A Tad Late for a Mormon Thanksgiving, But Still…

On August 10, 1848, the Mormon pioneers that had traveled to Utah, celebrated their first season’s harvest.  Remember, when they entered Utah in 1847, all they had, in provisions and livestock, was what was in their handcarts and ox-drawn wagons.  They had to make it through a harsh winter with what they had, or what they could purchase from established ranchers, or get from the indigenous tribes, they encountered.

So, while we, in America, know Thanksgiving as a holiday in November, based upon the settlers of Plymouth Rock; this Thanksgiving aka The Harvest Feast, was certainly a giving of thanks.

“…called the harvest feast, we partook freely of a rich variety of bread, beef, butter, cheese, cakes, pastry, green corn, melons and almost every variety of vegetable.  Large sheaves of wheat, rye, barley, oats…for public exhibition.”  (“Plain but Wholesome, Foodways of the Mormon Pioneers”, by Brock Cheney, pages 1-2).

While they did “partake freely”, it was also known that much of the foods also had to be “put up”, or prepped for storage, so there would be provisions for the winter months.  Meats, poultry and fish were salted, dried or smoked; vegetables were pickled or dried, fruits were dried or made into jams/jellies, but what about dairy products when there were no refrigerators at that time.

They used underground root cellars and outdoor storage pits to keep root vegetables and other produce cool, while smoked or salted meats were stored in smokehouses. They also utilized spring houses, which were small structures built around natural springs, to keep items like milk and butter cold, and harvested ice from frozen lakes and ponds for use in insulated ice houses and ice boxes.

Here is a breakdown of those storage structures:

Root Cellars:

These underground or partially underground structures provided a cool, stable temperature year-round, perfect for storing root vegetables, potatoes, and stored preserves.

Smokehouses:

Dedicated buildings for smoking and storing cured meats were essential for protein preservation.

Spring Houses:

Located near natural springs, these structures used the cold water to keep dairy products and other perishable items cool.

Ice Houses and Ice Boxes:

After the 1800s, ice cut from frozen rivers and lakes was stored in insulated ice houses and delivered in blocks to homes for use in ice boxes.

Pits:

In some cases, root vegetables were simply buried in mounds of earth and covered with corn stalks to protect them from frost and keep them cool.

After reading all that, there should definitely be a more grateful attitude towards gas or electric power supplies, and storage units called refrigerators and freezers.

Here’s a recipe from “The Mormon Pioneer Cookbook”, page 80, to get our harvest feast moving along.

Sauerkraut with Apples

Ingredients:

2 lbs. sauerkraut

¼ lb. dried apples

1 medium onion, diced

½ cup grated carrot

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

Chicken broth

Preparation: Put sauerkraut, apples, onion, carrot, salt and pepper in a deep saucepan.  Add enough chicken broth to cover.  Bring to a boil.  Cover.  Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.  Yield: 8 servings.

Unfortunately, the initial temperature is not stated, so I will presume it is high heat, to bring it to a boil, and then reduced to low for a one-hour simmering.

 

 

Now I have made a similar recipe using Polish kielbasa and call it “Polish Fry Up”.  In a large skillet, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, medium-high heat, fry up 1 lb. sauerkraut plus 1 tsp. paprika.  When sauerkraut begins to slightly brown at edges, add in kielbasa (12 oz. package of smoked beef or pork, cut into 1/4-inch slices); mix thoroughly and let cook together for 5 minutes, or until kielbasa is completely heated through.

In another large skillet, 4 Tbsp. olive oil, medium-high heat, spread out thin slices from 2 large potatoes.  Let them fry for 5 minutes before flipping over; add ½ tsp. salt plus ½ cup diced onion over the potatoes.  Fry another 5 minutes, mix potatoes and onions together and continue to fry until onions begin to brown on the edges.  The potatoes should have a brown coloring with a slight crisp on the outside.

Plate or large soup bowl, put ¼ of the potatoes, top with a ¼ of sauerkraut-kielbasa and enjoy.

Makes 4 servings.

 

Just for “shite and giggles”, how about we play with the Old Nauvoo recipe for Fried Tomatoes, but use zucchini.  The zucchini “chips” are slightly moist inside, with a crispy, crunchy coating on the outside.  They are a much more satisfying snack than those bagged chips that can be purchased for way too much money. 

