Friday, January 31, 2014
Susie Qs Santa Maria Style Salsa You can call it the ketchup of Santa Maria style BBQ but please dont
We got to see and sample so many great recipes on our recent trip down to Californias Santa Maria Valley, but my favorite may have been this Santa Maria-style salsa recipe.
This recipe was demonstrated for me by Susan Righetti, (also known as Susie Q on her website, where she sells local artisan food products). She is an authority on the local cuisine of Californias central coast, and hosted us for a fantastic day of cooking and eating.
In addition to this great salsa, she also made a batch of Santa Maria-style pinquito beans, and her husband Paul showed me the real way to do a barbecued tri-tip (on a custom-made barbecue pit in the middle of the house!) I will be posting both those videos as soon as I can.
Susan joked about the Santa Maria-style salsa being, "the ketchup of Santa Maria-style BBQ," since its always served along side the areas famous barbecued beef.
We had some version of this sauce at just about every meal (including breakfast), and it really did make the smoky meat even more delicious. Some places make a smooth version thats used as a sauce, others make a very chunky style, as seen here, which is eaten more like a side dish salad.
She had a big beautiful bowl of ripe tomatoes which she could have used in this video, but she said that canned tomatoes also work, and since most of you wont have regular access to big beautiful bowls of ripe tomatoes, I had her use the canned ones in the demo.
Susan has a website called Susie Qs Brand where she sells a large variety of local Santa Maria food products, including the magical red oak wood chips. If you are interested in learning more, or want to check out her stuff, here is the link. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
(this is for a half batch of the large bowl you see in the video - about 6 cups)
1 can 28-oz whole tomatoes
1 can 7-oz diced green chilies
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (may substitute garlic powder to taste)
2 tbsp chopped parsley (may also substitute or add fresh cilantro)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
*Note: Susie used a shake of her Santa Maria Seasoning, which I have broken down into salt, pepper, etc., here. You can see whats in her blend on the Susie Qs website.
Read More..
This recipe was demonstrated for me by Susan Righetti, (also known as Susie Q on her website, where she sells local artisan food products). She is an authority on the local cuisine of Californias central coast, and hosted us for a fantastic day of cooking and eating.
In addition to this great salsa, she also made a batch of Santa Maria-style pinquito beans, and her husband Paul showed me the real way to do a barbecued tri-tip (on a custom-made barbecue pit in the middle of the house!) I will be posting both those videos as soon as I can.
Susan joked about the Santa Maria-style salsa being, "the ketchup of Santa Maria-style BBQ," since its always served along side the areas famous barbecued beef.
We had some version of this sauce at just about every meal (including breakfast), and it really did make the smoky meat even more delicious. Some places make a smooth version thats used as a sauce, others make a very chunky style, as seen here, which is eaten more like a side dish salad.
She had a big beautiful bowl of ripe tomatoes which she could have used in this video, but she said that canned tomatoes also work, and since most of you wont have regular access to big beautiful bowls of ripe tomatoes, I had her use the canned ones in the demo.
Susan has a website called Susie Qs Brand where she sells a large variety of local Santa Maria food products, including the magical red oak wood chips. If you are interested in learning more, or want to check out her stuff, here is the link. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
(this is for a half batch of the large bowl you see in the video - about 6 cups)
1 can 28-oz whole tomatoes
1 can 7-oz diced green chilies
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely minced (may substitute garlic powder to taste)
2 tbsp chopped parsley (may also substitute or add fresh cilantro)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
*Note: Susie used a shake of her Santa Maria Seasoning, which I have broken down into salt, pepper, etc., here. You can see whats in her blend on the Susie Qs website.
Gluten Free Celiac Coeliac Recipes
"Gluten free cooking" can be so tasty and so much fun in the kitchen.
All recipes below on this post are wheat and gluten free, great for people who are coeliac. (Note: You do not have to be coeliac to enjoy these tasty wonderful recipes, anyone can cook and enjoy them ! )
Simply select a "gluten free recipe" by clicking the link next to the photo of each gluten free dish- see below.
