roasted vegetables

one of the best ways too cook vegetables you have on hand it to roast them. Easy preparation.

On a stoneware sheet pan diced and bake what have you in a medium oven till tender about an hour or so.

 

 

Here we have white onion, mushrooms, tomato, red pepper, and garlic. Season to your taste

with salt, pepper, and herbs. When completed, spoon on a bun, top with grated cheese.

Delicious !

 

Store the remainder for many uses, over pasta or when you need a side of vegetables with your meals, or a filling.

Riblet Breakfast

I was preparing the country style pork  ribs for the freezer. I trimmed one of the ribs so it was a small size and with a bit of oil in the fry pan with salt and pepper, browned it on both sides, and let it cook a bit on low heat. For something different other than eggs, I added some frozen corn to the pan and let that cook in the juices of the rib, smelling great! Now, I finished it off with some Tomato Vegetable Sauce. WOW ! similar to a corn salsa. Topped with a sprigs of parsley and added a side of cantaloupe. Better than the ol’ bacon and egg routine!

 

Tomato Vegetable soup/sauce base

Similar to Tomato Sauce with Pasta and Veggies

Checking the contents of the fridge, and since I haven’t made a soup type meal in a while, It would be a good idea to start with a vegetable based soup/sauce to use during the week. So I started dicing to a small, about 1/4 inch dice….. 

 

green bell  pepper, celery, onions, red bell pepper, mushroom, under the knife, (I peel the onion after slicing). You can geek it up and arrange the diced veggies on a plate like a pie graph. (Learning to use the camera on a mini tripod and setting the timer to take the picture.)

Close up view, isn’t digital photography wonderful ! Theirs no lack of film ! Instant gratification!

  

I chose the stainless steel fry pan with about 2 tablespoons butter. The pan is hot but once the veggies are going turn down to a simmer just to soften as they will later cook  in the sauce.

 

Started the base with frozen stock and there was about 1/2 can of tomatoes in the fridge, added, and set to a simmer.

While everything’s percolating along, empty the dishwasher, gotta get my exercise!

Added the sautéed veggies to the pot, I shaved about 1/2 of a frozen hot Italian sausage and diced for a bit of flavor. I don’t want to add any other meat to keep this sauce as flexible as possible for future use, lets say with chicken, sausage, beans or compliment with pasta or on a pizza shell . Hmmm over morning eggs would be great too. Just some crusty bread would be good right about now.

 

 Are you ready for this ! How could I forget garlic!

The final product, like they say you should be here to smell this.

I sweetened it with some simple syrup, then salt and pepper, a bit of herbs and a pinch of spices, just a dash of a dry rub.

It’s somewhat on the thin side but could be simmered down depending on it’s use. Would make a hearty stew don’tcha think?

Tomato Sauce with pasta and veggies

I’ve come to the point where I’ve read way to many recipes and blogs, books, and watched countless cooking shows over the years………so………. My posts are going a more descriptive route rather than a standard measured ingredients and directions format…..  and most likely I’ll refer to them in the future for repeats of some of the dishes I love with variations. Reading other peoples blogs  and cookbooks have influenced me also to go the more narrative style, better a little story of the actual  meal preparation. Thanks to all the bloggers I follow, excellent work!

Blogging right after eating has it’s advantages….

Two sausages from the the freezer along with frozen peeled whole tomatoes,  frozen prepared garlic cubes, frozen vegetable stock. On the fridge side, some defrosted tomato juice, carrots and onions, a bit of bacon fat, 1/2 a can of tomato paste, prepared pasta dough. Frozen sausage goes in the fry pan with 2 cubes of  frozen stock and brought to a boil covered,and then simmered, till sausage is defrosted and stock evaporates, brown the sausage,  I now have a small black and Decker food chopper that was orphaned, now  a new addition to the kitchen, I f*** with it, as adding too much carrots at once  causes it to jam and the blade lift and stop rotating , so some of the carrot is removed till the little chopper does the job and I add the rest of the carrots incrementally ,no problem with it processing  the onions ,add the diced onions and carrots,  and garlic with a dab of bacon fat. More of a tomato vegetable sauce, as one of the Frug’s recipes I recalled. If i have veggies like this available ,celery, green pepper etc., they can be sautéed and added to bulk up the sauce, a good way to get veggies into the meal.