So, go to San Juan Record’s website and look up Food Adventures, September 23, 2020; or do a search on my food blog for fried green tomatoes (two different recipes will come up, you want the one from 2020).  The only change to make for the zucchini is, instead of 1 cup flour, do a mixture of ¾ cup ground, plain bread crumbs plus ¼ cup flour.  That’s how to get that crispy crunchy coating.

So, while I may be late writing about the actual celebration of the Mormon Thanksgiving, it’s not too late to enjoy the benefits of the last harvest of the season.

Ah, while it’s nudging at my mind, while Blanding and Monticello have attempted to establish a farmers’ market, eventually lack of vendors, and interest, have deterred this. The Utah Farmers Market Network lists dozens of markets statewide, with many counties hosting more than one.

Farmers markets have been established in at least 15 Utah counties, including Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Davis, Grand, Iron, Juab, Salt Lake, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, and Weber.

In 2018, a significant Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) grant was awarded to Utah State University to fund the capacity building, outreach, and marketing efforts for Utah farmers markets.  This led to the lists on The Utah Farmers Market Network.  This federal grant, part of the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) created by the 2018 Farm Bill, aimed to connect low-income and diverse communities with healthy, local food and supported the development of the statewide network.

Definitely something that San Juan County needed in 2018, and still needs now, so county commissioners and economic development department, something for the next agenda?

Mary Cokenour 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Delicious Ideas for Vegetable Surplus.

Here we are, almost to the end of August and Labor Day begins the month of September.  Farmers’ markets are laden with surpluses of homegrown vegetables, or baked goods, jams and jellies.  One of our friends dropped off several bags of yellow squash, zucchini and cucumbers which, of course, got me in a creative mood.  

 

Again, we do not have a lot of storage space in our small home, so while I froze shredded zucchini and yellow squash for dessert bread making, the rest was eaten.  First off was a refreshing cucumber salad which can be eaten by itself, or used to make those dainty, English style, cucumber sandwiches served with tea.

 

Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

2 large cucumbers

½ cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. dried dill

¼ tsp. salt

Option: Adding diced or julienned red onion gives added crunch.

Preparation:

Cut ends off cucumbers (discard and put in composting bin), and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices.  Place in medium sized bowl, add mayonnaise, dill and salt; gently fold to not break up cucumber slices.

Makes 2 to 3 cups of salad, depending on how large cucumbers are.

Note: Remove the skin?  That is strictly up to you.  You can remove it all, or use a peeler to remove skin in waves to make it more decorative.

To make cucumber sandwiches, use square white or wheat bread, and cut off edges.  Spoon one layer of salad onto one slice of bread, top with other slice; press down slightly and cut into 4 triangles.  Let rest for about 5 minutes to make sure salad is adhering to the bread.

So, when you are having friends over for a tea party, serve these little sandwiches along with scones and fairy cakes.  Your guests will be quite impressed with your English flair for the fancy.

What about using vegetables in casserole making?  That is where some of the zucchini and yellow squash surplus comes in handy.  This is also where all-time favorite recipes are reinvented into something extraordinary.  Take, for example, Broccoli and Cheese casserole.  This recipe can be so simple by using butter and melted cheese only; to creating a creamy sauce that coats the tongue in a rich blanket of flavors.   While same old, same old is easy to do, try thinking, “Let’s try something different this time!”

 

Vegetable Casserole

Ingredients:

16 oz. chopped mushrooms

2 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. saltless seasoning mixture

3 medium sized zucchini, chopped

3 medium sized yellow squash, chopped

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

3/4 cup ranch dressing

2 eggs, beaten

12 oz. package shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided in half

1 tsp. ground black pepper

6 oz. package French fried onion strips

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F; spray a 2-quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large skillet, medium heat, sauté' mushrooms in butter for five minutes. Add seasoning mixture, zucchini, yellow squash; mix together, sauté' for additional minute and remove from heat. While mushrooms are cooking, mix together, in a medium bowl, the mayonnaise, yogurt, ranch dressing, eggs, half the shredded cheese, black pepper and onion strips.

Into a large bowl, put in the vegetable mixture; add the wet mixture from the medium bowl and mix to coat the vegetables evenly. Spoon all into the casserole dish; cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove foil, sprinkle remaining half of cheese evenly over top and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Want something without having to use dairy products?  Make a vegetable stir fry that is a kaleidoscope of colors, using exotic ingredients that will excite the taste buds.  This is a basic recipe and vegetables can be changed according to tastes, or availability.  Using a Wok is preferred, but if not available, a large nonstick skillet will do.

