As you may have noticed, I am not the very best at consistantly doing anything. For those who do follow the blog, I apologize. It has not been forgotten--just put aside for a while.
Here is a fantastic low-carb lasagna, or, if you are a purist like my brother (who insists that it cannot be called lasagna), a cabbage and tomato gratin. Or perhaps it's like flattened cabbage rolls. Despite his protests on this dish's authenticity, my brother ate three pieces and offered to take home what we didn't want, so whatever you call it, be assured that your family or guests will call it delicious.
I got this recipe from a friend of mine who has done fantastically on a low-carb diet. Thank you, Hetty, for a wonderful, filling meal with low-cost ingredients.
Cabbage Lasagna
8-9 servings
One medium to large head of cabbage
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped (optional)
3/4 to 1 lb ground round
1 can spaghetti sauce (I use Prego, generally mushroom-flavored varieties)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper (optional)
1 cup or more grated Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup ricotta or cottage cheese (whole milk ricotta, on my part)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash cabbage and remove the tough outer leaves (those that are a very dark green). Cut the head in half. Carefully peel back the leaves, trying to keep them intact--they will serve as the lasagna noodles. Steam the leaves in whatever way you find best (microwave, steamer, rice cooker) until they are very tender. Do not skimp on the steaming--they will not soften further in the oven, and crunchy cabbage leaves do no textural favors to this dish.
Put the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Saute the onion, garlic, and green pepper, if you are using it (I personally despise green pepper, so I skip it) until the onion is translucent. If you know you'll have to leave the stove, do the onions first, and add the garlic once they are already translucent, cooking a few more minutes. It won't hurt the onions, and it will keep your tiny pieces of garlic from burning.
Add the ground round and brown thoroughly. Drain or skip any excess fat or liquid. Pour in spaghetti sauce and seasonings, and stir until combined. Grease a 9 x 13 x 2 (standard long) baking pan with olive oil. Line the bottom of the pan with cabbage leaves. Top with half the meat mixture. Add a third of the mozzarella, and half the ricotta. Repeat the layers. Add a third layer of cabbage leaves, top with the last third of mozzarella, and cover with Parmesan. Cover with foil or a lid.
Bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes more, or until top is bubbling and slightly brown.
I hear this dish freezes well. I wouldn't know. There's generally enough for lunch for both of us once we've had it for dinner, and then it's gone.
Showing posts with label meat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meat. Show all posts
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Friday, December 19, 2008
Chicken Wings a la Alton Brown
For those who are or were attempting to follow this blog, I apologize for my long hiatus. Things have been pretty crazy around here, and a lot of my writing energy has been spent dealing with the crazy things, or working on a novel in November for NaNoWriMo. (No, I did not write 50,000 words. But at least I have a start!) Also, cooking has been a bit on the back burner, so to speak. We have been on a very tight budget, and a lot of things that I have been cooking, I admit, really haven't been low carb at all. But it was food, and it did nourish our bodies, however non-optimal the nourishment may have been.
But I have several recipes that you might enjoy tucked away now, and I'm looking forward to trying even more. The size of my recipes-to-try folder (a virtual one in MS Word...any physical pieces of paper may as well be kissed goodbye in my house) is enormous. 7.97 MB and counting...
Anyway, last night I made Alton Brown's chicken wings. They were absolutely delicious. I am not a big wing person (mostly because 90% of them are covered in sauces that are painful for me to eat) but these were pretty amazing. They were amazing enough to consider making again even though my sauce needs a lot of work.
You will need:
12 chicken wings (or 1 5-lb bag frozen seperated wings). Remember, those are whole chicken wings, so you'll need 24 pieces from the frozen bag if that's the way you're going.
If your chicken wings are fresh and still one piece, hack them apart with a knife or kitchen shears. Save the wingtips for soup or stock. If they are frozen, defrost in your microwave or in the fridge. Normally, I dislike defrosting in the microwave (especially in a low-quality microwave like mine) because half the time your product gets steamed in places. However, you are going to steam your chicken first anyway. According to food guru Alton, this gets rid of a lot of the fat that otherwise goes up in smoke in your oven when you roast at high temperatures. Steaming allows later crispy skin without filling the room with a noxious black cloud.
Once your chicken has been prepared, you will steam it. Alton uses a nifty setup with a 6-quart saucepan and an ingenious threaded-rod-and-collapsible-steamer-basket assembly to steam your chicken all at once. Myself, I do not own a suitable saucepan, nor do I have the time or money at the moment to make a cool tiered steamer basket. I used the steamer insert on my ricemaker, which now functions almost exclusively as a steamer. It fits about 6 chicken wing pieces without stacking or touching, so I did mine in four shifts, defrosting one batch as the prior batch was steaming. The wings need to be steamed for 10 minutes.
