AMH Cooks: Francesca's Pickled Eggplant

Sooooooo here is another favorite recipe I want to share with you. I was trying to decide what to share when some friends of my husband specifically asked for this one so they coud share it within their online group. Sooooooo I thought, PERFECT! This is a favorite of mine that my 80+ year old Italian neighbor, Francesca taught me. It's a little time consuming (especially because it should marinate for a few days after you prep it....but it is soooooo worth it, especially if you love authentic Italian food, which I do.

           
       Francesca's Pickled Eggplant

Ingredients:
4 or 5 medium eggplant
Coarse Kosher Salt
1 cup white vinegar
2 cups water (if making more just always use a 2 to 1 ratio with vinegar)
6 medium garlic cloves
10 leaves fresh basil, minced
15 small leaves fresh oregano, minced
red pepper flakes to taste
Cold press extra virgin olive oil

Glass jar to store in (mason jar, re-purposed olive jar, etc)

Directions:
Trim ends from eggplant, and peel. Cut into quarters lengthwise then turn sideways and cut those 4 quarters into strips (picture making french fries....that's the general size you want)

Place your strips into a plastic colander (certain metals can react with the eggplant causing a nasty taste), then cover them with the Kosher salt, and mix well by hand to ensure all pieces are coated. Place colander in sink, covered with a paper towel, and let sweat for about half an hour to 45 minutes. Sweating the eggplant pulls most of the moisture out of the eggplant and if you are using big eggplant it also helps remove the bitter bite.  

Rinse eggplant strips well with cold water, drain, and repeat 2 more times. After 3rd time rinse well with cold water then wring out any remaining water from the strips by hand. Finally, pat them dry with paper towels.

Combine vinegar and water in a non reactive saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add eggplant and pepper flakes, and boil until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Drain into plastic colander, and let cool for a few minutes. After draining, squeeze strips between paper towels to dry.

Pour a thin layer of olive oil into the bottom of your jar. Add some eggplant strips, a clove of garlic, some of your herb mix, and repeat until your jar is completely full. Make sure the eggplant is totally covered with oil, and nothing exposed at top of jar. You can use your finger or a fork to push down anything sticking above oil line. Seal your jar tightly, allow to cool then place in fridge*. For the absolute best flavor let it sit and marinate for a few days so they really soak in that flavor...but if you can't wait....I've had some the next day.

*Your oil may solidify as a result of refrigeration, don't worry, it's fine. Just set jar out on counter a few minutes before you want to serve and the room temp will loosen up the oil.

Now....this is good as part of an antipasta or by itself, in a salad or on a sandwich. My favorite way to eat it is on a warm ciabatta roll with sliced turkey, mozzarella cheese and olive oil. PHENOMINAL!!! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do and as always, let me know what you think.

AMH Cooks: Authentic Southern Greens

Well now this time I wasn't feeling particularly homesick when I decided to post this recipe. Some friends and I were going to get together to finish up a small group we had been in together and as the conversation progressed we decided to have a traditional Southern meal. When I said that I would bring the greens and cornbread one of my friends jumped up and got so excited because she wanted the recipe. I've been asked for the recipe before and have given it out, but never thought to post it here. UNTIL nowwwwwwww that is. LOL.  Now, I may be a white girl, but I make pretty bangin soul food, so I REALLY hope you enjoy it. Keep in mind....to get it right you need time...so allow yourself 3 to 4 hours to prep and cook the greens for your meal or they just won't taste as good....and if you prep them the day before...it's even better.

 

Authentic Southern Greens

(Kale, Turnip, Mustard or Collard)

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds smoked ham hocks or smoked meat (smoked pork and turkey are the best and with bone in adds better flavor)

1 large onion, diced

3 ½ cups chicken stock

2 cloves garlic minced

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 large bunches of greens* –washed (can use more since they really cook down)

½ tsp red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

¼ cup distilled white vinegar

1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

1 large can small white potatoes

*Please note that each green has a VERY distinct flavor difference ranging from strong to mild (collard and kale being the mildest) so if you try it with one green and don't like it, try it with another the next time. 