Gluten Free - Celiac/Coeliac Recipe Index:
Healthy chickpea patties
Healthy chick pea patties recipes
Vegetarian Kofta Curry Vegetarian kofta curry recipe
Vegetarian Tofu Curry
Tofu curry recipe
Buckwheat/Mung Sprout Dosa
Dosa Recipe
Mango and Coconut Easy Cake
Mango and Coconut Easy Cake Recipe
Vegetarian stir fry recipe
Red Lentil Flan Recipe
Red lentil vegetarian flan recipe
Coconut and Almond Cake Recipe
Coconut and almond cake recipe
Christmas Cake Recipe
Gluten free fruit cake recipe
Onion Bhaji Recipe
Onion bhaji recipe
Apricot and Honey Nut Cookies Recipe
Apricot and honey nut cookie recipe
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe
Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce Recipe
Vegetarian bolognese sauce recipe
Vegetarian Seekh Kebabs Recipe
Vegetarian seekh kebab recipe
Vegetarian Shephards Pie Recipe
Vegetarian shepherds pie recipe
Gluten free Buckwheat Savoury Pastry
Gluten free pastry recipe
Gluten free chocolate fudge recipe (dairy/sugar free)
Gluten free (dairy/sugar free) Chocolate fudge recipe
See more gluten free recipes:
Gluten free recipes Page 2
Gluten free recipes Page 3
SANDRAS HOMEMADE CHILI SAUCE
A very good Chili Sauce staple to have on-hand at all times. Youll find that I use this in many recipes listed on this site... |
Prep: 5 mins. |
Cook 30 mins.
Posted by Sandra
INGREDIENTS
2 (14.5 oz. cans) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 small spanish onion, diced
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
METHOD
Place all ingredients together in blender; pulsing just until slightly chunky. Place in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer with lid tilted (letting some steam escape) for 30 minutes.
Cool and place in an airtight jar (labeled with name, date made, including expiration date). ~ Enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tip: This chili sauce will last up to 6 months in your refrigerator to use in a host of recipes, or when making chili, or just to heat and use as a sauce with seafood.
Grilled Pizza Wine Pairing and a Guest Post
My nagging has finally paid off! I finally have a post from a guest blogger! Check it out!
Hello everyone! Im sure youre wondering who the other person is enjoying all these meals that you find here on Micheles blog. Well, that person is me...Steve. Michele asked me to write a guest post for her blog this week after a weekend of grilling. I guess you could say I am the resident wine connoisseur and grilling fanatic. It seems I am writing this to talk to you about both this week.
This is a recipe that weve come up with in the past and used a couple of times before. Since we first made pizza this way, it has been tough to top it! While it isnt an overly difficult way of making pizza, you do have to use the right ingredients and be vigilant while its on the grill. Lets get down to it...
Ingredients:
Pizza sauce (recipe below)
Pizza dough - 1 lb for each pizza you want to make
4 oz. (approximately) or ½ of a regular sized bag of shredded mozzarella cheese – we prefer part-skim
Olive oil – for coating the dough
Fresh basil leaves
Toppings – this time around we used black olives and mushrooms, just use as much as you like
Before you start prepping the dough and making the pizza, youll want to make the sauce. We basically make just a marinara sauce with some garlic and herbs in it. Michele will write about that.
Youll need a pound of dough for each pizza that you want to make. Weve tried using two pounds before, but it just doesnt come out the same. You certainly can try making your own dough for this recipe, but were lazy and weve found that its very easy for us to get a hold of dough from Brooklyn. In my personal opinion, for the amount of time and money you have to put in to make your own pizza dough, its just more economical and less time consuming to just get it from somewhere else. Just make sure its quality dough!
Place each pound of dough in a bowl that will easily fit all of it in there, drizzling a bit of olive oil in the bottom of the bowl first, so that the dough doesnt stick. Place plastic wrap over the top of the bowl and then cover with a dish towel. Let the dough rise for a couple of hours, until it rises to the top of the bowl or even above it.