Once your chicken has steamed, remove it carefully with tongs. Pat it dry, and place it onto a rack above a paper-towel covered baking sheet. I skipped the rack, and it still worked out ok. Cool your wings for at least an hour in your fridge.
After cooling, replace the paper towel with parchment paper. Argh, I know, parchment paper, but once you have it, you'll be able to make all those other annoying recipes with parchment paper. :) The directions are unclear whether or not you are supposed to leave the chicken on the rack to cook or cook it directly on the parchment paper. I recommend greasing your parchment paper if you do the latter, as I did.
Preheat your oven to 425 F. Once it's hot, insert your half-cooked chicken wings. Cook for 20 minutes; turn, and cook for another 20.
While your wings are cooking, you will want to make some sauce for them. My sauce of last night was tasty, but had absolutely no sticking power. Feel free to use Alton's sauce (see recipe link), or make your own. The best part is that you can customize the flavor, in my opinion!
When the wings are done, take them off the baking sheet with your tongs and into a large bowl. While they are still hot, toss them with your sauce. Eat them while they're still warm. Mmm, crispy.
But I have several recipes that you might enjoy tucked away now, and I'm looking forward to trying even more. The size of my recipes-to-try folder (a virtual one in MS Word...any physical pieces of paper may as well be kissed goodbye in my house) is enormous. 7.97 MB and counting...
Anyway, last night I made Alton Brown's chicken wings. They were absolutely delicious. I am not a big wing person (mostly because 90% of them are covered in sauces that are painful for me to eat) but these were pretty amazing. They were amazing enough to consider making again even though my sauce needs a lot of work.
You will need:
12 chicken wings (or 1 5-lb bag frozen seperated wings). Remember, those are whole chicken wings, so you'll need 24 pieces from the frozen bag if that's the way you're going.
If your chicken wings are fresh and still one piece, hack them apart with a knife or kitchen shears. Save the wingtips for soup or stock. If they are frozen, defrost in your microwave or in the fridge. Normally, I dislike defrosting in the microwave (especially in a low-quality microwave like mine) because half the time your product gets steamed in places. However, you are going to steam your chicken first anyway. According to food guru Alton, this gets rid of a lot of the fat that otherwise goes up in smoke in your oven when you roast at high temperatures. Steaming allows later crispy skin without filling the room with a noxious black cloud.
Once your chicken has been prepared, you will steam it. Alton uses a nifty setup with a 6-quart saucepan and an ingenious threaded-rod-and-collapsible-steamer-basket assembly to steam your chicken all at once. Myself, I do not own a suitable saucepan, nor do I have the time or money at the moment to make a cool tiered steamer basket. I used the steamer insert on my ricemaker, which now functions almost exclusively as a steamer. It fits about 6 chicken wing pieces without stacking or touching, so I did mine in four shifts, defrosting one batch as the prior batch was steaming. The wings need to be steamed for 10 minutes.
Once your chicken has steamed, remove it carefully with tongs. Pat it dry, and place it onto a rack above a paper-towel covered baking sheet. I skipped the rack, and it still worked out ok. Cool your wings for at least an hour in your fridge.
After cooling, replace the paper towel with parchment paper. Argh, I know, parchment paper, but once you have it, you'll be able to make all those other annoying recipes with parchment paper. :) The directions are unclear whether or not you are supposed to leave the chicken on the rack to cook or cook it directly on the parchment paper. I recommend greasing your parchment paper if you do the latter, as I did.
Preheat your oven to 425 F. Once it's hot, insert your half-cooked chicken wings. Cook for 20 minutes; turn, and cook for another 20.
While your wings are cooking, you will want to make some sauce for them. My sauce of last night was tasty, but had absolutely no sticking power. Feel free to use Alton's sauce (see recipe link), or make your own. The best part is that you can customize the flavor, in my opinion!
When the wings are done, take them off the baking sheet with your tongs and into a large bowl. While they are still hot, toss them with your sauce. Eat them while they're still warm. Mmm, crispy.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Grilled Chicken with Edamame Skordalia
This is a fantastic, fresh-tasting recipe I found in Bon Appetit. It isn't marked 'low carb' (surprisingly few recipes are, despite the fact that they are, nutritionally, great for this lifestyle), but the nutritional analysis on the site says it's 15.15 g of carbohydrates a serving and 6.21 of that is fiber. If you use net carbs, that comes to 8.94 g of carbs in a delicious, fresh-tasting, and relatively easy to prepare meal. I was so thrilled that I discovered that the gas grills in our soon-to-be-x-apartment-complex do indeed work.
I was out of olive oil when I made this recipe, so I subbed peanut oil. I'm sure it would be as tasty or tastier with the original ingredient. I also used boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts, because I'm on a budget and I think they taste better! This cuts down a little on grill time.