Directions:

1. Cut off and discard the tough stems and discolored leaves from the greens. Can either hand tear apart leaves into small pieces or cut the leaves into 2-inch ribbons.
2. Place the olive oil, onions, garlic, and the ham hocks in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid. Sauté until onions are translucent and ham hocks are golden brown with mild brown “crust” forming in bottom of pot.
3. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. (*note: if ham hocks aren’t fully covered in liquid then add enough water to cover them.) Lower the heat to low and simmer covered for 30 minutes.
4. Add the greens and the hot pepper flakes to the pot. Simmer covered for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the potatoes, cracked pepper and vinegar and simmer covered for additional 30 minutes.
6. Pull all meat off of ham hocks and return to pot, discarding bones.
7. Serve with pot likker (liquid in pot)

Serve hot or cold and with or without hot sauce. Pair with dense corn bread to sop up pot likker.

Now us Southerners eat greens with all kinds of things, so don't think you can only eat it with certain meals. We pair it with all kinds of meats, poultry and fish and occasionally even lasagna. Now, my personal favorite meal to have with greens is Southern style catfish, homestyle mac and cheese, and my Southern cornbread. Now add in a sweet tea and I'm golden. LOL

Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I do.

AMH Cooks: Alabama Fire Crackers

Sooooooo being raised down South I tend to get homesick every once in a while...especially at this time of year because it's SEC time. Which, for those of you that don't know....that means college football. That is a really big deal in Alabama and the other parts of the south too, but of course I'm biased to my home state and my home football team of Auburn. When I feel homesick I tend to think about anything that reminds me of back home. Of course some would say, "Well you aren't Southern anymore anyway...you've lived in Connecticut longer than you lived in Alabama." Well...it's true I have lived in Connecticut for 22 years now and only in Alabama for the first 14 years of my life...but what non-Southerners don't know and can't ever really understand is that being Southern isn't just an address....it's part of our DNA. It never leaves us....we are a part of that land as much as the red clay that forms it. Of course I love my New England home too (minus the politics) and all of my friends and family here, but my antebellum roots are always there and I want to share as much of them with you as I can. Now I have all kinds of Southern recipes from my family and from my time down there,.....but  this is not one of them....LOL. This recipe I actually found a little over a year ago and was initially drawn to it because it's named after Alabama. HOWEVER, once you try these simple little crackers you may never want to go without them again. They are AMAZING!  So, enjoy and let me know what you think. They are a great game time snack that is super easy and super inexpensive to make. I also included some alternative uses for them at the bottom.                         Alabama Fire Crackers

Ingredients:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 (1 ounce) envelopes ranch dressing mix

1 (1 ounce) envelopes Italian dressing mix

3 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes

1 (16.5 ounce) box Nabisco unsalted saltine crackers

 Directions:

Whisk all ingredients (EXCEPT THE CRACKERS) together until thoroughly mixed then pour into a 2-gallon plastic zipper bag. Place the crackers into the bag, seal, and gently turn the bag over to cover all the crackers with the spice mix. Let the bag sit for about 1 hour, then gently turn again. Repeat several more times until the crackers are well-coated with spice mix, then allow the bag to sit overnight. In the morning, remove crackers and serve. *Note: If you feel they are a bit too oily for your taste then you can spread them onto a cookie sheet and let them dry in a 200 degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes.

They are great for snacking on by themselves or along with soups, chili, salad, even tuna and chicken salad. If you can't or don't want to use them all as crackers to munch on you can also crush them and use them for breading on pork chops, chicken or fish.You can use them like you would regular crackers in meatloaf or meatballs. You can also use them to make a crust for a meat pie or for add ins to casseroles like broccoli casserole. The possibilities are endless really because you can also use different kinds of crackers. Try it with Wheat Thins, Triscuits, Goldfish, Oyster crackers....Club crackers or Ritz...get creative!

AMH Cooks: Sofrito & Recaito

I wanted to get back to the recipes portion of this blog for a moment. by sharing two recipes that I love and use often.

Connecticut has a huge Puerto Rican population and I have come to love a lot of the foods that they make. I've also come to appreciate a lot of the seasonings that they use and have come to use a lot of them in my own cooking. These are two staple items that are used in Puerto Rican cooking and if you don't live in an area that offers large ethnic grocery sections like I do then you can make them yourself. Also, if you just prefer fresh then you can make them yourself.  So far these are the best recipes I have found for them and they both come from Daisy Martinez, the host of tv's Daisy Cooks. If you've never tried Spanish food...please give it a try, you won't regret it. If you've never seen Daisy's show..please check it out...she's AMAZING!!! So, on that note, here are her recipes that I use all the time and highly recommend!