 

Vegetable Stir Fry

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. sesame oil (if not available, use peanut)

1 small red onion, slivered

1 small red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 small zucchini and yellow squash, cut diagonally into ¼ inch slices

1 cup snow peas (if not available, use sugar snap peas)

1 tsp. minced garlic

½ cup diced tomatoes

¼ cup each soy and hoisin sauces

½ tsp. ground ginger

Preparation:

In a Wok, or large nonstick skillet, heat oil on high.  Sauté onions and bell pepper till they just start to soften; about 5 minutes.  Add in zucchini, squash, peas; cook another 5 minutes before adding in garlic, tomatoes, sauces and ginger; mix together thoroughly.

Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Makes 4 servings; can be served as is, or with rice or Asian noodles.

Want more protein in this meal, add cut up tofu, chicken, beef or pork while sauteing the onions and bell pepper, then add the rest of the ingredients to complete.  If using a seafood item, usually they cook better within the last five minutes of completion.

Have a vegetable surplus as summer slides into autumn, now you have some delicious options for your dining table.  …and here’s a novel idea, if you happen to have a lot of one type, and neighbors also have only one type, get together and have a cooking party.  It is a pleasant way of, not only learning new recipes, but getting to know each other in a unique way.

Mary Cokeour

Be Creative with Your Second Harvest.

 As the cooling rains fall, the dust is washed away from every surface it touches.  The soil is pounded down while greedily sucking up every moist drop that it can contain.  Cold weather plants plead to live for one more month, while less resistant ones struggle to stay upright.  Yes, the season of autumn has taken the throne, and we must do its bidding.

The plants in our vegetable garden have granted us one more abundance for harvest.  The last picking of tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and yellow squash; and their mothering plants transferred to the compost bin.   Unfortunately, not enough for processing for winter storage, but enough to create salsa for this weekend’s anime marathon.  Plus, two meals popping with colors of green, red and yellow; Greek inspired vegetables, and a cheesy, vegetable loaded frittata.  I look at this as a prequel to when the leaves will be displaying their fall vibrant array.

 

Greek Inspired Vegetables

 Ingredients:

1 large zucchini

1 large yellow squash

1/8 cup olive oil

½ cup cherry tomatoes which were cut in half

1 tsp. crushed Greek oregano

½ tsp. ground black pepper

Feta cheese, crumbled

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F; line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Slice the zucchini and yellow squash diagonally, place on top of foil, in single layers.  Drizzle oil over slice, and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove vegetables to serving platter, top with tomatoes, and sprinkle with oregano and black pepper.  Sprinkle with crumbled Feta cheese, to taste (we like plenty of it!).

This can be served as a meal, serving two; or as a side dish

The next recipe is for a cheesy, veggie loaded frittata.  What is frittata? Frittata is an egg dish similar to an omelet or a crustless quiche.  It can contain ingredients such as meats, cheeses, vegetables or pasta, and can be flavored with herbs and/or spices.  A frittata can be baked, but is mainly made in a skillet. When started on a stove top the frittata can be finished off in an oven, under a broiler, or flipped and finished in the pan.  The flipping technique can be daunting, especially if attempting the “up in the air” flip.  The easiest way is to slide the frittata onto a large plate, place another plate over top, flip, and then slide back into the skillet.  Or place the skillet over the plate, and then flip it over, altogether.  Of course, with the second option, you have to be very careful doing it, as the skillet will be burning hot; oh, and remove the plate before finishing the cooking process.

Frittata preparation differs from omelet preparation in that the eggs are beaten with water, milk or cream to incorporate more air, where the eggs for omelets are less airy. The additional air in the frittata mixture allows for a deeper filling and a fluffier result. Additional ingredients are added to the pan after the egg mixture, and before the eggs are fully cooked.

A frittata is usually divided into slices, and while it can be served as a meal by itself, a salad, or other side dish, can be added.

