by Buck on October 31, 2009
When November is on the calendar Root Vegetables are in our kitchen. Root soup is sure to appear before long and the first root dish of the fall season is often our version of Root Vegetable Curry. I say “our version” quietly because this is one of those examples where Dorothy Cooks and Buck Writes
I might have a job dicing on the root veggie dishes but I don’t take a step past that activity. I know who is the master in our kitchen of the root vegetable recipes and their seasoning, so I just dice and say little. I limit my comments to, how beautiful this sunny, blue sky day is, with the mountains covered in fresh snow and just keep dicing.
Root Vegetable Curry
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled
A 6 to 8 cup mixture of diced root vegetables-carrots, sweet potato, potato, rutabaga, parsnip plus cauliflower and brussel sprouts.
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ cups chicken stock
2/3 cup tomato puree
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Preparation:
Step 1. Place onion, garlic and ginger in food processor and chop fine
Step 2. Heat oil in skillet and sauté onion mixture for about 3 minutes
Step 3. Add root vegetables and sauté for 10 minutes.
Step 4. Combine dry ingredients and stir into vegetables-cook for 1 minute
Step 5. Gradually stir in chicken stock and tomato puree. Bring to a boil.
Step 6. Cover reduce heat to simmer and cook till vegetables are tender(30 minutes)
Optional – add ¾ cup golden raisins for last 10 minutes
Service: Serve over steamed (white) Basmati rice –garnish with cilantro
Afterthought: Steam a little more rice than you think you will need. It will be used when your diners ask for seconds of this Root Vegetable Curry. White or Brown
Basmati rice works. We use the white with this dish.
by Buck on October 29, 2009
Red beans and Rice is not a dish that originated in the Rocky Mountains but it is especially comforting on a cold snowy day like today. I found my first Red Beans & Rice right where it is at home, in New Orleans about 40 years ago in a little restaurant near the waterfront. That little restaurant in New Orleans never saw a day like the one we are having in Colorado today. I have 30 inches of snow in my front meadow. This has been the earliest heavy snow in memory. The Red Beans and Rice are going to warm us on this beautiful, but cold, Rocky Mountain day
My recipe has been “borrowed” from authentic sources without too much deviation . I am sure I will hear if I miss a local authentic element from some bayou town with it’s own special twist. Cajun and Creole dishes are like Zydeco bands. They have a common theme and beat but if you listen closely they each add a bit of personal seasoning.
Buck’s Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients:
1 lb. dried red kidney beans
½ cup thinly sliced green onions
1 medium onion, diced
½ green bell pepper , diced
1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic
1 tsp. black pepper
1 ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp.dried thyme
3 tablespoons minced parsley
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 lb. cured ham diced
Soak Beans overnight in a cool spot. Discard Water
Preparation and Cooking of the Beans
Rinse beans in fresh water and discard rinse water
Place beans in a lidded sauce pan with several inches of liquid to cover
Bring to a boil over high heat then lower and simmer till tender
Add liquid as needed
Preparation of the Ingredients
Step 1.Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat
Step 2.When hot add onions, bell pepper, celery, ham and garlic and sauté
for about 3 minutes until vegetables begin to soften
Step 3. Stir in tomatoes, herbs, spices and vinegar and cook for about 15 minutes
Step 4. Scrape the mixture into the beans
Step 5. Cook for about 10 minutes until heated
Remove Bay Leaves
Cook Rice as per usual method. I use a rice cooker
When the rice is cooked, place in a deep serving bowl. Pour heated beans over the top then serve.
Comments:
The ham is not a traditional part of Rice and Beans. It makes it more than a side dish but I think it adds another layer of taste. Leave it out if you don’t feel like hamming up your Rice and Beans.
At our elevation dried red kidney beans are a real problem when cooking in a traditional manner. When first living here, I never soaked them long enough to work and tried cooking them for days without them softening. We have had success with the beans cooking in a pressure cooker for about 8 minutes. It works well, but I am not yet totally comfortable with the pressure cooker.
A rice cooker is an appliance that makes rice an easy part of any meal. The Sanyo 5.5 cup model cooks the rice perfectly and can do other tasks that are useful. Check it out and read the reviews. Sanyo ECJ-D55S 5.5-Cup Micro-Computerized Rice Cooker/Steamer
by Buck on October 27, 2009
The usual snacks that accompany watching the World Series or Monday Night Football deserve an occasion special boost. I make a crunchy snack using pizza dough and olives that is always the first item to disappear when some friends are over to watch a game or play poker. I have done variations for some time without thinking of putting the directions on paper but a TV food show stimulated me into action. I was watching a food show with suggestions as to what to serve when the guests were over to watch a game. They were among other items, making my crispy flat bread snack.
Their procedure was close enough for me to think that they might have been at my house one time when I served the snack. There were some major differences but it was close enough to confirm that this is an idea to be shared
Crispy Flat Bread and Olives
Ingredients:
8 ounce pizza dough ball
8 ounces of pitted olives (Kalamata and Manzanille)
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons, extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon .Balsamic vinegar
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400’
Step 1 in food processor mince olives then add, garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Step 2. process again until all elements are mixed( about 30 seconds) then set aside
Step 3 hand flatten pizza dough ball and then use a rolling to flatten very thin
Step 4.cut dough into strips about 2” wide and about 4 “ long
Step 5 arrange strips on a cookie sheet
Step 6. place a generous amount of the olive mixture down the center of each of the strips
Step 7. bake in oven until strips are brown and crispy ( about 8 or 10 minutes)
Service: Sprinkle Parmesan lightly over olive mixture.This recipe makes about 18 decent size crackers if you have rolled the dough really thin.
Afterthoughts: Get the dough ball at your local pizza shop and adjust ingredients if the dough ball is more than 8 ounces. Keep an eye on the baking so the strips are not overdone.
I have a pizza stone that I use in the oven which works well but the cookie sheet does the job if you don’t have a pizza stone
Kalamata are the purplish Greek olives and the Manzanille are green Spanish olives
If you have a crowd and want some variety, Basil Pesto also works well down the center of the strips
Remember: Roll the dough really thin!
by Buck on October 26, 2009
Buck Cooks was started with a simple goal, to share my cooking and entertaining experiences. I have been somewhat surprised by some of the comments that I have received since starting the blog.
Often I receive comments concerning the preparation time needed for some of the recipes I write about. This has been a surprise since my experience is that most of them seem pretty quickly prepared. Questioning has led me to a new understanding of some of the obstacles faced by some folks when they start to move away from a total diet of fast food and take out items.
If you are going to cook at home and do some interesting dishes you will need a few basic tools. The first thing I think that is needed is a good Chefs Knife that is sharp.. I have had many knives through the years with varying degrees of satisfaction. The home kitchen does not usually require the very expensive varieties that professional chefs use regularly. Their requirements are more stringent with heavy workloads every day.
I have found that The 8 inch Chefs knife by Victorinox is really the best first knife to have in your kitchen. It is well balanced, maintains an edge and most importantly is really inexpensive. It has a handle that is comfortable and it is a bit lighter to work with compared to more expensive knives..
If you are totally kitchen knife needy Victorinox has a 5 piece knife set that is really attractively priced by Amazon with free delivery included.
I do advise that you have your knives professionally sharpened from time to time. I sharpen my own knives regularly but cannot get the sharp edge that a professional can give your knife. The Victorinox comes with a very sharp edge that will carry you through many meals but several times a year a professional sharpening will help whatever knife you are using.
With a good Chef’s knife that is sharp you will find your knife skill rapidly improving with prep time being shortened for most recipes. A good knife helps to keep meal preparation an enjoyable activity.
