Just for Moe

I was out for lunch with a friend and just wasn't hungry tonight. So I grilled Moe a New York Strip and baked him a potato. I think that he would be happy if I made him a baked potato every day.

Breakfast for Two

Steak and Eggs

Scrambled Eggs with Sautéed Mushrooms

and Fried Potatoes

Have I mentioned before that Moe loves breakfast? Decided to spoil him with one of his favourites. Steak and Eggs. Beef tenderloin pan fried and served with sauteed mushrooms and fried potatoes. He had his eggs sunnyside up. I skipped the steak and just had mushrooms and potatoes with scrambled eggs. Toasted homemade bread.

Oxtails

We had Oxtails tonight for dinner. Slow cooked until the meat was melt in the mouth tender. And oh so rich.

No real recipe. Just a general outline.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Oxtails
=======
Brown oxtails in small batches so that they brown and don't steam.

Remove meat from pan and add chopped onions., chopped carrot and celery. Brown vegetables and add a head of peeled garlic cloves.

Add some red wine, beef broth, chopped fresh rosemary, salt, pepper and a squirt of tomato paste. Cover and simmer until the oxtails are tender. Remove fat and then whisk using a stick blender to puree the liquid with the vegetables to thicken the sauce.

Osso Bucco

Tonight we had Osso Bucco with Gremolata served over Polenta. I use chicken broth with minced garlic as the liquid for the polenta. Butter and Parmesan cheese are added at the end. Sauted Rapini on the side.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Osso Bucco
==========

Veal shank cut into pieces 1 1/2 inches thick.
6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large carrot, chopped
1 small onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
6 fresh sage leaves
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste (I keep a tube of tomato paste in the fridge)
Salt/Pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F

Heat olive oil in oven proof pan. Brown veal shanks. Remove from pan and add chopped carrot and onions. Saute until tender. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add rosemary and sage, one cup of white wine, chicken broth and a squirt of tomato paste. Cover and put in the oven for approximately 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender. Check occasionally to make sure there is sufficient liquid.

Serve over Polenta or Risotto and sprinkle with Gremolata

Gremolata

3 or 4 tablespoons of chopped parsley
1 clove of minced garlic
zest of one lemon

St. Paddy's Day Dinner

Herbed Irish Soda Bread

You know when something doesn't taste bad, there is nothing really wrong with it but you just don't like it? And if you never have it again as long as you live you would be okay with that? Well that is how I feel about a corned beef and cabbage dinner. Turns out Moe feels exactly the same way. LOL! Neither of us enjoyed dinner last night. Although be both liked Linda's Herbed Irish Soda Bread. Moe had a couple of slices of the bread again this morning, toasted, with scrambed eggs. Linda's bread was the best part of the meal. You can find the recipe on Linda's Blog How to Cook a Wolf. For the herbs I used fresh chives and black pepper. I would definitely make that again.

But back to the Corned Beef dinner. The meat was very good. I'm looking forward to a corned beef sandwich. And I liked the cabbage. Moe liked the meat and he liked the potatoes and the carrots, but put all together and it really is a very bland boring meal. I don't make this meal every year and whenever I do, I remember why I don't. I think next year Steak and Mushroom Pie or maybe an Irish stew will be on the menu.

Dinner and Dessert

Dinner was very simple to put together. Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce. And the sauce was already made. Just had to take it out of the freezer.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Bolognese Sauce
===============

My recipe. (updated February 27th, 2004)



Olive oil
1 1/2 pounds lean ground steak or use 1/2 lean beef and 1/2 ground pork
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
2 to 4 cloves garlic minced
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley - preferably the Italian Parsley
1 to 2 Tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon teaspoon dried oregano
Rosemary, and fennel seed (Optional) Pinch of hot red pepper flakes
1/2 white wine
1/2 cup cream or milk (Optional)
1 cup beef or chicken broth
2 to 3 large cans chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper

Optional: If you have a rind from a Parmesan cheese add it to the pot to simmer along with the sauce. Really enriches the sauce.