 

Cheesy, Vegetable Loaded Frittata

Ingredients:

6 eggs

3 Tbsp half n’ half

3 Tbsp. butter

½ cup each julienned red bell pepper, green bell pepper; thinly sliced zucchini, and peeled, thinly sliced yellow squash

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 tsp. fresh, minced tarragon (used crushed, dried if fresh not available)

¼ tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Preparation:

In small bowl, whisk together eggs and half n’ half; set aside.

In a 10-inch, non-stick, skillet, on medium heat, melt butter and sauté all vegetables together, about 5 minutes; remove to bowl.   In same skillet, pour in egg mixture and let eggs cook for 5 minutes; do not stir. Distribute the vegetables, cheese, tarragon, salt and pepper evenly throughout the partially cooked eggs; let cook another 5 minutes.

Slide the frittata onto a plate, cover with another plate and flip over; slide it back into the skillet and let cook another 5 minutes. Slide frittata onto clean serving platter, cut into wedges, either 4 or 6, to serve.

 Makes 4-6 servings.

 Mary Cokenour

Baking Teaches Patience

 “Baking, because murder is bad” is a meme I recently spotted, and shared, on Facebook.  Yes, murder is bad, no matter the excuse, grievance or mentally dysfunctional desire.  However, I read more into this quote than that.  I believe it says, “Practice patience first.”

Personally, I have been doing more baking, and I am learning to practice more patience.  Baking is not like cooking where you can measure with hands and eyes; it needs preciseness.  You have to measure each item, sift dry ingredients to a fineness, mix thoroughly so each ingredient melds completely with the others.  It takes time, and during this time, the baker can relax, focus on clarity and breathe, all at the same time.  When it comes to anger, instead of reacting immediately, should one not take the time to relax, focus on clarity and breathe?

So, with my patience building, and learning about sustainability, my next venture is with zucchini.  I learned something new while researching information on zucchini, and one should learn something new daily.  Ever watch shows from the UK, or even read novels, and “marrow” or “vegetable marrow” is mentioned?  What marrow is referring to is zucchini or summer squash!  I was not sure, as with fancy recipes, on cooking shows, often refer to bone marrow as a delicacy, and I am happy to have that cleared up.

Zucchini, and I just planted several plants, and yellow squash as well, can be a prolific vegetable.  In approximately 45 to 50 days, the blossoms will begin to show, and be replaced with pinkie sized veggies.  They can be picked as soon as they reach an average length of six inches, but some varieties can be mammoth in length and girth.  The blossoms can often be picked early on, stuffed with a cream cheese mixture, batter dipped and deep fried.  Zucchini plants will continue to produce until blooms no longer develop, or first frost.

The skin of zucchini can be eaten as it is soft and pliable, the meat inside is firm, yet very moist.  When it comes to baking, be careful with recipes asking to add water, it could make your batter too, too goopy to bake up correctly.  When shredding fresh zucchini, you cannot help but see the water (or is it juice?) at the bottom of the bowl, so adding more liquid might mess up the recipe.

Nutrition wise, zucchini is rich in multiple antioxidants, including lutein and zeaxanthin; plus, low in calories, fat, and sugar.

Nutrients per Serving:

 Calories: 62.

 Protein: 2 grams.

 Fat: Less than 1 gram.

 Carbohydrates: 14 grams.

 Fiber: 8 grams.

 Sugar: 7 grams.

Once again, be careful when adding sugar to a baking recipe that uses zucchini.  I have seen anywhere from one cup to three cups of sugar, and still only using three cups of shredded zucchini.  Surprisingly, even with zucchini low in sugar itself, when adding sugar, less is more.

 

An average zucchini will yield about 1 to 1 and ¼ cups of shredded, and I always purchase more than needed, and freeze the excess for future baking.  Flatten the freezer bag as much as possible to release air, and help stop ice crystals from taking over, and do not forget to date and label as well.

 

 

Let me tell you, having an extra-large bowl sitting in your lap, shredding zucchini on an old-fashioned grater, while watching a favorite rerun, certainly induces relaxation, focus and breathing.  …and now to the baking!  If you happen to have tried the lemon zucchini cookies that are, for sale, at Bluff Fort (Bluff, UT), or Jacob Lake Inn (on the way to Grand Canyon – North Rim, AZ), then this zucchini bread and lemon glaze will remind you of those.

 

Zucchini Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups shredded zucchini (shred with skin on)

2 cups sugar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

3 and ¼ cups all-purpose flour (add 3 Tbsp. for high altitude)

2 tsps. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Add-ins: 2/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans,  chocolate chips, raisins or crasins.

