R,S,C #17 Recipes

Yummy! Here are the submissions from this week's game of Ready, Set, Cook! Stop by and give these fine bloggers a read, you won't be disappointed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
From Ian at The Gallumphing Gourmand:

High-Class Spuds

4 large baking potatoes
2 C chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned & trimmed, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1¼ C whipping cream
¾ C cognac
2 tbsp + 2 tbsp butter
150g boiled ham, julienned
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh ground pepper
1 C grated cheddar cheese
2 green onions, chopped fine
Worchestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 400F.
Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes until mearly done.
While the potatoes are baking, dry sauté the chanterelle mushrooms in a
medium skillet over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes, then add 2
tbsp of the butter and sauté for another few minutes. Add cognac, bring to
a boil, and reduce liquid by half, about 3-4 minutes. Lower heat to medium,
add cream, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.
When the potatoes are done, let them cool a little, then cut a 'cap' off the
top of each one, and scoop out the insides leaving about 1/3 inch of potato
all the way around.
Mash the potato with the garlic, 2 tbsp of the butter, a splash Worcestershirehire Sauce and some fresh ground pepper.
Arrange some of the julienned ham into the bottom of each potato skin.
Spoon the mashed potato evenly into each potato skin and pour some of the
mushroom-cognac reduction over each.
Sprinkle the remaining ham, some green onion and grated cheese on the top of
each one.
Bake at 425F for 15 minutes.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

From Krista at In the Kitchen with Krista:

Fettuccine Alfredo (with a twist!)

8 oz spinach fettuccini
2 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup FRESHLY shredded Parmesan
1 cup FRESHLY shredded peccorino romano
2 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
8 oz cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
4 oz boiled ham (julienned, cut to 1" strips)
1/2 cup raw walnuts, coarsely chopped

In small cup mix flour, salt and pepper.

Salt & pepper the chicken breasts, grill and set aside to rest.

Have cremini's, ham and walnuts prepared and set aside.

While preparing the sauce below, cook pasta according to the package
directions. When necessary, drain and set aside, leaving lid over to
keep it warm.

In a sauce pan, place the butter and melt over medium heat. Once
fully melted add the flour mixture. Whisk into the butter until very
smooth and cook 1 minute beyond smooth. Add heavy cream. Allow to
come to just about a boil and continue to cook until very thick.
Remove from heat and add the cheeses. Stir until very smooth, thick
and creamy.

In a large saute pan, add 2 tbs olive oil and put over medium high
heat. Once heated add the mushroom and cook for about 5 minutes (to
tender crisp). Add ham. Cook one minute. Add fettuccine and chicken.
Pour sauce over and saute until all ingredients are warmed thru.
During final stirring, add the chopped walnuts.

Pour all of it into a big pasta serving dish. And DIVE IN! :D

This SHOULD serve 4 comfortably....unless you're me and can eat the
whole bowlful yourself!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

From K at KFarmer & the Dell:

Ham & Mushroom Quiche

Ingredients

5 eggs
Cream
1 cup Swiss cheese
Portobello mushrooms
Roasted red pepper
Diced ham
Grits
Butter
9 inch deep dish pie crust

Chop and saute mushrooms in butter, add roasted red peppers; let cool.

Boil water for grits, add salt, grits and cook till done; add cream. Turn on very low heat; do not let cool completely.

Beat eggs and cream till light and fluffy. Add Swiss cheese, ham, mushrooms and red pepper and black pepper to egg mixture.

Place grits in bottom of pie crust.

Add egg mixture to pie and sprinkle more black pepper on top. Place in preheated oven at 375 for 30 to 40 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lastly, here is the recipe that the ingredients originally came from:

Fettuccine with Peas and Ham

5 T unsalted butter
1 c Parmesan cheese
6 ea green onions
1 lb fettuccine cooked
8 oz mushrooms sliced
1 1/4 c whipping cream
4 oz boiled ham chopped
1 x salt and pepper
1 ea 10 oz pk frozen tiny peas

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium head. Add shallots and
saute until soft. Add mushrooms, increase heat to high and cook until
mushrooms are very lightly browned. Add cream and boil two minutes.
Stir in peas and cook about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to low; blend in
ham cheese and fettuccine and toss until heated, well combined and sauce
clings to pasta. Season to taste. Serve immediately.

Ready, Set, Cook! #17

OK, you know the drill and if you don't, go HERE for instructions and rules of play!

Today's ingredients are a tiny bit different. They come directly from a recipe I have in my files and when we are all done on Thursday I will post the recipe that the ingredients came from.

