Kai's "Old-Fashioned" Recipe Thread

Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

4 grapefruits
4 avocados
Lettuce
Dressing

Cut the grapefruits in half and section carefully. Remove all sections and place in bowl. Peel avocados and slice about the same size as the grapefruit sections. Arrange on individual salad plates in a lettuce cup, alternating slices of grapefruit and avocado. Pour dressing over and serve.


INGREDIENTS for Dressing:

1/4 cup salad oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup catsup

TO PREPARE Dressing:

Combine all ingredients in jar and shake vigorously until well mixed. (This may be made ahead and refrigerated until needed.)

SERVES: 8

Grapefruit and Avocado Salad

4 grapefruits
4 avocados
Lettuce
Dressing

Cut the grapefruits in half and section carefully. Remove all sections and place in bowl. Peel avocados and slice about the same size as the grapefruit sections. Arrange on individual salad plates in a lettuce cup, alternating slices of grapefruit and avocado. Pour dressing over and serve.


INGREDIENTS for Dressing:

1/4 cup salad oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup catsup

TO PREPARE Dressing:

Combine all ingredients in jar and shake vigorously until well mixed. (This may be made ahead and refrigerated until needed.)

SERVES: 8

New England Clam Chowder

Take a trip to Nantucket this winter with our heart-warming fisherman's special, made lighter and healthier by nixing the bacon fat and using less cream. The white wine adds character and marries the flavors.

(serves 6 and makes 3 quarts):

1/2 cup butter
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell peppers
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 cup flour
1 cup white wine
Three 8 oz. cans clam juice
Three 12 oz. cans chopped clams
1 quart milk
2 cups cubed peeled potatoes
3 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped parsley + 1 Tablespoon for optional garnish
salt & pepper, to taste
oyster crackers for garnish (optional)

In a 5-quart soup pot melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, green bell peppers, garlic, and dried thyme. Sauté until tender. Add the flour and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the wine, clam juice, milk, and heavy cream; stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add the clams and potatoes. Cook until potatoes are tender (5-10 minutes). Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the 1/4 cup of chopped parsley. For optional garnish, sprinkle with oyster crackers and 1 Tablespoon of chopped parsley and serve.


Note: For a lighter version, replace the cream with the equivalent amount of milk. You can also remove the flour entirely, or just use less, for a thinner chowder.

Bombay Tomato-Coconut Soup

Here's a recipe that starts with an everyday staple—a can of crushed tomatoes—and ends up in an exotic corner of the world. Adapted from a traditional Indian recipe that often pairs it with mango chutney and chicken, this flavor-packed soup features toasted coconut sprinkled on top—an element that mellows the tomatoes' acidity and provides an extra-delicious crunch. Serve with our Lemon-Basil Monkey Bread to perfectly complement flavors.


(serves 6 and makes 3 quarts):

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup olive oil
One 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
24 oz. water
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons oregano
pinch of cinnamon
One 12 oz. can of coconut milk
1/4 cup toasted flaked coconut (sweetened)
salt & pepper, to taste
sugar, to taste (optional)

Add the olive oil to a 5-quart soup pot and heat until hot. Add the onion and celery and sauté until tender (approximately 10 minutes). Add the canned tomatoes, water, bay leaf, oregano, and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Stir in the coconut milk and remove the bay leaf. In a blender, working in batches of no more than two cups, purée the soup. Hold a towel or large hot pad over the lid of the blender so it will not blow open and scald you with hot soup. Place the soup back on the stove and season with salt, pepper, and a little sugar (optional). Garnish with a sprinkle of toasted coconut on top (see note below). Serve the soup hot.


Note: To toast the coconut: preheat oven to 350ºF. Spread the flaked coconut evenly on a cookie sheet. Place on the middle rack of the oven and cook for 3-5 minutes. Watch the coconut closely since it can burn quickly. If necessary stir the coconut to brown evenly.

Monkey Bread

Warning: this is funky bread—cut into little diamonds, shoved into a bundt pan, baked to perfection, and then pulled apart mercilessly by hungry hands. Your grandpa might claim this is his favorite dipping bread in the world—at least the most fun—so pass it along to your next generation in one of our four variations, including a sweet one for breakfast or dessert.