Sofrito - Can be used in almost every dish. Similar to how a lot of people use season salt in almost everything....this has the same amount of flexibility. From rice and vegetable dishes to soups and sauces, to meats and seafood, etc. I cannot recommend this one highly enough. Once you try it, you will look for ways to use it. It can also be frozen and used as needed.

2 medium Spanish onions, cut into large chunks
3 to 4 Italian frying peppers or cubanelle peppers
16 to 20 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large bunch cilantro, washed
7 to 10 ajices dulces (see note below), optional
4 leaves of culantro (see note below), or another handful cilantro
3 to 4 ripe plum tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into large chunks

Makes about 4 cups
Chop the onion and cubanelle or Italian peppers in the work bowl of a food processor until coarsely chopped. With the motor running, add the remaining ingredients one at a time and process until smooth. The sofrito will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
If you can’t find ajices dulces or culantro, simply up the amount of cilantro to 1 ½ bunches

Recaito - I love this in all kinds of things just like sofrito. Both are excellent, but this has a distinctly fresher taste to me which I think lends itself better to things like bean soups and meat dishes. It's AMAZING on a pork roast! Although I will also mix it with mayonnaise and make a very nice spread for sandwiches. Just like sofrito, it can get you out of almost any kitchen emergency. It also freezes very well so make extra and keep it on hand..
Makes about 1 ½ cups

1 medium Spanish onion, cut into big chunks 8 cloves garlic, peeled 6 ajicitos dulces (see recipe for Sofrito) or 1 cubanelle peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into chunks 4 leaves culantro (if you can't find culantro, increase the amount of Iajicitos or cilantro by half) 6 big sprig cilantro, stems and all, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup packed)

Place the onion and garlic in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. With the motor running, add the remaining ingredients, one at a time and process, until the mixture is smooth. 


Please make sure when you are purchasing your ajices dulces that you in fact do have that pepper, not just aji pepper or habanero. Ajices dulces are sweet with no heat at all.
Whatever extra amounts you have can be poured into ice trays, frozen and then bagged for later use.
Hope you enjoy and let me know how you have used these recipes! 

AMH Cooks 2

So this week I decided to post one of my all time favorite recipes, Jambalaya. I don't make it often, but when I do it's always a HUGE hit. The original recipe came from a cookbook I received as a bridal shower gift years ago and over time I've tweaked and adjusted it to make it my own. Hopefully you'll like it too.

Jambalaya

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Cups sliced onions

2 Cups diced red and yellow bell pepper

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

4 Cups stock (chicken, beef, vegetable or shrimp)

2 Tbsp minced fresh garlic

1/2 Tsp cajun seasoning (or to taste) - There are a lot of great ones out there, however I personally use a combination of my two favorites, Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish Magic  and Old Bay .

2 Tsp fresh thyme sprigs (or 1 tsp dried)

2 Cups peeled, seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes (you can substitute canned {drained}but the flavor from fresh is noticeable)

2 Cups long grain rice (I use Jasmin because of the distinct flavor difference)

1 pound peeled cooked shrimp (I tend to use more because people usually prefer a lot of shrimp in it)

1 pound smoked kielbasa

Minced parsley or cilantro for garnish

Directions:

*Note: I use a 7 quart non stick stock pot for mine.

Place the olive oil, onions, peppers, salt and pepper in pan and cook on med heat until onion softens and is slightly brown.

Stir in garlic, cajun seasoning and thyme and mix in completely. Add tomatoes and increase heat to med-high.Cook for 5 minutes (or until the tomatoes begin to break up), stirring constantly.

Stir in rice and stock. Bring to a boil the turn heat to medium. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender and the liquid just about absorbed. Approx 20 to 30 minutes.

Add shrimp and kielbasa and stir. Cook until shrimp and kielbasa are warmed through, about 3 minutes.

Garnish and serve.
Enjoy! :)

Introducing: AMH Cooks !

I'm excited! The votes are in from the poll last month and the winner for the new regular feature here at AMH is for me to share a favorite weekly recipe! YEAH!! I think the hardest part is going to be deciding which one to share each week. LOL. For your convenience, I created another page tab that you can see below the blog title up above, called "AMH Cooks" and on that page I will keep a list of all the recipes shared here. Sort of a virtual cookbook.
I had a hard time deciding what recipe to share first and my OCD wanted to share an appetizer first so that my entries were in order. However, I finally decided on a cream sauce recipe for my brother in law Stephen who specifically requested it last weekend. It is very similar to the Ruth Chris Steakhouse recipe, or so I've been told. I've never personally tried their version so you will have to let me know.
Since Spring is finally here...or at least making an attempted appearance, this is really good to create a warm weather dessert.