Now in the garden a large green plant that is either broccoli or most likely, looks like Brussels sprouts, when I started them from seeds I didn’t keep track exactly what they are and where they were planted, but one of them is forming a small cauliflower,  frost is forecasted towards the end of the week ,maybe they will survive . The one I picked from closely resembles Brussels sprouts as the stalk is covered with small leafy projections that tightly formed would be Brussels Sprouts only these are less dense but have the definite taste of sprouts. Crisp, green and earthy.

Out of the frying pan goes the sausage to a pot, add tomato paste to the fry pan with the semi defrosted whole tomatoes and than some more frozen stock and season to taste, some thyme purchased for thanksgiving , dried basil and dried oregano . Now it gets poured in the pot with the sausage, simmered and sweetened with a touch of simple syrup and a splash of apple cider vinegar for balance.

Boil water for the pasta and roll out with the machine to noodles, boil and plate them. With the greens in a small pan pour out the pasta water over  the greens  to blanch, drain and plate next to the pasta. Spoon tomato sauce over pasta and greens,(take a photo) top with one half of a sausage, grated cheese.

Eat…………………………E X C E L L E N T ……!……. OOPS, no wine for now.

Now I’m thinking of Brussels sprouts pasta or ravioli after I finished my plate, a good meal, but that will be another kitchen encounter. Christmas looms ahead….

tomato, beef and red peppers, over noodles

Instead of stir fry, this meal cooks easy under a broiler

you could substitute rice or rice noodles.

preheat broiler

• lay strips of marinated beef strips on a small broiler pan lined with aluminum foil.
• Top with with fresh sliced tomatoes wedges, diced or sliced red bell pepper and mushrooms.
• Place under broiler close to the heat as possible.
• Roll out previously mixed refrigerated noodle dough, through a pasta machine, then the noodle attachment  and boil noodles while beef cooks
• Rotate broiler pan as necessary.
• Plate up the noodles, top with a few herbs, parsley, etc and top with the cooked beef mixture, of course with any juices. The marinade and herbs accounts for the seasonings, omit any salt and pepper.
• Let the plate set a few minutes to blend the flavors while you do a small clean up.

The marinade I used was a bottled preparation from Trader Joes. I had tasted this before, checked the ingredients and found out it closely resembles a fresh oriental marinade that I usually make from scratch.

If you don’t mind making pasta dough and having the beef prepared and marinated beforehand, this meal is relatively fast to make.

marinade:

Soyaki

Soy Sauce,sugar,crushed garlic,sesame seeds,soybean oil,ginger puree,white vinegar,soy powder,sesame oil,garlic granules,minced onion,onion powder,ginger powder.

quesadillas

One cup of corn flour  makes 8 tortillas, 4 quesadillas, about 5 inch diameter.

Items on hand:

Italian sausage patties

green peppers

tomato

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Stocked items:

garlic, seeds, herbs, smoked hot red pepper flakes, lemon juice, sugar, corn flour, Crisco, sea salt, water, corn meal, American cheese, canned corn . charcoal, wood pellets.

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Equipment:

charcoal grille, fry pan, tortilla press

 

Smoke sausage patties over a charcoal  grille indirect heat with oak and  hickory pellets for about and hour ( the patties were nearly frozen). you will need about 2 patties for 4 quesadillas. If you smoke a batch reserve and refrigerate the rest for later use.

 

Dice two green peppers into about a 1/4 inch dice and diced 1 medium tomato along with several cloves of garlic.  Toast some fennel, dill and cumin seeds, and combine all of the above with  corn. ( a small can or fresh if possible).  Add a bit of lemon juice, a pinch of sugar and salt  and smoked hot red pepper flakes, small amounts of oregano and cilantro  to taste. Set the mixture aside to meld. The amount off seeds and red pepper flakes should result in a strong flavor to compete with the smoked sausage.

 

With 1 cup corn flour and about a teaspoon of Crisco combined in a mixer (paddle) add water till it almost all of it clings together. Remove from mixer bowl press together and divide into 8 equal portions and roll into balls, dust with a bit of cornmeal if the mix is too wet. utilizing a tortilla press, press into tortillas and cook slightly in a ungreased skillet or on a cast iron grille.

 

Slice the smoked sausage patties into strips long enough to fit on the tortillas. Assemble and cook the quesadillas by placing a tortilla on a heated grille or in a frying  pan. Spoon the salsa mixture on the tortilla, enough to cover, and place a slice of American cheese on top and arrange sliced smoked sausage on the top of the cheese. Place another tortilla on top and press with a bacon press or equivalent weight. Let cook till the cheese melts binding the salsa together. Flip and cook till heated through and the tortillas are slightly crispy and spotted brown.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream and more salsa if desired.

