January 2019 Recipes

January 2019 Recipes

Mulligatawny Soup

Mary Beth Collins

From All Recipes.Com: "The name Mulligatawny means 'pepper water', and curry is the particular ingredient that gives this incredible soup such a delicious flavor.”

1 cup chopped onion

4 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, diced

1/2 cup butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I didn’t use it)

1 tablespoon curry powder

8 cups chicken broth

1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1/2 cup white rice

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into cubes

Salt, to taste

Ground black pepper, to taste

2 pinches dried thyme

1 cup heavy cream, heated

Sauté onions, celery, carrot, and butter in a large soup pot. Add flour and curry, and cook 5 more minutes. Add chicken stock, mix well, and bring to a boil. Simmer about 1/2 hour.

Add apple, rice, chicken, salt, pepper, and thyme. Simmer 15-20 minutes, or until rice is done.

Parmesan Cheddar Basil Bites

Mary Beth Collins - From www.lifeloveliz.com

2 ½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese

½ cup butter, softened

5 tablespoons half and half

1 teaspoon sea salt (I used pink)

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Using a mixer, combine Cheddar cheese, butter, half and half, and salt. Gradually stir in the flour and the Parmesan cheese. Add the basil and beat until just combined.

Turn dough onto a well-floured surface. Divide into 3 equal portions and roll to flatten each to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with a star-shaped cutter, making 36 stars. Place them 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake 11-14 minutes, or until golden. Cool on baking sheets on wire racks for 30 minutes. Store stars in an airtight container. 

Herbed Rice and Spicy Black Bean Salad

Mary Beth Collins

From Allrecipes.com

1 tablespoon each of chopped fresh basil, thyme, parsley, and cilantro

½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper

¼ teaspoon each of cayenne pepper and garlic powder

2 cups cold, cooked white rice

1 can (14 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 can (4 ounces) black olives

3 green onions, chopped

¼ cup each of red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil

Make a seasoning by mixing the herbs, peppers, and garlic powder in a bowl.

Gently mix together the rice, black beans, celery, olives and green onions in a large bowl. Season the rice mixture with 1 teaspoon of the seasoning. Make a dressing by whisking the vinegar and olive oil with the seasoning; allow it to rest for 10 minutes. Pour the dressing over the rice mixture. Stir to combine.

Light and Easy Broccoli Salad with Herbs

Mary Beth Collins -I modified this recipe from www.thekitchn.com

1/3 cup dried currants

½ cup boiling water

½ cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (the original recipe calls for rice vinegar)

¼ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 pounds broccoli (I used 6 cups of riced broccoli from Trader Joe’s)

½ small red onion, finely chopped

¾ cup sliced almonds, toasted

Herbs to taste (I used parsley)

Place the currants in a small heatproof bowl. Pour the boiling water over the currants and set aside for 5 minutes. Drain off the water. Meanwhile place the mayonnaise lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, salt and a generous amount of pepper in a large bowl and whisk to combine.

Shred the broccoli using the shredding disk on a food processor. Add to the bowl of dressing. Add the currants, red onions, and almonds and toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt or pepper as needed. Let sit 30 minutes at room temperature or 1 hour in the refrigerator so the flavors can mingle before serving. Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Serves 8-10.

Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup

Suzanne Williams

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 pound lean ground beef

2 whole carrots, diced

4 celery stalks, diced

1 medium onion, diced

28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) beef broth

2 whole bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste (I added 1 tsp salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper)

1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (15 ounces) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup ditalini pasta, uncooked

Add olive oil to a large skillet and add ground beef, cooking until browned and no longer pink. Place the beef in a slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients except for the beans and pasta. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Thirty minutes before serving, stir in beans and pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaves before serving. Serve immediately while hot. Serves 8.

Rosemary Cashews

Suzanne Williams - Inspired by the bar nuts served at Union Square Café in New York City

The cashews are best served warm, but you can prepare the rosemary mixture in advance.

1 pound roasted unsalted cashews

2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the cashews out on a sheet pan.  Toast in the oven until warm, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, sugar, salt, and butter.  Thoroughly toss the warm cashews with the spiced butter and serve warm.

