* Posted by lisazone6_ma (My Page) on Thu, Feb 19, 09 at 12:05 I make this dish all the time - I never measure tho, so I don't have exact ingredients, but exact measurements aren't necessary anyway, so it doesn't matter! Roasted Carrots Slice carrots into thick "coins" and place in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Mix 1 cup orange juice with 1 or 2 shots of whiskey and pour over the top. I fill the pan about half way with carrots when I make it, so that amount of whiskey/juice is good for that amount of carrots - you can reduce or increase the amount if you're making more or less - it's not critical if you're off a little. And I HATE whiskey, but in this dish it adds a great taste! Grind fresh sea salt and pepper over the top, dot with butter all over, cover with foil, and bake at 350 until done to desired. I like my carrots with a bit of bite still in them. I also uncover them for the last 10-15 minutes to make sure the liquids turn into a "glaze" and the carrots brown a bit. You might need to add a bit more juice at this point if there isn't enough liquid left so what's left doesn't just burn up. You can also drizzle some maple syrup over the top after you dot them with the butter, but I find they're sweet enough without it. Sometimes I add it and sometimes I don't. Lisa o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Thu, Feb 19, 09 at 13:31 Warning, I have not made that carrot-cumin tart either, but with cheese and cream and carrots and cumin . . . how can you go wrong? I am leaning towards making the carrot tart for a dessert, (I don't know if it will be good or not, it is mostly a curiosity thing) but we'll see, because my weekend plans haven't firmed up yet. o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by mustangs (My Page) on Thu, Feb 19, 09 at 13:39 Lisa, Roasted Carrots w/whiskey is calling my name! o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lisazone6_ma (My Page) on Thu, Feb 19, 09 at 15:30 mustangs - as I said, I'm really not a whiskey fan, but in this dish, it's really good. It just adds a special taste that you can't quite put your finger on! Lisa o Coconut Carrots clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by jeri (My Page) on Thu, Feb 19, 09 at 16:12 This has got to be one of the simplest carrot recipes ever – and delicious too! :-) Simmer Carrots in Coconut Cream. That’s it! I always have baby carrots on hand and a can of Coconut Cream in the pantry. It *has* to be Coconut Cream which you find in the Liquor Isle. It doesn’t contain liquor – but I guess it is used for certain mixed drinks? Anyway – this will *not* work with Coconut Milk. The Coconut Cream is slightly sweet. o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by mustangs (My Page) on Thu, Feb 19, 09 at 16:41 Lisa, Strangely I don't drink (well there was that time in December Sheshebop made me) but I am drawn to recipes with liqueur, beer, or wine. In fact I just shared your recipe with the guy ahead of me at the checkout line. He had a huge bag of carrots. Turns out the carrots were for his horse. o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by posie4u (My Page) on Thu, Feb 19, 09 at 17:48 I love carrots. The following recipe was given to me by a co-worker (a dietitian) who advised that for he and his wife, it is a must have dish for Thanksgiving. It is yummy. Horsey Carrotts 1 bag of baby carrots or 12 carrots, pared/sliced 1 cup mayonnaise 2 Tbs grated horseradish, more or less to taste 1/4 - 1/3 cup grated onion 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 cup fresh, buttered bread crumbs Cook carrots until tender; drain. Put in 1 quart baking dish. Preheat oven to 300. Combine mayonnaise and horseradish. Add onion, salt and pepper. Mix well and stir into carrots. Sauté breadcrumbs in enough butter to coat and put on top of carrot mixture in baking dish. Bake 15 minutes. Can be done ahead and baked before dinner. o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by punamytsike (My Page) on Thu, Feb 19, 09 at 17:48 LOL, Cathy. When we had horses, we always bought large bags of carrots as a treat. They got them in the evening, and we always had to cut up one extra carrot for one of our dogs who loves raw carrots as well :) o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by caliloo (My Page) on Thu, Feb 19, 09 at 17:52 Okay - I don't know how to count this... BUT Last night I made the following carrot heavy recipes: Piquant Carrots Worlds Best Meatloaf Which both met with huge approval.... And I am making Marilyns Carrot Cake for DHs Birthday celebration this weekend.... Do I qualify? LOL! Alexa o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Thu, Feb 19, 09 at 19:59 Coconut-nj, you add milk to the carrots without draining the water? I'm not understanding how "soupy" your recipe is supposed to be. Lisa, the roasted carrots sound really good, but so does the carrot cumin tart. Hmmm, decisions, decisions. Sally o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by coconut-nj (My Page) on Thu, Feb 19, 09 at 23:43 Sally, it's not supposed to be soupy at all. You're basically making a white sauce using the carrot "broth" as the base. After the carrots cook, the liquid has usually come down a little below the level of the carrots, so when adding enough milk to cover the carrots it will turn it white. The great flavor comes from the carrot cooking liquid, which is basically a single vegetable broth. When you add the slurry, you make it nice and thick, then stir in some butter. I just put several tablespoons [or more] of cornstarch into a cup and add enough cold water to dissolve it while stirring. Then when the carrots with liquid come back to a boil/simmer, stir in the slurry while stirring until it gets as thick as you want it. We like it rather thick, but you make it how you like cream sauces. I usually make more slurry than I think I'll need since cornstarch is cheap and I'd rather have more ready then have to go back and make some more if it didn't make it thick enough. I hope I explained this clearly. o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by cloudy_christine (My Page) on Fri, Feb 20, 09 at 15:27 I had this salad at a restaurant in Chicago called Russian Tea Time. It's much greater than the sum of its parts. Tashkent Carrot Salad Carrots — 2 lbs. Coriander — 1 tsp Garlic — 4 cloves Olive oil — 6 T White vinegar — 6 T Paprika — to taste Salt — to taste Pepper — to taste Sugar — 2 T Thinly shred carrots, mix with sugar and crushed garlic. Let stand for 10 minutes to get the juices out. Mix with the rest of seasoning. Let marinate for 6 hours. Mix thoroughly before serving as juices tend to collect on the bottom of the dish. Serve chilled. (serves 6) o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Sat, Feb 21, 09 at 9:36 Your explanation cleared it up for me, Coconut-NJ. Thanks. Sally o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Sat, Feb 21, 09 at 9:52 I eat carrots almost every day, and carrot muffins are one of my favorites. I have several recipes. Here's a nice seasonal one. Maple Carrot Muffins 1 1/2 cups unsifted flour (can use some oatmeal if you like) 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (optional, I am a health nut who is always trying to cut the sugar) 1/4 cup pure maple syrup 1/3 cup melted margarine (I think butter would be OK too. Or 1/4 cup vegetable oil) 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. salt (or less) 1 cup finely shredded carrots 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (or less) 2 eggs, beaten Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Grate carrots and set aside. Combine the carrots with the wet ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and MIX WELL! Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 18-20 min. (or more) Cool 5 min. Store in the fridge because these muffins are moist and they'll mold otherwise. Notes: The reason I have so many "optional" notes in this recipe is because I am always trying to cut the high calorie/fat ingredients down to the minimum levels without sacraficing good taste. Everyone has their own ideas about this, so you'll have to use your judgement. I am probably on the more "healthy" side of taste, which is not for everyone. Also, I usually use paper lined muffin tins, but if you don't want to do that you have to grease the muffin tins with some type of shortening. With the variability of the baking time, I suggest inserting a toothpick in the muffins to test them. When the toothpick comes out clean, the muffins are done. But watch carefully, because maple syrup burns easier than white sugar sweetened baked goods. But the taste is worth the trouble, IMHO. o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Sat, Feb 21, 09 at 13:58 I'm surprised no one has posted a Tsimmes recipe, that classic Jewish mix of carrots, dried fruit and meat. Being vegetarian, it's not something I make, but I actually have a recipe I like, although this is a "company" dish. A "tsimmes" in yiddish is slang for a confusing fuss, lol! Carbonada Criolla (Argentinian Tsimmes) I think I got this recipe from the Detroit Free Press and I think it came from Joan Nathan. I make this as a stuffing for baked squash. The best time I ever made it I stuffed a small baked hubbard squash with it. The squash was about the size of a smallish football. Start by baking the cleaned squash halves at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. I always have trouble baking squash perfectly, so use whatever method works best for you. Meanwhile, make the tsimmes. Traditionally tsimmes is put in an oven or on the back of the stove on the evening of the Sabbath so it will be ready to eat the next day after a long slow cooking, and no more work will have to be put into it. This would work in a crockpot too, I think. 2 TBLSP vegetable oil 2 cups dark red kidney beans, or fake meat or baked or smoked tofu. (The original recipe called for some kind of meat, probably ground chuck?) 1 large coarsely chopped onion 2 cloves garlic 1 12 oz. can chopped italian style tomatoes 1 tsp. dried oregano 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes (parboil for faster prep. time) 1 large or 2 small white potatoes (I always cook with Yukon gold, parboil as above if you want) 1 cup vegetable broth 2 med. carrots, large dice 1 small can corn or 2/3 cup from a frozen bag 4-8 pitted prunes (to taste, I like the lesser amount) 4-8 dried peach halves or dried apples Saute onions, garlic and protein source until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes, and veg. broth, bring to a boil then simmer. Add potatoes and carrots. Simmer 30 min. Add some water or more broth if needed. Add corn and fruit, simmer 15 min. more. Stuff tsimmes into squash, bake in the oven for 15 min. more. You can top this with bread crumbs, parmesean cheese, or grated white cheddar, or any type of mixuture, but it is not necessary. Could also add a dollop of lowfat sour cream and sprinkle with chopped parsley. That's how I like it. Here's a carrot pie that is lower in fat than that carrot-cumin tart and something I have made before. The recipe comes from "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest" by Mollie Katzen. Russian Carrot Pie TBLSP butter 1 cup onions, finely minced 1 lb. carrots, very thinly sliced 1 TBLSP unbleached white flour Saute the onions in butter, add the carrots and cook until tender. Can add up to 3 TBLSP of water to keep from sticking. At the end, sprinkle in the flour to brown slightly. Combine 1 1/2 cups firm cottage or pot cheese 1/2 cup grated mild white cheddar 1 beaten egg lots of freshly ground black pepper 1 tsp. dill weed Mix this with the carrots. Put into prepared pie crust (not prebaked) and sprinkle top with 3 TBLSP wheat germ and some paprika. Bake 15 min at 375 then turn down to 350 for 39 min. Cool 5 min. Here's my regular pie crust recipe. It is very different from a shortening crust, but I still like it. I got the recipe and technique from my friend Martha Pie Crust (makes top and bottom crust) 2 cups flour - I usually use half whole wheat pastry flour 2 tsp. salt Mix these together Put 4 TBLSP COLD water into 1/2 cup oil. Stir until it bubbles/starts to emulsify if that's the right word (gets well combined) Pour liquid into flour and stir. Separate into two piles and roll out into rounds between layers of WAXED paper. You can cut this recipe in half for just a bottom crust pie. If you want to get fancy with the crust for this pie, your can mix in some poppy seeds or ground sesame seeds, maybe 2 TBLSP. o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by punamytsike (My Page) on Sat, Feb 21, 09 at 14:18 Cathy, like promised, I tried my Mom's carrot pie/bread and results will be below. First let me share another carrot experiment my DH did, as he is the carrot lover in this family :) He did bacon wrapped carrots in our Advantium microwave/oven Here is how the carrots looked like going in: we tried potato as well. The carrots cooked at H10,L10,M5 for 6 minutes and then looked like this: My DH loved the result, told me that the bacon added an interesting touch to it. The potatoes did not get anything extra from the bacon, I guess the potato skin is too thick to let bacon juices through. Now today I did the carrot pie/bread and at the same time the other half was roasted beef mozzarella cheese. I use sweet dough recipe from my Cuisinart bread machine recipe book. Any dough recipe that is meant for rolls or probably even pizza will do. The carrot mix for 1 lb of dough is supposed to be: 1 lb of cooked and shredded carrots, 2 cooked eggs, chopped to little pieces, 2 table spoons of melted butter, salt and pepper to taste. Mix it all together and spread on the dough like on the photo: Roll it and let it rise another 30 - 40 min before baking. I baked this in 375F for 30 min. For me it was little over cooked, so next time I will try 350F for 30 min. Also, next time I will double the amount of carrot mix, as for me it was not nearly enough. But it did taste like my moms. And the roasted beef side, just heaven :) o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by cabogirl (My Page) on Sat, Feb 21, 09 at 15:29 We had a monthly poker game last night and I had everything in the house for carrot cake. I put in a 13x9 pan just to make it easier to eat and it went.... Ingredients Cake: * 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour * 2 cups sugar * 1 teaspoon salt * 1 Tbsp baking soda * 1 Tbsp cinnamon * 1 1/2 cups olive oil or grapeseed oil * 4 large eggs, lightly beaten * 1 Tbsp vanilla extract * 1 1/2 cups shelled walnuts, chopped (more whole or chopped for topping) * 1 1/2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut * 2 cups of finely grated carrots * 1 cup of drained crushed pineapple Frosting: * 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature * 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp * 2 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract * 2 Tbsp lemon juice Method 1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9 inch cake pans. Cut out rounds of wax paper and place at bottoms of cake pans. Butter the top of the wax paper rounds. 2 Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Add oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in chopped walnuts, coconut, carrots and pineapple. 3 Pour batter into pans. Set on the middle rack of oven and bake for 45-50 minutes (shift positions of cakes front-to-back if necessary about halfway through), until edges have pulled away from sides and a toothpick or sharp knife tip inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on a cake rack. 4 To prepare frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter in a mixing bowl. Slowly sift in the confectioners sugar and beat until mixture is free of lumps. Stir in vanilla and lemon juice. 5 Once cakes have cooled, frost. Sprinkle top with chopped walnuts or arrange walnut halves in a crown around the top. Serves 12-16. recipe from Simply Recipes o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by bri29 (My Page) on Sat, Feb 21, 09 at 15:35 We just had ragu bolognese for dinner. It has carrots in it, it's healthy! So what if there's a ton of meat in it!? That's totally beside the point. :) 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons butter 1 carrot, finely, diced 1 medium onion, diced 1 rib celery, finely diced 1 clove garlic, sliced 1 pound veal, ground 1 pound pork, ground 1/4 pound pancetta or slab bacon, ground 1/2 tube tomato paste 1 cup milk 1 cup dry white wine Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating In a 6 to 8-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the carrot, onions, celery, and garlic and sweat over medium heat until the vegetables are translucent and soft but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the veal, pork, and pancetta and stir into the vegetables. Add the meat over high heat, stirring to keep the meat from sticking together until browned. Add the tomato paste, milk, and wine and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from the heat. o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by katiec (My Page) on Sat, Feb 21, 09 at 22:30 This is timely for me...I have five or six pounds of hairy carrots from last years garden (still better than storebought!). It will be easy to use them up now. We use a lot of carrots but I don't care much for them cooked, I always eat mine before they go in with the pot roast. Julienned in a stir fry, diced/pureed in soup or shredded in cakes etc. are ok. Lars, I had some wonderful ginger carrot soup at a fundraiser soup and bread dinner. I have the recipe in a local cookbook at the library...I'll find it next week. Jeri, we prowled a cool little Asian market yesterday and I bought some coconut cream. Was wondering what to do with it. My carrots are all small...this is perfect. We've been making plain old carrot and raisin or carrot, raisin and pineapple salad. Mayo for the dressing. Makes the kid feel like she's 5 again, she says. Our favorite carrot cake is very much like cabogirl's, but with a cream cheese glaze/ not-quite-frosting....just softened cream cheese and honey to taste. This was in a recipe booklet I found in a box of donations - Taste of Home,I think. Maybe next year I'll get carrots big enough to stuff. * Exported from MasterCook * Baked Stuffed Carrots Recipe By : Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 12 medium carrots 1/4 cup mayonnaise 4 teaspoons grated onion 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg Salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs 2 tablespoons butter -- melted, divided 1/8 teaspoon paprika Place carrots in a skillet; add 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until crisp-tender. drain. Cut a thin lengthwise slice out of each carrot. Scoop out carrot, leaving a 1/4-in. shell; set shells aside.Place the removed carrot in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl; add mayonnaise, onion, horseradish, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Spoon into carrot shells. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Combine the crumbs, 1 tablespoon butter and paprika; sprinkle over carrots. Drizzle with remaining butter. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Yield: 6 servings - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I'm sorry I missed that garlic cookalong... o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by compumom (My Page) on Sun, Feb 22, 09 at 2:46 Our dinner tonight (sorry, no photos) was spinach salad with bleu, craisins and candied pecans, filet mignon on the grill, shredded zucchini tossed with fresh lemon and grated parmesan, fingerling potatoes, AND of course our carrots steamed slightly and then sauteed with orange juice concentrate, freshly zested orange peel and butter(margarine for me) topped with some sweet basil from Penzey's. Dessert was fresh berries with Grand Marnier and brownies. Our guests were very complimentary and enjoyed it all! Thanks to Nancy (and Sherry) for inspiring us to have this little impromtu dinner party--I visited 2 markets and Costco and was able to be ready to go by 7pm! o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Sun, Feb 22, 09 at 12:34 I made the honey date carrot muffin recipe teresa posted for breakfast yesterday and they were delicious. I didn't change anything in the recipe, except that I was a little short on the amount of dates and made up the balance with dried apple bits. They weren't very sweet but that's the way we like them. DH instructed me to make sure I saved the recipe. Thanks for posting it. Katie, I had saved the same stuffed carrot from and old Taste of Home magazine and pulled it out for carrot week. I cooked and carved out the carrots yesterday and refrigerated them and the centers to finish off for dinner one night this week. I'm not sure about the mayo but I'll never know unless I try it. o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Sun, Feb 22, 09 at 14:37 Got to looking for recipes w/carrots and found these in my old (80's) Land O'Lakes cookbook. HONEY GLAZED PEA PODS AND CARROTS 3/4 c. water 2 c. (4 med.) diagonally sliced 1/4 inch carrots 8 oz. fresh pea pods, washed, remove tips and strings 3 tbsp. butter 1/2 tsp. cornstarch 2 tbsp. honey In 2 quart saucepan bring water to a full boil. Add carrots, cover; cook over medium heat until carrots are crisply tender (10 to 12 minutes). Add pea pods. Continue cooking until pea pods are crisply tender (1 to 2 minutes). Drain; set aside. In same pan melt butter; stir in cornstarch. Add carrots, pea pods and honey. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through (2 to 3 minutes). 2 (6 oz.) pkg. frozen pea pods can be substituted for 8 oz. fresh pea pods. Makes 6 servings. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHUCKWAGON CARROTS Crisp bacon gives smoked flavor to hearty chunks of carrots. 3 cups carrots, sliced 1/2 inch (6 med) 1/4 cup cooked crumbled bacon 3 tablespoons butter or margarine 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons green onions, sliced 1/8 inch 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon black pepper In 2-qt saucepan place carrots; add enough water to cover. Bring to a full boil. Cook over medium heat until carrots are crisply tender (8-12 minutes). Drain and return to pan. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through (5 minutes). Serves 4-6 Nancy o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by fearlessem (My Page) on Sun, Feb 22, 09 at 14:51 Oooh -- glad I saw this thread, as I have a Tried and True recipe to post. It is for a Red Lentil and Carrot soup, and it is in my top-5 favorite soups of all time... The recipe was originally by Mark Bittman, but my main modification to it is to double the amount of carrot in it, which I think really improves it. Red Lentil and Carrot Soup Time: 45 minutes – Serves 4 3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling 1 large onion, chopped 2 carrots, peeled and coarsely grated on a box grater 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth + 1 cup water 1 cup red lentils 1. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes. 2. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt, black pepper and chili powder or cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer. 3. Add broth, 1 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary. 4. Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup then add it back to pot. If it is too thick, add a little more water to thin it down. YUM! Emily o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by compumom (My Page) on Mon, Feb 23, 09 at 3:18 Oops--Ok, so I was a week off, LOL! Hey there's no guarantee that I can do this again next week, so if not, I had my dinner a week early! o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Wed, Feb 25, 09 at 7:15 Well, I did make the stuffed carrots last night and despite the fact that they looked interesting on the plate, I wouldn't make them again. I like both horseradish and mayonnaise but the combination in the stuffing did nothing to enhance the flavor of the carrots. However, if it wouldn't have been for the Cookalong, I probably wouldn't have tried them. DH and I are both enjoying the adventures with the Cookalong ingredients. This weekend will be the Apple and Carrot Confetti. Photobucket o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by dixiedog_2007 (My Page) on Wed, Feb 25, 09 at 20:41 I was hoping that I would be able to participate in this one but I will not. Have fun everyone and I look forward to seeing what everyone made. o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Thu, Feb 26, 09 at 8:39 Ruthanna I'm really enjoying your pictures! I was going to have a dinner party this weekend, but after another hectic week I just cannot pull it off. I hope to try something though. I'm looking for a full time job, plus working a 30 hour one too. And commuting two hours most days. And trying to watch my weight! I love these cookalongs though! o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Fri, Feb 27, 09 at 16:20 The carrot Cookalong dinner is tomorrow night. I've decided to make the carrots and pea pod recipe...found fresh ones! Not an easy task sometimes.. So, what are you making??? Nancy o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by trsinc (My Page) on Fri, Feb 27, 09 at 20:34 I'm going to make Indian food: red lentils and carrots with a butter dressing (includes onions, tomatoes, garlic, cilantro), spicy cabbage and carrot slaw (not indian, just winging it), scallion rice and flat bread. Thanks Emily for posting your recipe. I've saved it as I love red lentils. The dish I'm making tomorrow is an old favorite that I want to try with carrots included. I've not made the rice or flat bread before, so we'll see how that turns out. o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by joanm (My Page) on Sat, Feb 28, 09 at 17:55 I almost forgot about this. I picked up fresh carrots when I was out and had to improvise when I came home. I picked Mustangs honey roasted vegetables since I had sweet potatoes and shallots on hand. I had to leave out the parsnips and turnips so the pan looks really orange right now. I can't wait to taste it. o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by trsinc (My Page) on Sat, Feb 28, 09 at 18:05 I just now made up a batch of carrot soup. I would never serve this as a soup but I wanted to have it as a drink. It's just carrot juice, orange juice, and orange flower water - chilled. I really liked it until I added the flower water. It tastes just like it smells and over powered the drink. I bought it for a recipe I saw and now don't know where to find it, lol. I think I'll juice up a few more oranges to see if that'll fix it. Or, maybe I could use it in some muffins as the liquid... o RE: Cookalong #3---Carrots Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Sat, Feb 28, 09 at 18:36 I made the Czechoslovakian Apple and Carrot Confetti that sally2 posted and we really liked it. I used golden raisins instead of the currants and added about a heaping teaspoon of sugar. We also had roasted asparagus and a small pork tenderloin with a molasses and mustard glaze and the salad was a perfect complement for it. I'd also like it as a side dish for baked ham. It's definitely going in my "keep" file. I can't wait to see what the next Cookalong ingredient will be.

Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 8:27 Compumom has chosen BASIL for this Cookalong. Let's put our thinking caps on and come up with a wide variety of ideas for using it. Our virtual dinner featuring basil will be on Saturday, March 14. For those that may have missed the first Cookalong..... the idea here is to post hints, recipes and discuss the focus ingredient over the next two weeks. Recipes can use any form of the ingredient. Please mention the recipe source and whether it is one that you have already made (T+T) or one that you might be trying for the first time. I'm going to make an attempt to link all the cookalongs together. Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #3 -- Carrots Follow-Up Postings: o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 9:41 As a segue, here's what I'm planning to make next, another recipe from Orangette's blog. I have acini de pepe to use up. It combines carrots and basil. I can't afford the fresh stuff though. There is a chance that I still have some pesto cubes in the freezer. So I will have to make some adjustments. I also don't have fresh thyme. I can't afford to buy fresh herbs. But I do have dried herbs from my own garden from last summer. I'm also going to use canned tomatoes. But I know some of you lucky southern climate folks can get fresh ones! Provenl Tomato Soup with Orange, Saffron, and Tiny Pasta Adapted from Gourmet, September 2006 This business of blanching, peeling, and seeding the tomatoes may be a little fussy, yes, but it makes for a lovely, soft tomato flavor. Plus, theres nothing quite so satisfying for the fingers as slipping the skins from a few tomatoes, or scooping out their seeds and juicy slop. And aside from that mild labor, this soup is pretty straightforward. With a stir every now and then, it mainly cooks itself. And it makes for easy eating on the front stoop a table for two with a view! on an early fall evening. With a hunk of bread and some cheese alongside, its dinner. 2 lb good-tasting tomatoes 2 medium onions, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and thinly sliced (~2 cups) 1 medium carrot, finely chopped or cut into very thin rounds 1 celery stalk, finely chopped 4 large garlic cloves, minced 1 (3- by 1-inch) ribbon of fresh orange zest, minced 1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme Scant ¼ tsp dried hot red pepper flakes ¼ tsp fennel seeds 1 Turkish bay leaf 3 Tbs good-tasting olive oil 2 Tbs tomato paste 4 ¾ cups water ¾ tsp salt, or to taste Pinch crumbled saffron threads 1 to 2 tsp granulated sugar ¼ cup small soup pasta, such as acini di pepe 2 Tbs finely chopped fresh Italian parsley ¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil Bring a 5- to 6-quart saucepan of water to a boil. Cut a shallow X in the bottom of each tomato with a sharp knife, and blanch them, 2 or 3 at a time, in the boiling water for about 15 seconds, until the skin around the X starts to curl. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of ice water. When they are cool enough to handle, peel them, core them, and halve them crosswise. Set a sieve over a medium bowl, and squeeze the tomato halves gently over it, cut sides down, to extract the seeds and pulp. You may have to use your fingers to coax them out. Press on the seeds in the sieve to push through any juice; then discard them. Reserve the juice and the tomatoes. Pour the water out of the saucepan, and wipe it dry. Pour in the oil, and warm it over medium heat. Add the onions, carrot, celery, garlic, orange zest, thyme, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds, and bay leaf. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft but not brown, about 8-10 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their reserved juice and the tomato paste, water, salt, saffron, and 1 tsp sugar. Simmer, uncovered, stirring and breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon occasionally, about 25-30 minutes. Add the pasta, stir to mix, and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf, and stir in the parsley and basil. Taste, and adjust sugar and salt as needed. Serve. Yield: 4-6 servings, depending on what else youre eating Here is a link that might be useful: On stewing, and soup o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by woodie2 (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 10:33 This is a tried and true favorite of mine - Crispy Chicken Cutlets with Basil-Parsley Sauce Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray Recipe Summary Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 18 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Yield: 4 servings 2 pounds chicken cutlets Salt and pepper 3 to 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup Italian bread crumbs 1/3 to 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano, a couple of handfuls 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning 1 clove garlic 1 (3-ounce) jar pine nuts (pignoli) 1 lemon, zested 2 eggs, beaten Olive oil, for shallow frying Basil- Parsley Sauce: 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves 1/2 cup loosely packed parsley leaves 1/2 lemon, juiced Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it 1 Roma or plum tomato, seeded and finely chopped, for garnish Season the cutlets with salt and pepper on both sides turn lightly in flour. Combine next 7 ingredients in food processor and pulse-process the crumbs to chop the spices, garlic and nuts and evenly distribute the flavors throughout the crumb and cheese mixture. Transfer the mixture to a plate. Beat eggs in a separate shallow dish. Heat a thin layer of oil in a large skillet, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan, over medium to medium high heat. Coat the cutlets in eggs then breading and add to the hot oil. Cook cutlets in a single layer, in 2 batches if necessary, about 3 or 4 minutes on each side, until cutlets' juices run clear and breading is evenly browned. Return food processor bowl to base and add basil, parsley and lemon juice. Add a little salt and pepper. Turn processor on and stream in oil until a loose paste forms. Serve chicken cutlets with a generous amount of basil and parsley sauce poured over the cutlets. Garnish the chicken with finely chopped Roma tomato. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by marlingardener (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 11:44 I'm not in the gourmet chef league as many of the posters are, but I do have a unique and tasty appetizer featuring basil. Dip cherry tomatoes in hot water just long enough to slip their skins. Take young basil leaves and stick them in the stem end of the tomatoes. Serve on a platter laying on a bed of crushed ice. If you can get yellow and red tomatoes, it looks prettier. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lindac (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 11:45 There was a show on the food network this past 2 weeks that was a challenge using basil. They cooked basil ice cream and a basil scented cornmeal cake.....and only one person did the traditional basil pesto over pasta.... I use lots of basil in the summer when I have it growing and fresh, but rarely use it in the winter but for the pesto in the freezer. I add a cube of pesto to lots of things like soups, sauces and as a bread dip. Linda c o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by jude31 (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 11:51 Nancy, you are playing my song! Love, love, love basil and I can't wait to see all the recipes posted. I'll be back with one or more. jude o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by jessyf (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 19:26 Time to drag this one out of my cobwsebbed magazine collection. I mde this quite a few times then forgot about it. Actually the recipe calls for pork chops..... I used Trader Joe's frozen or jarred mango when I couldn't find fresh to my liking. Grilled Chicken with Mango-Basil Sauce Bon Appétit : June 1997 Ingredients 1 small mango, peeled, pitted 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 jalapeño chili, seeded, minced 1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves 3/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth 1 1/2 tablespoons golden brown sugar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 4 6- to 8-ounce flattened chicken breasts, boneless/skinless Preparation Puree mango in processor. Set aside 1/2 cup puree (reserve any remaining puree for another use). Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeño, then basil; sauté just until basil wilts, about 1 minute. Add broth, brown sugar and soy sauce. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in cup mango puree. Simmer until sauce thickens and coats spoon, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Prepare barbecue or preheat broiler. Brush chicken with 2 teaspoons oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill or broil until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plates. Rewarm sauce over low heat, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over chicken. Here is a link that might be useful: Original recipe, Bon Apetite o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil -basil -- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by jessyf (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 19:39 Who posted the Pho recipe. Was it RachelEllen or Natalie ntt_hou). I can't find it. I think it would be a good addition. I admit that I can't make it better than I can get elsewhere around Los Angeles, but someone ele might want to make it. It calls for lots of basil at the end. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lakeguy35 (My Page) on Tue, Mar 3, 09 at 19:53 This is a T & T in my files from Ina Garten. David Roasted Tomato Basil Soup Copyright, 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All rights reserved Show: Barefoot Contessa Episode: Feel Good Food Recipe Summary Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 35 minutes Yield: 6 to 8 servings 3 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions) 6 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 (28-ounce) canned plum tomatoes, with their juice 4 cups fresh basil leaves, packed 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 1 quart chicken stock or water Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss together the tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread the tomatoes in 1 layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes. In an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the butter, and red pepper flakes for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, thyme, and chicken stock. Add the oven-roasted tomatoes, including the liquid on the baking sheet. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 40 minutes. Pass through a food mill fitted with the coarsest blade. Taste for seasonings. Serve hot or cold. Note: I don't have a food mill. I just use a stick blender. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Wed, Mar 4, 09 at 6:28 Since we both love any kind of pasta with pesto, I might be making this or perhaps I'll try to find a local Spanish recipe using basil for a change. I make this often and it's delicious: PESTO - from Italian TV demo 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups basil leaves 1/2 cup olive oil 1/2 teasp salt 1/2 teasp f.g. pepper 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated 1/2 cup pine nuts (2 small jars) teasp water Process in food processor, adding oil slowly until all is creamy. SharonCb o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Wed, Mar 4, 09 at 9:36 I'm hoping basil plants will be at the nursery in time for this challenge, but it might be a week or 2 early for that. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I hate to go out and buy basil at the grocery store when it's so close to time to plant it. Here's a recipe by Giada De Laurentis I've posted before, but it pertains to this challenge, and we really like it. To make it vegetarian, I substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. I've made it with regular couscous, with orzo, and with the Israeli couscous. All worked, but the regular couscous was the least successful. The slightly larger texture of the Israeli couscous or the orzo works the best. Mediterranean Salad Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentis 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 (1-pound) box Israeli couscous (or any small pasta) 3 cups chicken stock 2 lemons, juiced 1 lemon, zested 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves 1/4 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted In a medium saucepan, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the couscous and cook until toasted and lightly browned, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Carefully add the stock, and the juice of 1 lemon, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the couscous is tender, but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the couscous. In a large bowl, toss the cooked couscous with the remaining olive oil, remaining lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper and let cool. Once the couscous is room temperature, add the fresh herbs, dried cranberries, and almonds. Toss to combine and serve. Recipe Summary Difficulty: Easy Prep Time: 20 minutes Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Yield: 6 servings Episode#: EI0819 Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved There's also a Brown Rice and Basil Salad recipe by Ina Garten I've made before that's really good. I don't have it on my computer, and don't have time now to type it out, so I'll try to do that tonight, or at least before the deadline. Linda, I saw that episode of Iron Chef where basil was the secret ingredient. I thought a lot of what they made sounded good, and some sounded odd. It looked, though, that the judges were pretty tough on both contestants, and didn't rave about any of the food. I was a little surprised they were so blase about what they were served. Sally o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by shaun (My Page) on Wed, Mar 4, 09 at 10:35 marlingardener I'd really love to see a picture of the recipe you posted for the cherry tomatoes. Do you happen to have one? o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lisazone6_ma (My Page) on Wed, Mar 4, 09 at 12:31 I make a dipping oil for bread using pesto in the winter, and fresh basil in the summer. I don't measure, I simply add things to taste, but I'll put in approximate amounts - you can change amounts to increase/decrease the total. The basic ingredients are as follows, but you can add other things or leave what you don't like out and it'll still work. 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar Sea salt or kosher salt Fresh cracked black pepper 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese 1 hot dried red pepper crushed or 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 2-3 tbsp pesto or 6-8 large fresh basil leaves chopped 2 tbsp Garlic paste made from roasted garlic, or couple cloves chopped (even if using the pesto, and I like a lot of garlic - you can reduce the amount if you prefer it less intense) I roll the fresh basil leaves together then cut them with a scissors to make strips or chiffonades (sp?) Mix all ingredients and let sit for a bit for flavors to combine. You can just refrigerate any leftovers and bring to room temp to use again. The cheese, and especially if you use the pesto, makes it on the thick side, but that's the way we like it! Lisa o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by chase (My Page) on Wed, Mar 4, 09 at 12:43 Think I might make this dish. Haven't had it for a long time. Cherry Tomato, Onion, Basil Sauce 2 Tbl olive oil 1/2 sweet vidalia onion sliced thin few drops best balsamic vinegar 2 garlic cloves minced 1 Lb cherry tomatoes halved 8-10 Basil leaves chopped salt and pepper 4 Oz Small Mozzarella Balls (Boccacini) Or Fresh Moz Cut In 1/2 Inch Squares Place oil in saute pan, add sliced onions and saute on medium heat until limp. Do not let brown or crisp. Add a few drops balsamic. Cook a few more minutes.Add garlic and continue to cook until onions are caramelized. Add cherry tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium low heat until the tomatoes loose their shape and give up their juices. Add basil and simmer until basil is limp and sauce is fragrant. Add the moz and toss with fresh cooked pasta such as linguine. Serve with Parmesan cheese. Here is another favourite dish of mine. Very special. Pork With Herb Crust I usually only do one 5 rib roast but I keep the same measurements for the herbs! Serve with Garlic Parmesan mashed potatoes and green beans 2 (3- to 4-pound) racks of pork 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 Tsp salt 7 garlic cloves minced 1/3 Cup fresh basil Chopped 1/3 Cup fresh thyme Chopped 1/3 Cup fresh parsley Chopped 2 Tbl pepper Coarsely Ground 1 1/4 Cup butter (or margarine)cut up 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 2 Can chicken broth 1 Tbl tomato paste 2 Tbl fresh sage Chopped 1/4 Tsp pepper Rub pork with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Stir together garlic and next 4 ingredients; press onto pork. Place pork on a rack in a lightly greased broiler pan; cover bone tips with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 150max, I prefer 140-145 ! Transfer pork to a serving tray.Cover and let rest while making sauce (even if you don't make the sauce let the pork rest for at least 10 minutes to redistribute juices and let the internal temp climb a bit more) Pour pan drippings into a skillet. Add butter to drippings; cook over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, until caramel colored. Gradually whisk. in broth and next 3 ingredients; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Serve with 'pork. Garnish, if desired. Yield: 8 servings.~ o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by cloudy_christine (My Page) on Wed, Mar 4, 09 at 12:59 Franco and Margaret Romagnoli had a cooking show on PBS years ago. One of my favorite pasta dishes comes from their cookbook, The Romagnolis' Table. It's a rich, butter-based sauce that couldn't be easier. The recipe intro says the sauce is classic with mostaccioli, ziti, and rigatoni, "and rather more special and delicate with homemade fettucine." I usually make it with our favorite thin spaghetti, DeCecco fedelini. Pasta with Tomato and Basil Sauce 8 tablesooons unsalted butter 12 fresh plum tomatoes, or 3 cups canned (I often use more than 12) 6 fresh basil leaves (or more) 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (I use less) 6 Tablesoons Parmesan cheese, sprinkled on the sauced pasta 1 1/4 pounds of pasta (I use less), or a 5-egg batch of home-made fettucine. Melt the butter in a big frying pan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add the tomatoes. If you use fresh plum tomatoes: peel them, and cut them into chunks before adding to the butter. If you use canned tomatoes: crush them gently with a wooden spoon as you stir them in. Break the basil leaves into the pan, add the salt, raise the heat, and when the whole combination starts to boil, lower the heat to a simmer. Let it bubble along about 20 minutes, or until the juice has cooked away a bit,and the color darkened. Stir occasionally during the simmering process. If the sauce hasn't simmerd enough, it will sink to the bottom of the dish instead of coating the pasta when mixed. Cook and drain the pasta, and turn it out on a deep platter or a wide, shallow bowl, cover with the sauce, and sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Turn the pasta with a serving fork and spoon to get the saude to coat it. Serve immediately. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Thu, Mar 5, 09 at 7:38 Basil is a tough ingredient for me at this time of the year. I like fresh basil with tomatoes, corn, etc. and I rarely buy those ingredients except in the summertime. I have been making this recipe with dried basil since my college days and it's as economical now as it was then. Even though it doesn't use much basil, it definitely is the standout flavoring. CHICKEN LIVERS AND RICE - 2 to 3 servings 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch slices 1 lb. chicken livers, trimmed and quartered 1/4 cup flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup uncooked rice 1 envelope instant chicken broth 1/2 tsp. dried basil, crumbled 1 whole bay leaf 1 1/4 cup water 2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley (do not omit) Cook bacon until crisp in large skillet. Combine flour, salt and pepper and dredge chicken livers in it. Remove bacon and reserve. Brown livers in bacon grease. Remove and reserve. Saute onion over medium heat in same skillet (add 1 Tbs. olive oil of needed.) Stir in rice, broth pack, basil, bay leaf and water. Heat to boiling; then turn heat to low. Stir mixture thoroughly, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Cover. Simmer 20 minutes without lifting lid. Spoon reserved livers over rice but dont stir. Put lid back on and simmer for another 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove bay leaf. Sprinkle with bacon and chopped parsley. Note: You can substitute 1 1/4 cups of chicken broth for the water and omit the instant chicken broth packet. Photobucket o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by theresafic (My Page) on Mon, Mar 9, 09 at 13:49 For various reasons I was unable to participate in the first two cookalongs but I plan to on basil. My husband bought me an aerogarden for Valentines day and I have basil growing. Not enough for a whole recipe but enough for garnish or to enhance the flavor of the dried basil I will use. I am not sure of what I will make but I want something different than pesto or using it on pasta. I'll think about it and post back later. I hope that people are still interested in the cookalong for this weekend. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Mon, Mar 9, 09 at 14:58 I often make a salad with basil to pack for lunch - great northern beans, tuna, chopped red onion, tomato, parsley, basil, sprinkle of garlic powder and sliced black olives with an olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing. I mix all the ingredients ahead of time except the tuna and then add it the morning I'm going to eat it. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by chase (My Page) on Mon, Mar 9, 09 at 15:34 I'm still in....hoping to see lots of basil ideas. David's soup is calling me but I'm not settled on a main dish but Woodies Crispy Chicken sure is sounding good! o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by joanm (My Page) on Mon, Mar 9, 09 at 20:03 The only recipe I make often that has basil leaves is Rachael's chicken meatballs. Chicken Sausage Meatballs Rachael Ray 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken 1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick) 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1/3 palm full 1/4 cup tender sun dried tomatoes (available in pouches or tubs in produce section) 10 leaves fresh basil extra-virgin olive oil Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place chicken in a medium bowl with grill seasoning and add the fennel seeds. Pile sun-dried tomatoes on top of each other in small stacks then slice into thin strips. Coarsely chop the thin strips and add to bowl. Stack 10 basil leaves together then roll them up into a log. Shred the basil by thinly slicing the log. Add basil to the bowl. Drizzle some extra-virgin olive oil over the chicken, mix meat together and roll into mini balls, 1 1/2 inches across, and arrange on a nonstick cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degree F for 10 to 12 minutes or until firm and lightly golden. Remove meatballs from oven, add to sauce and serve with pasta. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by gardenguru1950 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 9, 09 at 20:51 I'm not sure if I can participate in the Cookalong (is that like a billabong?) but I invented this last Friday night and it came out pretty dang good: Three recipes [to assemble] ... CREAMY BASIL PESTO WITH ROASTED GARLIC For 2 pizzas Ingredients 2- 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves 1/4 cup fresh fennel leaf 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup pine nuts, dry toasted (stovetop pan) 1 head garlic, roasted, peeled 2 oz cream cheese (or mascarpone or "Better Than Cream Cheese") 1/2 cup packaged mixed Italian cheeses, shredded 1 tsp lemon juice (about ¼ lemon) 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly finely grated Directions Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add more olive oil if its too thick to spread. ----- ROASTED VEGETABLES For 2 pizzas Ingredients 2 medium yellow onions, cut into thin wedges 1 large fennel bulb, cored, cut into wedges 1 small red bell pepper, chopped 1 small green bell pepper, chopped 1 medium whole head garlic, a little bit of the tops chopped off 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp dried basil 1/2 tsp fennel seed 1/2 tsp fresh milled black pepper pinch of salt (optional) 4 + 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil 6 medium white mushrooms, sliced 1 small Japanese eggplant, peeled and sliced crosswise 1 small zucchini, sliced crosswise Directions Place onion, fennel and bell pepper pieces on a deep cookie sheet and sprinkle with the herbs and pepper (and, if you wish, salt). [Save a teeny bit of the basil and oregano for the garlic.] Drizzle the veggies with 4 Tbs of olive oil and tossed well to coat. Place the garlic head on a piece of foil and sprinkle with a bit of the herbs and drizzle it with a bit of oil. Wrap the foil into a closed tent and place on the cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet with veggies and garlic into a 280°F oven and roast for one and one-half hour, turning the veggies every half hour. After one and a half hours, toss the mushrooms, eggplant and zucchini with 2 Tbs of olive oil and then mix it with the onion mixture. Roast/bake for an addition hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Use the garlic for the pesto. ----- DLS PESTO AND ROASTED VEGETABLE PIZZA Serves 4+ Ingredients 2 packages Trader Joes plain pizza dough 4 Tbs olive oil creamy pesto per recipe roasted vegetables per recipe 8 oz mozzarella, sliced thin 1/2 pound provolone, sliced thin Directions Follow directions on pizza dough package with these exceptions: have a pizza stone warming in the 450°F oven. When the pizza has set its 20 minutes, place it on the pizza stone and "blind bake" for 6 minutes. If it puffs up too much in the middle, punch it with a few fork holes. Remove it from the oven and brush the edges and about 1 inch from the edge on the top with olive oil. Spread half of the pesto onto each pizza crust, making sure not to take it to the very edge. Spread half of the roasted vegetables on each pizza crust. Lay half of the mozzarella on each crust. Top with half of the provolone per crust. Bake at 450°F for 8 minutes. Best dang pizza I've ever eatin'! Joe o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by coconut-nj (My Page) on Fri, Mar 13, 09 at 2:07 Caught this on page 2. Joe, that pizza sounds great. I like both cheeses on my pizza too. The provolone is great. The one I made for myself last week had hunks of ricotta on it too. I'm going to be making one of my favorite uses for basil. Ratatouille. I got very nice eggplant, and the squash looks very good too. I get groceries delivered and had ordered 2 lbs of white mushrooms, which they refer to as large bulk mushrooms. The person who filled the order sent me almost 2 lbs of portobello mushrooms for the price of loose white mushrooms. Well, they are large. So... the rat stew will benefit from that nice mistake. The store is very nice when they make mistakes and naturally don't charge you extra. Smiles. I remember the recent discussion about keeping herbs/basil so I thought I'd share my method. I use a lot of basil. I make big batches of pasta sauce so that I can eat it for breakfast and lunch for most of a week. I rarely go two weeks without having it. Right now I have four, gallon size freezer bags stuffed full of basil. Many have said they make pesto and freeze it or put it in ice cubes with water. I just wash big bunches well, shake the excess water off and stuff it into the bags. The bit of water that clings seems to protect the leaves. If the basil came from the garden and the stems are long I cut them back, wash them and bag them seperately. The stems are great in sauce for long cooking and easy to fish out. My favorite is to let the basil go to flower at the end of the season and pull the whole plants up. I then cut off the flower heads and bag them seperately. I love the flavor of the flowers in sauce. Very tender. Seperate the heavy stems and rest of the plant and wash and freeze. I have heard people say that when you freeze the leaves they then turn black. Well, you don't thaw when you go to use them or they would turn black/dark. You just use them right from the frozen state and they cook up very much like fresh. When I have the big bags frozen, as I go to use each bag I crush the frozen leaves up in the bag. If there are big blocks [from leaving them too wet], I just hit them with a rolling pin or hammer. After the leaves are crushed it's ready to use. It's best to use a soup spoon to scoop the leaves out when you use them because otherwise they will stick to your hands. Smiles. The pieces of stem that were attatched are now loose and I take those pieces and put them in the sauce first. Many soften enough to be eaten, or they can be fished out if they're too big. I've done this for a number of years and it keeps me and my basil addiction going through the winter and until fresh is ready to pluck again. If you like your basil fine, you can put some in a measuring cup with some water and give it the hand blender. I might make some gnocchi with a basil and sour cream sauce for an appetizer for the ratatouille dinner. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by annie1992 (My Page) on Fri, Mar 13, 09 at 12:50 Wow, I'd forgotten all about this. I'm leaning toward Ruthanna's chicken livers! Annie o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by cabogirl (My Page) on Fri, Mar 13, 09 at 17:43 My daughter loves this dip and makes it every time we have a get together. I believe she found it on Allrecipes Sun-Dried Tomato Dip INGREDIENTS: 1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 cloves garlic, minced hot pepper sauce to taste 3/4 teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup fresh basil DIRECTIONS: In a food processor, mix the sun-dried tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic, hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Process until well-blended. Add basil, and continue processing until smooth. Chill at least 1 hour in the refrigerator before serving. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Fri, Mar 13, 09 at 19:56 I did break down and buy some fresh basil today. I could have bought 13 pounds of cabbage this week for the same price. LOL So I'll have to see what I can come up with for tomorrow night. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 9:46 I'm not going to be doing anything with basil tonight, because we have a wedding to go to. I might do something tomorrow, but I don't know what, yet. We've been so busy the last couple of weeks that I just haven't had time to think it out. Plus, I was hoping we'd get some basil plants into the nursery, but that didn't happen yet. Hmmm, I'll have to figure out what to cook, if anything, and do it tomorrow instead of tonight. Sally o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by compumom (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 10:16 I think I may try Cabogirl's dip! I've been MIA this week more or less and today I'm cooking a big pan of Mac& Cheese for DGS's birthday party. Since I'm going off to the market(s) this morning, I'll p/u the ingredients for this too. Coconut, thanks for the tips on how to keep fresh basil around longer! o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 10:19 Well I've bought my basil but still need some more pine nuts, for tomorrow's pesto dinner. I would have liked to try something new but sometimes other obligations get in the way and suddenly it's the 'Basil Weekend' LOL. So it will be a Sunday dinner for us. Looking forward to seeing what you all are cooking up today and tomorrow! SharonCb o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 10:34 I woke up to a never before seen sight this morning - my DH browsing through a pile of my cookbooks. Except for this week when we were out of town most of the week for a death in the family, I've tried making the Cookalong ingredient in different ways and DH enjoyed the anticipation of which would be next. So he announced that he had found a perfect (?) recipe using fresh basil and I have all the ingredients for it so we'll see how it turns out. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 12:34 I'm making Jessy's mango chicken tomorrow, except I'll modify the recipe to make it in the crockpot--I'm taking dinner over to a friend's house. I'm making CloudyChristine's gingerbread for dessert from the last thread, with lemon curd sauce. And that morrocan salad with carrots. Now I just need one more vegetable. A modified ratatouille might actually be good, I have some canned tomatoes in the fridge to use up. Today I'm making the tomato soup with basil and saffron for lunch. I'll report back. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by malna (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 17:43 I hate it when life/work gets in the way of "cooking along". It was late last night by the time we got off the phone with clients, and the meat was defrosting...so stew tonight. Not something I could figure out how to get basil into - LOL. This is what I was PLANNING on making for tonight: Pesto Chicken Roll Up from Chef Bonnie Mair of The Hub Cafe 1 package of puff pastry (2 sheets) 1 (7oz) container of Pesto (or 1 cup of your own) 2 cups of baby spinach 2 cups of chicken cut into bite sized pieces 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided 1 tsp garlic salt 1 egg, lightly beaten Cook chicken in a little bit of oil and season with pepper and garlic salt. Drain and set aside. Or you can use precooked chicken, but I think this way gives it more flavor. Roll out pastry sheets onto a cookie sheet. Divide all ingredients into two and evenly use on both sheets. Spread Pesto over both sheets. Top with mozzarella, 1/2 of the parmesan cheese, spinach and chicken. Roll the pastry sheet into itself until it is into the desired shape. Place the seam on the bottom and adjust it on the cookie sheet. Do this with both rolls. Brush each roll with the egg and then sprinkle it with the rest of the parmesan cheese and garlic salt. Make several slits in the top of the roll to vent. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Slice into individual servings. With a cup of minestrone soup to start, and this for dessert: Mini Cheesecakes (from All-Recipes) with Blueberry-Basil Topping INGREDIENTS: 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 tablespoon white sugar 1 tablespoon margarine, melted 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,softened 1/4 cup white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 egg DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 6 cup muffin pan. 2. In a medium bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and margarine with a fork until combined. Measure a rounded tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup, pressing firmly. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 5 minutes, then remove to cool. Keep the oven on. 3. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla until fluffy. Mix in the egg. 4. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the muffin cups, filling each until 3/4 full. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 25 minutes. Cool completely in pan before removing. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Blueberry-Basil Topping from an idea borrowed from Bakerella's recipe for Blueberry-Basil cupcakes: Purée 1 can of blueberry pie filling and 1 T. ground basil in a food processor. Sigh...I knew I should have cheated and made this a couple of days ago. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by annie1992 (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 18:24 I've had the "day off" cooking all day. My corned beef is out of the oven, my barm brack is baked. I have chicken stock simmering on the stove and chicken enchiladas ready to cook tomorrow after the farm. So what about the basil? I made that green pasta with all the basil, and had some for dinnr with a sprinkle of grated asiago because I'm out of parmesan. I figured leftovers will make a great St. Patrick's Day lunch, they're so nice and green, LOL. Photobucket Annie o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 22:01 We had pureed spinach soup with garlic, fresh basil and dill, potato rolls and a chef salad. Photobucket o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by theresafic (My Page) on Sat, Mar 14, 09 at 22:49 DH and I made Rachel Ray's chicken meatballs except about the only ingredient we used from HER recipie was basil. Basically we made Turkey Meatloaf: 1.25 lb ground turkey 1 egg 1 cup oatmeal 1/2 roasted red pepper Handfull chopped walnuts shredded romano cheese fresh basil oregano garlic Mix together and place in loaf pan, cook @ 375f for 45 minutes. We both loved it, a keeper! From Desktop From Desktop o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by coconut-nj (My Page) on Sun, Mar 15, 09 at 2:10 Malna, you'll make it when you get a chance. You could have made it the other day, I don't think we are that strict about when we cookalong, eh? Smiles. Anne, you pasta looks great. I can almost taste it. That spinach soup has me wanting that too. Nice RuthAnna. I spy some basil on that salad too, eh? I love meatloaf Theresa and that looks like one we both would like. Well, I did make the gnocchi for a first course. After I saw Annies pasta I zapped some of my frozen basil with the egg and added it to the gnocchi as well as making a basil sour cream sauce for them. They were great. We got kind of full on them so we waited a while then had a nice bowl of the ratatouille a bit later. We were running late all day so it was nice to just slow down and enjoy our basil feast. I made the ratatouille with eggplant, basil, spanish onions, green and red peppers, portobello mushrooms, yellow summer squash and zucchini. We had it over some rice. It really hit the spot since I hadn't made it in a while. I used a ton of basil, including a bunch of my basil flowers, just how I like it and lots of garlic too. Our camera is still acting up. For some reason the battery will only last for one or two pics and if you leave the batteries in they go dead when you turn it on again. Odd. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Sun, Mar 15, 09 at 15:25 I'm home from vacation and cooking something for dinner tonight with basil..... ????? Just a reminder, those that posted on Cookalong #4, please check this thread tomorrow. I'll draw a name tomorrow morning...it might be you and we will be anxious to see what the next Cookalong ingredient is. Nancy o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Sun, Mar 15, 09 at 17:07 Oh there are some really good sounding recipes here. I must try your meatballs Joan. I even have sundried tomatoes that a friend brought down from England and gave to me just this week, and I bring Montreal Steak seasoning back from Canada every year, so this is one of the rare instances when I have all ingredients. But today was our basil day and since we have a hot desert wind from the east this weekend, the temps have been around a balmy 28�C (82.4�F) and I didn't feel like doing rolled chicken breasts in the oven, so went for the pesto and noodles with a salad. We sat outside on the patio for lunch for the first time in ages. My hubby set the table and did a pretty good job.....despite that he put the tablecloth on face down (JIM TEX I'm still using the one you sent me in the swap years ago). The blackbirds and doves kept us entertained with a songfest and flying acrobatics back and forth across the garden. It's been a lovely day. I was recently asked to write restaurant reviews for a new golfing website in the south of Tenerife. I'm one of the few members of a local forum who lives in the north of the island so I accepted to test and write about restaurants here where we live, adding photos of the food and surroundings. I sent in my first draft yesterday and was pleased to see it published this morning without so much as a word changed. This is going to be very enjoyable as once I showed the writeup to the restaurant owner she invited Wolf and I to our next meal. This is a perfect hobby for foodies isn't it! Link to my writeup. SharonCb o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Sun, Mar 15, 09 at 21:49 SharonCb, I don't know what to say other than awesome! Great column and wonderful pictures. There are some really good recipes here. I guess that's already been said but I wanted to say it again. Good job CF'ers! I made the recipe that Sharon (Chase) posted, Cherry Tomato, Onion and Basil Sauce. We enjoyed it! Sauce simmering in the pan... Photobucket Finished and ready for me to dig into... Photobucket After a week of dining out and having some pretty rich foods, this was a refreshing dish. Great way to use Cherry Tomatoes too! Nancy o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Sun, Mar 15, 09 at 22:20 Well the best laid plans . . . I did end up cooking and I did end up using some basil, and it was definitely a CF inspired meal, but it wasn't quite the dinner I was planning. I found out that instead of a quiet working dinner with just my friend/colleague, one of our friends and her husband was in town visiting and she just got back from deployment in Iraq. So it was dinner for five and I did most of the cooking but I brought it over to my friend's house. The dinner was in the new kitchen addition my friend is building. Sorry no pics, it just wasn't that kind of a night even though my friend has a camera. There was too much catching up to do. Our friend is from PA but now she and her husband live in Colorado so it was a treat to see them. I made curried chicken thighs and I was going to use Jessy's mango basil recipe, but while searching for mango chutney at the grocery, I found a jarred mango chutney sauce that had all the ingredients except basil, so I bought it. With that hot chicken curry I made Thai fried rice with dried mint and basil from the garden and fresh cilantro. That plus garlic, soy sauce and lime juice. The veggies were from a frozen mix plus fresh purple cabbage. It was very good with the chicken curry. Salad was plain romaine lettuce and spring mix with blue cheese dressing. Dessert was CloudyChristine's gingerbread from the last ginger thread, plus lemon curd sauce. Yes, I made lemon curd for the first time and it was yummy! Never got around to making the soup, but I finally got the ingredients for it. I just didn't feel like going out yesterday to the grocery store. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Sun, Mar 15, 09 at 23:18 Everyone's food looks and sounds so good! Alas, I just didn't have it in me this weekend to participate. We've been so busy the last couple of weeks, and had a lot going on, that by the time today rolled around I was doing good to open a can of soup for lunch, and I won't admit to what I ate for supper. Now that I've looked at and read about what everyone else did, I'm sorry I didn't put forth a little effort. Sally o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lakeguy35 (My Page) on Sun, Mar 15, 09 at 23:46 I agree, lots of good looking food here for this cookalong. I went with Sharon's rack of pork recipe but used a short hunk of loin I had in the feezer. Here it is after resting a bit.... Image Hosting by I had it with some steamed cauliflower and little roasted reds....homemade rolls too...forgot to include them in the pic. Image Hosting by Taking the leftovers to work tomorrow for lunch. Yum!! David o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by compumom (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 1:38 Wow David, it looks great! I'm back to report that Cabogirl's SUNDRIED TOMATO BASIL DIP was a big success! I subbed 2% Greek Fage Yogurt for the sour cream and it worked perfectly and cut a bit of fat, nevertheless everyone raved and DH asked me to make it again, soon! It took about an hour + for the basil favor to come through. I served it with Pita Crackers from Trader Joe's, they worked well or as a fresh veggie dip. It did set up firmer than this photo shows as it was taken right after it came out of the food processor. I'm also trying Cocoanut's idea of freezing the washed basil leaves to see how they come out. No report yet! Thanks!! Here is a link that might be useful: Sundried Tomato Basil Dip o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by jojoco (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 9:04 These all look great! My favorite way to use basil is to eat it on a sandwich with tomato, mozzarella, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. S&P, too. Preferably, use fresh mozz, and go pick the tomatoes just before making the sandwich. Use great bread. If you can get Judy's peasant bread from New Haven, Ct, all the better. Truly, my favorite sandwich and one of my favorite meals. Jo o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 9:30 Our next Cookalong topic will be picked by Lakeguy35 David please pick an ingredient and I'll start the thread. Sweet? Savory? Baking? Cooking? It's up to you! Nancy o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 9:36 I still have a bunch of cilantro left so I'm going to try to whip up a batch of this Thai curry paste and freeze it in cubes like I do pesto. I know cilantro looses its punch in the freezer, but adding corriander helps. This recipe is from Moosewood Restaurant Lowfat Favorites. Thai Curry Paste 1/4 cup chopped scallions 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, basil or Thai basil (I'll use cilantro mixed with dried basil, which I need to use up) 2 TBLSP garlic cloves 2 TBLSP ginger root, fresh grated 1 TBLSP fresh grated lemon or lime peel, or minced inner stalk of fresh lemongrass 1 TBLSP brown sugar 1-2 fresh red or green chilis (I'll use dried) 3 TBLSP fresh lemon or lime juice 1 TBLSP dried ground corriander 1 tsp. tumeric 1/2 tsp. salt Combine in blender or food processor and puree until quite smooth. Keeps a week in the fridge, longer in th freezer. Thai basil and fresh lemongrass gives the most authentic taste. Good with jasmine or basmati rice. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by jessyf (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 9:52 Yummy dinner last night - grilled chicken with mango basil sauce, garnished with basil (of course). Guests were slopping up the sauce off their plates with bread. Also making an appearance was grilled sparagus and orzo pilaf. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lakeguy35 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 14:34 Okay, I wanted to pick something that would be good for both sweet and savory. Y'all know I love my desserts. I pick LEMON! I'm thinking you can make dinner, desserts, or both.. : ) David o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by dixiedog_2007 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 15:13 I've just run through real quick but there is a lot of good sounding recipes and pictures. I need to go back and really look through everything more closely. I wish I could have contributed but too much going on right now. o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Mar 16, 09 at 15:55 Here's the link for Cookalong #5 -- Lemon Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #5 -- LEMON o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Thu, Mar 19, 09 at 21:51 Last night I made the Provençal Tomato Soup with Orange, Saffron, and Tiny Pasta from Orangette's blog. This is some of the BEST tomato soup I have ever had! The pinch of saffron really makes it! I used dried lemon peel and a dash of orange juice instead of orange peel, dried parsley and basil and canned tomatoes, still yum! o RE: Cookalong #4 --- Basil --- Thread #1 clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by rob333 (My Page) on Fri, Oct 23, 09 at 8:50 still need 1 and 2......

Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, May 25, 09 at 21:00 Our next *star* ingredient is ...... ONIONS! Picked by Canarybird (Sharon) this is going to be fun. Onions are in so much as a supporting ingredient, sometimes we forget they can also be a star. Over the next two weeks, I'll bet we all find some new things to do with onions. So post away! Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong --#9-- Rice Follow-Up Postings: o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Tue, May 26, 09 at 5:35 Okay I guess I shouldn't have posted this at the bottom of the other thread (sorry) so here it is again: I'll start the ball rolling with this delicious Leek and Onion Quiche. LEEK & ONION QUICHE Ingredients: 1 slice of streaky bacon finely chopped (I used 3 slices ) 400 grams (14 oz) onions halved and sliced (approx 2 large onions) 200 grams (7 oz) leeks sliced in circles 150 grams (1 cup) plain flour 1 TBS baking powder 3 TBS vegetable oil 2 TBS milk 3 TBS plain yoghurt (without sugar) (I used quark) 60 grams (3 rounded TBS) cottage cheese or cream cheese (I used cottage) 1 egg salt & pepper water 1 pyrex pie plate... measuring 19 cm (7.5 inches) across bottom ..... if it has sloping sides, top rim to rim 24.5 cm (9.3/4 inches) Preparation: 1. Preheat oven to 180 - 190 C (approx 365° F) 2. Put the flour and the baking powder in a mixing bowl and stir. Leave a well in the middle and add the cheese, one tablespoon of oil, one tablespoon of milk and a pinch of salt. 3. Mix well with a round bladed knife or your hands until you have a pastry which binds well together and is slightly sticky. You may need to add a little water. Do so by the spoonful to make sure you don't add too much. 4. Place into a pie plate and spread well over the base and up the sides, patting with fingers and the back of a soup spoon. 5. Place in the fridge to rest. 6. Gently fry the vegetables and bacon in the remaining oil until soft and golden, then transfer them to the pastry base using a slotted spoon. 7. Beat the egg with the remaining spoonful of milk and the yoghurt (or quark) and pour over the vegetables, making sure that it is spread evenly over the whole quiche. 8. Season and place in the oven for 40 minutes. Here it is sliced: SharonCb o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Tue, May 26, 09 at 22:00 Yippeeeee! I'm harvesting onions from my garden now, so this is perfect timing. I'll have to look up some recipes to post. Sharon, your recipe looks really good. I'll have to try it. Sally o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Tue, May 26, 09 at 22:57 With onions, a little goes a long way with me. Having said that, I do like a few oniony things--potato leek soup, (although not cold) and tabouleh spring to mind. I think tabouleh is a classic onion-centered dish, the contrast between the lemon, parsley, mint and onion is a totally unique combination. Take out any one element, and it is seriously less. Same with my mom's sour cream, cuke, lemon and chive salad. It's a tamer version of tsatsiki. So those are some of my onion family favorites. Some day I'm going to try and make those slow cooker roasted onions. Oh yeah, that's another way I like onions, as part of a roasted vegetable melange. Red is my favorite onion for that. Here's a recipe featuring both onions and potatoes, which you might also have in the garden this time of year. It's my third favorite potato salad, behind my mom's potato, egg, dijon mustard, mayo and dill one, and Bobby Flay's sweet potato one (recipe linked here as it also has scallions), and then this one. Got it from some women's magazine quite a while back. Potato Salad with Green and Yellow Beans (can use all green) 8 oz. fresh green beans, trimmed (or G-d forbid use the frozen ones, already trimmed!) 8 oz. fresh yellow wax beans (can use celery or yellow pepper) 1 lb. new red potatoes (or any other kind of new potato) 3 TBLSP olive oil 1 TBLSP balsamic vinegar 1 clove garlic, pressed 1 tsp. salt (or less, I use 1/4 tsp.) 1/2 tsp. oregano 1/8 tsp. pepper or lemon pepper 1 small red onion, thinly sliced 3 small diced scallions Steam beans 5-10 min., rinse with cold water to stop cooking and retain color. Boil potatoes (15-20 min.) When cool, dice all vegetables into bite sized pieces. Make dressing and toss with salad. If you're like me, you may want to double the dressing recipe for more flavor. Healthy and colorful. Garnish with chopped parsley if you think it needs a garnish. Grilled Sweet Potato and Scallion Salad Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay 8 servings Ingredients 4 large sweet potatoes, par-cooked and cut into 1/2-inch slices 8 scallions 3/4 cup olive oil, divided 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons honey Salt and freshly ground pepper 1/4 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley Directions Preheat grill to high. Brush potatoes and scallions with oil and arrange on grill. Grill potatoes for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until just tender. Grill scallions until softened and marked. Remove scallions from the grill and cut into thin slices. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup olive oil, the mustard, vinegars, and honey. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add potatoes, scallions, and parsley and toss until potatoes are well coated. Transfer to a platter and serve. P.S. on the link to the Bobby Flay sweet potato salad. I don't have a grill, so the salad works OK with roasted sweet potatoes and scallions. Maybe you can just boil the sweet potatoes and use raw scallions but I've never tried it that way. I also add diced red peppers and a bit more honey to this. Here is a link that might be useful: Grilled sweet potato and scallion salad - Bobby Flay o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ann_t (My Page) on Tue, May 26, 09 at 23:21 Great choice Sharon. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Roasted Parmesan-Creamed Onions =============================== Rick Tramonto - Osteria Cookbook Talk about succulent! The yellow onions are pretty pungent when you slice them, but surrender their kick when they are roasted and become sweet and tender. When they reach this point, the cream sauce is poured over them, they are topped with shaved cheese, and then the whole thing is returned to the oven for a slow melt. I like to cook these in a wood oven to get some smoke on them, which makes them even better-if that's possible. Great with chicken, lamb, beef-you name it! I also like it served as a first course. serves 4 4 medium yellow onions 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup dry white wine 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved (about 2 tablespoons) 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. 2. Slice the onions into 1/4-inch-thick rings and lay them in a shallow baking pan, such as a sheet pan or jelly roll pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 18 minutes, or until lightly browned. 3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the cream and wine to a simmer over medium-high heat. As soon as the liquid starts to bubble around the edges, remove from the heat. 4. Spoon about a tablespoon of the cream mixture over each onion slice. Cover with aluminum foil, return to the oven, and cook for about 25 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 450°F. 5. Remove the foil and top the onions with the shaved cheese. Return the pan to the oven and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the edges caramelize. Serve hot. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by bbstx (My Page) on Wed, May 27, 09 at 12:12 When my daughter was small, she would only eat steak if she also had "steak juice" to dip her steak in. "Steak juice" is the juice which is made when these onions are cooked. The original recipe calls for cooking the onions wrapped individually in foil. However, it is much easier to serve them when cooked in individual souffle dishes. I sometimes use a huge piece of foil and wrap the entire dish (as you would if you were going to freeze the whole thing ...dish and onion) and sometimes I just put the foil over the top and try to seal really well. Baked Onions For each medium onion 1 Tablespoon butter 1 Tablespoon worchestershire sauce 1 Tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium works fine) Tony Cachere's to taste Peel the onion. Cut off the top. Cut the root end off leaving enough to keep the onion intact. Vertically slice the onion into 8 wedges, but do not slice all the way through. Place onion in an individual ovenproof dish or on large square of foil. Pour the worchestershire sauce and soy sauce over the top of the onion. Lay the piece of butter on the top of the onion. Sprinkle with Tony Cachere's to taste. Cover dish with foil or wrap onion tightly in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Fabulous with steaks...and don't forget to dip your steak in the juice! o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by woodenzoo (My Page) on Wed, May 27, 09 at 16:27 Here's one of my favorite onion recipes! Onion Salsa 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 leeks, chopped 1 large red onion, diced 1 bunch scallions, chopped (both white and green included) 1 shallot, chopped 2 tablespoons garlic, minced 2 tablespoons fresh thyme 3 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 tablespoons fresh chives In sauce pan, heat oil and saute leeks, red onion, scallions and shallot until soft. Remove from heat, cool slightly. Add garlic, thyme, mayonnaise and chives. Mix well. Good on grilled burgers, hearty breads or as a dip for tortilla chips! Cathy o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by seagrass (My Page) on Thu, May 28, 09 at 3:39 bbstx - what is "Tony Cachere's"? seagrass o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Thu, May 28, 09 at 9:25 I use onions in one form or another nearly every day. One recipe where they get to be a star is in French Onion Soup. FRENCH ONION SOUP serves 4 to 6 3 Tbs. butter 4 large sweet onions (about 1 1/2 pounds total), peeled and thinly sliced 1 tsp. sugar (optional, see note) 1 cup dry white wine 2 quarts beef broth 2 ribs celery with leaves, each rib cut in half Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1/4 cup dry fino sherry 4 to 6 slices baguette, cut 1/2 inch thick, lightly toasted 1/4 cup coarsely grated Emmental, Gruyere, or other Swiss-type cheese Melt the butter in a 3 or 4 quart saucepan over low heat. Add the onions and sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly caramelized, a minimum of 30 minutes. (The longer the onions cook slowly, the richer the flavor of the soup.) Add the white wine and cook over medium-high heat until the wine reduces to about half, about 10 minutes. Add the broth, celery, salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and allow the soup to simmer until the onions are meltingly tender, about 40 minutes. Remove and discard the celery. Add the sherry and simmer soup for another 5 minutes. To serve, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Ladle the soup into individual ovenproof bowls. Top each with 1 slice of bread, sprinkle with 1 Tbs. cheese, and place the bowls on a cookie sheet. Heat in the center of the preheated oven just until the cheese melts and bubbles, 5 to 6 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and serve at once. Note: The tiny bit of sugar added to the onions helps caramelize them, but the onions themselves will caramelize if theyre sweet enough and if youre patient enough. I never use it, just keep them cooking. I always use firm yellow onions. The large white onions dont seem to get soft enough and vidalias become soft but have such a bland flavor when cooked. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by bbstx (My Page) on Thu, May 28, 09 at 9:49 seagrass, it is Tony Chachere's...I misspelled it. It is a creole seasoning. The main ingredients are salt, garlic powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper. It is readily available in grocery stores in the south. If you cannot get it, here is a recipe for a substitute from : 26 ounces salt, free flowing..like Morton's 1 1/2 ounces ground black pepper 2 ounces ground red pepper 1 ounce garlic powder 1 ounce chili powder (like Gebhardt's) Some online recipes also use MSG. I just looked at my can of Tony Chachere's Original and it says NO MSG on the front. Here is a link that might be useful: Tony Chachere website o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lindac (My Page) on Thu, May 28, 09 at 13:39 I have a wonderful recipe for blue cheese marinated onions....but I can't lay my hands on it....nor my mouse pointer! o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Thu, May 28, 09 at 18:32 Here's a typical Spanish recipe for Rabbit with Onion. I used to make this quite often after I tried it first time in France where it was so good I was able to over my reluctance to try rabbit. Chicken may be substituted but it's not quite the same. Rabbit With Onion Serves 4 2 lbs rabbit cut in pieces of about 1/2 lb each 3 onions sliced in fine strips (julienne) 4 cloves garlic, squashed 2 - 3 TBS olive oil 2 TBS flour 1/2 cup white wine 3 bay leaves salt and pepper If you can cook this in an earthenware casserole, the flavour will be better. If not, then use a heavy frying pan and lid. 1. Heat the oil in an earthenware casserole. Dredge the pieces of rabbit in the flour and brown in the hot oil. Then remove rabbit and set aside. 2. In the same oil, put the 4 cloves of garlic, the bay leaves and the onion. When they have softened, add the rabbit and the white wine. Cover and simmer gently for an hour, stirring from time to time. If it begins to dry, add a little water. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. ************************************* Another recipe I've made adds chopped tomato and parsley and another adds small slices of potato near the end of the cooking as in the recipe above. The recipes I have all use a good quantity of finely sliced onion as well as a glass of white wine. Another recipe adds green beans and potatoes to the rabbit, garlic and onion mixture, when it is nearly cooked. And all my recipes include at least one bay leaf. Rabbit is a healthy, low fat and delicious meat when properly prepared. SharonCb o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by daisyduckworth (My Page) on Fri, May 29, 09 at 2:32 I'm particularly fond of baked whole onions, perfect with a roast dinner. I used to do them mainly plain, but occasionally I'd stuff them. Here's one of my old favourites. Stuffed Onions (1) 6 large onions, peeled 1 cup mashed sweet potato 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons honey Preheat oven to 180°C. Peel onions and boil in salted water to cover for 15-20 minutes or until onions are tender but not falling apart. Cool slightly and take out centres. Mix sweet potato with remaining ingredients. Stuff onions with the mixture. Put onions in baking dish with 3mm water in bottom. Bake onions for 30 minutes. And another: Stuffed Onions (2) 6 large onions 1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs, soaked in 1/2 cup milk 3 eggs, lightly beaten 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup finely ground almonds large pinch ground cloves large pinch sugar 1 egg yolk, beaten with 2 tablespoons milk 6 teaspoons butter Preheat oven to 200°C. Trim tops of onions, but leave root ends intact. Peel onions. In a large saucepan of boiling water to cover, cook onions for 5 minutes. Remove from water, let cool, and cut 2cm off top of each. Scoop out interior, leaving a thin shell. Finely chop tops and interiors. In a medium bowl, combine chopped onion, soaked bread crumbs, whole eggs, cheese, almonds, cloves and sugar. Stir thoroughly. Stuff cavity of each onion with filling, packing it down. Place onions in a buttered baking dish. Brush outside of each onion with egg-milk mixture and top with 1 teaspoon butter. Cover loosely with aluminium foil and bake 1 1/2 hours. I love a little grated or finely chopped raw onion in my mashed potatoes. Some people find it A Bit Much, and for them I'd slightly cook the onions first. Then there's pickled onions, especially the brown ones. I could eat these till the cows come home! Wonderful with sardines or salmon on a sandwich. I like a salad with rings of raw red onion, too. One salad my mother used to make was very plain, but delicious. Simply sliced tomato and cucumber arranged alternatively around a plate, with an onion rings scattered over the top, and vinegar poured over. Better than it sounds! I have often wondered if there's ANY savoury dish that isn't improved with some onion added to it?? Imagine a stew without onion, if you can! o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by bubbeskitchen (My Page) on Fri, May 29, 09 at 9:56 This is my recipe as printed in the DOROT cookbook: Baked Onions dellisola Comacina From Renée Adler Aschers Kitchen This is interpretation of the antipasto dish at the restaurant on Comacina in Lake Como, Italy, where Arthur and I had an amazing 4 hour lunch in 1986. They didnt speak a word of English, the food just kept coming and the onions, served as an antipasto were amazing. Through trial and error I came close to replicating them, but atmosphere, well thats another matter entirely. Sigh! Serves: 8 to 10 Prep and cooking time: About 1 hour Ingredients: 8 large yellow onions, of about even size 1 1/2 cups rich beef stock or veal stock reduced to a demi-glacé. Extra virgin olive oil Fresh ground pepper Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees 2. Cut onions in half cross-wise, leaving skin on, trim off roots, and shoot end if too pointy. 