(* Please note: I'm licensed in food prep safety so you'll occasionally see me take some steps that you may feel are not necessary for your home or personal use and that's totally ok. I'll make the text color for those steps red so you can feel free to skip them. If you are going to make something for a large group of people though, it might be wise to follow them to prevent the possibility of illness.)

Cream Sauce for Fruit

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar (divided)
10 egg yolks
1/3 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Place cream and 1/2 cup of sugar in a saucepan on the stove. Mix well and heat until it starts to boil. (Be careful not to boil over.)
In a stainless steel bowl, mix egg yolks (You will not need the egg whites for this recipe.), 1/2 cup of sugar and vanilla until well blended and sugar is completely dissolved. Whisk simmering cream into egg mixture.
Transfer mixture to top half of stainless steel double boiler. Cook for 8 - 12 minutes on low to medium heat, (Temperature should reach between 165 -175 degrees F, use a candy thermometer to check. ) until sauce thickens and coats the back of the spatula, stir constantly.
Use the spatula to pull the sauce away from the sides and fold it back into the center of the pan. Remove from heat. Filter through a chinoise ( to remove any small lumps) and into a Tupperware container. Place a Ziploc bag filled with ice cubes into the sauce, and put the container into an ice bath to quickly cool it. When completely cool, remove the container from the ice bath, remove the bag of ice from the container and place the covered container in the refrigerator until time to serve.

To Serve: Pour over a dish of fresh fruit. (Strawberries, Raspberries, Blackberries or even Peaches are EXCELLENT with this!)  Add garnish (mint leaves are nice).

Variation: After the sauce has cooled, you can whip in (Be careful not to exceed ¼ cup) whiskey, brandy or rum to make a more interesting flavor.

Thanks for voting and let me know what you think! :)

Chocolate Dipped Madeleines

One of the ladies here at the deathstar will be retiring in the next couple of months and today was her birthday. I usually don’t go overboard for people here unless I’m really close to them, but since it is her last birthday here I decided to do something a bit fancier than usual. She loves chocolate, but everybody always makes her all kinds of chocolate so I wanted to do something different that would be a real treat. I decided I wanted to do some kind of cookie and at first I considered making pumpkin moon pies with a confection/cream cheese filling and dipped in chocolate, but decided I didn’t have time for that. So I decided to make chocolate dipped madeleines instead. Now if you aren’t familiar with what madeleines are, they are similar to shortbread cookies, but lighter. After I dipped them I drizzled white icing over the chocolate part so that it looked like lattice. They came out wonderfully, but of course I totally forgot to take a picture of them to post here…**sigh** (Sooooo I went online and found a picture of some plain choc dipped madeleines so you can see what they look like...see above).

Soooo I decided to share the recipe so some of you can make them too if you wish. Like I said I drizzled white icing on the chocolate part of mine but you can also sprinkle on, minced nuts, sugar shots, colored sugars or those little bb’s if you like. They are also WONDERFUL if you add cocoa to the batter and make chocolate, chocolate dipped madeleines.

You will need a special Madeleine pan, and they aren’t that expensive. They come in two sizes, regular size madeleines and minis. You can get a regular sized non-stick one for about $13.00. The pans look like this




Madeleine Cookies

Ingredients:
· 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
· 1 cup cake flour
· 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
· pinch salt
· 3 eggs
· 3/4 cup granulated sugar
· 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
· 1 tub Baker’s Dipping Chocolate
· 1 tube white icing with interchangeable tips

Makes: About 1 1/2 dozen madeleines.

instructions
Melt butter in microwaveable bowl. Skim off foam from surface; keep warm. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
In medium bowl, combine eggs and granulated sugar. Whip on high speed with electric mixer until thick and lemon-colored, about 3 minutes. Fold in orange zest. Gradually stir in warm butter. Fold in flour mixture. Cover and refrigerate 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray Madeleine pan with vegetable pan spray with flour. Spoon about 1 tablespoon batter into each cavity. Bake 13-14 minutes until Madeleine are firm to the touch. Remove pan from oven and immediately turn pan over onto cooling grid; gently tap pan to release Madeleines.

While cookies cool follow directions on tub of dipping chocolate and then dip end of cookie into chocolate making sure front and back of top are covered. Set down on waxed paper to decorate. (if using icing let chocolate harden completely first)

ENJOY!!