Saute chopped onions and celery in olive oil until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the meat and saute until no longer pink. (Add cream/milk if using it and simmer until it has evaporated) Add 1/2 cup white wine and simmer until wine has evaporated. Add the dried herbs and fresh parsley. Coarsely puree tomatoes and add to the pot.

Add chicken broth and simmer for at least 2 hours on low heat.

Serve over spaghetti with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

NOTE: You can also add the cream at the end rather than at the beginning. Makes for a richer sauce. The purpose of adding it early is that it is suppose to tenderize the meat.


I baked a pound cake for dessert and drizzled it with a white chocolate ganache. The cake was actually the one that belongs with the Cassata cake that Lori from All That Splatters made last week. Rather than add lemon or an orange liqueur, I just scraped the seeds from a vanilla bean and added them to the batter.

Meat and Potatoes

Okay, I confess, I'm a meat and potatoes kind of girl. Although if you have been reading my blog, you would have already figured that one out.

Before leaving for work this morning I took a couple of pork chops out of the freezer. I had considered grilling them, but instead I breaded them and pan fried. Used my electric frying pan. Served with home fries tossed with green peppers and scallions.



Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Breaded Pork Tenderloin Or Pork Chops
==============================
1 pork tenderloin cut into medallions and pounded flat Or
Pork Chops with or without bone
1 clove of garlic made into a paste
fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
flour seasoned with salt and pepper
1 or 2 eggs beaten with a bit of water
Oil


Rub the minced garlic over the surface of the pork tenderloin

dip each piece of meat into the flour, then the egg and then the fresh
bread crumbs. Pat to make sure that crumbs adhere.

Heat oil in large frying pan and saute the breaded pork until golden on
one side, turn and cook until done .

Drain on paper towels and place in low oven (250°F)to keep warm while
you continue cooking the remaining pork.

Moe's Breakfast

Woke up to snow. Very annoying. Had planned to go into Victoria this morning for a little shopping, but after looking at the web cam on the highway through the Malahat we decided to have a lazy morning instead.

Made a big breakfast. Pancakes and Bacon (with black pepper).

This is my favourite pancake recipe.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Pancakes
========
2 cups milk
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 eggs
6 Tablespoons melted butter or margarine
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cup of flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Maple Syrup.


Add the lemon juice to the milk, Melt the butter in the microwave

In a blender mix, eggs, milk and butter. Add the flour,salt, sugar,
baking soda and baking powder.

Mix until blended.

Heat griddle and brush lightly with butter or oil

Pour out batter to desired size and when top side has bubbled flip and
cook for about 20 to 30 seconds on flip side.

Place in low oven to remain warm while you cook the rest.

Dinner with Matt and Dana

Our son Matthew, called on Thursday to say that he and his girl friend Dana would come up Saturday night for a visit. I love when he comes home just to hang.

Dinner needed to be something easy since I was working Saturday.

I presalted a couple of nice thick Prime Rib steaks Friday night. They were
left to air dry in the fridge all day yesterday. Rubbed with lots of garlic and coarse black pepper and grilled. Served with fresh green beans, roasted potatoes, cauliflower and cherry tomatoes sauted with garlic and tossed with fresh basil. Thankfully they both like their meat rare.

Dessert was also easy. I still had some of last years blackberries in the freezer so I baked a Blackberry cobbler before leaving for work.

Blackberry Cobbler

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Blackberry Cobbler
==================
1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup of milk
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups blackberries
extra sugar to sprinkle on top

Heat oven to 350°F.
Melt butter in small baking dish.
Mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder together. Stir in milk. Pour in melted butter and stir to blend. Pour back into baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries on top and press down slightly. Sprinkle with sugar and bake 45 to 50 minutes or until done.

Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or ice cream.

