Recipes & Cooking!

Maddidoll wrote:

i made a really good pasta with feta, bacon and lentils for my grandma tonite:D

Want this recipe. Can you link me to it? Sounds like it would make a nice cold salad if you used orzo, and maybe threw in some olives instead of bacon.

Oops!  I kept forgetting the chocolate cake thing!

REALLY good.  Very rich though, I don't think most people alive can eat a whole mini-cake in one sitting, lol!

CHOCOLATE INTENSITY
Flavor profile:  VERY RICH.
Challenge:  Moderate  because of unusual techniques for the average American home cook.  Not technically difficult.
Notes:  Got this from my roommate.  DO NOT USE "Baker's" brand chocolate, it makes this taste nasty!  Also, you WILL need to make the chocolate ganache, it's what "makes" the cake.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE INTENSITY:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate (approximately 60% cocoa, more is okay if you like super dark)
12 oz unsalted butter
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup brewed coffee (instant coffee is fine for this)
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla (I am a vanilla hog and use a little more)
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. While you're doing this, butter and flour either 2 9" cake pans or 4 2" pans (you know, those little tiny souffle pans.  You may even find that silicone cupcake cups work well!  So far I have only ever done this for the tiny souffle pans and cupcake cups). 
2.  Chop up your bittersweet chocolate.  Put it in a large bowl.
3.  In a pot on the stove, heat butter, sugar, and coffee till boiling.  Pour over the chocolate and LET STAND FOR ONE MINUTE.  Stir until the mixture is smooth.
4.  In a different bowl, whisk together eggs with vanilla and salt.
5.  *this is one of 2 tricky parts for me, at least, lol*
Temper your eggs so they do not scramble.  This means that you will pour a small amount of the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and combine to raise the temperature of the eggs.  I usually do a quarter cup, stir, add another quarter cup, stir, add another quarter cup, and stir.  3/4 cups technically does the trick, but I sometimes keep adding till the chocolate mixture is half gone just in case!  (lol I got scrambled eggs once).
Once you have tempered your eggs, combine the egg mixture and chocolate mixture together.  Pour into your prepared pans.
6.  Put the cakes in the oven in a BAIN MARIE for 35-45 minutes. 

A bain marie is a hot water bath.  Basically, boil some water in a teapot, and pour it in a larger dish that the smaller pans are set in.  The water should come up the sides of the smaller pans about halfway.  Put this whole thing in your oven.

7.  Cool for 20 minutes.
8.  Take cakes out of their pans.
9.  Chill for at least two hours, then cover with GANACHE.

INGREDIENTS FOR GANACHE:
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped (use the same stuff as last time)
2/3 Cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.  Place chocolate in a bowl with vanilla.
2.  GENTLY bring your cream to a boil on the stove.
3.  Remove cream from heat and add to chocolate and vanilla.  LET STAND a minute.  Stir gently until shiny ganache is formed.  Let cool for at least 5 more minutes.
4.  Glaze cake with ganache.

Another note:  Don't try to substitute anything for the cream--I did that once (I had no cream!!!!) and all I got was a really big mess.  LOL.

Enjoy!

Last edited by Nemaine (07-13-2008 06:08)

Did I mention I love this thread? You guys are awesome.



Sour Cream Banana Cake
Makes one bundt cake (From veganyumyum.com)

1/3 Cup Canola Oil
1 Cup Tofutti Sour Cream
1/3 Cup Soymilk
1 tsp Vanilla
3 Medium Ripe Bananas, mashed

2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/4 Cups Sugar
2 Tbs Cornstarch
1 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Whisk all the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth. Set aside. Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Spray your bundt pan with cooking spray, or lightly grease. Flour the bundt pan with some of the dry mix, pouring excess back into the bowl when finished.

Mix wet ingredients into the dry, adding a tablespoon or so of soymilk if needed. Batter will be thick but not dry. Pour evenly into the bundt pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely before removing from pan.

Serve with powdered sugar and fresh strawberries.

Adacatcher, do you mind if I add you to my friends list?

