Author Archives: MGG

Three-Pepper Stir-Fry

Posted in Leftover Ideas, Vegetables by

I found this recipe when I was looking for ways to use up a bunch of bell peppers that were starting to go soft in the fridge. It was perfect and very easy. Don’t be put off by the strange inclusion of couscous in what is otherwise an Asian dish. Trust me, it works!

Makes 3-4 servings

250g (about 9 oz.) dried couscous
1 14.5-oz. can chicken broth
1 Tbsp. grated ginger root
3 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 bell peppers of different colors, julienned and strips cut in half
1 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
Soy sauce to taste

Cook couscous by placing it in a pot with an equal amount of water. Bring to a boil, and as soon as the water starts to boil, turn the heat off and let it sit.

Heat half of the chicken broth to boiling in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add bell peppers and remaining broth. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bell peppers are tender. Stir in hoisin sauce. Mix in cooked couscous.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

Posted in Soups & Chilis by

Quick and easy to make, this soup is for a weekday night. You won’t believe how good it is.

Makes 3-4 large portions

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 can chopped tomatoes, NOT drained
1 large baking potato, peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 1/2 cups fish stock
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 small bay leaf
1 can (6.5 oz.) clams, drained but with juice reserved
3 Tbsp. soy sauce

Saute onion and celery in oil until translucent. Stir in can of tomatoes, potato, parsley, fish stock, thyme, bay leaf, clam juice, and 1/2 cup or so of water. Simmer 30 minutes, or until potato is tender. Stir in clams and soy sauce; heat through. Serve with crusty bread.

Leek, Bacon, and Gruyere Quiche

Posted in Breakfast/Brunch by

This is sinful but absolutely delicious. It’s also very easy to make. But because it’s so rich, probably the best way to serve it is in eighths, accompanied by salad with a mustard vinaigrette.

10-inch savory shortcrust pie pastry
40g/1.5 oz. butter
1 leek, thinly sliced
4 British bacon rashers (try Canadian bacon if you’re in North America), finely chopped
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
80ml/2 fl. oz. single cream
150g (roughly 5 oz.) Gruyere cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 160C/320F. Prepare pastry by placing in a 10-inch tart pan (use a cake pan if you don’t have a tart pan).

Melt butter in a frying pan and saute bacon and leek together until leek is soft.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, mustard and cream. Add the cheese and season with pepper. Add the bacon and leek, then pour into pastry. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set.

Emeril’s Essence Seasoning Mix

Posted in Condiments/Sauces by

This spice mix, from Emeril Lagasse, is great to have on hand for lots of different recipes. (It’s also great on fries!)

2 1/2 Tbsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Melissa’s Strawberry Smoothie

Posted in Drinks, Leftover Ideas by

Strawberries can go soft quickly, even if stored properly in their containers in the fridge. I have found the solution: Freeze them, and use them later in a delicious recipe like this.

I devised this smoothie to use frozen strawberries almost straight from the freezer. You’ll never have to waste strawberries again.

14 frozen strawberries
1 banana
6 oz. plain yogurt
1 Tbsp. honey

Let the strawberries thaw slightly, then blend it all together. Serves 1-2.

Hot Ginger Broth with Tomato

Posted in Soups & Chilis by
You won’t believe how easy this is to make and how good it tastes. It’s the perfect thing for a cold night when you don’t feel like cooking after work. You can make it with bouillon cubes, but it’s even better if you can use real vegetable stock.

Serves 2 (or 1 hungry person!)

2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1 knob of fresh ginger, peeled and grated (to make about 2 tsp.)
1 tomato, seeded and diced
3 drops of Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
Half a green onion (scallion), chopped
Fresh ground pepper

Put 3 cups of water in a pot with all of the other ingredients but the ground pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Just before serving, grind the pepper on top.

I like the recipe as is, but you can play around with it and add other ingredients to suit your taste.

Artichoke Cream Soup

Posted in Soups & Chilis by
This is the winning recipe from a cook-off I did in 2008. I had clipped it years ago from a magazine, but it originally came from the executive chef at The Four Seasons Hotel in Austin, Texas. It really does taste like a five-star dish.

 

There are no shortcuts in this recipe — you need fresh artichokes, not canned — and you need to follow all the steps. They’re pretty easy, but they just take a bit of time. This would be great for a dinner party, cooked that afternoon and heated through just before the meal.