Apricot  Oatmeal Bars with Mint

Sandi Fenton

1 package yellow cake mix

2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

¾ cup softened unsalted butter

1 large egg

2 each 12.5 oz. cans Solo Fruit Cake & Pastry Filling*

Fresh herb of choice to complement fruit

*To make these oatmeal fruit bars, use any of your favorite fillings:  Mixed Berry, Cherry, Apricot, Raspberry, Strawberry, Blueberry or Pineapple.  If you can’t find the Solo brand filling, any jam can be used. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 13”x9”x2” pan. Combine dry cake mix and oats.  Add butter and egg and stir until crumbly (I used my very clean hands instead).  Put ½ of mixture in pan and press down lightly. If using fresh herbs to complement the fruit, chop finely and sprinkle over this mixture. Spread filling over mixture in pan. Top with remaining mixture and press down lightly.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool before cutting into squares.

Note:  For the meeting I used a lemon yellow cake mix, apricot filling and 2 tablespoons of fresh mint. 

Lemon Basil Yogurt Cake

Pat Siegfried - Recipe from TheWoksofLife.com

1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

¾ cup yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ cup extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup finely chopped basil

Glaze:

½ cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-inch round pan or standard loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Using your fingers, mix the sugar with the lemon zest in a large bowl until the sugar has the texture of damp sand. Add the yogurt and lemon juice, mixing well. Add the oil, eggs, vanilla, and basil. Whisk until well blended. Carefully fold in the dry mixture until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk. When the cake is cool, drizzle the glaze over the top. Serves 8.

Cheddar-Ricotta Cheese Puffs

Pat Siegfried

½ cup butter, softened

3 ounces cheddar cheese, room temperature

1 pound ricotta cheese

2/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

½ tablespoon herbs (parsley and sage)

1 egg

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Blend butter and cheddar cheese. Add remaining ingredients and combine thoroughly. Place by generous teaspoonfuls on a baking sheet and freeze. When frozen, remove from baking sheet and store in a plastic bag in the freezer. To serve, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Arrange frozen puffs on a making mat or parchment paper on the baking sheet. Bake in the upper half of the oven for 10 minutes or until brown.

Easy Focaccia Bread with Garlic and Herbs

Pat Siegfried

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup warm water

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)

¼ teaspoon honey

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

In a cold medium skillet, combine oil, garlic, herbs and pepper. Place the pan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, 5-10 minutes or until aromatic, but before the garlic browns. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, and honey. Stir a few times, then let sit for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the flour and a ¼ cup of the infused garlic-olive oil mixture. Stir 3-4 times until the four has moistened. Let it sit for another 5 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 1 ½ cups of flour and the salt. Once the dough comes together, transfer to a floured board and knead the dough 10-15 times until smooth. Transfer to a large oiled bowl; cover with a warm, damp towel; and let rise for an hour. After the hour, heat oven to 450 degrees. Use two tablespoons of the remaining garlic-olive oil mixture to oil a 9-inch by 13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Transfer the dough to the sheet then press it down into the pan. Use your fingers to dimple the dough, then drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of the garlic-olive oil mixture. Let the dough rise for 20 minutes until it puffs slightly. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Ethel’s Potato Rolls

Pat Siegfried

1 packet yeast

¼ cup warm water

1 egg, beaten

4 ½ cups sifted flour

½ tablespoon fresh garlic chives, chopped

½ cup mashed cooked russet potato

¼ cup Crisco shortening

1 ½ teaspoons salt

¼ cup sugar

1 cup scalded milk

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Dissolve Crisco in scalded milk and combine with potatoes, sugar, chives, and salt. Add softened yeast and egg. Stir in 3 cups of flour and beat well. Stir in remaining flour, or enough for soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface for 8-10 minutes.

Place in lightly greased bowl, turning once. Cover and let double (about an hour). Punch down and shape into a ball. Pinch off pieces and shape into rolls on greased cookie sheet. Let rise until almost double. Bake 10-12 minutes in 400 degree oven.