Pizza Sauce

September 18, 2016 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

Last year when I was canning tomatoes I decided to make salsa. As usual, I did more than necessary and have plenty of salsa left for this year. This season I made some of my tomatoes into pizza sauce. There is no pizza delivery anywhere remotely close to where we live so when we are craving pizza I need to make it myself. The sauce is relatively easy to make. Cooking down the tomatoes is the most time consuming part so you need to be patient or you will end up with watery sauce. The kitchen smells so good when this sauce is cooking.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes , approximately 4 quarts peeled and diced

2 T olive oil

1 Large Onion diced

6 or more cloves of garlic (I used more)

2 T oregano

2 T basil

2 T celery seed

4 T chopped fresh parsley

2 T salt

2 T granulated sugar

cracked pepper to taste

1/4 tsp citric acid per pint of sauce

Core, peel and dice the tomatoes. Bring a large kettle of water to a boil and drop a few tomatoes in for a minute or so until you see the skins start to break. Remove the tomatoes to an ice water bath and slide the skins off. Dice and put the tomatoes into a large, non aluminum, kettle.

Begin cooking the tomatoes over medium heat. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is tender and translucent but not brown. Add the onion and garlic to the tomatoes.

Bring the tomatoes to a simmer stirring frequently. Add the sugar, herbs and spices, and salt and pepper. Once the tomatoes begin to break down use an immersion blender to get a nice, smooth sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes have reduced by approximately 50% and you have a nice sauce that clings to the spoon.

Ladle the sauce into sterilized jars (I used pints). Add 1/4 tsp of citric acid just before sealing the jars. Process the sauce in a hot water bath for 45 minutes. Once you remove the jars from the water bath allow them to cool completely before storing.

That is not ALL pizza sauce…better than half the jars are diced tomatoes. Now, all you need to do is whip up a crust and get a pizza in the oven. I made one with the sauce that was left over after filling my jars and some of our favorite toppings.

NOTE. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can use a regular blender or food processor and process in small batches. Also feel free to add other spices or increase/decrease some of the ones that I used. If you like your sauce kicked up a little add some red pepper flakes.

I put my garlic cloves in the tomatoes without dicing. Once the sauce simmered for awhile the immersion blender took care of them.

Cabbage, Potato and Sausage Bake

September 17, 2016 / featherheadlady / 2 Comments

It’s been a long time since I’ve been on the FinnishDish. I haven’t stopped cooking or taking pictures of food but apparently I have not been focused on sharing. I’ve been busy canning…tomatoes, pizza sauce, pickles. I have a crock full of shredded cabbage waiting to become sauerkraut. I’ve never attempted that before. It will take at least another 5 weeks but I will blog that, success or failure. Everyone tells me homemade sauerkraut is the BEST. Hope mine lives up to my expectations. In the process of shredding the cabbage (the thickness of a dime) I had a good amount of odds and ends left so I decided to make the cabbage and sausage bake. Fall is nearly here and this is perfect one dish, easy comfort food. One of my Dad’s favorite dishes is boiled dinner and this is kind of a baked boiled dinner.

Ingredients:

1 medium head of cabbage cored and cut into wedges

1 pound of new potatoes

1 large sweet onion sliced

4-5 slices of bacon diced

1 pound sausage links (I used andouille)

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 370.

Cut your cabbage into quarters and core. Cut quarters in half and put in a large casserole or roasting pan. My cabbage is kind of a mess because it’s odds and ends but it will cook up fine. Wash the potatoes and add them to the cabbage.

If you’re using larger potatoes cut them into quarters.

Fry the bacon for 6-7 minutes. You don’t want it to be crispy. Add the onion and cook until onions are translucent.

Distribute the bacon and onion mixture, including the drippings, over the cabbage and potatoes.

Brown your sausage in the skillet and add to the casserole dish. Add salt and pepper and pour broth over the meat and vegetables.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove casserole from the oven and allow to sit 15 minutes covered. Serve and enjoy!