LiveJournal Tags: quesadillas,corn flour,green peppers,TOMATO,tortilla press

garden lasagna

        from the Garden Lasagna

       peel, slice, salt and let drain the eggplant,

roast on a baking sheet till some what limp

set aside for assembly

• sauté an amount of  garlic in a saucepan with oil

season with salt & pepper, add flour and more oil if needed and  cook like a roux

add milk, I guess about 1/2 cup

more  stock than milk,

several slices of American cheese

cook slightly to reach a boil,

temper in two eggs,

simmer, should be  pretty thick and rich to compliment the

vegetables and  enough for a 13×9 size lasagna

• add about several tablespoons of tomato paste, heat through, remove from heat, set aside. Since the stock is rich, a slight salt and pepper is all I use, oops, and  a wicked small amount of smoked hot red pepper flakes, no more than a pinch, you want the flavors of the veggies up front.

make wide pasta noodles, I like noodles between each vegetable so I go down to #2 setting.

I don’t fuss, mix about 1 cup flour and 1 egg in the kitchen aid with the beater, add a bit of water till it’s almost together.

no waiting either, right to the pasta machine. I made the pasta on demand, it ended up being 2 batches

  boil, drain, trim as necessary, dry on kitchen towel                                           spread sauce on bottom of the pan

start assembly

•   noodles
• fresh sliced tomato
• noodles
• roasted eggplant
• noodles
• raw sliced green peppers for crunch

repeat

use a small amount of sauce with each layer

top with fresh herbs

last, cover with noodles

and sauce

mmmmmmmmmmmmm…. now were talking lasagna ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

off to a 325 oven, bring it up slowly till slightly bubbly

I don’t know about 1/2 hour or more

if you made the sauce at the right consistency, it won’t be really bubbly or bubble over

of course give it time to rest before serving

I hit the mark with this one, I could cut a piece from the pan and pick it up with my hand without it falling apart.

the simplicity and freshness of the flavors are apparent.

Now, to food bloggers who post REAL pictures of their food and kitchen my salute !!!!

yardwork and garden

RICE,TOMATO, AND GREEN PEPPER CASSEROLE

WHITE RICE     TOMATO, AND GREEN PEPPER CASSEROLE
modified from  Cazuela de Arroz con Rajas de Chile Poblano
Pattis’ Mexican Table

INGREDIENTS
4 cups cooked white rice (about 2 cups uncooked)
2 tbsp butter
1 large valdalia onion, diced
3 cloves (or more to taste) garlic, pressed,
3 green peppers, charred, skinned, stemmed, seeded, and sliced.
1 1/2 cup (Roma if possible) tomatoes, chopped
1 cup corn
1 tsp sea salt or to taste
About 1 tablespoon flour    `
1 cup milk
Smoked, dry hOt red pepper flakes to taste
cheese

TO PREPARE
Place the butter in a  pan set over medium heat and saute the onions .Allow it to sweat for about 5-10 minutes,   Increase the heat to medium-high, add the tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes.  Add the green pepper, corn, salt and black pepper and cook for about 3 more minutes.Add garlic.  Add the flour to form a roux and cook for several minutes. Add the milk and cook till bubbling stirring mixture till it thickens. Add more milk if necessary to obtain a semi thick sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a 8 x 11   baking dish.  Layer the white rice in the baking dish and press it down gently with a spatula.  Pour the sauce tomatoes/pepper mixture on top  For the last layer, sprinkle the shredded cheese (optional) on top.

Bake the casserole in the oven for about 20 minutes until bubbly.

Roasted Tomatoes

A recipe for your fresh picked garden tomatoes

An easy way to add flavor and a different way to cook tomatoes for many uses.

Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange on a oven proof pan etc.

Top with Garlic and herbs, here, fresh oregano and sage.

Drizzle some oil (olive oil preferred) over them and a bit of salt and pepper and bake for about 30 minutes at 350 or so. 

 (you can eat them as is without roasting as I did, saving some for roasting) MMMMMMMMMMM……

After roasting you can eat as is, on bread , toast, or with pasta, that’s just a start.

Dice them, put in a bowl, for savory tomato sauce.  Add other ingredients, onion, pepper etc for the freshest tasting salsa you’ve ever eaten !!!