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 Well – I imagine it seemed as though I abandoned this blog altogether –but not the case. It’s been hectic around our house, packing, getting ready to move, trying to sell our house, having a moving sale and open houses. Then there was this little storm you might have heard about named Ike, well he looked like he was headed our direction but just as we prepared for his arrival he decided to descend upon my family in Texas, instead. They have a little less practice with hurricanes than we do. Although, lately, they’re starting to receive more than their fair share.  So – it’s been crazy here to say the least. 

I do have wine tastings to catch you up on & during that time away, I did manage to also celebrate my step-son’s birthday the Big 1-8! Woohoo! Now what do you serve to a bunch of teenagers when all their taste is in their mouths? You got it! Pizza! No, I didn’t order Pizza Hut & call it a day! No, that wouldn’t do – my kids do have a little more going for their taste buds than that – they do, after all – have me. No, I made homemade gourmet pizza. Now I know what you’re thinking but seriously, it’s not all that difficult –or at least — it doesn’t have to be. You can, cheat on the crust, there are some great crusts out there and I wholeheartedly believe when that work is already done & it’s that good there’s nothing wrong with saving yourself some time. Whole Foods has a great crust you can purchase and if you like to buy in some serious bulk, Sam’s has them in a case of 20. They are both wonderful pizza dough.  My secret is in the sauce/spread I use which is the recipe in today’s blog. I use this not only for pizza but on steaks, chicken, pork chops, pasta, vegetables, in dipping oil for bread, you can use it literally on anything you want. It is amazing. My husband swears I should bottle it and sell it. But I’ll just settle for spreading the word here.

Let’s get started with making a pizza, though. First, you’ll want to spray or spread some olive oil on your pizza pan, if you have a pizza stone, then of course, use that but don’t oil it.  Next, knead or toss your dough and spread it out to the size of the pan. After that you’ll want to brush olive oil all over the top of the crust, then brush the sauce/spread all over the top of the crust leaving a 1” border all the way around the outside, this will be the same for all the ingredients we add, nothing will go inside this 1” border. The next order of business is to slice roma tomatoes and place them all over the crust. Then take pieces of prosciutto and lay them all over the pizza in between the tomatoes slices. Mouth starting to water, yet? Then place small dollops of ricotta cheese around the tomatoes & the prosciutto;  chiffonade some fresh basil and scatter it all over the top of the pizza. The final act is to be sure to put a thick layer of shredded mozzarella that covers all the areas of the pizza inside the 1” border. I have all different kinds of flavored oils so at this point, I opt to sprinkle the top of the pizza with some flavored oil. If you have some, by all means use it or you can just use extra virgin olive oil if you like or nothing at all if you’d rather save the calories and fat. Place it in the center of a 350° oven and bake for approximately 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown in areas. When you bring it out be prepared for a battle over who gets the biggest piece to ensue! Make plenty and keep them coming! I promise it’ll be a hit!

Eclectic Kitchen Margherita Pizza

Fresh Herb Sauce Blend

Place 1 cup each of fresh basil, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt & 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil in a food processor and blend to a paste.

I personally make this in large batches of 4 times this size & keep it on hand to use for everything.

Fresh Herb Sauce Blend

Bread w/ Fresh Herb Sauce Blend & EVOO

This is one of the easiest shortbread cookies to make. After experimenting with this recipe it became one of our favorites. You can play with the presentation of these cookies. If you like chocolate you can dunk the tips, (once they’re cooled), in melted dark semi sweet chocolate, and again into walnut chunks. These little gems supposedly last in the freezer for six months (This has never been tested at my house, we’re lucky if we get them to last until the company comes because they have an evaporating syndrome).

Ingredients:

·          1 1/2 cup butter,

·          1 cup sugar,

·          2 to 2 1/2 cups flour,            

·          1/2 teaspoon salt,

·          1/2 cup ground walnuts,

·          1/2 small chopped walnuts

·          about 1/3 cup Icing sugar for rolling

Methodology:

Mix together all ingredients in large bowl with a mixer. (Except icing sugar) Drop by a teaspoon and shape into crescent moons on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 275 degrees for 12-15 minutes. They should not be brown. Roll in sugar while still warm. ( if dough is a bit tough add a spoon of sour cream…)

Cookie dough can also be piped using an extra-large open spiral tip (use the x-large cookie tip only because of the chunky nuts) If you want to pipe the cookies and don’t have the x-large tip exchange the chopped nuts for ground walnuts. For a change replace the walnuts with Hazelnuts (filberts) or almonds.

