Sunday, January 30, 2011

Recipe Tests

I've been trying new recipes and fiddling with old ones since the year began. Today, I am revisiting my recipe for "Mexican Meatballs"; I have always made the meatballs with chopped pickled jalapenos, but today I substituted pepperoncini -- because that's what I had on hand. I also had chipotles in adobo in the freezer, so one of them went into the sauce. It's all cooking slowly now; smells good, so we will see....

The other day, I tried a quick Chicken Paella which turned out very nice, although it seemed to me to taste more like a Puerto Rican "Arroz con Pollo" that a true Paella.

Hmmm....I seem to be on a spicy kick; must be the cold and snow that have led me down that path. But I plan to try a recipe for "Orzo with Pesto and Lemon" this week. Yes, pesto, which I make in the summer and freeze so I can enjoy it in the winter. BTW, I freeze it without the Parmesan cheese because the cheese loses some of its flavor when frozen. And stirring freshly-grated cheese into the defrosted Pesto is very easy.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Shallots, mmmm good!

Right now, I'm making a simple marinated chicken breast which I'm roasting with a side of fingerling potatoes. Which got me remembering a simple recipe I used to make for Lenny: buttermilk mashed potatoes topped with fried shallots. It's pretty simple, so I won't try to offer precise measurements.

Make your favorite mashed potatoes. While they are cooking, thinly slice some shallots. Heat a neutral-tasting oil (eg, Canola) in a frying pan. Add the shallots, fry until they are crispy, then drain on paper towels. Top the mashed potatoes with the fried shallots. Enjoy.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

New Year; New Recipes

Happy New Year everyone. I hope any bad times are behind you and bright days are ahead.

I am trying a new recipe for baked whole chicken tonight; I'll let you know how it comes out. I'm also making a tried-and-true recipe for Potatoes Savoyarde and another for roasted asparagus. Just in case!

This winter weather inspires me to make comfort food, either new or old recipes. How about you? What do you love to make in the winter?