NOTE: Recipes frequently call for two or three slices of bacon so when I buy bacon I roll the slices and put them in threes or fours and freeze them in zip lock freezer bags.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

June 8, 2016 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

Earlier this week I made stuffed peppers and there were a few left over. While we love leftovers, and truthfully, sometimes leftovers taste even better than they did the first time around, this time I decided to repurpose them. We have had some pretty chilly May days and soup sounded perfect so I turned the peppers into soup. Definitely an easy dish. Earlier this year I posted my recipe for stuffed peppers. I use ground pork and rice, lots of onion and garlic, and tomatoes. Any recipe that you use for peppers would work in this soup.

Ingredients:

2-3 leftover stuffed peppers

1 pint of diced tomatoes

2 cups of beef broth (I use Better than Boullion)

2 T olive oil

1 cup rough diced sweet onion

3-4 cloves of garlic minced

basil and oregano

1 T brown sugar

1 pint green beans

Heat olive oil in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven and add the diced onion. Cook for two to three minutes stirring occasionally until the onion are tender but not brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Rough chop the peppers and add them to the pot.

Add the tomatoes, brown sugar and broth.

Stir in the green beans and fresh herbs.

Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. All of the ingredients have already been cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and garnish with a little shredded cheese. I used Asiago but you can use any of your favorites. Perfect on a chilly evening with some good, crusty bread.

NOTE: You can substitute corn, diced zucchini, or frozen peas for the green beans. If you have more leftover peppers increase the broth and tomato portions. Enjoy your leftovers!

Creamy Pesto with Asparagus and Chicken

April 27, 2016 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

I have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus. Not because I haven’t been cooking. Probably mostly because I’ve been a bit lazy. Last weekend we went to an Italian restaurant with a group of people and a friend ordered linguini with a creamy pesto sauce. She said it was excellent and wanted to know how to make it so I thought I’d do a little experimenting. I don’t usually like cream sauces but I actually did like this. I liked it a lot. I also prefer angel hair over linguini or fettuccini so that’s what I used.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup chicken broth (I used better than bouillon)

2 T butter

1/2 cup pesto

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese plus more for finishing

1-2 T olive oil

1 chicken breast sliced into medallions

1 bunch of asparagus cut into 1-2 inch pieces

1 can baby artichokes halved

1 heirloom tomato diced

1/2 pound pasta of your choice

Heat a large kettle of salted water to boiling and cook pasta according to package instructions.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy skillet. Cut the chicken breast into medallions, season with salt and pepper and sear on both sides. Put on a platter and keep warm until serving.

If necessary add a little more olive oil to the skillet and add the asparagus. Cook over medium high heat just until tender tossing occasionally. Add the artichokes to the skillet and keep warm.

In a medium size, heavy sauce pan heat the cream and chicken broth to a simmer. Add butter and stir until melted. Stir in the pesto and garlic powder. Add the shredded Parmesan and stir until melted.

Put the cooked pasta in a large skillet over low heat. Reserve some of the pasta water. Add the asparagus and artichoke hearts to the pasta.

Add the chicken and the sauce and toss to coat. If necessary add some of the pasta water.

Add the tomatoes just before serving.

Serve in pasta bowls and garnish with some additional shredded cheese and cracked pepper. This dish was very yummy and for sure I will make it again. I think that the addition of the pesto and the chicken broth made this dish a little less rich than typical cream sauces although heavy cream and butter play a major role here.

You can add your favorite vegetables in place of the asparagus and artichoke hearts or in addition to them. You could also substitute shrimp or bay scallops for the chicken or make the dish meatless. I used prepared pesto but obviously you could make your own and that would make the dish even better!

Mangia!Mangia!