3. Lightly oil a shallow, glass, baking dish just large enough to hold onion halves in one layer. 4. Dip cut side of onions in demi-glacé and place cut side down into baking dish. 5. Brush skins with oil 6. Salt and pepper 7. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover, turn onions, add 1/2 cup of warm water to pan, recover and bake 20 minutes more. Uncover and bake until just tender, test with knife. 8. Remove onions to serving platter. Add a bit of water to reconstitute stock and pore over onions. Do not make too watery. 9. Serve room temperature, or cold o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by pkramer (My Page) on Sat, May 30, 09 at 23:25 BBSTX: The baked onions were a big hit here tonight. I had rave reviews on them and requests for the recipe and to make more! Steak juice for sure. A little bit of onion sweet with a bit of heat from the Tony C. seasonings, all perfect. I served them with grilled ribeyes, bakers and portobellos all done on the grill. The next time I will add some mushrooms to the packets too. Peppi o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Sun, May 31, 09 at 19:36 Once again the Cookalong spurred me to go out of me element in the kitchen this weekend, with good results. First, I made slow cooked onions in the crockpot, with just regular old white onions, some butter, olive oil and white wine and salt. Very easy and yummy! I also added a dash of Penzeys sandwich sprinkle at the end because they seemed just a tad blah to me. It's like a seasoned salt. I used half the finished product in some pasta and the rest is going in the freezer. Then, I made the new red potato and green bean salad with the red onions, recipe posted above. That really is such a beautiful salad with the red onion and green colors. I used all green beans. Last but not least was where I really went out of my element. I made "Spaghetti with Onions" from my "Moosewood Restaurant Lowfat Favorites." I must admit that is a recipe I never would have thought to make, but it called for a cup of milk, which I had in the fridge and needed to use up. It's a very simple recipe with onions, tomato and fennel as the sauce. Both onions and fennel are things I like but only in moderation. The simple combination of those assertive flavors is really, really good, they balance each other well. Spaghetti with Onions from "Moosewood Restaurant Lowfat Favorites" 4 large onions 2 tsp. olive oil 2 tsp. ground fennel (optional, I used 1.25 tsp.) 1 lb spaghetti (I used Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Grain) 1 cup skim milk (I used whole so can't vouch for this with skim) 1 cup canned tomatoes, crushed or coarsley chopped (8 oz. can) I used fire roasted tomatoes 1 tsp. salt or less to taste ground black pepper to taste Bring a pot of water to a boil. As the water boils, prepare the sauce. Slice the onion in half and then slice each half into thin lengthwise strips. Saute the onions and fennel in the olive oil until translucent, will take about 10 min. (Lpink's notes: here's where I used the slow cooker onions, and you could use roasted onions. If you don't have a good non-stick pan you may need to use 1 TBLSP olive oil.) Ease the spaghetti into the boiling water, stir and cover. Cook no more than five minutes. The spaghetti should not be quite done when you take it out. Add the milk and tomatoes to the onions and slowly heat up. If the milk curdles, don't worry. Cover and gently simmer. Add the drained and partially cooked spaghetti to the sauce and cook five minutes more. Stir occasionally until the pasta is al dente and the sauce is smooth. Drizzle in more milk if the sauce becomes too stiff. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Notes: according to the cookbook, finishing cooking the pasta with the sauce will add some starch and make the sauce creamy. I found that is took more than five minutes to thicken the sauce, more like 10. I also added 1/4 cup grated parmesean/romano mix to the dish. If you make it my way it is by no means low fat, but not hugely fat either. This might be good with some roasted fennel bulb too. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by pat_t (My Page) on Mon, Jun 1, 09 at 8:46 Simplistic and wonderful..... GLORIFIED VIDALIA ONIONS 5 to 6 medium sweet onions 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1 cup sugar 2 cups water 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 tsp. celery seed Finely chop or grate onions. Soak onions in the water, sugar, and vinegar for 4 hours. Drain well. Pat dry. Mix onions with mayonnaise and celery seed. Serve with buttery crackers. Recipe courtesy of Ms. Betty Lees of Savannah, GA. I love baked/grilled onions also. My best friend, Tracy, takes a huge sweet onion and opens it like a flower. Inside, she puts pats of real butter, Worcestershire, and salt & pepper. Baked or grilled (in foil) it is the best steak accompaniment ever. I also tried this one that was previously posted by chery2 over on the Recipe exchange and it was really good. ONIONS AU GRATIN 6 medium yellow onions 1/4 cup butter 1/2 cup beef broth 1/2 cup whipping cream 2 Tblsp. flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese Slice the onions into 1/2" thick rings; sauté in butter until tender. Place in a greased 8" square baking dish. In a bowl, stir broth, cream, flour, salt and pepper until smooth; pour over onions. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake, uncovered, at 350° F. for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and mixture is bubbly. Yield: 8 servings. Posted by chery2 at the GW Recipe Exchange. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lakeguy35 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 2, 09 at 23:57 This retro dip recipe from Ina is always a hit when I make it. We always used the Lipton package and sour cream back in the day....this recipe tops that by a mile or more. Pan-Fried Onion DipCopyright, 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All rights reserved Show: Barefoot ContessaEpisode: Soup Lunch Ingredients 2 large yellow onions 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup good mayonnaise Directions Cut the onions in half and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions.) Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool. Place the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature. Note: I chop the onions as I/we find the sliced ones messy and hard to keep on a chip or off your chin while eating it. Double the recipe for sure...it won't last long. David o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by caliloo (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 9:10 Did anyone post a recipe for Onion Rings? Did I miss it? I am always searching for a gerat onion ring recipe that has a super crunchy batter - almost a tempura. Do you have a recipe like that to share? Thanks in advance! Alexa o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 9:33 These all sound so good! Alexa, I don't have a recipe on hand for onion rings, that is, don't remember where I have one, even though I made some way back a year or 2 ago when I bought a deep fat fryer at an estate sale. I'll have to search for the recipe I used. But I was imagining the other day how I could incorporate parmesan cheese into onion rings. I was wondering if I could grate some parm in with the coating for the onion rings, and then fry them as normal. Would it work? In my imagination it would be spectacular! lol. Has anyone tried something like that? Sally o yum! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by caliloo (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 9:40 Oh Sally - that DOES sound good! What if you just microplaned a dusting of parm over them as they came out of the fryer? THe cheese would melt onto the rings! Alexa o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by annie1992 (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 10:38 I love baked onions, much like the recipe bbstx posted. I just cut the onion into 4th or 8ths but not quite through, wrap the foil up, leaving a bit open at the top, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper them and bake or grill. Vidalias are particular good for this, but they're all good. So many yummy recipes here, I don't know which to try first, I like pretty much anything with onion in it. As for onion rings, I use Diana's recipe (dlundin) with some small changes by Ann T. Onion Rings =========== Adapted from a recipe Posted by Diana (Dlundin) Onion rings 3 cups buttermilk 2 cloves of garlic 2 sweet onions (such as Vidalia or Walla Walla), thinly sliced into rounds, then separated into rings 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour salt black pepper cayenne pepper Canola Oil For onion rings: Pour buttermilk into large bowl. Puree the garlic cloves on a microplane and add to the buttermilk. Add onion rings; toss to coat. Let stand 1 hour, tossing occasionally. Mix flour with salt, pepper and cayenne. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour enough oil into heavy large skillet to reach depth of 3 inches. Heat over medium-high heat to 350°F. Working with a few onion rings at a time, shake off excess buttermilk, then turn onion rings in flour mixture to coat. Fry onion rings until deep golden brown, adjusting heat as necessary for each batch to maintain temperature at 350°F, about 2 minutes. Transfer onion rings to paper towels to drain, then place on baking sheet and keep warm in oven while frying remaining onion rings. Very yummy and not too heavy with batter, they're delicious. Annie o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by craftyrn (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 11:51 Here's another one from Ina Garden-- a T & T in our family. Diane's Home Cookin Chapter: Dips,savory Barefoot Contessa Pan-Fried Onion Dip ===================================== Makes two cups. 2 large yellow onions 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup good mayonnaise . Cut the onions in half, and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions.) Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes, until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool. Place the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature. Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten Crown o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ann_t (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 16:00 OOOH some really good recipes here. Ann o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by chase (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 16:38 Here is a recipe from Steve Raichlen's "How To Grill" BBQ cookbook. Excellent summer side dish with your favourite BBQ meat! Country Style BBQ Onions 8 medium Vidalias 1 Can Bush country style baked beans 1/4 Cup dark brown sugar 1/2 Cup BBQ sauce 1/2 Stick (4 TBSP) butter cup in 8 pieces, room temp 2 strips cooked bacon cut into 8 pieces of 2" each fresh ground black pepper Peel the onions. Carefully hollow out the onions leaving the base in tact. Chop the onion pieces you hollowed out and mix with the baked beans, brown sugar and BBQ sauce. Spoon mixture into the onions and top with the butter and bacon. Sprinkle with pepper. Grill onions on the grill using indirect heat and medium heat (350 degrees) for 40-60 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Notes: I use my own cheater BBQ baked bean recipe instead of Bush beans. I often add some chipoltes in adobo sauce to the beans instead of BBQ sauce. Super served with pork tenderloin, ribs or chops. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by coconut-nj (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 16:58 Oh boy, there sure are some great recipes. It's funny, I love cooked onions but don't like them raw. I bought some vidalia onions for the challenge and now I have to decide what to do with them. Hmmmm... what a lot of great choices. Davids dip is calling me, then again I haven't made onion rings in a long time. Chase your bbq onions sounds good and the Bush's were on sale recently so the pantry is stocked. hmmm.. Sharon did start it off with a bang with that quiche and quiche is one of my favorite things in the world. Ann's creamed onions struck a cord early on in the thread....... oh my.....But, hey, that's what's great about these threads, the wealth of recipes can keep us going for a long time. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by woodie2 (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 18:20 I'm waiting for Doucanoe to post her recipe, yum. LindaC - here is your blue cheese recipe - we love it! LINDA C'S BLUE CHEESE MARINATED ONIONS Slice 4 sweet onions into a bowl and separate into rings. Mix: 1/2 cup EVOO 2 T fresh lemon juice 1 tsp salt ( I omit that!) 3 oz crumbled Maytag Blue cheese Mix and pour over onion rings and refrigerate for at least 8 hours....stirring occasionally. Here are some more of my favorites. Posted by: Cindy_Mac (My Page) on Sat, Nov 2, 02 at 21:25 This onion pudding is rich & delicious. SWEET ONION PUDDING 1 cup whipping cream 3 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt a little freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 cup butter 3 medium sweet onions, thinly sliced STIR together first 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually stir into egg mixture. Set aside. MELT butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion, and cook, stirring often, 30 to 40 minutes or until onion is caramel colored. Remove onion from heat. STIR onion into egg mixture; spoon into a lightly greased 8-x8-inch baking dish. BAKE at 350° for 30 minutes or until set. (Adapted from November 2000 Southern Living) Sorry that I don't remember the source for this recipe, I think its really good! BLUE CHEESE ONION GRATIN 2 large Spanish onions (about 1 pound) 6 ounces blue cheese, broken into pieces 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed Freshly ground pepper Slice onions and place evenly in buttered 9x13 baking dish. Mix remaining ingredients together and spread evenly over onions with a spatula. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, then broil briefly until top is browned and bubbly. (Watch carefully to avoid burning.) Yield 4 servings o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Wed, Jun 3, 09 at 19:19 Here's a recipe that I've made over the last 30 yrs. It's not fancy, just a simple family casserole type of thing. You can make the topping from scratch, using a drop biscut recipe, just add extra milk for more of a batter consistancy. HAMBURGER DELUXE 1# hamburg 4 med.onions, sliced thin 2 Tbl. butter 1 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper Brown the above well. Stir in: 2 Tbs flour 1 Tbs Worcheshire sauce 1 8 0z can of mushrooms undrained 1 1/2 C strong beef stock or bullion Bring to a boil and simmer about 5 min. Meanwhile combine: 2 C baking mix (Bisquick is what I always use) 1 C Milk Transfer the meat mixture to a 3 qt casserole and drop the dough by spoonfuls over the top, it will even itself out as it bakes. Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes, then, top with: 8 oz sour cream 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese Return to oven until cheese melts. I also do a variation of this omitting the mushrooms and stirring in a pkg of taco seasoning, Use a cornbread mix for the topping. Nancy o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Thu, Jun 4, 09 at 9:43 Dh and I went to a dinner at an Hispanic friend's house one time. They were grilling lots and lots of meat, which they enjoyed but I passed on. But, they also grilled whole onions wrapped in foil, I think, but I didn't see exactly how they did the onions. When served we were instructed to squeeze lime juice over the onions. They were delicious! So, for those of you that bake or grill your onions, try squeezing lime juice on them. It's going to be hot here this weekend, so I don't think I'll be baking onions, unless I decide to bake bread. Hey, maybe I should make onion bread! Sally o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by joanm (My Page) on Sat, Jun 6, 09 at 19:08 I made the baked onions that BBSTX posted. Yummy juice. Baked onions o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by caliloo (My Page) on Sat, Jun 6, 09 at 20:53 Sally's post about making the onions and bread reminded me of this recipe which is SO GOOD! It is supposed to be cool here the middle of the week, so I may just have to make a loaf. ****************************************************** Braided Onion Loaf From Annie on the CF This makes one giant (18-inch) braid, or make two smaller loaves, if you like. Soft and tender, rather than crisp and chewy, it's a nice addition to a dinner breadbasket. Dough 3/4 cup (6 ounces) hot-from-the-tap water 1/2 cup (4 ounces) milk 4 1/4 cups (18 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons instant yeast 1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter or vegetable oil 1 egg Filling 1/4 cup (2 ounces) butter, melted 2 cups (8 ounces) finely chopped onions, OR 1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) instant minced onions 1 teaspoon garlic powder OR 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic 1 teaspoon paprika Topping 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water 3 tablespoons poppy, sesame, caraway or mixed seeds Manual Method: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all of the dough ingredients, stirring till the mixture starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it's smooth and supple. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. Mixer Method: Combine the ingredients as directed in the previous paragraph, using a flat beater paddle or beaters, then switching to the dough hook(s) and kneading for 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, till it's puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk. Bread Machine Method: Place all of the dough ingredients into the pan of your machine, program the machine for manual or dough, and press Start. Take a look at the dough about 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle, and adjust its consistency with additional water or flour, as necessary, to produce a smooth, supple dough. Allow the machine to complete its cycle. Filling: In a medium-sized saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in the butter until the onions are soft and golden brown. Remove the pan from the stove, allow it to cool to lukewarm, then stir in the paprika. Set it aside. Assembly: Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled or lightly floured work surface. Roll it into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle, and cut it lengthwise into three 18 x 4-inch strips. Place a row of filling down the middle of each strip. Fold the strips over, use the heel of your hand to seal the edges, then roll into logs, sealing the ends. This is a very extensible (stretchy) dough; the logs will try to become VERY long as you roll them, but try to keep them within a few inches of their original length. Braid the logs and place the braid on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover lightly and allow the loaf to rise for 1 hour. Beat the egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water and brush the loaf all over with the egg wash. Sprinkle it with the seeds of your choice. Bake the braid in a preheated 375°F oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until it's deep brown and sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into a thick part of the bread (but not into the filling) registers 200°F or higher. Remove the bread from the oven, and allow it to cool somewhat before serving. Yield: 1 large loaf. Note: This could easily be made into two smaller loaves. When you make your original cuts in the dough, simply make one additional crosswise cut, so you have six 9 x 4-inch rectangles (instead of three 18 x 4-inch). Proceed as directed above, making two loaves. You may want to reduce the baking time slightly. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by loves2cook4six (My Page) on Sun, Jun 7, 09 at 8:20 No recipe - yet - but last night at a party we had the most delicious pizza with carmelized onions, basil and goat cheese on a thin crust. Yumm! o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by ruthanna (My Page) on Sun, Jun 7, 09 at 8:22 I also made bbstx's baked onion recipe and served it with grilled steak last week. It was delicious. Lots of recipes I'd like to try on this thread. I forgot to post this one, which I like to serve with baked ham. GLAZED BERMUDAS 6 Bermuda onions, peeled 2 Tbs. butter or margarine, melted 1/4 cup honey 1/2 tsp. paprika 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 3 Tbs. water Halve onions and put cut side up in large casserole with cover. Combine remaining ingredients; pour over onions. Cover and bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 1 1/2 hours, or until cooked, basting with sauce. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Sun, Jun 7, 09 at 15:31 Caliloo, I copied and pasted that bread recipe. I don't know if I'll try it today, since our predicted high is 98 degrees, but I do want to try it sometime. It looks so good! I haven't done it yet, but I'd decided to roast some potatoes and onions on the grill today, with some rosemary. I've harvested all three today, so I'm ready to use them. I don't know exactly how I'm going to do it, but I'm thinking of wrapping the onions and potatoes in foil with sprigs of rosemary, then putting them on the grill to roast. I may parboil the potatoes first, but I don't know if that's necessary. I don't know what else we'll have. I'll let y'all know. Sally o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by chase (My Page) on Sun, Jun 7, 09 at 16:15 The onion cookalong is this weekend ? Yikes !!! Best I'll be able to do is order onions on my "order in" pizza LOL Hope to be back in the swing of things this week. Sally, I do onions and potatoes on the grill all the time. No need to parboil just half or quarter them, depending on size, drizzle with olive oil, add a bit of salt and pepper and some fresh rosemary. Wrap in foil, wrap twice, and place on medium heat for a half hour or so. Turn occasionally. YUM! o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by canarybird (My Page) on Sun, Jun 7, 09 at 19:39 Well I'm just squeezing under the wire with my cooked entry from today. I intended to use bbstx's baked onion recipe as it would go nicely with the fish and other vegetables I had planned for our dinner. But when I looked for my two onions....they had somehow turned into only one onion....and when I started to open the one onion, it had turned black inside from the heat here recently. Soooo....I scrounged in the bottom of the fridge crisper and found three assorted sizes of spring onion with new bulbs attached. So that's what I used, together with some sliced leek. Oh it was very good! I'm definitely going to bake these again, but with full sized onions. The juice was delicious and I can imagine how well it would also go with a steak. So thanks bbstx for a good and simple idea. I love to bake a whole lunch in my little toaster oven, as I did today. I didn't have any of that spice mixture you mentioned so I used garlic powder and a bit of Hungarian paprika. Tasty! SharonCb o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by starlightfarm (My Page) on Mon, Jun 8, 09 at 0:49 I just wanted to thank bbstx for the Baked Onion recipe!! I prepared it this weekend for a big family lunch and everyone LOVED it! I had a huge bag of fresh off the farm Vidalia onions that a friend gave me (just visted her sister in GA).... they were delicious. Thanks so much! o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Jun 8, 09 at 8:08 Good job everyone, we now have some really good onion recipes to enjoy. I just drew a name...... Annie1992...your turn to pick our next star ingredient! I have to work today but will check soon as I get home and will then set up the next thread. Nancy o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Mon, Jun 8, 09 at 9:56 Sharon, I hadn't seen your post, but I did almost exactly that! The only difference was that I wrapped it up in some Swiss Chard leaves, then wrapped it in foil. The chard turned out to be a mistake, because it, well, charred, (charred Chard). I quartered the potatoes, the onions were already small (disappointing harvest) and I put in some rosemary and a bay leaf and a clove of garlic. I served it in a bowl with fresh tomato wedges. The entire meal, with the exception of the garlic and the salt and pepper was home grown. It turned out very good, but Jerry didn't like the pieces of rosemary twigs, and I didn't blame him. Next time, and there'll certainly be a next time for this simple dish, I'll take the time to separate out the rosemary twigs before serving, but I was too lazy. I forgot to post last night. Jerry took some pictures but hasn't downloaded them yet. Sally o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by annie1992 (My Page) on Mon, Jun 8, 09 at 10:14 Wow, my turn? And I didn't even get to post a picture of my grilled Vidalia onions, although I did have them yesterday. Ashley still has my camera, so I can't take pictures, but I just drizzled with olive oil and balsamic, salt and pepper and grilled them wrapped in foil. I did try the strawberry balsamic that Sherry gave me on one of them, and some lemon infused olive oil on another but the flavors were not particularly compatible, LOL. Not bad, but the others were better without the competing strawberry or lemon flavor. Hey, I just had to try, LOL. So the next ingredient? Because I have so many of them and they're such a constant source of protein, I choose eggs. Annie o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Jun 8, 09 at 18:33 Here's the link to the next Cooalong... Eggs Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #11 ---- Eggs o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by carrie2 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 9, 09 at 18:34 I've made something a few times that has turned out well. The first time I made it with refreshed leftover mashed potatoes, but fresh mashed potatoes work to. I spread the mashed potoatoes into a flat baking dish. Then I halve and thinly slice onions and simmer them in heavy cream until they are soft and sweet. Then spread the onion mixture over the potatoes, sprinkle with a little parmesan and bake at 350 until the potatoes are hot. It's a good accompaniment to roasted meats. o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lakeguy35 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 9, 09 at 21:54 I had to work this weekend so I missed cooking with y'all. Diana's onion ring recipe is my go to one since she shared it and I'v made several of the baked/grilled versions over the years too. I'll be adding one of these to my menu in the next week or two. Thanks for another great collection of recipes! David o RE: Cookalong #10 ----- ONIONS!!! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by rob333 (My Page) on Fri, Oct 23, 09 at 8:56 A recipe I wanted to contribute, but didn't because the leeks aren't the "star", but it just isn't the same without them, so sorta, kinda?: Braised Lamb Shanks with Fennel, Tomatoes, Turnips and Carrots Bon Appétit : March 1998 yield: Makes 6 servings The shanks need to marinate overnight, so plan ahead. Uncork a spicy Syrah, Pinot Noir or Merlot to go with dinner. Ingredients Topping 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel 1 tablespoon grated orange peel 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon drained green peppercorns in brine, coarsely chopped Lamb 1 14 1/2-ounce can low-salt chicken broth 1 14 1/2-ounce can beef broth 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup dry red wine 2/3 cup red currant jelly 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar 3 garlic cloves, minced 6 lamb shanks (each about 1 pound) 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 pound plum tomatoes, each cut into 4 wedges, seeded 2 large turnips, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch-thick wedges 2 large fennel bulbs, each cut into 4 wedges 3 large carrots, peeled, cut diagonally into 3/4-inch-thick slices 1 cup chopped leek (white and pale green parts only) 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 1/3 cup all purpose flour 1 tablespoon tomato paste Preparation For topping: Mix all ingredients in medium bowl to blend. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) For lamb: Whisk chicken broth, beef broth, 1/2 cup wine, 1/3 cup currant jelly, herbes de Provence, vinegar and garlic in large glass baking dish to blend. Add lamb shanks; turn to coat. Cover and chill overnight, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove lamb from marinade; reserve marinade. Pat lamb dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Working in batches, add lamb; cook until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large roasting pan. Add all vegetables to roasting pan. Pour reserved marinade into same skillet. Bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Pour over lamb. Cover; bake until lamb and vegetables are very tender, turning occasionally, about 2 hours. Using slotted spoon, transfer lamb and vegetables to large serving bowl. Tent with foil. Spoon fat off top of cooking liquid. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour. Stir until golden, about 5 minutes. Whisk in cooking liquid. Add 1/3 cup wine, 1/3 cup jelly and tomato paste. Boil until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce, then topping, over lamb and vegetables

Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Jun 22, 09 at 22:51 Caliloo (Alexa) has picked the next *STAR* ingredient... CORN!!!! No argument from me, it's a favorite. Since we are not doing the virtual dinner at the end, post any pictures anytime, when you make something. So let's dig out those corn recipes! Nancy Here is a link that might be useful: Cookalong #11 --- EGGS Follow-Up Postings: o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by foodonastump (My Page) on Tue, Jun 23, 09 at 8:17 Almost in season - can't wait! o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by caliloo (My Page) on Tue, Jun 23, 09 at 9:12 I'm going to start with one of my favorites! Fried Corn 2 cups fresh cut corn kernels 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (sweet) 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion (Vidalia) 2 Tbs. butter 1-2 jalapeno or Serano peppers, chopped (hot -- peppers are optional) 1-2 tsp. sugar salt & pepper to taste Directions In a large skillet, melt butter on medium heat. Add corn and all chopped peppers and onions and sautuntil blended and coated with butter. Add sugar, salt and pepper, to taste. Continue to sauté until you notice the corn turning more yellow. About 10 minutes. o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Tue, Jun 23, 09 at 9:47 I just read this article and thought it would be good for our topic... I know that a few have mentioned that they enjoy raw corn. Corn on the cob -- it's not just for cooking By MICHELE KAYAL The Associated Press Updated: 06/22/2009 09:11:58 AM EDT Husk that corn! And leave it at that. We love our summer corn grilled, boiled, steamed and slathered, but raw corn -- that's right, no cooking -- is nature's candy. We think of corn as a vegetable, but it's also a grain or a seed that's picked before maturity, says University of Florida horticulture professor Stephen Olson. And like other seeds that we eat raw -- think sugar snap peas with their crunchy pods and delicate fleshy globes -- raw corn bursts with succulence. Most vegetables are cooked to make them tender. But since raw corn is an immature seed, the kernels' outer covering is still baby soft. Cooking will actually solidify the starches and make the kernels firm. "It's more tender raw than cooked," Olson says. Chomping into a fresh ear of corn will reward you with a mouthful of sugary bursts. But dressier presentations may be better suited for guests and can highlight the corn's sweetness. Nick Ritchie, chef de cuisine at Napa Valley's trendy Bottega restaurant, strips the kernels and tosses them into a salad with peppery arugula. But to extract their maximum essence, Ritchie juices the raw kernels and creates a chilled soup to accompany crispy fried soft-shell crabs. "If you've ever taken a bite off a cob that's raw, it's like biting into a peach," Ritchie says. "You get juice running down your arms and dripping off your chin. That's why I like raw corn so much in the hot weather. It's very refreshing. It's almost like fruit." To store fresh corn for four or five days, strip the husks, wrap the ears in moist paper towels, place them in a zip-close plastic bag and refrigerate. Try raw corn kernels sprinkled over salads, as a garnish on a chilled soup or mixed into a soft cheese to create a mild sweet-and-savory spread for toasted slices of baguette. Raw Corn and Tomato Salad Start to finish: 15 minutes Servings: 4 3 tablespoons walnut oil 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves 3 ears corn, husks and silk removed 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved 1 small red onion, diced 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained 4 cups baby salad greens 4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled 4-ounce log goat cheese, crumbled Chive blossoms, broken up (optional) In a medium bowl, whisk together the walnut oil, vinegar and thyme. Set aside. Use a serrated knife to carefully cut the kernels from the ears of corn. To do this, one at a time stand each ear on its wide end, then saw the knife down the length of the cob. Discard the cobs. To the bowl with the dressing, add the corn kernels, tomatoes, onion and chickpeas. Toss well. Divide the greens between 4 serving plates, then top with the corn mixture. Garnish with crumbled bacon, goat cheese and chive blossoms, if using. Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 416 calories; 192 calories from fat; 22 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 20 mg cholesterol; 43 g carbohydrate; 18 g protein; 10 g fiber; 612 mg sodium. Nancy o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by annie1992 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 23, 09 at 10:09 Nancy, I love fresh corn raw, it's my favorite way to eat it, right off the cob, standing in the garden in the sun! I also like Eric Villegas' version of corn chowder, where he retains some of the uncooked kernels and uses them as an addition to the cooked soup. This is Eric Villegas' recipe, and it's better than mine, I think it's because he actually uses cream, where I make do with milk (and usually lowfat milk too). Michigan Sweet Corn Chowder Show #212 4 tbsp (2 ounces) unsalted "sweet" butter 1 cup diced white or yellow onion 1/2 cup diced leek, white part only 1 heaping tsp roasted garlic puree 1/2 lb red skin potatoes, washed and sliced 9 10 ears of fresh sweet corn, shucked, kernels removed, reserving "bones" 2-4 cups heavy cream French sea salt Clancys Fancy Hot Sauce (or your favorite) Juice of 1/2 small lemon In a 3 quart saucepan, melt the butter, sauté the onion and leek over a moderate heat, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Add the roasted garlic puree and the sliced red skin potatoes cook another three minutes or until the potatoes are warmed and completely coated in the butter. Add the "corn bones" and half the kernels, reserving the remaining kernels for service. Simmer 30 minutes or until the potatoes are well cooked and the "bones" have released their flavor. Spoon into bowls and top with some of the reserved corn kernels. Annie o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by joanm (My Page) on Tue, Jun 23, 09 at 11:00 I think I already posted this in a different thread but it was so good that it belongs in the corn recipe thread. Carmelized corn Pete from Rachel Ray 3 tablespoons EVOO Extra Virgin Olive Oil 4 to 5 ears (2 cups) fresh corn, cut off cob Salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 shallots, minced 1 clove garlic, minced 5 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped 1/2 cup dry white wine (preferably Sauvignon Blanc) 2 tablespoons butter Heat 1 tablespoon EVOO in a large skillet over high heat. Add corn, a good pinch of salt and 2 to 3 turns freshly ground pepper. Toss corn to coat lightly with EVOO and cook until slightly browned and caramelized, approximately 2-3 minutes. Lower heat under corn to medium-high. Add remaining 2 tablespoons EVOO to the pan along with the shallots, garlic, 5 tablespoons parsley, thyme and chives. Re-season with salt and pepper, give everything a toss and cook until the shallots are translucent. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, scraping bottom of pan to pull up any brown bits. Cook for 1 minute. Cut butter into small chunks and scatter over corn. Cook till wine is reduced by half. o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by coconut-nj (My Page) on Tue, Jun 23, 09 at 11:59 Great pic Alexa! Boy do I love corn. Around here they try to have corn ready by July 4th. We will see. New Jersey people are about as fanatic about their corn as we are about Jersey tomatoes and most of ya'll know how we feel about that. Smiles. Keeping corn for four or five days??? We get picky if we can't have it on the table within a few hours of when it's picked, half a day is stretching it, and a whole day ... well... depends on the weather. Smiles. If it's going to be a really hot day I'll get the first picked corn of the day and have it for dinner rather than get corn that's picked after sitting in the hot sun all day. LOL.. We are rather famous for our white corn. Lots of people swear by yellow corn and many love the bicolor but I fell in love with white corn when they first developed Silver Queen and it's only gotten better since with new varieties. Some people claim white corn doesn't have as much corn taste. I'd had to have them here and let them try it and then say that. Now that's some corn you want to eat raw. I'll often eat an ear raw as I'm shucking them. I always take a bite or two of an ear at the farm stand to make sure the corn is good... heh.. I do love corn raw and boiled for a few minutes then slathered with butter is often a complete summer supper when corn is at it's height. I also really like what we call corn fritters. Whatever your standard pancake recipe is with the addition of corn kernels. I'm so used to making pancakes that I don't use a recipe. Just flour, baking powder, salt, egg, milk and a little oil. I think Ann's oatmeal pancake recipe will be very good with corn added. And then there's corn bread, corn bread with corn added, corn pudding........ o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by dixiedog_2007 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 23, 09 at 16:30 Heck, I didn't even get to get involved in the Egg Cookalong!:) Too much going on but I do love corn and I do get the opportunity to lurk and read real quick. Thanks to all! coco- Silver Queen is my family's favorite corn also and we're in VA. It is hard to come by these days in my area but we still do get it. When we eat crabs, silver queen is always along side. Excellent. o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by seagrass (My Page) on Tue, Jun 23, 09 at 18:00 This is a lovely custard-like dish with a cinnamon-sugar topping. It pairs really well with smoked shoulder or ham. CORN PUDDING 2 15 oz. cans creamed corn 2 10 oz. packages frozen corn niblets, defrosted 1/4 cup flour 1 teaspoon salt 4 eggs, beaten 1 cup cream 1/2 cup butter, melted 2 tablespoons sugar 3/4 teasponn cinnamon Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine creamed corn, niblets, flour, salt, beaten eggs and melted butter. Mix well and pour into a 9 x 12 inch casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes. Mix sugar and cinnamon - sprinkle over top of casserole and continue to bake another 30 minutes more. Serves 6-8. (I cut this from a newspaper column a long time ago written by Jane & Michael Stern of Roadfood fame - they credited the recipe to a resaurant called the Virginia House in Lexington, VA). seagrass o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN! clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by seagrass (My Page) on Tue, Jun 23, 09 at 18:15 Here's another somewhat sinful recipe that was in Bon Appetit magazine a number of years ago. It was from a restaurant called Jasper's in Plano, Texas. I like it with grilled fish - swordfish in particular. BOURBON CREAMED CORN 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter 1 cup chopped shallots (about 4 large) 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 large red bell pepper, coarsely chopped 3 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 5 medium ears) 2/3 cup whipping cream, divided 1/4 cup bourbon 1 1/4 cups chopped green onions (about 6), divided Preparation: Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add red bell pepper; sauté 1 minute. Add corn; sauté until almost tender, about 2 minutes. Add 1/3 cup cream and bourbon. Simmer until sauce thickly coats corn, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 1/3 cup cream and 1 cup green onions. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat corn thinly, about 2 minutes longer. Season creamed corn to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup green onions and serve. (You have to like butterfat and bourbon to appreciate this one - I love it!!) seagrass o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by earl (My Page) on Tue, Jun 23, 09 at 19:58 If you like bold earthy flavors then you'll like this. To me, it seems flavor has gotten lost in the corn hybridization process. I love creamed field corn. The vegetable stand folks can usually get it if you ask them to or find a farmer yourself. I blanch it and freeze for later use during winter and spring. Recipe: As much field corn as you want. Cream it [I use a Lee corn creamer.] Add butter to suit yourself to a thick bottomed pot, then add corn and cook on low until bubbly and heated through, stirring so it won't scorch on the bottom. Add enough cream or milk to cut thickness to your liking, then salt and pepper to taste, then heat to good and hot. If it ain't fixed like this it ain't creamed corm. :-) o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Wed, Jun 24, 09 at 11:29 I have two italian cake recipes that call for cornmeal in my "to try" file. I may have to try them now. Is cornmeal OK? I eat a lot more of that because I don't often find myself in a situation where I can get or use fresh sweet corn. If the sweet corn aint fresh, no point in shucking it, IMHO! Canned or frozen is just as good in that case, and a whole lot less trouble. When I can get back to MI in August I indulge in the real thing. o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lindac (My Page) on Wed, Jun 24, 09 at 21:29 Thinking of the last few Cookalongs... Corn, shrimp or crab, onions and a pie shell....add some cheese, eggs, milk and herbs and peppers etc....and call it quiche... o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by dcarch (My Page) on Wed, Jun 24, 09 at 21:57 Here come cornnnnnnn :-) dcarch Photobucket o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by mst___ (My Page) on Wed, Jun 24, 09 at 23:34 Corn and Bacon Casserole 6 Slices Bacon 1/2 Cup Chopped onion 2 Tbsps. All-purpose flour 2 Cloves Garlic, minced 1/2 Tsp. Salt 1/2 Tsp. Ground black pepper 1 Cup Sour cream 3 1/2 Cups Whole kernel corn, frozen 1 Tbsp. Fresh parsley, chopped 1 Tbsp. Fresh chives, chopped In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings. Crumble bacon and set aside. Sauté onion in drippings until tender. Add flour, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until bubbly; Cook and stir 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and stir in sour cream until smooth. Add corn, parsley and half of the bacon; mix well. Pour into a 1-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining bacon. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with chives. YIELD: 8 Servings o Jimmy crack corn clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by coconut-nj (My Page) on Wed, Jun 24, 09 at 23:49 LOL DCArch... too funny. You really do crack me up. Jimmy crack corn and I don't care...... Arch cracks corn and I think it's cool... lol.. o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by dcarch (My Page) on Thu, Jun 25, 09 at 19:56 "Posted by coconut-nj (My Page) on Wed, Jun 24, 09 at 23:49 LOL DCArch... too funny. You really do crack me up. Jimmy crack corn and I don't care...... Arch cracks corn and I think it's cool... lol.. " Appologizing for the corn porn. I always get big laughs from friend when corn is served this way. All it takes is to have tooth picks join sections together. dcarch o Big CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by coconut-nj (My Page) on Thu, Jun 25, 09 at 20:11 Dcarch, don't apologize! I loved it and got a big laugh too. You have lucky friends. Smiles. o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lakeguy35 (My Page) on Thu, Jun 25, 09 at 21:26 Our local corn in coming on and the Bixby Corn Festival should be coming up too. I can't wait! My favorite is fresh from the field with lots of butter. Here is a good one that I like from Ina. Seems I posted this not long ago? David Here is a link that might be useful: Ina'a Fresh Corn Salad o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by sally2 (My Page) on Fri, Jun 26, 09 at 9:30 I'm glad you chose corn because I don't use it much, and should do so more often. I don't know why I don't use it much, but maybe because I don't get it fresh very often. Anyway, The recipe's y'all are posting look like good ones to try, since I usually just heat up (true confession time now) canned corn. I hope I'm still allowed to post here after that confession! Sally o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lindac (My Page) on Fri, Jun 26, 09 at 10:26 during the season, when every other corner has a pickup and a couple of farm kids selling corn picked that morning from under a wet tarp to earn college money, I can't think of corn any way but just quick boiled and slathered with butter and a little salt. Toward the end of the season I can think of using some for corn and bean salad or in chowder. But, really for "recipes" most of the time frozen corn works very well. Linda C o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by rob333 (My Page) on Fri, Jun 26, 09 at 10:51 I'm with Earl on how you make cream corn, 'cept use bacon grease instead of butter. Not heart healthy!!! I read this this morning, it sounded good (heart healthy, so you may want to add more salt): Golden Summer Squash & Corn Soup from Eating Well (heart patient magazine) 1 T extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium shallot, chopped 2 medium summer squash (about a pound) 3 t chopped fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, etc.) 14 ounces low sodium chicken broth 1/4 t salt 1 c corn 1/2 c feta cheese 1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot, stirring, 1 minute. Add squash and 1 t herbs, stirring occasionally, utili squash softens (about 3-5 minutes). 2. Add broth and salt, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmmering until squash is mostly translucet, about 5 minutes. Transfer to blender, use stick blender, etc. blend until smooth. Return soup to pan and stir in corn. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until corn is tender, 3-5 more minutes. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice. Garnish with 2 teaspoons herbs and feta. o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by theresafic (My Page) on Sat, Jun 27, 09 at 11:56 Here is a black bean and corn salad which is tangy and hot and sweet. It's really good and easy to make. All-Purpose Southwestern Corn and Black Bean Salad Source: Cooking Light magazine This recipe makes 12 servings and keeps in the refrigerator up to 5 days. It's quite versatile--add shredded chicken and serve tortillas on the side to make it a main-dish salad. Or serve it as a dip with baked tortilla chips, a side for burgers or grilled chicken, or a salad on a bed of lettuce. 1 pound dried black beans 11 1/2 cups water, divided 1 teaspoon olive oil 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 cups fresh corn kernels 2 cups chopped seeded tomato 1 cup Vidalia or other sweet onion, finely chopped 1 cup chopped red bell pepper 1 cup chopped green bell pepper For the Dressing: 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 3 limes) 1 tablespoon chili powder 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons salt 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons honey 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro RECIPE METHOD To prepare salad, sort and wash the beans. Combine beans and 5 1/2 cups water in a 6-quart pressure cooker. Close lid securely; bring to high pressure over high heat. Adjust heat to medium or level needed to maintain high pressure; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; place cooker under cold running water. Remove lid. Drain beans; rinse with cold water. Drain and cool. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in cooker over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and 2 garlic cloves; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add beans and 6 cups water. Close lid securely; bring to high pressure over high heat. Adjust heat to medium or level needed to maintain high pressure, and cook 12 minutes. Remove from heat; place cooker under cold running water. Remove lid. Drain bean mixture; rinse with cold water. Drain and cool. Combine bean mixture, corn, tomato, onion, and bell peppers in a large bowl. To prepare dressing, combine juice and next 7 ingredients (juice through jalapeños), stirring with a whisk. Stir in cilantro. Pour dressing over bean mixture; stir gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by therustyone (My Page) on Sat, Jun 27, 09 at 12:15 The only way to 'use' corn, is when it is fresh, young, tender, on the cob, the kind that has both yellow and white kernels. Shuck it and heat just enough so butter melts on it. Eat. And if the butter runs down your arms as you eat, so much the better! As for using it in things, forget it. No way I'd ruin perfectly good other ingredients by mixing with corn. Just in case you can't tell, I don't much like corn. :-) Rusty o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by trixietx (My Page) on Sat, Jun 27, 09 at 18:44 We grow about an acre of sweet bi-color corn every year and we are probably getting close to a "mess of blisters," as my DH says. The corn is not quite ready, but he can't wait. He is also the one that picks an ear, strips back the shuck and silk for a taste or two. Our 4 year DGS does the same thing. I have to agree with Rusty on fresh sweet corn. Bring the water to a boil, put the corn in it and turn off the burner. I cover the pot and move it off the burner so the corn stays hot. We freeze alot of corn, cut off the cob and creamed and enjoy it all year. But there is just nothing like just picked corn! o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by kathleenca (My Page) on Tue, Jun 30, 09 at 15:00 This is a good side dish with pork roast, ham or Mexican dishes. CHIPA GUAZU (Corn Casserole) 8-10 servings 1/4 c oil 2 onions, chopped 2 tomatoes, peeled & chopped 1 1-lb can cream-style corn 1 8-oz pkg corn muffin mix, such as Jiffy 3 eggs, separated 1/2 lb shredded Jack cheese Heat oil in large skillet, add onions & tomatoes & cook until onions are slightly soft. Add corn, muffin mix, egg yolks & Jack cheese & blend thoroughly. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold beaten whites into corn mixture. Pour into greased 9x13 baking dish & bake at 300 degrees 1 hour. o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by joanm (My Page) on Sun, Jul 5, 09 at 19:09 We almost lost our cook along to page 3. I tried that carmelized corn for the second time. This time I remembered the butter at the end and I had GA corn instead of FL corn. I didn't get it very brown this time, in too much of a rush. Yummy stuff! Carmelized corn o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by annie1992 (My Page) on Sun, Jul 5, 09 at 19:47 joan, that looks delicious, I'm going to have to try it when the corn is ready here. Kathleen's corn recipe looks good too and I've made the Cooking Light recipe that Theresafic posted, lpinkmountain came to visit and she's a vegetarian so it was perfect and delicious, but I haven't made it for at least a year. Here I forgot to take a picture, but Elery grilled some corn that we bought at Meijer's for 7 ears for $1.00, then we cut it from the cob and mixed it with black beans and salsa. It wasn't bad. Today we took the rest of the corn, cut it from the cob and made vegetarian vegetable soup, although it was sunny and 74. It was good with the leftover dill cottage cheese bread that I made for the 4th of July party yesterday. Annie o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by lpinkmountain (My Page) on Sun, Jul 5, 09 at 21:54 I made that black bean/corn salsa to take to Alexa's house for our jam session. 'Cept I added a couple small avocados. Yummo! I have a bunch of corn meal cake recipes to try but it just aint gonna happen right now. I am cleaning out the fridge to get ready to come to MI. I hope to leave in about a week. It's slow going though. o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by theresafic (My Page) on Mon, Jul 6, 09 at 1:24 Joan, the carmelized corn looks really good. Corn is not ripe here yet, so I haven't made a lot of corn recipes but I did take the black bean and corn salad to a work potluck and it was a hit. I have cut and pasted several of the recipes for next month when we have fresh corn but I confess, I like it best barely cooked and still on the cob! o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by donna_loomis (My Page) on Mon, Jul 6, 09 at 9:21 I found this one on the internet a few weeks ago. It's supposed to be a knock-off of the Cheesecake Factory's recipe. Never eaten there, but my family likes these a lot. This last time I made them a lot smaller, more like drop cookies. SWEET CORN TAMALE CAKES Ingredients: 1-1/2 C Frozen Sweet Corn 1 Stick Butter, softened 3 T Sugar 1/8 tsp. salt 1/2 C Masa Harina (corn flour) 2 T All-Purpose Flour Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Chop 1 C frozen corn in processor until it's coarsely pureed. Combine pureed corn with softened butter, sugar, and salt. Blend well with mixer until smooth. Add masa and flour and blend well. Mix in remaining 1/2 C frozen corn by hand. Measure 1/2 cup portions and form into 3 inch wide patties. Arrange on baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes. Carefully flip all cakes and bake an additional 5-7 minutes until browned. Serve with Sour Cream, Salsa, Salsa Verde & Guacamole if desired. o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by wizardnm (My Page) on Mon, Jul 6, 09 at 10:35 Just pulled a name from those who posted on this thread.... Rob33... you win!!! please post what the next *star* ingredient is on this thread. Then I'll set up the next thread..#13! Nancy o RE: Cookalong #12 --- CORN clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by rob333 (My Page) on Mon, Jul 6, 09 at 12:34 Wow! I've won! Ok, here it goes, "Cheese" is the next thread star.