Preparation:

Set oven rack to center of oven, preheat to 350F; spray 2-9x5 loaf pans with baking spray. 

In large bowl, stir zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs until well mixed.  In a 2^nd large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients, except any add-ins.  Add dry ingredients to wet and mix thoroughly; mixture will be very wet.

  

Divide mixture between the two loaf pans; bake for one hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on cooling rack 10 minutes.  Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on cooling rack. 

 

  

Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing.  While the bread is cooling, make the lemon glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the loaves. Slice and serve.

 

Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature up to 4 days, refrigerate up to 10 days, or freeze up to 3 months without glaze (add glaze after bread has thawed).

Makes 2 loaves.

Muffins:  Grease the bottoms only of 24 regular-size muffin cups, or use paper liners.  Fill cups about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly touched.

Lemon Glaze

Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Preparation:

In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth.

  

Baking, because learning patience is a good thing.

Mary Cokenour 

 

 

 

 

Too Much Squash!

Even though the calendar states that we are in the season of spring; snow, ice and cold rain have been dousing our area.  March came in like a lamb; beautiful warm weather, clear skies and the fruit trees blossomed.  March went out like a roaring lion with high winds, snow mixing with rain to make an icy, slushy mess.  Happily I can say, the apricot trees by my fence are still in full bloom; ok, they may have dropped a few, but they're still bursting with flowers.

Again this year I plan on creating a vegetable garden; as much as I've worked on the soil of our property, it stills fights against any attempts at growing plants.  Except for the weeds, they are everywhere and laugh as they spread; they think the weed killer spray is a cute, little shower.  I might just have to buy vegetables elsewhere if I want fresh again; sometimes I buy too much and end up freezing what I can.  Yellow squash and zucchini are perfect examples of abundant vegetables that can be purchased cheaply, if need be, and frozen for later use.

So, a day came when I was preparing a roast beef, didn't want the typical potato side with a steamed vegetable.  Seeing the frozen squash in the freezer, the load of canned whole kernel corn and creamed corn, an idea for a casserole side dish came to mind.

...and here you have, Squash and Corn Casserole.

Squash and Corn Casserole

Ingredients:

3 yellow squash, cut into ¼ inch slices

3 zucchini, cut into ¼ inch slices
1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 and ½ cups minced onions
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. salt
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
2 (15 oz.) cans creamed corn
1 Tbsp. garlic powder

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400F; spray 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Create layers of yellow squash, zucchini and corn; sprinkling black pepper, salt and onions over each layer.

In a large bowl, mix together cream of mushroom soup, creamed corn and garlic powder; pour over vegetables in baking dish.

 

Cover with aluminum foil for 30 minutes; remove foil and bake additional 30 minutes.  Let casserole rest for 10 minutes before servings.

 

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Stir Fry by Any Other Name.

Every once in awhile, Omaha Steaks (website: http://www.omahasteaks.com/ ) will have a sale on my favorite item; Stuffed Sole Fillets with Scallops and Crabmeat.  Sometimes the sale price is outstanding, or I have enough points saved up to get it free; ah, there is often a catch though, you have to purchase another item.  So it came to pass that I was able to get some for free, but, of course, so long as I purchased another item; so not so free after all.  ..and the shipping is a killer, so definitely not as free as you think it should be, anyway... I noticed a sale package on sausage, an often used item in my cooking, so figured I might as well try it out.

Smoked, mild Italian sausage was the first box I pulled out of the freezer when deciding what to make for Roy that night.  *sigh*  Sausage with Peppers and Onions; Pasta with Homemade Sauce and the sausage as a side...what am I going to do with this?  Alright, time to clean the pantry anyway, so lets see what jumps off the shelves to hit me with an idea.

Barilla 3-Cheese Dried Tortellini, I have bags of it for when I make my Chicken Tortellini Soup; that goes on the counter.  So am I cooking up a quick sauce; maybe throw in some veggies?  I've got in the freezer bell pepper strips of all colors, sliced zucchini; fresh onions and tomatoes would add to this, but not as a sauce.  Oh no, a saute', but when is a saute' a saute', and not a stir fry.  Well I couldn't tell the difference at this moment of truth, I was quickly cooking up the veggies in oil; adding the meat and cooked pasta; tossing it all together, so why not call this a stir fry?  Hence the name of this new recipe, "Italian Stir Fry", and yes, it came out very well.  By the way, except for the pot used for cooking the tortellini, this is a one skillet dish; nice, right!