8 oz mushrooms (pick a type-the recipe doesn't specify)
1 1/4 c whipping cream (aka-heavy cream)
4 oz boiled ham

On your mark, get set, COOK!

Scottish Cuisine...?

This weekend brought the annual Celtic Classic to Bethlehem. The kids and I went for one of the opening ceremonies, the Piping of the Haggis and Haggis Eating Contest. I try to get there each year to watch these men and women eat that thing without losing it. I don't know why it's such a novelty but we love watching.

This year's winner was the same as last, Darren Lucey of Brooklyn, N.Y., beating the 22 other competitors out in one minute and twenty seconds. (I'm not sure I could get one down in 24 hours though I am of Scottish descent.) The contest was emceed by Neville Gardner, the owner of Donegal Square here in Bethlehem, purveyor of all things Celtic. Prior to the actual downing of the Grand Grey Lump, Art Charlton of Easton recited the Robert Burns poem, ''Ode to A Haggis'':

Ode to a Haggis
Robert Burns

All hail your honest rounded face,
Great chieftain of the pudding race;
Above them all you take your place,
Beef, tripe, or lamb:
You're worthy of a grace
As long as my arm.

The groaning trencher there you fill,
Your sides are like a distant hill
Your pin would help to mend a mill,
In time of need,
While through your pores the dews distil,
Like amber bead.

His knife the rustic goodman wipes,
To cut you through with all his might,
Revealing your gushing entrails bright,
Like any ditch;
And then, what a glorious sight,
Warm, welcome, rich.

Then plate for plate they stretch and strive,
Devil take the hindmost, on they drive,
Till all the bloated stomachs by and by,
Are tight as drums.
The rustic goodman with a sigh,
His thanks he hums.

Let them that o'er his French ragout,
Or hotchpotch fit only for a sow,
Or fricassee that'll make you spew,
And with no wonder;
Look down with sneering scornful view,
On such a dinner.

Poor devil, see him eat his trash,
As feckless as a withered rush,
His spindly legs and good whip-lash,
His little feet
Through floods or over fields to dash,
O how unfit.

But, mark the rustic, haggis-fed;
The trembling earth resounds his tread,
Grasp in his ample hands a flail
He'll make it whistle,
Stout legs and arms that never fail,
Proud as the thistle.

You powers that make mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill of fare.
Old Scotland wants no stinking ware,
That slops in dishes;
But if you grant her grateful prayer,
Give her a haggis.

So, just what IS haggis? Roughly, heart, liver, lungs of a sheep, oats and spices all stuffed into a sheep's stomach and simmered for hours. Mmmmm...

This is Jeff Smith's recipe from his book "The Frugal Gourmet on our Immigrant Ancestors":

"Traditionally, a Haggis is made from the lung, liver, and heart of the sheep. These are mixed with oatmeal and a few spices and stuffed into the sheep's stomach. After being boiled, the Haggis is brought to the table with a great deal of ceremony. A piper ushers in the Haggis and all raise a glass of Scotch whiskey and "brrreath a prrayerr for the soul of Rrrobbie Burrrns!" It is then served with "neeps and nips," mashed turnips and nips of whiskey. I think you have to drink a lot of Scotch before you can truly enjoy this dish, but a party of Scots without a Haggis is simply not heard of.
I prepared this recipe for the Medinah Highlander Pipe and Drum Band of Chicago. They piped the Haggis into the dining room, the boiled sheep's stomach being carried on a silver tray by Craig, my assistant. The Pipe and Drum Major cut the Haggis in the sign of the Cross and the party began. These pipers ate everything in sight ... so I am willing to offer you *MY* version of Haggis.

THE MAJOR INGREDIENTS:
1 pound beef heart, cut into 2-inch-wide strips.
1 pound beef liver.
1/2 pound lamb stew meat, cut in 1-inch cubes.
1 1/2 cups peeled and finely chopped yellow onion.
4 tablespoons Scots whisky.
2 cups oatmeal, toasted on a cookie sheet in a 375F oven for 10 minutes).
THE SEASONINGS:
2 teaspoons salt.
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
1 teaspoon dried thyme, whole.
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary.
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg.
THE CASING:
3 beef CAPS (Talk to a sausage shop about these).
1 cup distilled white vinegar.
1/2 tablespoon salt for soaking.
Place the beef heart in a 4-quart covered pot and just cover with cold water. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Add the beef liver and lamb stew meat, and cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the contents of the pot and cool. Reserve 1 cup of the liquid. Grind everything coarsely.

In a large bowl mix all of the ingredients, except for the beef caps, vinegar, and salt for soaking. Mix well and set aside.