Nemaine wrote:

I let myself have really good tea and bread & chocolate, why not really good cheese?

Ooh! Where do you get good tea? There's this place I used to shop when I lived in Hawaii that had AMAZING teas... you could just walk in and choose dozens of varieties and cures, first flush, everything, and they'd even custom blend for you. They just got a website up and running for Americans, so I'm stoked to finally be able to drink good tea again soon. Here's the link in case anyone is into tea: http://www.lupiciausa.com/

OMG that sour cream banana cake looks AMAZING.  I will print out this recipe and keep it in a folder till I do some more baking.  NOM NOM NOM.

Adacatcher--THANK YOU SO MUCH.  I accidentally deleted the PM instead of hitting "reply" so if you don't get something I managed to spell your name wrong, LOL.

Anyway for tea, I use:
--Teaism: http://www.teaism.com/  Not everything is the most phenomenal tea ever (but its pretty convenient for me) but they have a great tea called Jinzhen that smells like chocolate and tastes like a light black.  Yum.
--Ten Ren:  http://www.tenren.com/  Lots of loose teas, and if you can find a physical outlet, they have fun bubble tea, cute asian tea snacks and expertly brewed tea served in teapots (that they refresh with new water!).  Their Oriental Beauty Oolong and their Osmanthus Oolong are my two favorite teas, and they have different grades of every tea available online.
--Ching Ching Cha (Ok it SOUNDS offensive, but Ching Ching is the Owner and Cha means tea!):  http://www.chingchingcha.com/  If you ever ever ever get to DC, GO HERE.  I do not order loose tea from here because I prefer to purchase my tea in a physical location rather than offline, but the store is PHENOMENAL.  A real detox if you're stressed.  One of the best tea houses I have EVER been to.

Hope that helps!

Nemaine wrote:

BTW OH MY GOODNESS Adacatcher that online store is AMAZING.  Thanks for the link!

I'm glad you like it, Nemaine! I just wish they had more physical locations in the US. One of my favorites is the Lapsang Souchon (or Soushong), which is lightly pine smoked. It's strangely relaxing. (PM received. I'll see what I can do on the cheese front.)

By the way, ladies, thanks for the banana cake and feta pasta links. I cannot wait to check them out. When I get and chance I'll post my marinara method (I'm going to be busy all day jarring about two gallons of it, so it might be awhile before I can get around to posting it.

***Baked Spiced Pears***

Prepare Pears (Ripe, stems removed, peels on... cut pears in haves or quarters and remove core.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Dissolve 1/4 cup sugar in 1/4 cup white wine (for 3 pears). You can either stick 3 cloves in each pear and remove when they are done, add 1/4 tsp powdered cloves to the wine mixture, which is what I do. Place pears in a glass baking dish (see my last post about the pasta sauce for a warning ) pour wine mixture over them evenly. Place pears in the oven for 30-45 minutes until pears are soft and sauce is reduced to a syrupy consistency. While pears are in the oven ladle sauce over them several times. I usually check on them once every 15 minutes. Pour syrup over pears when serving and serve with a spoonful of creme fraiche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Layla47: If you're vegan you should check out vegweb.com. I love that website and they have seriously, EVERYTHING you could think of!

Here's the coconut curried tempeh for you. I just discovered this recipe on the website for my local organic co-op, so of course I can't claim it as my own. I haven't played around with this one yet, I've only made it once by the recipe and it was so amazing, I'm not sure I'd change anything.

I like to use a tempeh that has wild grains or flax in it not only because it's healthier, but because I prefer a little more flavor in my soy

***Coconut Curried Tempeh***

Use butternut squash soup (Imagine makes a great brand in an aseptic container), or corn, potato leek or any cream soup. Use pretty much any vegetables in any amount. You can also substitute tofu for tempeh. (or any meat you like as well). Serve over couscous, quinoa, millet or rice.

