Lib's Book of Culinary Wonders Bread | Breakfast | Dessert | MainDish | Sauce | Side | Soup | All
 
 

Bad For You Broiled Haddock (MainDish)(permalink)

Ingredients:
2 haddock or other whitefish filets, about 1lb total.
1/4 cup butter
1 cup (approx) Vermont Common Crackers, crushed to fine crumbs
1/3-1/4 cup grated hard cheese (Parmesan, Romano, Asiago - use less for a stronger cheese)
Salt and ground black pepper
Cook!

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degF, setting one rack up for the broiler and another midway down. If you have a seperate broiler or second oven (lucky!), use it.
  2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
  3. Brush some of the melted butter into a broiler-safe baking dish big enough for your filets. Lay the filets skin-side down, then brush the tops with butter.
  4. Combine the cracker crumbs, grated cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and then add to the melted butter and toss to coat evenly.
  5. Spoon the crumbs over the filets, trying to get as even a layer as possible. With a fork or small spatula, pack down the crumb mixture over the fish.
  6. Switch the oven to broil, or preheat your broiler.
  7. Place under broiler for 4-5 minutes or until the crumbs are browned. Watch it carefully - greasy crumbs can burn quickly.
  8. Switch oven back to Bake @450 degF and move the dish to the center rack. (Or move from broiler to oven)
  9. Bake another 5-10 minutes or until the fish is cooked through (flakes easily with a fork.)

Adapted from a recipe found in a tin of Vermont Common Crackers


Chicken with Ginger

(MainDish)(permalink)
Ingredients
5 large chicken thighs (about 4oz each)
(A)
1 tbsp white wine
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1-1/2 tsp cornstarch


15 to 20 slices fresh ginger roots [young roots preferred]
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
Cooking oil
1 tbsp honey

To Prepare:
1. Debone chicken (partially frozen for easier cutting) and cut into about 25 equal pieces. Mix chicken with ingredients (A) and set aside for about 15 minutes.
2. Scrape skin off ginger. With a sharp knife, cut 15 to 20 paper-thin slices
3. Crush and chop 2 cloves garlic finely

To Cook:
1. Saute ginger slices in 10-inch frying pan without oil over medium heat for about 1 minute. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and mix. Remove ginger to a plate.
2. Heat 3 tbsp oil in the pan until very hot, brown garlic for a few seconds. Add chicken immediately and saute over high heat for about 2 minutes until chicken is just cooked.
3. Add ginger and 1 tbsp honey to chicken and mix well. Serve hot.

From a very old beat-up chinese cookbook. This dish was a staple growing up, and still one of my favorites today, though I usually cheat nowadays and use powdered ginger.




Cranberry Meatballs

(MainDish)(permalink)
Ingredients: (A)
2 lb. lean ground beef (85%)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c applesauce
1 medium onion, chopped finely or grated
1/2 c seasoned bread crumbs
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

(B)
1 can (16oz) whole cranberry sauce
1 jar (12oz) chili sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice

Mix ingredients (A) in a large bowl. Form into meatballs: small for appetizer, medium for main course. Place in large casserole or baking pan. These may be layered but don't crowd.

Mix ingredients (B) and pour over meatballs. Shake pan gently but don't stir, because meatballs are fragile at this point. Bake, uncovered, in a 325 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. The mixture may be gently stirred after the first hour of baking.

This recipe comes from the kitchen of Libby's Mom



Chicken with Shallots and Garlic
(MainDish)(permalink)

Ingredients
4-5 chicken breasts
10 shallots
10 cloves garlic
parsley
sage
thyme
salt
pepper
1/4c olive oil

Directions
Coat chicken breasts in salt and pepper.
Brown chicken breasts on both sides in olive oil

In an oven-safe dish, put the chicken breasts, 1/4c olive oil, shallots, garlic and herbs. Fresh herbs are best, but dried will do in a pinch.

Bake covered at 350°F for 1 1/2 hours.

For sauce:
After the chicken is done, remove all from the dish and deglace with white wine. Thoroughly mix flour or corn starch with cold water and add to the dish. Simmer until sauce is desired thickness, adding more of the thickening agent if necessary.

This recipe is from my brother



Libby's Burrito Filling (MainDish)(permalink)

Ingredients
Beef of some sort
Onion
Garlic
crushed tomato
canned beans, like white or kidney
oil of some sort
Taco seasonings

If the beef isn't of the ground variety, put it in the food processor and make it into small chunks. Like, real small.
sautee the onions and garlic in the oil until translucent. Add the beef and brown it.
Add a bunch of taco seasoning, to taste really. Add some crushed tomato, just enough to cover the beef. Add the canned beans, sans whatever moisture they come packed with.
Let it simmer for a few minutes, then add more taco seasoning if you think its needed. Then, eat.
Serving suggestion: Eat on a burrito shell!
Other serving suggestion: Eat with a spoon!
This is excellent with cheese and salsa.