Grilled Chicken with Edamame Skordalia
Bon Appetit August 2008
Serves 4
I was out of olive oil when I made this recipe, so I subbed peanut oil. I'm sure it would be as tasty or tastier with the original ingredient. I also used boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts, because I'm on a budget and I think they taste better! This cuts down a little on grill time.
Grilled Chicken with Edamame Skordalia
Bon Appetit August 2008
Serves 4
1 16-ounce bag frozen shelled edamame (soybeans)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing
3 garlic cloves, peeled
6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves
Cook frozen edamame in large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid for skordalia.
Meanwhile, combine basil, 1/3 cup oil, and garlic in processor; blend until basil and garlic are finely chopped. Transfer 2 tablespoons basil oil to small bowl and reserve.
Add edamame, 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid, Parmesan, and lemon juice to remaining basil oil in processor; puree until mixture is almost smooth, adding more cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if mixture is dry. Season generously with salt and pepper. Set skordalia aside.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Brush grill with oil. Brush chicken breasts on both sides with reserved basil oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until chicken is just cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. Slice chicken breasts crosswise.
Spoon warm or room-temperature skordalia onto 4 plates. Top with chicken.
Nutritional analysis per serving: Calories (kcal) 651.33; %Calories from Fat 44.7; Fat (g) 32.32; Saturated Fat (g) 5.84; Cholesterol (mg) 152.08; Carbohydrates (g) 15.15; Dietary Fiber (g) 6.21; Total Sugars (g) 0.22; Net Carbs (g) 8.94; Protein (g) 69.70 (nutritional analysis provided by Bon Appètit)
Monday, August 11, 2008
Breakfast Stroganoff
This is a recipe I threw together on Saturday morning—relief from eggs! I discovered that I actually love green tomatoes during my experimentations last week. The fried recipe did not work out so well, but they tasted great even though their coating fell off. I’m looking forward to using them cooked and fresh in a lot of dishes.
Breakfast Stroganoff
½ to 1 lb ground beef (I used ¾ lb, I think, but that’s an awkward measurement)
Half an onion, sliced then roughly chopped
8 oz sour cream, more or less to taste
1 green tomato, sliced into thin strips
½ packet Goya Sazón seasoning
1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, or your favorite seasoning blend
½ lb white mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons port, sack, sherry, or dry white wine in a pinch
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Add onions, and sauté five minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté for another five minutes. Add ground beef to the middle of the pan, pushing other ingredients to the side. Break it up with whatever you’re using to stir (you are stirring, aren’t you?). Add alcohol. Cook until meat is brown with almost no trace of pink. Add seasonings and green tomato. Cook five minutes. Take off heat, stir in sour cream, and serve.
I love this because the green tomatoes add acidity and actually work well texturally for the noodles you will not be eating. It’s not ‘real’ stroganoff, but it’s nearly as delicious, and great for a change of pace for breakfast. I suppose you could have it for lunch or dinner too!
Breakfast Stroganoff
½ to 1 lb ground beef (I used ¾ lb, I think, but that’s an awkward measurement)
Half an onion, sliced then roughly chopped
8 oz sour cream, more or less to taste
1 green tomato, sliced into thin strips
½ packet Goya Sazón seasoning
1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, or your favorite seasoning blend
½ lb white mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons port, sack, sherry, or dry white wine in a pinch
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low to medium heat. Add onions, and sauté five minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to sauté for another five minutes. Add ground beef to the middle of the pan, pushing other ingredients to the side. Break it up with whatever you’re using to stir (you are stirring, aren’t you?). Add alcohol. Cook until meat is brown with almost no trace of pink. Add seasonings and green tomato. Cook five minutes. Take off heat, stir in sour cream, and serve.
I love this because the green tomatoes add acidity and actually work well texturally for the noodles you will not be eating. It’s not ‘real’ stroganoff, but it’s nearly as delicious, and great for a change of pace for breakfast. I suppose you could have it for lunch or dinner too!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Syrian Lamb with Green Beans
So today's post was supposed to be about the little fish-packets I made last night, but they turned out very meh. And I refuse to post anything less that wonderful on this blog.
So I thought I'd introduce you to a dish I discovered during my semester in Wales a few years ago. You can make it with minimal equipment, and it's absolutely marvelous. Keep a lookout for lamb on sale, and remember that this takes a relatively small amount of meat for a really big flavor. If you live where lamb is cheap, I am wildly jealous. :)
The original recipe was found on Food Network, apparently the work of a lady called Katherine Dickenson
Syrian Lamb with Green Beans
4 to 6 shoulder lamb chops, fat removed and bones in for flavor
OR
2 or 3 lamb shank pieces
3 tablespoons butter
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1 bay leaf
1 sweet red pepper--the 'Italian' kind if possible (long and skinny and fabulously sweet)
1 1/2 teaspoon dried whole oregano, crushed between your hands (please, please don't use ancient flavorless oregano that has lived in your cupboard for decades, because you will make me cry)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, ends snapped off and cut into bite size pieces
2 cans diced tomatoes or a big can of fire roasted whole ones, cut into pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
Saute your meat in butter until brown on all sides. Saute the onion until translucent. Add garlic, bay leaf, red pepper and seasoning and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the green beans and tomatoes. Cover and cook for 1 hour on medium to medium low heat. Check it every now and then to make sure you're not boiling the water away. Unlid and serve!