Pasta Night

Penne with Italian Sausage

One of the easiest dinners to put together after working all day. By the time the water boils and the pasta is cooked the sauce is finished.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Italian Sausage with Tomato Basil Sauce
=======================================

For Two

2 Italian Sausage
Olive oil
1 to 2 cloves of Garlic
1 Can of Quality Italian Tomatoes
Fennel seed, hot red pepper, dried basil, salt and pepper to taste
Kalamata Olives (optional)
Fresh Basil
Farfalle or other favourite pasta shape.

Par boil sausage to firm up. Remove sausage skin and slice into 1/2 inch slices.

Saute the sausage in olive oil until lightly brown. Add minced garlic, canned tomatoes and dried seasonings. Break up tomatoes with a fork. Add the olives if using. Simmer while the water is coming to a boil and the pasta is cooked. Just before serving toss in a handful of chopped fresh basil.

Option: Substitute fresh clams in the shell. Ommit the fennel seed. When the sauce is ready add the clams, cover and cook just until the clams open. Toss in the basil and serve.

Slow Roasted Leg of Pork

Served with Sweet Potatoes mashed with caramelized onions, green beans and potato gratin. I think that Pork makes the best gravy.

An Excuse to Drink Sangria

Not that I actually need an excuse............

But it went great with the Pork Chili Verde over homemade flour tortillas, with Mexican rice, and homemade Salsa and guacamole that we had for dinner. Picture isn't great but it really did taste good if I do say so myself.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Pork Chile Verde
================
1 to 2 tablespoons oil
1 cup coarsely chopped onions
1 to 2 pounds lean pork cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 to 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves of garlic
2 cans roasted chili peppers
1 can/bottle of Tomatillos
chicken broth
cilantro

Heat oil in heavy pot. Toss pork with flour, and brown. When all the meat has been browned, add the onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes. Add the cumin, the chili peppers, and the tomatillo sauce. Add some chicken broth. Simmer until meat is tender. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Serve with flour or corn tortillas and sides of beans, guacamole, salsa, cheese,etc..

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Flour Tortillas
===============

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup lard/shortening
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup warm water (might need a bit more)

Place the flour, salt, baking powder in food processor and pulse to
mix. Cut in the shortening and then add the warm water and process to
make a soft dough. Dough should be soft but not wet and sticky. Wrap in
plastic and let rest for at least 30 minutes.

Divide dough into 10 or 12 pieces and shape into balls. Keep covered.

Roll each ball out into a 7 to 9 inch circle. Dough should be thin.

Cook on a dry hot grill or frying pan on medium heat, turning once. Do
not over cook or they will be hard. Butter and roll up and wrap in
tea towel to keep warm as you cook the other tortillas.

(I place the ones wrapped in the towel in a low 200 oven to keep warm,
while I am cooking the rest.)



Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Salsa Fresca
============
Fresh or canned tomatoes, peeled and chopped (If I use canned tomatoes I drain them well first)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 jalapeno chile, seeded finely chopped
Fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove finely minced
salt
cilantro
1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil (optional)

In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, onion and chile. Add olive oil,if
using, lime juice, cilantro and salt to taste. Mix well and let sauce
stand for 2 hours. Serve at room temperature.

Makes two cups

Last Night and this morning

Monday Night Dinner

I took a small pork tenderloin out of the freezer late yesterday afternoon thinking that I might make breaded pork tenderloin with mushroom sauce. But instead I rubbed it with garlic and lots of fresh ground black pepper and roasted it for about 15 minutes in a hot oven. We had fried mushrooms, steamed green beans and potato pancakes on the side. And a light sauce made with the pan drippings a little Dijon mustard and chicken broth.

Moe's Breakfast

The Potato Pancakes were so good that I saved the extras and Moe had them with fried farm fresh eggs this morning for breakfast.

Friday and Saturday Night Dinners

Chicken Fried Rice with Shanghai Bok Choy

I had a craving for Chicken Fried Rice so I cooked a pot of rice Friday morning before going to work. And I thinly sliced up a couple of boneless chicken breasts while they were still frozen. Easier to slice thin that way. When I got home from work it was a simple dinner to put together. Marinated the chicken with a little Shao Hsing, cornstarch, sesame oil, and just a teaspoon of soy, for about 20 minutes. Heated the wok and cooked the egg. Then the chicken, added the rice and tossed until hot, in went the egg and the green onion and it was ready to eat. We had braised Shanghai Bok Choy with garlic and oyster sauce on the side.

