Savory Summer Cobbler -- Take 2

Revisited this. This time, a crust with half whole wheat flour, a touch more cheese; took the unorthodox step of melting the butter first rather than spend the time working it into the dough. (Ben's family melts the butter for their famous Swedish Pie, and it turns out fine -- just different.) Turns out it's better this way - a bit crisp and with more flavor. I might cut down on the baking powder next time and see what happens, as I think the taste comes through too much as it cools (weird, no?). But for a great filling, cook two large sliced onions till light brown, add a can of diced tomatoes and let most of the juice cook off; season with fennel seeds and a tsp of vermouth.

Famous Grouse Chicken

Normally, I would use wine to flavor chicken with onions, but yesterday morning we were out. "I've heard of bourbon chicken," I thought. "Why not with Scotch?" So, into the slowcooker went a shot of Scotch. Result? Delicious!

I cooked this for about 9.5 hours, which is really the most you would want to cook it: the chicken gets browned, but not dried out as it would with longer cooking, and the peppers and onions get browned -- peppers slightly blackened in spots -- but not burned. If you will be at work longer than that and thus need to cook it longer, you could try adding more liquid at the beginning. I might do that next time even for this amount of time.

Famous Grouse Chicken

4 chicken thighs, bone-in. Remove and discard the skin and any visible fat.
1 very large sweet onion, Vidalia or Walla Walla or the like.
2 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers, quartered, or about 10 mini bell peppers, caps removed
1 shot Famous Grouse Scotch
1 tsp coarse Dijon mustard
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
Few drops Sriracha
Black pepper
Paprika
1 cup water

Slice the onion very thinly -- should yield about 3-4 cups. Lay the onion slices over the bottom of the slowcooker. Arrange the peppers evenly over the onions, and lay the chicken over the peppers.

Mix together the Scotch, mustard, vinegar, oil, Sriracha, and water. Pour over contents of slowcooker. Sprinkle the chicken pieces thoroughly with pepper and Paprika. Cook on Low 7 to 9.5 hours.

Serve with rice.

Serves 2-4.

Creamed Onions

I have always surmised that I would love creamed onions. We had heavy whipping cream left over from a chocolate-ganache/caramel tart this weekend, so I finally had the opportunity to make them (what, waste good cream?). Turns out I do love them. So, so, so good.

I adapted Simon Hopkinson's recipe from Roast Chicken and Other Stories to fit the ingredients I had on hand, and wouldn't make it any other way. We modern folk aren't that used to eating things made with heavy cream, though -- it's unbelievably rich (even after I cut the butter in half), so I might just try making it with whole milk some time.

They look like nothing special, definitely not photo-worthy, but are impossible to resist.

Creamed Onions

3 large Spanish onions, sliced thinly
4 tbsp unsalted butter (original recipe: 8 tbsp)
1/2 cup white wine vinegar (or 1/3 cup white wine vinegar and the remainder white vinegar, if that's all you have like me)
1/4 cup extra dry vermouth
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream (might try only 1 cup next time)
salt and pepper
pinch dried rosemary

Cook the onions in the butter, with salt to taste, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 30 to 45 minutes (it's a lot of onions -- just barely fit in our largest saute pan until they cooked down). Add the vinegar and reduce until evaporated; add the vermouth and reduce until evaporated. Add the rosemary, lots of pepper, and cream; cook another 10 minutes or so, until thickened.

Makes about 6 servings.

Recommended serving suggestion: for a great dinner for one, eat onions with Ak-Mak crackers dipped in Trader Joe's Bulgarian eggplant garlic spread.

Savory Mushroom Bread Pudding

I was really impressed by how this turned out -- puffed and golden, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, rich and tasting of mushrooms and onions and cheese.

I'm sure it would be delicious if made with whole milk or cream and white bread with the crusts cut off, but it tasted pretty spectacular made with what I had on hand -- skim milk and whole-wheat "double protein" sandwich bread (and I didn't cut the crusts off). If I'd thought ahead, stale bread would probably work better as I'd prefer a slightly drier pudding, but YUM.

Savory Mushroom Bread Pudding

8 oz. crimini/"baby bella" mushrooms, washed and sliced thinly
1 medium-large onion, diced (about 3 cups)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
5 eggs
2 cups skim milk
8 slices whole wheat sandwich bread, cut into cubes of less than an inch
1/2 to 2/3 cup grated Swiss cheese
black pepper
cayenne
salt
1/2 tsp dried sage
2 tbsp butter

Grease a 1.8 quart casserole dish with a little of the butter. Heat the rest in a frying pan over medium heat, and saute the onions in it until they have softened and released some of their liquid, about 5 minutes. (Use this time to wash and slice the mushrooms and cut up the bread). Add the mushrooms and garlic and continue to cook over medium heat until the mushrooms have softened, released their liquid, and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes more. Season with salt, pepper, and a couple of dashes of cayenne. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until well blended. Beat in the milk. Add about a half teaspoon of salt, a half teaspoon of pepper, a couple of dashes of cayenne, and sage; blend. Mix in the bread cubes and then the onions/mushrooms, making sure it's well blended.