Fresh Rosemary in the Eclectic Kitchen Herb Garden

Love gourmet food but don’t have time to fuss with the gourmet process? I hear ya! I am so tired sometimes I almost, that is almost, feel too tired to eat – let alone prepare a gourmet meal. I certainly don’t think eating fast food or a bowl of cereal is going to make me “feel better,” either. I love gourmet food but suffer from ADD so I have no patience when it comes to preparing it or waiting around for this step or that step so I have figured out how to get gourmet food flavors without the gourmet food wait and processes. This is a seriously quick gourmet meal. You will not believe how quickly it comes together, how divine it tastes and truly it is fairly low in fat unlike a lot of gourmet. I opt for light cream and light butter and you’re using so little to start out, quite in keeping with — everything in moderation.

Fresh Basil & Sage in the Eclectic Kitchen Herb Garden

I adore lamb so when I saw these lamb blade chops, I jumped at the chance to do something other than a typical leg of lamb.  After washing them, sprinkle fresh cracked pepper over them and press it in.  You’ll want to squeeze the lemon from the lemon you’ll zest first for the Citrus Creamed Spinach  you’ll have with this, over them. Once that’s done, slather Dijon mustard all over, then sprinkle them with dried thyme, basil, rosemary & sage. Then place a few fresh sprigs of rosemary, thyme & basil on top of them as they grill. A few minutes per side on a hot grill is all it takes to grill them to perfection. Serve them with the Citrus Creamed Spinach (recipe below) and a bowl of mixed fruit for a well rounded gourmet meal. This meal is done in no time and it is so incredible.  A nice glass of wine and you’re dining at Chez Gourmet.  Bon Appetit!

Fresh Baby Spinach

Citrus Creamed Spinach

12 cups fresh baby spinach

1/2 cup light cream (If you like your spinach wetter you can add ¼ cup)

2 teaspoons orange zest, finely grated  (Put the orange segments in your mixed fruit bowl)

2 teaspoons lemon zest, finely grated  (Use the lemon on the lamb blade chops)

2 teaspoons light butter

1/2 cup minced shallots

pinch of nutmeg

sea salt, to taste

Optional – 4 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted   

Heat butter over medium heat in sauté pan and add shallots. Cook until shallots are translucent. Add spinach and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add cream & citrus zest to spinach and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally.  Season with a pinch of nutmeg and sea salt to taste.  Garnish with sliced almonds.

Grilled Lamb w/Citrus Creamed Spinach

Cheesy and Creamy, So, So, So Good… 

When my kids were growing up I never seemed to know how many to make dinner for. There were always a couple of extra “hollow-legs-syndromed” teens about. This was my salvation dinner. I actually caught one of my sons friends lick off his plate; while mumbling “….Mrs.B. this was just delish….”

It will work and taste just great if you want to make it from scratch or just use the boxed kind. This was one of the recipes I had to downsize for my daughter to take along to College. I’ll include both sized recipes.

Ingredients for a family sized casserole. (from scratch version)

·                  1 pkg pasta (2 lbs or 900grams) I like rottini or fusilli noodles the best, they never clump together, but what-ever kind is on hand is just fine.

·                  1 lb (450 grams) ground beef or ground chicken or ground turkey (left over cooked roast or chicken or any type of meat are just perfect too)

·                  1 lb (450 grams) mozzarella or medium Cheddar (more cheese if you like it gooey-er)

·                  2 cups (450 ml) of plain yogurt

·                  2 cups of small broccoli florets (can be replaced with mixed frozen veggies)

·                  salt and pepper to taste

·                  1/2 cup breadcrumbs (optional)

·                  2 tablespoons of cheese powder (optional for extra cheesier flavor)

Methodology:

Add pasta to boiling salted water and cook al-dente & drain. Blanche broccoli florets also in salted boiling water & drain. Quick saute ground chicken (if using ground beef drain off grease). Grate cheese (reserve a handful for topping)

Mix all ingredients well except breadcrumbs. Pour into deep oven-safe casserole dish and sprinkle with reserved grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake in 425 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15-20 minutes. To have a nice browned crust place under broil for 2 minutes.

Tips: If a couple of unannounced visitors pop in just add an extra handful of pasta the rest of the ingredients will stretch over just fine. Serve with a garden salad for a balanced meal.

Using boxed Mac&Cheese version: perfect for the college “scholars”…

·                  1 box Mac&cheese

·                  1/4-1/2 lb ground meat (if ground beef drain off fat)

·                  3 tablespoons of grated cheese for topping (or 3-4 thin cheese slices)

·                  1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream

·                  1/2 cup fresh or frozen vegetables

Follow cooking instruction on box. Cut back a little on milk when mixing cheese powder and add yogurt. If using frozen veggies cook in microwave a couple of minutes. If using fresh can be blanched in microwave too. Combine all ingredients; pour into casserole dish. Cover with grated cheese or slices. Bake in 425 degree oven 8-10 minutes or in microwave until topping cheese is melted and bubbly (depending on microwave no more then 3-5 minutes). Now if a bagged salad is added this should be enough for dinner and next day lunch.

Tip: “Scholars” using your ‘photo-optioned-cell-phone’ take a quick click of you and send it to Mom (she will cry with happiness knowing she has instilled healthy food options into you). Enjoy……

I read somewhere in Hungarian folklore that it’s thought that the original Hungarian Goulash originated back in the time of the Huns. It was a meal that was a cross of stew and thick chunky soup. The herdsman in charge of the sheep, would set up his cooking pot over the coals in the fire-pit in the morning. Throw in a variety of meat-cuts, mostly lamb, mutton or venison and vegetables such as onions and carrots if they were available and the goulash would simmer pretty near all day.

The only thing this recipe still has in common with the old herdsman’s type of goulash is that this meal resembles a cross between chunky soup and stew.

Dad’s Mom’s side of the family can be traced back to an orchard property in the northwest of Hungary. (I think I have just the right amount of ‘greats’) Great-great-great-granddad Adalbert bought it in 1806. This recipe supposedly goes back to his second wife Ilonka. She had gained a reputation of being a fabulous cook. “She had the ability to make gourmet meals with only a cup of water, salted sows ears, a tail and paprika”. (Grandma’s funny saying translated from Hungarian). I bet Ilonka would be pleased to know that her recipes are cherished and still live on as my son and daughters follow them too.  

Ingredients:

·          2 lbs stewing beef—(any of the cheaper cuts will do fine)

·          2 large onions—finely chopped

·          3 large carrots—chunked

·          1 large tomato—chopped (can be substituted by 2 tbsp of tomato pure)

·          1 large red or green pepper—coarsely chopped (mild Sheppard or bell)

·          3 large potatoes—peeled and large chunked

·          1/2 dried chili pepper

·          1 1/2 teaspoon of salt

·          4 tbsps of mild Hungarian paprika—if not available red Spanish paprika

·          1 clove of garlic—minced

·          2 tbsps lard—I substitute olive oil

·          ¼ teaspoon Caraway seeds—(I never add any because I don’t like the flavor of caraway in anything but rye bread)

Methodology:

Saute onions in oil until golden brown; remove from heat; add paprika, give it a quick stir and quickly add a cup of water (the paprika flavor will get bitter if not diluted with water fast). Now add spices and remaining ingredients add enough water to cover all. Set over med-low heat and simmer until meat is tender (timing depends on the type of meat-cuts used). If you’re looking for a thicker stew type combine 2 tbsps of cornstarch with 1/2 cup of water. Slowly add cornstarch wash while stirring.

Serve with thick chunks of fresh bread or baguette. Traditionally sourdough rye bread is the perfect accompaniment.

Tips:

This recipe works out perfect in a slow-cooker. I love to use new crop small baby potatoes scrubbed and whole.

Enjoy.

 

I love this recipe because with the addition of a couple of herbs and, or vegetables I can have many different types of bread that go with different meals. I make this in small individual circlets as a brushetta base too. Works well as a pizza crust for those who like a thicker crust. Believe me this is seriously yummy.

Pick and choose different combinations from your favorites list. Possibly with the exception of the kitchen sink just about anything goes. Adding grated cheese then cut into strips on the cookie sheet before baking will give you a ‘crazy bread’ some pizza places are famous for.