Greek Style Grilled Baby Back Ribs

Last night was roasted potatoes with grilled Baby Back Ribs seasoned Greek style. My favourite way to do ribs. Depending on the size of the ribs they take between 45 minutes and an hour on a hot grill over indirect heat.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Greek Ribs
==========
1 or 2 Racks of Baby Back Ribs
2 to 3 garlic cloves
dried oregano
Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
Lemon zest (Optional)
salt and pepper

Mince garlic and press with back of knife to turn into a paste. (or use
a microplane)

Rub ribs with garlic, rub on oregano, salt and pepper and lemon zest if
using. Squeeze juice of whole lemons over ribs a few hours before
cooking.

Note: These can be marinated earlier in the day or overnight, but do
not add the lemon juice until a few hours before grilling or the lemon
will change the texture of the meat.

Heat grill to high (both sides)

Place ribs on one side of grill and turn that side off. Cook, turning
occasionally until ribs are tender.

On my grill they take about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size
of the ribs but could take longer depending on grill being used.

Soup was on the Menu............

....... last night.

Thanks to Mary's picture of her soup with meatballs I had a craving. I made a bastardized version of my favourite Stracciatella Soup. I made Meatballs using ground chicken breasts, fresh spinach, garlic, onion, fresh bread crumbs, a little of my frozen pesto sauce, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and an egg. I didn't brown the meatballs. They were just added to the hot chicken broth to poach. Finished the soup off with lots of fresh spinach, porcini mushroom tortellini and grated Parmesan cheese. It was a nice easy dinner and all that we needed after having Roast Chicken sandwiches topped with dressing for lunch.

Friday Night's Dinner- Italian Sausage and Rosemary Sauce

I put a pot of my favourite Pasta sauce on to simmer Friday morning before leaving for work. 

 I've been making this sauce for over 35 years. 

 I love the combination of rosemary with the Italian sausage. 

 

 Italian  Sausage And Rosemary Sauce 

========================= 

 Adapted from Robert Alda's recipe.

 

 4 to 6 Italian Sausage, hot or sweet, or combination 

Olive oil 

2 shallots 

3 ounces of Mortadella 

1/2 cup dry white wine 

1 tablespoon dried or fresh rosemary 

1 tablespoon dried basil 

2 to 4 cans tomatoes (depending on number of sausages and size of sausages.) 

 Par boil sausage for 2 to 4 minutes. 

 Mince Mortadella and shallots in food processor. 

 Heat in oil in large pot and add mortadella and shallots.

 

 Remove casings from sausage and mince in processor and add to pot. 

Cook until meat starts to brown on the bottom.

 

 Add the rosemary and basil and the wine. 

Simmer until wine has evaporated.

 

 Puree tomatoes but leave some texture and add to pot. 

 Simmer for at least 1 hour. 

Remove any fat that surfaces. 

 Serve over fusilli or Conchiglioni (shell) shaped pasta, to pick up the little bits of sausage. 

  Options: I have made this without the Mortadella and it works. 

  When I don't have good Italian Sausage I make this same dish using ground pork.

Saute the pork and season with the shallots, couple of cloves of garlic, hot red pepper flakes, grind some fennel(optional) with the rosemary and basil, and then follow the above directions. 

 (Tastes almost identical)

Moooooooo

Picked up a 5.875 K (12.9 pounds)Whole Boneless Rib roast yesterday at Costco. AAA Alberta beef.

The beef at our Costco is wonderful. Never disappoints.

I cut it up into 8 small roasts just big enough for two or three. Each weighing between 1.7 pounds and 1.10 pounds. Perfect for the grill. I froze all but one and that one is going to be pre-salted and will become our Valentines Dinner Saturday night.