(serves 4-6):

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, unsifted
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup very warm water
2 Tablespoons softened butter
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter

Spray a 10" tube pan (angel food cake pan) with cooking nonstick spray. In a bowl place 1-1/2 cups of the flour. Add the sugar, yeast, warm water, egg, salt, and softened butter. Blend together with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Beat 3 minutes on medium speed. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of flour on low speed until just combined. Knead dough on floured work surface for 1 minute. Press the dough into a 12 x 15-inch rectangle. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 2-inch diamond-shaped pieces. Place the melted butter into a shallow pan, dip the diamond-shaped bread pieces into the butter, and layer in the prepared baking pan. Cover the bread with a piece of plastic wrap or a dish towel. Let rise, until doubled in size, about an hour. In a 350ºF preheated oven, bake the bread for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the pan for 2 minutes, invert on a serving plate, remove the pan, and serve.


Variations:

Bacon (for New England Clam Chowder): Crumble or dice 5 pieces of cooked bacon and add in step 2 before the additional 2 cups of flour.


Lemon/Basil (for Tomato Coconut Soup): Add 2 teaspoons of lemon zest and 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil in step 2 before adding the additional 2 cups of flour.


Chipotle Peppers (for Tex-Mex Chicken Tortilla Soup): Chop 2-3 canned Chipotle peppers and add in step 2 before the additional 2 cups of flour. (Always wear gloves because chipotle peppers can burn!)


Sweet Cinnamon (for dessert): Mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1 Tablespoon cinnamon in a shallow pan. In step 6 of the recipe, after dipping each 2-inch diamond-shaped piece of dough in the butter, lightly pat one side of the diamond into the sugar-and-cinnamon mixture. Place in your prepared pan and repeat with remaining diamonds. Sprinkle any leftover sugar-and-cinnamon mixture on top before baking. Continue recipe as written.

Blue Cheese Spread

8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
8 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
2 Tbsp. Madeira wine
2 Tbsp. shallots, finely chopped
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Serve with crackers, bread or fresh fruit.


Baked Garlic Salmon

6 - 8 salmon steaks
Juice of 3 lemons
6 - 8 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine, optional
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, white wine, and parsley together. Place salmon steaks in a lightly greased baking dish and pour mixture over salmon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes or until fish is flaky. You can also make this recipe with a couple of large salmon fillets.


Oriental Wild Rice Pilaf

1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cup Chinese cabbage, shredded
1 cup wild rice
1 cup white rice
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup sherry
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan and saute onion and cabbage for 5 minutes. Add rice, garlic, chicken broth, sherry and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.


Walnut Fudge

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 14-ounce can evaporated milk
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup butter
Pinch of salt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Combine chocolate, evaporated milk, sugar, butter and salt together in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. Add vanilla and nuts and beat with a mixer until mixture is thickened and less shiny than before. Pour into a greased baking dish or cookie sheet and allow to cool several hours before cutting into 1-inch squares.



Another option with the salmon is to cook it on the grill. I like cooking out all year, even during the winter. Of course, winters here in Tidewater are much milder than in many parts of the country. I don't know if I would be such a fan of outdoor cooking in the winter if there were big piles of snow all over my deck.

If you do decide to grill, and can push all that snow out of the way, salmon works particularly well on the grill if you get filets with the skin on. Place the salmon fillets on the hot grill with the skin side down and let it cook slowly. The tough salmon skin acts almost like a dish to protect the meat from the direct heat of the fire and allow the juices and spices to cook into the meat. Then when you go to take the meat off of the fire, you just slide a spatula just under the meat and above the skin. You end up with meat that is cooked to perfection but not burned by the heat. Often, you end up removing the meat and the skin stays stuck to the grill. Salmon skin is like nature's original tinfoil, but with the added benefit of allowing the fish to cook naturally in its own juices.

Chinese Pasta

8 ounces spaghetti
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch green onions with tops, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 ounces snow peas, trimmed
1 Tablespoon freshly grated gingerroot
1 Tablespoon sherry
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon dark sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Cook the pasta using package directions until al dente.
Drain and rinse. Spread the red pepper, mushrooms and green onions in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast at 375 degrees until the vegetables are light brown but not soft, turning once. Steam the snow peas in a steamer for 3 minutes. Combine the pasta, roasted vegetables and snow peas in a bowl and mix gently. Add a mixture of the gingerroot, sherry, soy sauce and sesame oil, tossing to coat. Spoon onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with the cilantro and pepper. Cool the roasted vegetables before tossing with the pasta and dressing for a cold dish.