Try a combination of 3 or 4 items of this list. black olives, chopped basil, sun dried tomatoes, red bell peppers, pickled hot pepper rings (my favorite) all with or without parmesan cheese, feta cheese, Mozzarella, cheddar even blue cheese etc. 

 
Ingredients for the Basic Focaccia Bread

·          ½  cup warm water

·          ½ cup of warm milk

·          1 tsp sugar

·          1 packet dried yeast

·          4 cups white flour

·          3 tbsp olive oil

·          1 teaspoon salt

·          Extra flour for kneading

·          Coarse salt

Methodology for Basic Focaccia Bread

·          Combine sugar, warm milk and yeast in a small bowl (takes about 5-8minutes to get frothy)

·          In a large bowl, sift together the flour and salt.

·          Add yeast mixture, 1 tbsp of the oil and milk

·          Mix, if dough seems dry, add a bit more water.

·          Drop ‘dough-ball’ on a floured work surface and knead until elastic 4-5 minutes

·          Using Pam lightly spray bowl side and bottom and top of dough-ball

·          Let the dough rise, in a warm draft free location, until doubled in size about 1- 1 ½   hours.

·          Punch dough down and spread out on well oiled or silicon paper covered baking sheet

·          Set the pan of dough aside and let it rise again for ½  hour.

·          Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

·          Gently spread olive oil on dough and sprinkle with coarse salt.

·          Bake for 25 minutes, until the top is light golden brown.

Here is just such a combo, try this, as it becomes a meal when served with a tossed salad.

Rosemary, Garlic and Goat Cheese Focaccia

Add to the basic recipe:

·          ½ cup soft goat cheese                                

·          3 teaspoons fresh rosemary finely chopped

·          2 cloves Garlic finely minced

Add ¾ of the chopped rosemary, cheese and garlic into the dough before kneading. Sprinkle remainders on top of dough along with the coarse salt and olive oil before baking.

Finger lick-en good, enjoy

 1 1/2 pounds of good dried spaghetti noodles (100% semolina)
Veggie substitute for 1 1/2 pounds of hamburger(optional)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 medium zucchini, diced
1 pound sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon Italian herb seasoning
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon fennel seed
1 extra large jar spaghetti sauce (your favorite)
2 cups water
Vegan parmesan-like topping
Dice, slice or chop all ingredients in whatever way appeals to you. Buy them diced or sliced if you can. Make it easy on yourself. Heat a large saute pan on medium heat. Add olive oil. Add fennel, black pepper, garlic powder, celery and onion. Saute until onion is softened and fennel is aromatic.
You’ll need a five-quart or larger crock pot. Break spaghetti in half, unless it will fit in your cooker whole. Put half the jar of spaghetti sauce in the crock pot, then add the other ingredients. Top with the rest of the sauce. Stir ingredients gently to mix.
Add water to spaghetti sauce jar, then shake to remove the last of the sauce. Pour into crock pot. Turn crock pot to high and cover. Stir every hour, making a point to keep the noodles from sticking to each other. Serve when hot and thoroughly cooked, approximately 4 to 6 hours.

You can also use canned tomatoes and a bit of tomato paste to replace the jarred sauce. In that case, double the seasonings (well, don’t double the fennel), and you’ll probably want to add some salt, although I don’t. You can substitute other veggies if you don’t like the ones I’ve named. Corn would add to the protein, but then it wouldn’t be as pseudo-Italian. And that one I probably wouldn’t serve to Mario or Martha. Well, I might, I just wouldn’t call it Spaghetti. Actually, you could use whatever noodle shape you want and call it anything you like.
That’s it, next time I’m using rotini and I’m adding corn. I love corn. Diced red and green bell peppers would be good, too. In fact maybe I’ll use the frozen corn that already has peppers in it. See? You can vary this infinitely according to what you like and have on hand. It can’t help but be delicious.
If you must, you can use browned hamburger instead of meat substitute, but then it won’t be vegetarian. You can also use genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano, Peccorino Romano, Asiago, or any other cheese to top the dish, but then, of course, it won’t be vegan.

Shrimp Stirfry served on a bed of rice… my favorite!

