January 2020 Recipes

January 2020 Recipes

Chocolate Lavender Brownies from Pat Siegfried

From The Lavender Cookbook by Sharon Shipley

1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender buds

3 cups sugar

1 ¾ cup, all-purpose flour

¾ cup, plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon instant espresso or coffee powder

3 sticks unsalted butter

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325. Butter a 13x9 in. pan. Grind the lavender with 1 tablespoon of the sugar in a spice grinder until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the remaining sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, espresso or coffee powder and mix well.

Heat the butter in a medium bowl in the microwave on high power for 30 seconds or until melted. Let cool for a few minutes, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the butter mixture. Using a wooden spoon, mix until just combined, pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Don’t overcook!

Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli Soup from Suzanne Williams

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 pound lean ground beef

½ pound sweet Italian sausage (optional)

2 whole carrots, diced

4 celery stalks, diced

1 medium onion, diced

(I used 2 cartons of Mire Poix from Trader Joe’s in place of carrots, celery, and onion)

28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 cans (14.5-ounces each) beef broth (or more to make it soupier)

2 whole bay leaves

1 teaspoon each dried oregano and 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

1/2 cup ditalini pasta, uncooked (any very small pasta will do)

Add olive oil to a large skillet and add ground beef and sausage (if using). Cook 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. 30 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: 8-10

Homemade Vegetarian Chili from Mary Beth Collins

A friend introduced me to the blog Cookie and Kate.  This is a slight modification of a recipe I found there.

Yield:  serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

½ teaspoon salt, divided

4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

1 to 1½ tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 large can (28 ounces) or 2 small cans (15 ounces each) diced tomatoes, with

  their juices (I mixed fire-roasted diced tomatoes with plain ones)

2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained

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

2 cups vegetable broth or water

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnishing

1 to 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar or lime juice, to taste

Garnishes: chopped cilantro, sliced avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream or crème fraîche, grated cheddar cheese, etc.

In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, carrot, celery and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes and their juices, the drained black beans and pinto beans, vegetable broth, and bay leaf. Stir to combine and let the mixture come to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, and reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, for 30 minutes. Remove the chili from the heat.

For the best texture and flavor, transfer 1½ cups of the chili to a blender, making sure to get some of the liquid portion. Securely fasten the lid and blend until smooth (watch out for hot steam), then pour the blended mixture back into the pot. (Or, you can blend the chili briefly with an immersion blender, or mash the chili with a potato masher until it reaches a thicker, more chili-like consistency.)

Add the chopped cilantro, stir to blend, and then mix in the vinegar, to taste. Add salt to taste.  Divide the mixture into individual bowls and serve with garnishes of your choice. This chili will keep well in the refrigerator for about four days or you can freeze it for longer-term storage.

Honey Lavender Pound Cake with White Chocolate Drizzle from Pat Siegfried

From The Lavender Cookbook by Sharon Shipley

1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender buds

2 ¾ cups sugar

3 cups flour

6 large eggs

½ teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup sour cream

¼ cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan.

Place the lavender in a spice grinder with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Pulse until the lavender is finely ground. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the remaining sugar.

Sift the flour and baking soda together three times. In a small bowl, mix the sour cream and honey. Separate the eggs. Add ¼ teaspoon salt to the egg whites and beat with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

In a large bowl, combine sugar and butter. Beat with mixer until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and remaining salt. Beat in the yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Beginning with the dry ingredients, alternately beat in the flour and sour cream in three additions each. Fold in the egg whites and pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for one hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes and then invert onto a wire rack. Cool completely.

White Chocolate Drizzle

5 ¼ ounce white chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon grenadine syrup

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Melt chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water. Stir chocolate for two minutes, or until melted. Whisk in the grenadine syrup and then the cream. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Thyme-Parmesan Butter  from Vicki Jaus

Adapted from Ann Baldwin’s recipe, July 2019 Herb Guild meeting

1/3 cup thyme leaves

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 tbsp fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Sea salt to taste 

Process all ingredients in a food processor until well blended.  

Dill Butter from Vicki Jaus 

From Jane Ireton, Herb Guild Cookbook, p. 165

1/2 cup fresh dill

3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves

1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Finely chop dill and parsley in a food processor.  Add softened butter in cubes and process until well blended.  With motor running, add lemon juice and blend.  Season with salt and pepper 

Orange - Mint Cream Cheese  from Vicki Jaus

Adapted from Marsha Ghent, Herb Guild Cookbook, p. 169

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

Zest of two oranges

3 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped

1/4 cup honey

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese at medium speed until soft and fluffy.  Blend in orange zest and mint. Blend in honey and powdered sugar. 

Tomato-Basil Jam Cream Cheese from Vicki Jaus 

The jam I used was a gift from a friend in Georgia. Several recipes can be found online.  

8 oz. cream cheese

3-4 tablespoons tomato basil jam

Beat cream cheese at medium speed until soft and fluffy.  Blend in jam.  Serve with a dollop of jam on top.