Greek Beef Thing (MainDish)(permalink)
This has been described by Jameel as a degenerate Moussaka. I concurr.

Sauce

1 cup yoghurt
1/2 cucumber, julienned
1/2tsp mint
1/2tsp basil
1/4tsp garlic powder

Mix ingredeints and stir well. Let sit in the refrigerator for about a half hour for flavors to develop, while you make:
The Beef thing

1/2lb ground beef
2tbsp pignola (pine) nuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 - 2 cloves garlic, diced
1tbsp olive oil
3oz feta cheese, cubed
Salt
Pepper
1/2tsp mint
1tsp basil

Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add onions and garlic and saute until translucent. Add the beef, mint, basil, and salt and pepper to taste, and brown the meat..
Once the meat is completely browned, add the feta cheese and pine nuts. Stir until the cheese has melted enough to coat the beef, leaving a few large chunks of cheese.

Remove yoghurt sauce from the fridge and salt to taste. Serve on the side.
This goes very well with pita bread



The Best Corned Beef Ever. (MainDish)(permalink)

Ingredients:
1 corned beef, straight cut
1 tsp garlic, minced.
2 cans Guinness
1 head cabbage
red or white potatoes

When you are buying your beef, look for a piece that is straight cut - in other words, look for one that has clearly defined muscle fibers that run along the length of the meat. This will ensure a tender dish, because when you slice it, the fibers will be very short, and the meat will fall apart in your mouth.
To start, rinse the corned beef in water to reduce the amount of salt it has.
Place it in a slow cooker, with the fatty side down. Take a small knife and make little punctures all over the surface of the meat. Cut open the small package of spices that comes with the meat, and rub it all over the top and sides, making sure to poke some of it into the little cuts you made so the flavor gets inside the meat. Then take your minced garlic (I buy mine minced in jars) and rub that all over the meat as well, again making sure to poke it into the cuts. Don't bother to rub any of this on the bottom fatty side.. you won't be eating the fat anyways.

Pour the two cans of Guinness into the slow cooker, put on the lid, and turn it on low for 8 hours or on high for 6.
After 8 hours (or 6 for a higher heat), it is time to prepare your vegetables. Remove the outer leaves and cut the cabbage into quarters, or smaller if you prefer - you will probably need smaller pieces to make them fit into the pot! If you are using small potatoes, you can just wash them and place them whole into the slow cooker. If you are using larger potatoes, quarter them before adding them. Add the potatoes and cabbage to the slow cooker and cook for another two hours on whatever heat you are using.

After the cooking is done, remove everything from the liquid and dispose of the liquid. Cut the meat against the grain to serve.

Total cooking time: 8-10 hours
Libby rating: extremely easy
Serves 6



Perfect-Every-Time Chili (MainDish)(permalink)

The Basic Ingredients:
1/2 Onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1lb ground beef or stew chunks
3oz tomato paste
48oz crushed or diced tomato
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
chili powder
cumin
cinnamon

Optional Ingredients:
1 can kidney beans
corn
cheese
portabella mushrooms
sundried tomatoes
dried or canned chiles
tabasco sauce or other hot sauce


Saute onion and garlic until translucent.
Add the meat and brown it thoroughly.
While the meat is browning, add a dash of salt, a healthy helping of black pepper (preferrably fresh ground), about 1 teaspoon chili powder, about 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and about 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. This will make sure the meat is plenty tasty. Add more spices if you like - more can't hurt it, only less.

Once the meat is completely browned, add the tomato paste and stir until it is well mixed in with the meat. Save the rest for later, you never know when you'll need it.
Optional at this time:
-Sundried tomatoes
-Portabella mushroom - nice big chunks. Or just use whole baby bellas.
-dried or canned chiles
Add your crushed tomatoes, cover with the lid cracked so steam can vent, and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes, or until thick. Check it every 5 - 10 minutes to makesure it doesn't boil over, stick or burn.
When the chili has reduced enough (in other words, when it is as thick as you like it) you can add more spices, to give it a final flavor. I recommend:
2tsp chili powder
1tsp cumin
2 - 4 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes to taste
tabasco to taste, ifyou really want it
Taste it, and if you think it needs more of anything, add it!
Optionals at this time:
-kidney beans, drained
-corn
-dried or canned chiles
-cheese
Cook 5 more minutes, and then it is ready to serve!
Chili, of course, develops its flavor the longer it sits, so you can make this a day or two in advance and let it sit in the fridge.




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