Tomato Bisque

March 23, 2016 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

This is a rich, tomatoey soup that is a big hit with almost everyone I’ve served it to. We all grew up eating Campbell’s tomato soup. When I was a kid, long long ago, on Saturday nights we often had tomato soup with popcorn in it. It’s actually a very good combo. I saw a recipe a while back for tomato popcorn soup in an issue of Food Network magazine. Of course they used popcorn with truffle oil and grated truffle percorino cheese but even so, they must have channeled my mother. I think our family had this because it was a very inexpensive dinner that went a long way. Truffle oil and truffle percorino would have defeated the purpose. Plus the little general store in my hometown carried neither. This soup recipe also uses a little Campbell’s but it’s the add-ins that make it so amazing. The recipe originated from a bar-restaurant in Jackson Michigan. I’ve modified it a bit by adding red or orange bell pepper, fresh garlic, and fresh basil. I also use my home canned stewed tomatoes but good store bought stewed tomatoes work great.

Ingredients:

4 T butter

1 large sweet onion diced

1 red or orange bell pepper diced

4-5 garlic cloves sliced

3 pints stewed tomatoes

1 large family size can Campbell’s tomato soup

8 oz cream cheese

1 T dried basil

3 cups half-n-half

salt and pepper to taste

fresh basil and Asiago cheese for garnish

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or heavy kettle over medium high heat and add the onions and peppers. Cook until they are tender, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute or two until the garlic is fragrant.

Reduce the heat. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato soup. Cube the cream cheese and add that to the tomatoes.

Cook over low heat until heated through. Stir in the dried basil and salt and pepper to taste. Use an immersion blender and purée the soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can add the soup, in batches, to your food processor or blender. Stir in the half-n-half. Continue to cook over low heat until the soup comes to a simmer. Serve it up garnished with fresh chiffonaded basil, shredded cheese and croutons. I used Asiago cheese and croutons made from swirl rye. Enjoy!

NOTE: You can add some diced oven dried tomatoes, diced green onion, or another favorite cheese like sharp cheddar or smoked Gouda. This soup can also double as an awesome sauce for vegetable crepes or pasta dishes. This soup freezes beautifully.

Irish Soda Bread

March 19, 2016 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

One of my daughter’s friends recently asked me for a recipe for Soda Bread and it reminded me that it I been a long time since I’d made it myself. It’s a very simple, rustic bread. No yeast. No proofing. No rising. Very little kneading. Easy to pull together. I think I got this recipe years ago from a newspaper article on traditional St. Patrick’s day dishes and I tweeked it a bit. I love adding citrus zest, preferably orange but even grapefruit zest brightens it up. It tastes best warm from the oven but then most breads do.

Ingredients:

4 cups AP flour

4 T granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 T baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup cold butter cubed

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 egg

1 tsp citrus zest (I used orange)

Preheat the oven to 375. Whisk together dry ingredients. Cube the butter. In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment add the butter to the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed in.

Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and zest. With the mixer running on low add the buttermilk egg mixture and beat until incorporated. The dough will be moist and a little sticky. Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead a few times sprinkling with a little additional flour if necessary. Shape into a round loaf and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

Mix together:

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup buttermilk

Generously brush the loaf with the butter-buttermilk mixture. I also brush the mixture on a couple additional times during the baking process. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack. Slice and enjoy! Great with a little drizzle of honey or homemade preserves.

Corned Beef the Next Day and the Next

March 17, 2016March 17, 2016 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, and because we love it no matter the day, I made a corned beef on Sunday with cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and onions. I cooked it all afternoon and the house smelled wonderful. I posted the corned beef recipe that I use last April. It was taught to me by a dear friend who used to host a St. Patrick’s Day celebration every year. There were just two of us feasting on a large pot of meat and veggies so we had a lot of leftovers. Some people hate leftovers. At our house we love them. I think usually they are more interesting when they are repurposed. But that is not always true.

Leftovers Day 1

The Brits, who I’m told are not famous for haute cuisine, have a dish called Bubble and Squeak. It’s basically a recipe for frying up leftover cabbage, mashed potatoes, and meat. I decided to give Bubble and Squeak a shot using my own interpretation and the leftovers we had. It’s not complicated.

The Ingredients I used:

1 small onion diced

2 cloves of garlic sliced

2 stalks of celery chopped

1 T canola oil

1 T butter

Chopped cooked cabbage

Diced corned beef

Boiled potatoes and carrots smashed

Heat the oil and butter in a heavy skillet over medium high heat and sauté the onion, celery and garlic until tender.