Italian Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1 (12 oz.) package Barilla 3 Cheese Dried Tortellini
4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided in half
½ cup each green, yellow, red bell peppers, julienned
¼ cup diced onion
1 large zucchini, sliced into ¼ inch slices
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. Italian herbal mixture
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 and ½ lbs. smoked, mild Italian sausage (Omaha Steaks), cut into ½ inch pieces Parmesan cheese, shredded, for garnish



Preparation:

Cook tortellini according to package directions; begin stir fry while waiting for pasta to cook.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil on medium-high heat; add bell peppers, onion and zucchini; sauté until just beginning to soften. Add in tomatoes, Italian herbs and garlic; mix and let cook for 5 minutes.












Add in sausage, mix and cook for 5 minutes to warm. 








Add in cooked and drain tortellini plus remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix gently to coat pasta and incorporate into sausage-vegetable mixture.

Plate and sprinkle shredded Parmesan to desired taste.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Oh So Easy Shrimp, Veggies and Pasta.

The most difficult part about making a pasta recipe is choosing the pasta. Do you want tubular; long and thin; long, flat and thin; curly; wavy; a shape such as a bowtie or shell; yada, yada, yada? There are so many choices in the world of pasta and it basically depends on what shape you feel like looking at on your plate, and forking over into your mouth. For this recipe I chose pappardelle; a broad, flat, long pasta that is shaped into a "nest" when drying; once cooked though, it's snakes alive!

Shrimp and Vegetables over Pappardelle

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 large zucchini, cubed
1 large yellow squash, cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (8 oz) package Pappardelle
water to cook pasta
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb. large shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 cups tomato vodka cream sauce**

Preparation:

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat, sauté zucchini, yellow squash and onion till the edges just begin to brown.  While waiting to brown vegetables, heat water in a large pot and cook Pappardelle until al dente.

Add the garlic, salt, pepper and shrimp to the vegetables; mix. 

When the shrimp turns opaque, drain the pasta and place a serving on each plate.   Spoon sauce over the pasta and top with the shrimp and vegetable mixture.

 

 

Makes 6 servings.

** Recipe for Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce

Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter

¼ cup diced onion
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup vodka
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup grated Romano cheese

Preparation:

In a large skillet, medium-high heat, melt butter and sauté onion until translucent. Add tomatoes and cook until liquid reduces by half; stir frequently to keep from sticking or burning.

Add cream, vodka and pepper flakes; bring to a boil; reduce heat to low; add in cheeses and let cook 10 minutes to let sauce thicken.

Makes 4 cups.

Mary Cokenour


 

Just Another Baked Cod Recipe.

The other day I tried to fry up two one inch thick pieces of cod in a skillet.  A little olive oil over medium heat, seasoned with salt, black pepper and dill; lemon juice splashed over them at the last minute of cooking.  Sounds yummy, right?  Well, I don't know what went wrong, or maybe I do; while the fish did brown slightly on both sides and turn opaque, the middle did not cook through.  I don't think it was the cooking technique, it was because I used defrosted fish; unfortuately, frozen is all that is available for purchase around these parts.  Utah is a landlocked state, so if fish comes in, it was fresh at one time, but now is totally frozen.  Freezing fish changes its texture; even carefully defrosting and cooking, the outside may be flaky, but the deep inside tends to be rubbery.

That doesn't mean that I have given up entirely on fish; I still buy the frozen and still attempt to find ways to get it done right.  This post is another of those attempts; I needed to bake it a little longer than fresh fish, but the rubbery texture was almost...almost nonexistent.  So, while my recipe says to bake 25 - 30 minutes, that is based on defrosted fish; fresh fish should be about 10 minutes less in baking time.

Baked Cod with Squash

 Ingredients:

1 small zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 small yellow squash, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup olive oil, divided in half
2 Tbsp Italian herbal mix, divided in half
2 tsp coarse sea salt, divided in half
1 tsp garlic powder
2 (6 oz) cod fillets, one inch thick, bones and skin removed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Preparation:
 

Preheat oven to 400F.  In a 1 and 1/2 quart glass baking dish, spread the squash slices over the bottom.  Drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil over the slices; sprinkle one tablespoon of the herbal mix, one teaspoon of sea salt and the one teaspoon of garlic powder over them.