Once the dough has risen, pound it down and then take the dough out of the bowl, placing it onto a cooking sheet or something equivalent. Begin flattening out the dough on the sheet, making sure to keep both sides of the dough moist with olive oil so that it does not stick. Once the dough has been flattened and spread out, its ready to be grilled.
Make sure you have your mozzarella cheese, pizza sauce and toppings ready to go. Turn your grill on to high and let it sit for about 8 to 10 minutes. For this recipe, we used a gas grill. Once the grill is nice and hot, you can bring your dough and other ingredients outside to your grilling area. Turn the burners down to about medium-low heat. Make sure you use some sort of grilling spray (we used Pam for grilling) to spray down the grilling surface so that the dough does not stick to it. Take the dough off of the pan with your hands and place onto the grill, trying to keep something of an oval or even rectangular shape. Since most pizza you find is round, I like being different and creating all sorts of uneven shapes to make it look unique. Once the pizza dough is on the grill, close the lid and let it sit for about 4 – 5 minutes. Youll want to stay by the grill to check it every so often. The bottom of the dough should get nice and crispy, with some prominent grilling marks. Keep in mind that most gas grills have one side that is hotter and cooks faster than the others.
Once you can lift up the dough with ease, use a spatula and flip the whole pizza over in one shot – just like you would a pancake. Once the pizza has been flipped, you can then spread on the pizza sauce, followed by basil leaves (preferably torn into smaller pieces) and then the shredded mozzarella. You can then add on any toppings you may have. After everything has been added onto your pizza, close the cover of the grill again and let it sit for about 3 – 4 minutes. Youll want to check the pizza every so often to make sure that the cheese has melted on the top and that the bottom is nice and crispy, with those same grill marks.
As soon as all that has happened, the pizza is now ready to be taken off of the grill. Use a spatula or two to take it off of the grill and put it back onto the cooking sheet. Cut up the pizza in whatever fashion you like and serve!
For this pizza, I have found that a light white wine goes best. You will want something with a fruity undertone that will bring out the acidity of the pizza sauce and the flavors of the toppings you chose. I like to enjoy a nice Riesling with this pizza. My label of choice is Urban. It is an inexpensive Riesling that is light and fruity, as well as very refreshing. Feel free to experiment with your own palate and find a wine that suits you. Stick to the lighter, fruitier wines, either in the white or red varietals, such as a Pinot Grigio or a Pinot Noir.
I hope you all enjoy making this as I know we certainly have and will continue to do so all summer long!
Micheles Pizza Sauce
Enough for approx 4 pounds of dough.
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
4 cloves minced garlic
3 tsp chopped basil
1-2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
extra virgin olive oil
Feel free to use fresh or dried herbs. This time I used frozen dorat basil, fresh basil leaves and fresh oregano. Its up to you.
Directions:
Saute garlic in oil, add frozen or dried herbs being careful not to burn them. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar. If using fresh herbs add now. Let it come to a boil and then lower heat. Cook on medium for 30-40 minutes. Taste it and adjust seasoning.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Qalaqand
Qalaqand
Ingredients:
- Khoya ½ kg
- Caster Sugar 125 grams
- Nutmeg/mace/cardamom powder 1 pinch
- Ghee as required
- Pistachios/ almonds for garnishing
Method:
- Cook ½ kg khoya in a wok for 5 to 7 minutes. To check whether the khoya has reached the desired texture take the khoya in your hand and rub slightly. When it starts forming into a ball turn the stove off and cool the khoya in the same wok.
- Now add caster sugar and a pinch of nutmeg, mace and cardamom powder and mix well.Spread the khoya mixture evenly on a greased tray. When completely set garnish it with almonds and pistachios, cut into diamonds and serve.