You could serve this over riced cauliflower or something if you really wanted to, but I prefer eating it as a soup/stew, and don't think it needs a thing. We have used it as both a side and a main dish, and it serves both purposes admirably. You can add more green beans for further tasty servings, but I just don't have a pot that will hold that much comfortably.
You might be able to use lamb ribs and such for this as well, but you'd likely have to cool the finished product and scrape off the fat. It's pretty oily using the original cuts, albeit a delicious lamb fat kind of oily. If you have a problem with that, then cool and skim away!
And come to think of it, I bet that you could dump it in a slow cooker after the initial saute, and waltz away for a few hours. The flavors would have intermingled further, and long low heat makes for more tender lamb.
So I thought I'd introduce you to a dish I discovered during my semester in Wales a few years ago. You can make it with minimal equipment, and it's absolutely marvelous. Keep a lookout for lamb on sale, and remember that this takes a relatively small amount of meat for a really big flavor. If you live where lamb is cheap, I am wildly jealous. :)
The original recipe was found on Food Network, apparently the work of a lady called Katherine Dickenson
Syrian Lamb with Green Beans
4 to 6 shoulder lamb chops, fat removed and bones in for flavor
OR
2 or 3 lamb shank pieces
3 tablespoons butter
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
1 bay leaf
1 sweet red pepper--the 'Italian' kind if possible (long and skinny and fabulously sweet)
1 1/2 teaspoon dried whole oregano, crushed between your hands (please, please don't use ancient flavorless oregano that has lived in your cupboard for decades, because you will make me cry)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, ends snapped off and cut into bite size pieces
2 cans diced tomatoes or a big can of fire roasted whole ones, cut into pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
Saute your meat in butter until brown on all sides. Saute the onion until translucent. Add garlic, bay leaf, red pepper and seasoning and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the green beans and tomatoes. Cover and cook for 1 hour on medium to medium low heat. Check it every now and then to make sure you're not boiling the water away. Unlid and serve!
You could serve this over riced cauliflower or something if you really wanted to, but I prefer eating it as a soup/stew, and don't think it needs a thing. We have used it as both a side and a main dish, and it serves both purposes admirably. You can add more green beans for further tasty servings, but I just don't have a pot that will hold that much comfortably.
You might be able to use lamb ribs and such for this as well, but you'd likely have to cool the finished product and scrape off the fat. It's pretty oily using the original cuts, albeit a delicious lamb fat kind of oily. If you have a problem with that, then cool and skim away!
And come to think of it, I bet that you could dump it in a slow cooker after the initial saute, and waltz away for a few hours. The flavors would have intermingled further, and long low heat makes for more tender lamb.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Best Bacon Ever
I just cooked up a batch of the best bacon ever. Sadly, it is not universally available. If you happen to be in the Atlanta area for any reason, however, I recommend you stop by Patak Bohemia in Austell, GA and pick up some of the least expensive, best-tasting bacon known to man--or at least to Atlantans.
This bacon is thick-cut, rich, and flavorful, with a fantastic mouthfeel. And the best part about it is the price--$2.69 a pound! I can't envision buying more expensive, less tasty products from my local supermarket any more. I'm going to stock up so that the long trek to Austell only happens once a month. In fact, that's what I did yesterday. My five pounds of bacon should last my husband and I for a good while.
I also got fresh Polish sausage, proclaimed by my Polish-community father to be as good or better than the stuff from home, fantastic Hunter's Salami (it's square!), garlic bacon, Scottish bangers, and smoked trout. I know the Polish sausage and Hunter's Salami are delectible, but I've yet to try the others. I'll let you know!
This bacon is thick-cut, rich, and flavorful, with a fantastic mouthfeel. And the best part about it is the price--$2.69 a pound! I can't envision buying more expensive, less tasty products from my local supermarket any more. I'm going to stock up so that the long trek to Austell only happens once a month. In fact, that's what I did yesterday. My five pounds of bacon should last my husband and I for a good while.
I also got fresh Polish sausage, proclaimed by my Polish-community father to be as good or better than the stuff from home, fantastic Hunter's Salami (it's square!), garlic bacon, Scottish bangers, and smoked trout. I know the Polish sausage and Hunter's Salami are delectible, but I've yet to try the others. I'll let you know!
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