 

Lay the cod fillets (skin side up) on top of the squash; drizzle with remaining olive oil; sprinkle remaining herbal mix and sea salt; drizzle lemon juice over all.  Bake for 25 - 30 minutes; until cod is opaque and flakes easily.  Remove one fillet and portion of squash to plate; spoon liquid from baking dish over all.

 

Makes 2 servings.

 

Mary Cokenour

An American Version of an Italian Classic.

Braciole is the Italian Classic; thinly sliced steak stuffed, rolled and cooked in a tomato sauce. So when I pulled out the package of thin round steaks, I asked my hubby, do you want Braciole, or something entirely different?  He wanted the different, well what he really wanted was what I had had for my birthday dinner, but not until I found Rib Eyes on sale again.  I could, however, accommodate him with the sautéed mushrooms and onions, but what to do with the steak was still the main question.  Then I thought about mixing the sautéed mixture in with stuffing, that would be one side dish, and browning zucchini slices in olive oil would be the other side dish.  The steak...oh yeah, what about the steak?  "Hunny, what if I made up some cornbread stuffing and mixed in the mushrooms and onions?", I asked.  "Oh, that sounds good!", says hubby.  "Hunny, what if I took that stuffing mixture, rolled it up in the steak and made a brown gravy to do on it?", I asked.  "Oh, that sounds even better!!", he says.  Off to the kitchen I flew!

It wasn't difficult to put together, and I decided that rolling the steak the traditional "Braciole" way wouldn't do, as the stuffing was too bulky this time.  It was better to just draw one end over the stuffing, pull over the other end and then seal the sides with toothpicks.  It still was in the shape of a "rolled" steak, so that aspect stayed in the name...Stuffed Steak Rolls.  I used beef broth as my cooking liquid which could be strained and then used to make a rich gravy.  I did not season the steak before I began working with it; the inside will pick up flavors from the stuffing, while the exterior will be absorbing flavors from the broth.  Yes, I keep boxes of stuffing mix, or bags of seasoned stuffing cubes in the home; it works great for those spontaneous recipes that call for it.  The zucchini slices were easy too, and I'll give further details on that after the steak recipe.

Stuffed Steak Rolls

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped
1/2 tsp each salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder
1 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 (6 oz) box of cornbread stuffing
2  and 1/2 lbs. (8 pieces) thinly sliced round steak
1 (10.5 oz) can beef broth
2 Tbsp cornstarch

Preparation:

 

Heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet, medium-high heat; spread on onions, sprinkle seasoning over them, spread out mushrooms over the onions.  Let cook for 3 minutes before mixing the onions and mushrooms together; let cook another 3 minutes before removing from heat.  At the same time, prepare the cornbread stuffing according to package directions; add the sautéed mixture to stuffing and mix together thoroughly.

 

 

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 350F; spray a 4 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Onto the center of each slice of steak, put a half cup of stuffing keeping it in a mound.  Any extra stuffing can be served as a garnish to the side of the rolls when served.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fold one end of the steak over the stuffing; fold the other end over the first; seal the ends with toothpicks and place the roll into the baking dish. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once all the rolls are done and in the dish, pour the beef broth over the rolls; cover the baking dish with aluminum foil. 

 

Bake for 30 minutes covered; uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.  Remove rolls from baking dish, strain liquid and pour into a small saucepan.  On high heat, whisk in cornstarch and bring to a boil; continue to boil for 3 minutes before serving over the steak rolls.

Makes 8 servings.

 

For the zucchini side dish, take two large zucchini and cut 1/4 inch slices; either round, or hold the knife at an angle to make oval slices; lightly season both sides of the slices with ground black pepper.  Heat four tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat; place the zucchini into the skillet and brown both sides; about 3 to 5 minutes per side.  Remove the slices to a serving bowl and season with medium crushed sea salt; it will give a salty surprise crunch to the zucchini.

Makes 8 servings.

Here is the final dish, one Stuffed Steak Roll with gravy, zucchini slices browned in olive oil and some extra stuffing on the side for a little preview of what is inside the steak roll.  Very nice, very nice indeed.

Mary Cokenour