While the onions are cooking slice and dice the corned beef.

Smash the potatoes and carrots.

Add the cabbage and corned beef to the skillet.

Top with the smashed potatoes and carrots and heat through.

Now if you’re extremely talented in the kitchen flip the bubble and squeak over in the pan. Use a plate or pan lid to assist with the flip so that both sides are lightly browned. If you’re not extremely talented follow my lead…brush a little butter on the top and put the pan under the broiler until the top is lightly browned. Slice and serve.

I know. It looks pretty grey and boring. And maybe not even very appetizing. It was “okay.” If I’m to make this again I need to think of a way to jazz this up a little and make it more exciting. Suggestions are welcome!

Leftovers Day 2

Rueben Sandwiches. This was my mother’s favorite sandwich. A favorite of mine as well. This is an easy dinner to prepare and doesn’t require a recipe. Good bread is a must.

The ingredients I used:

Combine Ketchup, Mayo and Sweet Relish to make Thousand Island-ish sandwich spread.

Assemble the sandwich and grill.

This repurposed leftover was much more successful. I served it with homemade dill pickles and vegetable chips. You can put a little of the magic sauce on the sandwich before grilling and serve additional sauce on the side.

Looks a lot more appetizing than Bubble and Squeak doesn’t it??

I still have leftover corned beef. Maybe corned beef hash and eggs tomorrow.

Braised Country Style Pork Ribs

February 27, 2016 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

This is a Dutch oven dinner. I have several Dutch ovens in varying sizes and shapes and I love cooking in them. The cast iron provides perfect even heat, they go from stove top to oven to table, and clean up is pretty easy. Very often, when we think ribs, we think barbecue. I do love country style ribs barbecued but this is a good change of pace. A very homey, cold weather, comfort meal like your mother or grandmother would have put on the table. And it makes the kitchen smell wonderful when it’s cooking. One of my Dad’s favorite meals is a boiled dinner and this dish has a lot of the same components.

Ingredients:

2# of country style ribs

2 T canola oil

1 onion rough chopped

2 carrots sliced

2 stalks of celery rough chopped

1/2 head of green cabbage rough chopped

4-6 cloves of garlic sliced

2 T tomato paste

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 bay leaves

2 1/2 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 325.

Heat oil in the Dutch oven over medium high heat. Salt and pepper the ribs and brown them on all sides. Remove them to a platter and set aside.

Add the onion, carrots, cabbage and celery to the pan drippings and cook, stirring occasionally, under tender. About 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and tomato paste. Stir and cook until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Deglaze with 1/4 cup cider vinegar.

Stir in the broth, pepper flakes and bay leaves. Return the ribs to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the lid and cook for 30 more minutes allowing some of the liquid to evaporate and the meat to brown. The meat is very tender and the broth flavorful. When you plate this ladle some broth over the meat and vegetables.

I served this with a creamy polenta made with milk, half and half, butter, and asiago cheese. How can that possibly be bad??

My family of origin would not have served this with polenta. I’m confident most of my family would not even eat polenta. If you prefer you could serve this with rice, noodles, or potatoes. Or just serve it with a salad and some good, crusty bread. I know my dad would choose potatoes. I’m grateful that my husband eats almost anything I prepare without complaint. It’s much more enjoyable trying new things when you have a receptive audience.

Beef Tips and Vegetables in Brown Gravy

February 21, 2016 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

This is a very simple recipe prepared in a pressure cooker. A couple years ago an electric pressure cooker was at the top of my Christmas wish list. For anyone who is a little afraid of using a pressure cooker and has visions of a pressure cooker lid imbedded in the kitchen ceiling, fear not. They really are very simple and safe to operate. It’s an appliance I wish I had had when I was still working full time and preparing meals when I got home from work. Even as a retired person I am not a good advance meal planner. Five o’clock rolls around and I start thinking about what I’m going to make. The two primary functions of my microwave are reheating leftovers and defrosting frozen solid meat so I can make dinner. While it’s not recommended, because of the amount of time necessary to build to full pressure, with a pressure cooker you could actually start with a piece of frozen meat and have a great dinner on the table in less than an hour. You can brown meat, sauté, simmer and keep your food warm all in one pot. The pressure cooker makes even inexpensive cuts of meat tender and seems to intensify favors in a very positive way. Be careful with salt.