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 onion, small dice

8 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (I just used regular brown mushrooms)

1/2 bell pepper, coarsely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup butternut squash soup

1 cup (or the whole can) coconut milk (I always use regular as the light kind just doesn't get thick enough and doesn't have good flavor)

1 teaspoon red curry paste (more or less, to taste)

1 tablespoon sugar

4 medium red potatoes, peeled, small to medium dice

8-ounce package tempeh, cubed

1 can (or to taste) baby corn

1/2 crisp apple, medium dice

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Basil, mint or chives for garnish

In a large sauté pan with cover, cook onion in oil until softened. Add mushrooms and bell pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until slightly softened.

Add soup and coconut milk and stir in curry paste and sugar. Add potatoes and tempeh and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally.

Add corn, apple and soy sauce. Cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil. Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.

minibrutus wrote:

Here's the coconut curried tempeh for you. I just discovered this recipe on the website for my local organic co-op, so of course I can't claim it as my own. I haven't played around with this one yet, I've only made it once by the recipe and it was so amazing, I'm not sure I'd change anything.

I like to use a tempeh that has wild grains or flax in it not only because it's healthier, but because I prefer a little more flavor in my soy

Ooh, Minibrutus...that sounds amazing. When I lived in Hawaii I used to eat at a vegan cafe on North Shore--not sure if it's still there. They had great tempeh.

Some good stuff in this thread.

Here's my marinara method:

Heat a pot of water to boiling. Wash tomatoes. Boil them for 60-90 seconds, then sieve and leave under cold running water. Slide the skin off, then split, seed (just scrape them out with your fingers) and set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil (I use olive oil, natch!) in a skillet and brown some finely crushed garlic. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes. If you like green bell peppers, throw them in now. Then add mushrooms (I use sliced cremini or portabello) and cover. Sweat for about 2-4 more minutes.

Add tomatoes and begin crushing them with your spoon. Add fresh basil and oregano to taste. (I usually chiffonade mine first, but if you are lazy you can just crush them lightly in your hand and toss them in). If you like black pepper or red pepper flakes, feel free to add those as well.

Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced to desired thickness, stirring occasionally. If you want to add salt, wait until the end. This is because if you add it before reduction, it'll be too salty. I also like to add a bit of sugar, just enough to cut the acid.

Afterwards, I set some aside for use and then freeze the rest in small freezer bags. Why small bags, you ask? Because then I can just thaw what I need, and not have to commit to using another 1/2 gallon of sauce at once. I use freezer bags because if you lay them flat, once the sauce is frozen you can just stack the bags.

Good luck!

Maddidoll wrote:

recipie for adacatcher

Ingredients (serves 4)
350g jar marinated feta cheese
500g large shell pasta
200g pancetta or bacon, chopped
400g can brown lentils, drained, rinsed
1 cup basil leaves, torn
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard


Method
Drain feta, reserving 100ml oil. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, following packet directions, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon reserved oil. Toss to combine. Set aside to cool.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring often, for 4 minutes or until crisp. Remove from heat. Add pancetta, lentils, basil and feta to pasta.
Place remaining 1/3 cup reserved oil, vinegar and mustard in a jug. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Pour over pasta and toss to combine.

http://www.taste.com.au
its a great site
you can get recipies from most of the food magazienes published in australia

Wow, this sounds really good! I've never though of pairing lentils with pasta before, even though I love them. And I like adacatcher's idea of substituting the bacon with olives... I will definitely be trying this!!

By the way, if anyone else likes lentils a lot I have a great recipe for lentil soup with dill and oranges that rocks, especially to make a bunch for when you're sick.

Adacatcher wrote:

minibrutus wrote:

Here's the coconut curried tempeh for you. I just discovered this recipe on the website for my local organic co-op, so of course I can't claim it as my own. I haven't played around with this one yet, I've only made it once by the recipe and it was so amazing, I'm not sure I'd change anything.

I like to use a tempeh that has wild grains or flax in it not only because it's healthier, but because I prefer a little more flavor in my soy

Ooh, Minibrutus...that sounds amazing. When I lived in Hawaii I used to eat at a vegan cafe on North Shore--not sure if it's still there. They had great tempeh.

Some good stuff in this thread.