Rinse the beef caps in cold water. Turn them inside out and soak them in 2 quarts of cold water with the salt and vinegar for 1/2 hour. Drain them and rinse very well, inside and out.

Divide the meat mixture into three parts. Fill the beef caps with the meat mixture and tie the ends off with string. Two will have to be tied on just one end, but the third piece will be tied on both ends. Prick the Haggis all over with corn holders or a sharp fork. Place in a steamer and steam for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Serve the Haggis, sliced, with beef or lamb gravy."

R,S,C #16 Recipes

Here they are! Recipes from Tuesday's game of Ready, Set, Cook! This must have been a "family" week since all 3 of we are related! (sister-in-law and brother)
Check out these recipes and visit their blogs.

From Krista at In the Kitchen with Krista:

Red Pepper Zucchini Penne with Italian Grilled Pork Chops

1 Red Pepper, sliced in strips, then cut in half
2 zucchini, sliced into "coins"
8 oz Penne pasta, cooked according to package directions (al dente)
3 Tbs olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded
Salt & pepper to taste

In heavy skillet, place 2 tbs olive oil, heat up. Add minced garlic
and saute for about1 minute - do not let the garlic burn! Add red
peppers and zucchini, saute until "crunchy tender". Sprinkle italian
seasoning and continue to saute for 2 minutes. Add pasta to pan and
mix well. Sprinkle with parma cheese and last tbs of olive oil
(season w/ salt & pepper now too) and combine again. Divide pasta
between 4 large bowls.


For the pork chops...

marinate in fridge for 1 hour in italian salad dressing. Grill 4 to 6
minutes a side until cooked thru. (we use an indoor electric grill
that grills both sides at one time, so it goes faster, but can be done
ahead of time).

Slice chops on the bias and put one chop ontop of each pasta portion.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
From Bobby at Ear to the Heavens:

Apple and Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops

6 pork chops, at least 1-inch thick
2 to 4 slices diced bacon,
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 apples- peeled, cored, diced
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. finely chopped parsley

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Crisp the bacon in a pan.
Add celery and onion and cook until tender.
Add apples and mix in the sugar.
Cover and cook slowly until tender and glazed.

Add bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and parsley.
Mix well.

Slice a pocket into each chop and stuff with stuffing mix.
Season chops with salt and pepper.
Heat oven-safe skillet to medium-high heat.
Sear the chops on both sides.
Remove from the heat and place in the oven for 30 minutes.

Zucchini and Penne Pasta

INGREDIENTS:
1lb penne pasta
8 cups water
2 medium zucchini
2 crushed cloves of garlic
2 tbsp. of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste.
1 tbsp finely chopped basil
1/2 cup finely ground parmesan cheese.

PREPARATION:
Boil 8 cups of salted water.
Add 1lb of penne pasta to the water.
When the pasta is cooked, remove from the heat and drain.
Return pasta to the pot and cover.

Cube 2 medium zucchinis.
Over medium-high heat, add the olive oil to a large skillet.
Toss in the garlic, salt, and pepper.
Once the garlic begins to soften, add the basil and stir well.
Once the basil is stirred in, add the zucchini to the pan.
Cook until tender.

Add the contents of the skillet to the pasta.
Stir in the parmesan cheese.

Serve on the side with the pork chops.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My submission:

Creamy Pork and Penne Primavera

6 boneless pork chops~1" thick~sliced 1/2" thick on the bias
olive oil
3/4 c. dry white wine or chicken stock
1 T. minced shallot
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
3 T. Dijon-style mustard
Freshly ground white pepper to taste
8 oz. penne cooked al dente and kept warm
1 c baby carrots~cut in 1" julienne
2 medium zucchini~cut in 1" julienne halved
1 broccoli crown, cut into small florets

Steam or microwave the vegetables until just tender and brightly colored, taking care not to overcook. Keep warm.
In a small heavy saucepan boil the wine or stock with the shallot until it is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Add the cream. Bring the mixture just to a boil and simmer it for 2 minutes, or until it is thickened slightly. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl and whisk in the mustard, the white pepper, and salt to taste.
Saute the pork sliced in olive oil until no longer pink.
Add the veggies, penne and cream sauce and heat through.

Ready, Set, Cook! #16

For today's game of Ready, Set, Cook! I've added ingredient amounts. I don't do this often but it sometimes helps depending on the ingredient.
Please click HERE first before playing so you can get the full rules of play.

Here are today's ingredients:

4-6 boneless pork chops
8 oz -1 lb penne pasta
2 medium zucchini

Aprons on and get creating! "See" you Thursday!