• 5 tblsps of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 cup firm tofu cubed
• 4-5 green onions
• 1/2 cup cauliflower in small florettes
• 1/2 cup bok choy diced
• 1/2 cup broccoli in small florettes
• 1/2 cup snow peas
• 1/2  small red hot chili pepper (optional)
• 1 small zucchini sliced
• 1 small eggplant quartered and sliced
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts

add any off these for variation

• 1 small red pepper diced
• 1/2 lb of fresh shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped Basil
• salt and pepper to taste                      

Organicly grown veggies from my garden and the only thing I had to buy was the shrimp and the tofu. There will be 8 teens tonight for dinner so I think I will double up on my recipe as the amount only serves 5-6 adults or 4 hollow legged teenagers.

Heat olive oil in deep pan or wok and saute whole garlic and tofu in oil till it begins to turn golden. Add all the veggies except for the red pepper cover pan for 5 minutes then add remaining ingredients and the shrimp . Cook for 5-6 minutes.

Serve on bed of long grained steamed rice with low sodium soy sauce.

Enjoy

Well spring is almost upon the Southern Hemisphere and while it’s still cold I tend to want to again look at the old favourite Lamb-Shanks. This is a cheap cut that is often overlooked, but when prepared and cooked slowly is the most rewarding and healthy meal you can have.[[Show as slideshow]]

Ingredients:

4 Lamb-Shanks (about 2 Kilograms/4 pounds)

350 – 370 grams/12oz of chutney usually 1 small jar

1 tin of premium tomatoes 440 grams/15oz or 3-4 fresh if you have them

Season to taste

Mash: Butter, cream

Optional:

Chilli oil 1 tsp

Sweet Chilli sauce 1 tsp

crushed garlic 1 – 2 cloves

3 – 4 medium potatoes

1 medium sweet potatoe

peas either frozen or fresh to choice, alternately spinach can be used

How to do it:

Well this is really quite easy to prepare and cook, first I went to my local butcher and picked up 4 reasonable lamb-shanks (about 1.8 KG). Upon getting them back to the kitchen remove all the excess fat if any, I did cheat and the butcher did this for me, you don’t know if you don’t ask. I rummaged in the cupboard and found a jar of chutney (tomatoe and onion) that I picked up a couple of weeks ago at a market and 1 tin of Latina Roma tomatoes. Now the marinate, ooh this is a family secret, well OK it’s not all I did was combine the tomatoes and chutney into a bowl. Tasted and seasoned with a little sea salt and pepper also added some mustard seeds and a little chilli oil (Oil with bruised and whole chillies for flavour).

Now the hard bit add the lamb-shanks and ensure you apply a good cover of the marinate over them, remove from bowl onto a waiting sheet of cling-wrap, pour over excess marinate and roll up to seal in the marinate. Place in the refrigerator overnight (or if you are impatient for 4 hours) 

The next thing is preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F) add a heavy based pan with a little oil or lard until oven reaches temp. While you are waiting peel the potatoes and cut into reasonable sized pieces (this is really personal choice). Once the baking pan has reached the temperature light a large burner on your stove top and place the dish on, add the lamb-shanks gently and allow to brown, rotate to get an even colour.

Once you have a good golden colour add the potatoes and turn them until covered in oil, immediately place the baking dish back into the oven for 20 minutes.

After the twenty minutes remove the dish and turn the shanks and potatoes, return to the oven for another 2 1/2 hours at a reduced temperature of 120 C (250 F) do not get tempted to open the door it is really important to let this slow cook happen undisturbed.

While this is going on you can start to prepare your sweet potatoe and greens, get the boiling water on the go, so when the meat has about 15 – 20 minutes put on the sweet potatoe and greens.

Give your plates a warm and once the meet is ready let it rest for about 5 minutes in the tray covered with a tea-towel. A good trick is to place kitchen tongs under 1 side and move the meat and potatoes up to allow excess oil and fat to drain.

Now plate up, I chose to put a bed of sweet potatoe on the plate and rest the lamb-shank on top, side of backed potatoes and greens serve and enjoy.

I found a crisp chardonnay was a good choice with this dinner. And you guessed it theres no left overs.

This is Low Gi and great comfort food, the meat is tender and sweet and the accompanying vegetables provide good roughage and vitamins.