Chilli Navy Beans Soup
Ingredients:
1. 4 to 5 tomatoes
2. 1/2 carrot
3. 1 cup navy beans presoaked and cooked
4. 1/2 cup chopped capsicums
5. 1/2 cup chopped onion
6. 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
7. 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
8. 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
9. 2 teaspoon sugar
10. 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
11. 1/2 tablespoon corn flour
12. 1/4 cup milk
13. Salt to taste
14. Tabasco sauce to taste
15. Grated cheese to garnish
Method:
1. For the stock chopped tomato and carrot and cook it in the pressure cooker.
2. After cool completely churn this mixture in food processor.
3. Then strain with a fine sieve.
4. Heat the oil or butter in pan; add the onions, garlic and capsicum.
5. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender.
6. Add in the beans, tomato-carrot stock, salt, sugar and chili powder.
7. Simmer for 7 to 8 minutes over medium heat.
8. Mix the corn flour and milk and add to the soup.
9. Now add chopped tomato and cook for 2 minutes.
10. Garnish with grated cheese and tabasco sauce.
11. Serve hot.
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The End of Chicken Parmesan As You Know It
Not counting pizza and spaghetti, chicken Parmesan may be the most popular Italian-American restaurant entree out there. For many years Ive been trying to perfect a home version that didn’t require the breading and frying, but still offered that irresistible combination of tender chicken, crunchy/cheesy coating, and flavorful sauce. These attempts were met with soggy, flaccid results. The problem with not frying the breaded breast is the baked-on coating just doesn’t get crisp enough to stand up to the sauce and cheese.
Well, on Tuesday, February 19th, at 4:45 PM, it hit me like a giant meatball dropped from the leaning tower of Pisa (worst simile ever?). I was watching TV and saw some croutons being sprinkled on a salad. I suddenly had the answer to my crispy/cheesy coating dilemma. The solution to the breading problem was…no breading! I would make the chicken Parmesan like a casserole; chicken and sauce, topped with a crispy, crunchy, layer of cheese and croutons.
What followed was one of my proudest moments as a cook. Not only did the recipe taste amazing, it was also better than any traditional chicken Parmesan I had ever made. When you consider its lower in fat, takes about 10 minutes to put together, its no wonder why this is my new favorite recipe. Now I know what Alexander Graham Bell felt like when he got that phone to work…"Watson, come here, I need you…the chicken Parmesan is ready." Enjoy!
UPDATE!! My chicken really was done after 35 minutes (plus resting for 10), but your cooking time may be up to an hour depending on the size, shape, and temperature of your chicken. Please use a meat thermometer to check doneness (155 degree F.)
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
hot red pepper flakes, to taste
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 5, but they were huge!)
2 cups marinara sauce
1/4 cup chopped basil
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
4 oz Parmesan, grated
1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Varutha Mutton Chops Fried Spicy Lamb Chops Recipe
Few years back my Mutton Chops recipe got published in the Hindu Newspaper, here is what they had written and goes the recipe as well. I have also added the screen shots of the Newspaper and website links.
Read More..
Spicy Lamb Chops Recipe |
"This recipe, originally my great-grandmothers, was handed down to me by my grandmother. It is common to prepare mutton chops in gravy, but in this recipe it is deep-fried.
What you need
Mutton chops -1/2 kg, Ginger, chopped - 50 gm, Green chillies, chopped - 8, Eggs – 1 or 2, Red chilli powder - 1 tsp, Turmeric powder - 1 tsp, Salt - to taste, Oil- to shallow fry.
Varutha Mutton Chops |
Cooking instructions
Clean and wash the mutton chops. In a mixer add ginger, green chillies, 1/2 tsp turmeric, salt and grind together to form a smooth paste.Mix the paste and the mutton chops and marinate for 10 minutes.Add the marinated mutton chops along with 1/4 cup of water in a pressure pan, and pressure cook for 20 minutes.Uncover the pan, and cook till the gravy turns dry and the pieces are well-coated.In a medium bowl beat the eggs with turmeric, chilly powder and a little salt.Heat a sauce pan, with enough oil to shallow fry. Dip each mutton chop in the beaten egg mixture and fry till golden brown. Serve hot.
Mythreyi Dilip is passionate about cooking and is working on a cookery book on international recipes in Tamil. She lives abroad."
Fried Lamb Chops |
Recipe Published on The Hindu Newspaper website |
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