Comfort Food

Recipe for Dumplings

Beef Stew and Dumplings

One of those meals that you don't really need a recipe to make. I change mine up a bit every time I make it.

And even though I don't like carrots I do add them but I pick them all out and put them in Moe's bowl.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Beef Stew - Basic Outline
=========
I like simple beef stews that are more brothy then in a thick gravy. I don't have an exact recipe as I usually just wing it. Here is basically what I do.

Brown beef chunks in some oil. Add some chopped shallots and a minced garlic clove. Cover with beef broth, add a bay leaf and a sprig of fresh thyme and simmer for until meat is almost tender. Add some whole small onions peeled, celery cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces and simmer for another 30 minutes and then add potatoes cut into large chunks, a couple of carrots cut into pieces, some fresh green beans, and some rutabaga cut into chunks. Simmer until vegetables are tender add some peas and then cook some dumplings on top. Serve in bowls. I find that beef used in stew takes at least 2 hours to become tender, depending on the size of the beef cubes and the cut of beef used.

Sometimes I add wedges of cabbage instead of turnip. You can also add other vegetables of your choice, ie. parsnips, sweet potatoes, etc..

My husband loves, loves breakfast. I think it is his favourite meal. Me on the other hand, could care less about breakfast unless it is something sweet. Like a Scone or a slice of cream cheese Danish or maybe a biscuit. Here are a few of his favourite breakfasts.

Burger and Fries

Another dinner that is quick to put together on a work night. Grilled Burgers with Homemade Fries and the Buns were also homemade, baked the night before.

I used this recipe for the Hamburger buns seasoning this time with fresh chives. But they are also wonderful with fresh Rosemary.





Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Potato Rosemary Rolls
=====================
http://www.thefreshloaf.com

Potato Rosemary Rolls
Makes 18 small rolls or 12 hamburger sized buns
1 potato, cooked and mashed
1 lb (3 1/2 cups) bread or all-purpose unbleached flour
3/4 - 1 cup water
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon dried rosemary or 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground sage leaves

Cook the potato until soft, either by boiling or baking in the oven or microwave. For this batch I chopped up and boiled the potato. I then reserved a cup of the potato water to add to the loaf, figuring it had additional nutrients and starches that would help my loaf.

Mash the potato. Removing the skin prior to mashing is optional: if you are using tough skinned potatoes like russets I would suggest removing them, but with soft skinned potatoes such as yukon gold or red potatoes I typically leave them on. The chopped up skin add nice color and texture to your rolls.

Combine the flour, mashed potato, yeast, salt, pepper and herbs in a large bowl. Add 3/4 cups water and knead or mix for 5 to 10 minutes, adding more water or flour until a consistency you are comfortable working with is reached. I added close to a full cup of water and ended up with an extremely sticky dough that was difficult to work with. I was only able to shape the rolls by repeatedly dipping my fingers in flour. The end result was wonderful though.

(I encourage amateur bakers to push the limit of what they think they can handle, moisture-wise. More often than not you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results, though you can go too far and end up baking a pancake, which I've done more than once.)

Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a moist towel and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, typically 60 to 90 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl, gently degas it, and shape it. For rolls or buns you can weigh them if you like or just eyeball them. I cut racquetball sized chunks of dough (larger than golf balls, smaller than tennis balls) then rolled them into balls in my well-floured hands. I placed them on a baking sheet covered with parchment, placed the entire sheet in a plastic trash bag, and set it aside to rise for approximately an hour again.

While the dough rose, I preheated the oven to 375 degrees.

If you have a spritzer, spray the top of the rolls with water right before placing them in the oven. Place them in the center rack and bake them for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake them for another 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size. My large hamburger bun sized rolls took close to half an hour to bake. You'll know they are done when the bottom of the rolls is solid and slightly crispy. If you have a probe thermometer, check the temperature inside one of the rolls. When the internal temperature is approaching 200 degrees F, they are ready to pull out of the oven.