SERVINGS: 4

Bonfire Soup


INGREDIENTS:
1 pound spicy sausage, ground with casings removed
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large potato, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups beef stock
1 cup canned kidney beans, drained
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes in juice
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup red wine
Parsley

In a large sauce pan, sauté sausage. Remove and pat dry Sauté the onion, green pepper, potatoes and garlic. Add the sausage, beef stock, kidney beans, tomatoes and spices. Simmer for 1/2 hour. Skim off any fat that has risen to the surface. Add red wine. Garnish with chopped parsley.

SERVES: 8 - 10

Chicken Noodle Soup & Chicken Broth

Cut up these various veggies: leeks, parsnip, carrot, onion, & celery (peeling, or type of cutting doesn't matter, this is for the broth, for flavoring)
Put all in a LARGE pan with a whole raw chicken. Cover all with water. Add: thyme. Place lid on pan. Bring to a boil. Simmer 20-25 minutes. Take off skin, may be floating on top.

Leave lid off, simmer 1 hour more. Take chicken out. Seperate legs & shred. Put back into pot (the whole chicken, NOT what was shredded) Cook 1 hour. Strain to keep the broth, do not keep what's in the strainer.

Put into an empty pan: 1 carrot, 2 stalks celery, 1/2 an onion. (all peeled and cut up nicely, this is what you are going to eat) add stock (the liquid from what was strained) & thyme & salt, pepper and egg noodles. Cook 10 minutes. Add 1/2 C shredded chicken. Reduce stock to enhance flavor. Bring stock back to a boil on stove.
Can freeze leftover broth

This looks really good, sooo healthy, totally home made :)

Chicken Nuggets

In a bowl place grond up pecans, bread crumbs & emeril's essence
In a seperate bowl, place: 2 eggs, beaten; olive oil & essence

Dip cut up chicken breast in egg then bread crumb mixture.
Bake at 375 F or 400 for 25-30 minutes


Honey Mustard Sauce (for nuggets)
1/2 C mayo
1/4 C mustard
1/4 C honey

Egg Drop Soup



• 1 egg

• 2 c. prewashed fresh baby spinach leaves, packed

• 1 c. (about 6 oz.) cooked chicken pieces (see Note)

• 2 tbsp. cornstarch

• 3 (14-oz.) cans reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth (see Note)

• 2 tsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce

• 1 tsp. hoisin sauce

• 1 small red bell pepper (for about 1 c. chopped)

• 1 bunch green onions (for 1/2 c. sliced)

• 1 1/2 c. already-sliced fresh mushrooms

• 1 tsp. Asian (dark) sesame oil

• 1 tsp. bottled minced garlic

Break the egg into a small bowl; beat it with a whisk or fork until foamy. Set aside. Divide the spinach evenly among 4 large soup bowls. Set aside. Cut the chicken into bite-size chunks (if necessary) and set aside. Mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold tap water in a small jar that has a lid. Shake until well combined and no lumps remain. Set aside.

Pour the broth, soy sauce and hoisin sauce into a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven or soup pot. Place it over high heat, cover the pot and bring the broth to a boil. Meanwhile, core and seed the bell pepper and cut it into bite-size pieces. Set aside. Trim and thinly slice the green onions, using all of the whites and enough tender green tops to make 1/2 cup. Set aside.

When the broth boils, add the sliced mushrooms, reduce the heat to medium to maintain a moderate boil and cook, uncovered, until the mushrooms begin to get tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the reserved bell peppers, chicken and green onions. Add the sesame oil and garlic.

Shake the cornstarch mixture again to recombine. Add the cornstarch mixture to the soup, and cook and stir until the soup thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat. Stirring constantly, slowly pour the beaten egg into the soup in a thin stream. The egg will immediately form cooked lacy strands. To serve, ladle the soup into the bowls over the spinach, and press down on the spinach to make sure all of the leaves are covered with broth. Let the bowls stand 1 minute so the heat from the soup can wilt the spinach leaves. Serve immediately.

Note: Use plain, unseasoned, oven-roasted cooked chicken for this recipe or use leftovers. Reduced-sodium chicken broth is widely available. If you can't find it, omit 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce.

:D