Yield: 9 cups

6 artichokes
1 lemon, sliced
1 tsp. salt
1 quart chicken broth
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 cups white wine
1 quart whipping cream (you can use heavy or double cream, but it won’t be as thick)
For garnish: Pumpernickel croutons (see recipe below)

Wash artichokes thoroughly under cold running water. Cut off stems right at the base of each artichoke, then trim about 1/2 inch from top of each artichoke. Remove and discard any loose bottom leaves.

Place artichokes in large Dutch oven or stock pot; cover with water and add lemon and salt. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30-35 minutes. Drain well.

Remove outer green leaves and inner yellow leaves; set aside. Cut out the fuzzy thistle (choke) and discard, leaving artichoke bottoms intact. Finely chop artichoke bottoms and set aside.

Combine artichoke leaves and chicken broth. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes to make an artichoke stock. Pour broth mixture through a large wire-mesh sieve into a bowl; save the liquid and discard the solids.

Melt butter in the stock pot over medium-heat; add onion, celery, and garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes or until tender.

Add chopped artichoke bottoms and wine; cook over medium heat about 2 minutes. Add artichoke stock and cook over low heat 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour mixture into the container of an electric blender and process until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. You may have to do this in batches. Alternatively, you could use an immersion blender in the stock pot.

When whole mixture has been processed, return to stock pot and add whipping cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated.

Pumpernickel croutons:
4 slices dark pumpernickel bread

Cut bread into desired shapes; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 325F/160C degrees for 20 minutes or until crisp.

Mexican Tomato Soup with Turkey and Chickpeas

Posted in Soups & Chilis by
Delicious and simple to make. Sprinkle tortilla chips and cheese on top to make it into tortilla soup.

Serves 4

1 yellow onion, sliced
2 14-oz. (400g) cans of whole peeled tomatoes, with juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 jalapeno pepper (or several tablespoons from a jar)
1 14-oz. can chickpeas, drained
Salt
White pepper
1 lb. (450g) ground/minced turkey, cooked
Juice of 1 lime
1 small bunch cilantro (fresh coriander), chopped

Place the onions, tomatoes and garlic in a food processor and process until chunky. Pour the contents in a Dutch oven or large saucepan with the chicken stock, and bring to a boil.

Dice the jalapenos and add to the pot, then add chickpeas. Turn heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add a generous dose of salt and white pepper. Just before turning off the heat, add cooked turkey, lime juice, and cilantro. Allow to heat through, then serve.

Leftovers: Cherry Tomatoes

Posted in Cooking Tips, Leftover Ideas by

Here’s a way to make use of cherry tomatoes that are going a little soft in the fridge: Boil them down in their own juice to make a tomato sauce that you can use later. I keep a plastic bag in the freezer and add this sauce to the bag whenever I make some. After a couple of months, I have enough in the plastic bag to use for a meal.

All you do is cut the tomatoes in quarters, then throw them in a pot. You don’t need to add water, cooking oil, or anything else. Put it over medium heat until it starts to simmer, then keep it at a simmer until it boils down to the desired thickness (I usually let it get fairly thick). Let cool, then freeze.

The skins of the tomatoes can be a little annoying, so peel them before boiling them, if you like. I usually leave them in and only remove them later if I decide I can’t put up with them.

Fudgy Brownie Cups

Posted in Leftover Ideas, Other Desserts by

This is a cute little dessert that takes no time to make and tastes delicious hot out of the oven. And here’s a tip to remember: It’s also a great way to use up leftover puff pastry you might have from another recipe.


500g (18 oz.) refrigerated or frozen puff pastry (thawed if frozen)
100g (4 oz.) dark chocolate
115g (1/4 cup or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
170g (3/4 cup) granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 205C/400F. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a rectangle about 15×12 inches. Cut into 3×3-inch squares (you should end up with about 20 squares). Press them into the cups of a regular-size muffin tin.

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter together, stirring constantly. Turn off the heat when mixture is melted and stir in the sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla, then the flour. Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of chocolate mixture into each pastry square. (The more filling you spoon in, the better — just don’t let it overflow the pastry.)

Bake for 15 minutes, or until pastry is golden. Remove from muffin tin immediately and eat right away — or just let cool on wire racks. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.