need to be used. I'll cook these two ingredients and then freeze it and make the tart when company comes. Because it is company worthy. Warning: Must like sharp cheese. I think I used gorgonzola when I made this. This recipe is adapted from Olivemagazine.com. 

Ingredients

1 pie crust

2 Tbsp. butter

2 leeks (or one large, use your judgment)

1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms

1/4 crumbled blue or stilton or gorgonzola cheese. Technically, it calls for 5 oz., so go heavy.

1 cup double cream. Or if you're like me, 1 cup of something liquid and white that's come out of your refrigerator.

3 eggs beaten

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Put the pie crust in a quiche dish. Or the recipe says to use a tart tin with a removable base.

3. Prick the base all over with a fork, trim the edges flush with the tin and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

4. Cover pastry with a large circle of baking paper and fill the centre with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake for 15 minutes, the remove the paper and beans and cook for a further 7-10 minutes, until very pale golden.  

5. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the heat down to 325 degrees.

6. In large frying pan melt the butter, add the leeks and a pinch of salt. Cover with a lid and cook on low-medium for 5 minutes. 

7. Remove the lid, turn the heat up, add mushrooms and cook briskly for a few minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and lots of black pepper.

8. Spoon leek mixture into quiche pan. Scatter cheese.  Beat the milk and eggs and pour in carefully. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until golden and just set. Cool before cutting.

Chopped Autumn Salad

This recipe came to me from my dear friend and great cook, Amy Niendorf. She got it from Espressoandcream.com. It is a crowd-pleaser. And it provides a great opportunity to get creative with the various ingredients or to adapt to what you have on hand. Apples instead of pears? Almonds instead of pecans? Bleu cheese or goat cheese instead of feta? Add diced chicken? Maybe add chow mein noodles? Whatever you end up throwing into it, the ingredients and the two different dressings really knock this out of the park.

Ingredients
6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 medium pears, chopped (or one can chopped)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans
8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Poppy seed Salad Dressing (I like T. Marzetti)
Balsamic Vinaigrette (I made my own since it called just a little. 1/8 cup each balsamic vinegar and olive oil. 1 Tbsp. honey. 1 tsp. Dijon. 1 minced garlic clove. pinch of dried thyme. Salt and papper. Shake it up.) 

Instructions
On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. (I would estimate that I used about a cup of dressing: 70 percent poppy seed dressing and 30 percent balsamic vinaigrette) If you prefer your salad to have more dressing, feel free to experiment with the combination.

Apple Pie

 

I am posting this recipe for apple pie because I made it last night for an Ann Arbor gathering and it got so many compliments that I didn't want to risk forgetting which recipe I followed. It calls for Granny Smith apples, which I may try next time. But this time I had Macintosh and we all really loved them in this pie. I only ever use store bought pie crusts. Thank you to Little Spoon Farm, whose recipe this is and which also has a recipe for pie crust there. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (9") pie crusts
• 7 large Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and sliced into ½ inch slices)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar (loosely packed)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (plus the zest of half of a lemon)
• 1 large egg (lightly beaten in a small bowl for egg wash)
• 2 tablespoons sanding sugar (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Place oven rack in the center position and Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).

1. In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice and lemon zest; toss to coat evenly.
2. Remove the pie crust dough from the fridge and let rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc into a 12" circle that is ⅛" thick. Carefully lay the crust into the bottom of a deep dish pie plate.
3. Spoon the apple filling over the bottom crust and discard juices at the bottom of the bowl. Roll out the second disc of pie crust until it is ⅛" thick and lay it over the apple filling.
4. Use a sharp knife to trim the dough along the outside edge of the pie plate. Lift the edges where the two pie crust meet, gently press to seal and fold them under. Rotate the pie plate and repeat this process until edges are neatly tucked under themselves. Cut 4 slits in the top of the dough to allow steam to vent. Place the pie on a baking sheet.
5. Brush the surface of the pie crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Cover the edges with a pie shield or a strip of foil to keep them from over browning during the first 25 minutes.
6. Bake at 400°F (204°C) for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the pie shield, turn the oven down to 375° and continue to bake for an additional 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbly. Cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours.