Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Sweet-Potato Hash with Bacon
I made this Sweet-Potato Hash with Bacon as an experiment for Thanksgiving last year. I knew it was good, real good, when I put it on the table, but my older brother was just about in tears over it. While this dish isn't going to win any awards for health because of the bacon, it will win you the love of all to whom you serve it.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Caprese Salad
This a quick, delicious addition to a meal especially in summer. I love it when I can serve this with tomaotes and basil from my vegetable patch.
Caprese Salad
2 large ripe tomaotes
1 container of fresh mozarella (comes as a ball floating in liquid NOT a shrink wrapped ball)
15 or so fresh basil leaves
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt
freshly ground pepper
1. Slice the tomatoes and mozerella into rounds.
2. Sprinkle the cheese with salt.
3. On a plate arrange tomato and mozzarella slices and basil leaves, alternating and overlapping to form a circle.
4. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.
5. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
A few thoughts from an LDS cook about cooking with wine or other alcohol:
(This entry refers to the recipe posted below)
Do you eat yeast raised breads or doughnuts? Do you eat cookies or other goodies made with vanilla extract? If you do, then you should not object to dishes cooked with a bit of wine as long as it has been prepared in such a way that the alcohol is surely cooked out. Since alcohol flees at the mere thought of being heated and in this dish the sherry sauce is boiled for 3 minutes, the alcohol is LONG gone by the time it is served leaving only the delicious flavors and enhancements provided by the other components of the sherry. In fact, some flavors, particularly those in tomatoes, are only alcohol soluble – meaning that they are only unlocked by alcohol. But once unlocked they remain in the sauce even after the alcohol is cooked out. Thus, every Italian nonna (grandma) that you will ever meet will pour a glass of red wine into her spaghetti sauce as it simmers on the back burner all afternoon and feed it to her grandkids with a clean conscience….unlike the young couple we sat next to at a café in Rome earlier this month who let their one year old baby boy have repeated tastes of beer when he asked……..not kidding. Buon Appetito!
Do you eat yeast raised breads or doughnuts? Do you eat cookies or other goodies made with vanilla extract? If you do, then you should not object to dishes cooked with a bit of wine as long as it has been prepared in such a way that the alcohol is surely cooked out. Since alcohol flees at the mere thought of being heated and in this dish the sherry sauce is boiled for 3 minutes, the alcohol is LONG gone by the time it is served leaving only the delicious flavors and enhancements provided by the other components of the sherry. In fact, some flavors, particularly those in tomatoes, are only alcohol soluble – meaning that they are only unlocked by alcohol. But once unlocked they remain in the sauce even after the alcohol is cooked out. Thus, every Italian nonna (grandma) that you will ever meet will pour a glass of red wine into her spaghetti sauce as it simmers on the back burner all afternoon and feed it to her grandkids with a clean conscience….unlike the young couple we sat next to at a café in Rome earlier this month who let their one year old baby boy have repeated tastes of beer when he asked……..not kidding. Buon Appetito!
Pork Chops Au Poivre
When I cook Pork Chops Au Poivre for dinner, my family knows that there is a temporary suspension of good manners at the dinner table and the knife and plate licking begin. You won't want to reliquish even one drop of this divine sauce to the dishwasher.
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