I’m hoping that this recipe motivates my good friend who has a spanking new electric pressure cooker (probably still in its original box) to get it out and give it a try.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds of sirloin steak

2 T olive oil

1 large onion rough chopped

2 carrots sliced

2 stalks of celery rough chopped

1 cup baby bellas

3-4 cloves of garlic sliced

2 cups of beef broth (I use better than bouillon)

1/4 cup brandy

1 T Dijon mustard

1 T tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

2 T room temperature butter

2 T AP flour

1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

2 green onions sliced

Heat the oil in the pressure cooker over medium high heat. Cube the beef and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the meat to the pressure cooker in batches and brown. Don’t crowd the meat or it won’t brown properly. Remove to a plate and continue until all the meat has been browned.

Add the onion, mushrooms, carrots and celery to the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes until tender.

Add the sliced garlic and brandy. Cook until the brandy comes to a boil. Add the mustard and tomato paste to the broth. Return the meat to the pot and pour in the broth. Lock the lid in place and cook at high pressure for 15 minutes.

Release the pressure naturally. Remove the lid, always tilting the lid away from you to allow for any steam to escape. Bring the sauce to a boil. In a small bowl whisk together the butter and flour to form a paste and stir it into the sauce.

Bring back to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Serve over rice or noodles. Garnish with the parsley and green onions.

Enjoy!

NOTE: I keep a few staples in my freezer that make spur of the moment food prep easier. Recipes always call for one or two tablespoons of tomato paste. You can buy tomato paste in tubes but it is more economical to buy the small cans. Open one end of the can and put it in the freezer for awhile. Once it’s frozen open the other end of the can and use the lid to push the tomato paste out. Slice and put each slice into a snack bag. Store in your freezer.

Vegetable and Bleu Cheese Tart

February 11, 2016 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

A few Christmases ago my daughter gave me a Nordic Bakery Cookbook by Miisa Mink. It has some excellent recipes for pastries and for savory dishes. We all get tired of making the same meals over and over so tonight I got the book out and decided to make the Vegetable tart. Just yesterday I bought some excellent buttermilk Bleu cheese at a local market that sells cheeses, meats, great olives, wine and craft beers. The cheese was perfect for this dish. Simple ingredients. Nothing exotic.

Ingredients for the crust:

13 T butter at room temperature

3 1/2 T sour cream or crime fraiche

1 cup AP flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

Cream the butter and the sour cream or creme fraiche together in a mixing bowl.

Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Stir into the creamed mixture until a dough forms. Form dough into a ball, flatten into a disc, and wrap in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface.

Transfer the pastry to a tart pan pressing it into the fluted edges of the pan and neatly cut off the excess pastry. (I love my tart pan and I rarely use it. You don’t see how pretty it is until it’s empty.)

Tart Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups broccoli florets

1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets

1 T vegetable oil

1 onion rough diced

1 cup cherry tomatoes halved

2 1/2 oz. Danish Bleu cheese (I used buttermilk Bleu)

3/4 cup grated Cheddar

fresh ground black pepper

The Bleu cheese is the star!

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut the florets into chunks. Boil until they are tender crisp. Drain well and allow to cool.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Fry the onion until it is soft and golden. Set aside to cool slightly.

Once the onion has cooled tip the pan over the pastry and spread the onion evenly. Top with the broccoli, cauliflower and tomatoes.

Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over the top and sprinkle with cracked black pepper.

Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

It’s beautiful! And it tastes great! Serve with a green salad and you have a perfect dinner.

NOTE: You can substitute other vegetables taking care that they don’t become too watery when cooked. Served as an appetizer the recipe serves 6; as an entree it serves 4.