Here's my marinara method:

Heat a pot of water to boiling. Wash tomatoes. Boil them for 60-90 seconds, then sieve and leave under cold running water. Slide the skin off, then split, seed (just scrape them out with your fingers) and set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil (I use olive oil, natch!) in a skillet and brown some finely crushed garlic. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes. If you like green bell peppers, throw them in now. Then add mushrooms (I use sliced cremini or portabello) and cover. Sweat for about 2-4 more minutes.

Add tomatoes and begin crushing them with your spoon. Add fresh basil and oregano to taste. (I usually chiffonade mine first, but if you are lazy you can just crush them lightly in your hand and toss them in). If you like black pepper or red pepper flakes, feel free to add those as well.

Reduce heat to low and simmer until reduced to desired thickness, stirring occasionally. If you want to add salt, wait until the end. This is because if you add it before reduction, it'll be too salty. I also like to add a bit of sugar, just enough to cut the acid.

Afterwards, I set some aside for use and then freeze the rest in small freezer bags. Why small bags, you ask? Because then I can just thaw what I need, and not have to commit to using another 1/2 gallon of sauce at once. I use freezer bags because if you lay them flat, once the sauce is frozen you can just stack the bags.

Good luck!

How many tomatoes do you usually use for this recipe? It sounds great, I love making stuff to freeze. My freezer is stuffed full of stocks and handmade pastas and sauces.

Adacatcher wrote:

minibrutus wrote:

How many tomatoes do you usually use for this recipe? It sounds great, I love making stuff to freeze. My freezer is stuffed full of stocks and handmade pastas and sauces.

I do this every summer when my gram's tomato patch explodes, so I usually have at least 12 medium-large heirlooms on hand. That's why I didn't list quantities -- I'm usually making a couple of gallons!

I also didn't want to put in quantities because some people hate garlic, some only use dried herbs (which are stronger sometimes), some hate mushrooms, etc.

Awesome, it really sounds like a great recipe. I will be playing around with it!!

Here's the lentil recipe for you:

I used dry french lentils for this which take about 20 minutes to cook, but I have also used brown lentils, lentils that need to be soaked overnight, and lentil-bean mixes. All work great, you'll just need to work out the cooking times as is appropriate to you. If you're using canned lentils I would suggest cooking for at least 10 minutes for the flavors to blend together and then an additional 5 minutes with the fresh ingredients to soften them.

As far as spices go I use mostly dried spices as I usually make this dish in the winter time and my garden is dead. I add 1/2 tsp of turmeric, 1 tsp of chili powder, 1/2 tsp of paprika, and sometimes parsley, basil or oregano. I would suggest adding these spices in small increments as the fresh dill will be the primary flavor and you don't want to overwhelm it.

***Lentil Stew with Oranges***

Saute about 1/2 an onion, chopped, in oil until slightly browned. Add some coarsely chopped garlic (I use about 5-6 cloves) and cook another minute. Add about 2 cups lentils to pan and stir, then add about 1 cup dry red wine, 1-2 cups vegetable or chicken stock and water. The amount of water depends on what kind of lentils you're cooking and how long you'll be cooking it for, but for my recipe I usually add 4 or 5 cups. Add spices, and kosher salt to taste. Boil for 20 minutes (or as long as lentils require).

While lentils are cooking cut up oranges. I use about 5 large oranges - peeled, pieces pulled apart and cut in half - so basically bite size. You'll also need about a cup of halved cherry tomatoes and 1 bunch of fresh dill, finely chopped. Reserve any extra orange juice and add it when you add the oranges. You could also add about a 1/2 cup store bought orange juice if you like things extra orange-y.

When lentils are soft add fresh ingredients and cook for 5 minutes so that the fruit can soften and flavors can blend. Serve with crusty bread, or freeze in batches.


One time I tried making this into a more summery recipe. I drained the broth after cooking and mixed in heated apricot preserves. Then I chilled it and mixed in some fresh greens when serving. Pretty good, but I prefer the stew.

Last edited by minibrutus (07-14-2008 22:26)