Pour into the greased baking dish. Top with the grated cheese. Bake 55-65 minutes, until the top is puffed and well browned.

Serves at least 4.

Slow-Cooked Chicken and Goat with Onions

Now, this is not an entry about a cake. It was a good cake, although I have to ask you not to use raspberry buttercream you've had stashed in the freezer as filling (it soaks into the cake in a rather unappetizing way). It also it had excellent fudge frosting.

However.

This is an entry about meat. Specifically, goat and chicken slow-cooked together with plenty of onions... so that the meats flavor each other and the onions turn golden brown and delicoius. Not so much a recipe as a method:

Slow-Cooked Chicken and Goat with Onions


2 goat or lamb shoulder chops. Brown them if you want.
5ish chicken drumsticks. You can brown these if you want too, or skin them. Or not.
1.5 large onions, sliced
1/3 cup olive oil
Balsamic vinegar to taste to make a vinaigrette (I use a lot)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp honey
zest of one lemon
Sesame seeds for garnish

Cover the bottom of your slow cooker with onions. Lay the shoulder chops on the onions. Add the chicken.

In a small pitcher, mix the remaining ingredients together. Pour over the meat/onions, making sure to coat well.

Cook on high for 4 hours. There will be a lot of liquid. Lift out the meat and onions and serve on a platter, garnished with sesame seeds.

You could, of course, then reduce the liquid into a sauce to serve with the meat.

Serves 4 (3 if you're serving two carnivorous young men)

Spinach-Onion Pancakes with Watercress Pesto

You could just make scrambled eggs with spinach and onions, but this is waaaaay more fun. The watercress pesto is quite bitter. It's not the kind you want to serve as a dip for vegetables; it works better as an accompaniment to something with a complementary flavor. It's an acquired taste but one I really love. It's good in small doses with these pancakes; it's better as one component of a tea sandwich, on a challah roll with a slice of mozzarella -- the sweetness of the challah and bitterness of the pesto work really well together.

Spinach-Onions Pancakes

2/5 cup white flour (I started with 1/4 cup, and then added half of a 1/3 cup measure's worth)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup raw spinach, torn to shreds
1/4 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup skim milk
a little oil for the pan

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Beat in the flour, milk, and cheese; fold in onions and spinach. Heat a small film of oil in a pan over medium heat until very hot. Using two teaspoons, place spoonfuls of batter in the pan (four at a time fit in my pan). Cook until lightly brown, then flip, pressing down to thin the pancakes out if they are looking bulky. When lightly browned, remove from pan.

Makes 8 pancakes (dinner for one hungry person or for two people with some kind of side dish).

You could also leave out the cheese and serve these with a soy-based dipping sauce instead of pesto.

Watercress Pesto

1 medium bunch watercress, leaves only
1 large clove garlic
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Small handful almonds
Enough olive oil to make a paste

Process ingredients in a mini-food processor (I suppose a large sized one would work too; I just like my mini one because it cost $2 at a garage sale and is easy to clean). Add enough olive oil to make a paste that has the consistency you desire in pesto.

Makes about 1 cup.

Crispy-Crust Onion Tart

This crust, leavened with baking powder, is what you make when a yeast dough would take too long. I debated for a long time about whether it should be just onions and cheese, or include tomato sauce... settled on a thin spread of tomato paste mostly to keep the onions attached, which was good because it improves the texture of the crust. NB: Spread the sauce and toppings closer to the edge than in the photo--the crust has a very nice, light, crisp texture under the soft toppings, but is pretty tough on its own. Enjoy!

Crispy Crust Onion Tart

Crust:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2/3 cup water, plus or minus a little
cornmeal or sesame seeds to keep it from sticking to the pan

Topping:
3 oz. (half a small can) tomato paste
1 medium sweet onion, sliced thinly
1 tsp cumin
2 small sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 cup crumbled feta

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix together flour, oil, baking powder, salt, and water in a bowl until it comes together in an elastic, but not sticky, ball. If too dry, add water by tablespoons-full; same for flour if it's too wet. Knead about ten times. Put aside.

Saute the onions in some olive oil until starting to color. Add the cumin and cook a few minutes longer, but do not let burn.

Roll the dough out into a circle around a foot in diameter. Stretch it with your hands if that is easier. Place it on a round cookie sheet you have sprinkled with cornmeal or sesame seed. Spread a thin layer of tomato paste on top. Top with the onions and rosemary.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with feta, and return to oven for about 15 more minutes, or until crust is beginning to be golden.

Serves two.


EDIT (July 2, 2008): if you HAVE yeast, but just don't have much time, use the yeast and only let it rise while you cook the onions--it is much tastier!

Carbonnades à la flamande

Seeing as it's still winter, I really wanted to make a big, hearty beef stew that would make the house smell good and warm us up. This is an adaptation of a few different recipes (unfortunately, the page including Carbonnades a la flamande from my Joy of Cooking is missing, along with the surrounding 40 pages!) It's a Belgian beef stew with beer, and it turned out pretty well--possibly the first time I've ever cooked beef in this kitchen, other than brisket.
Camera batteries are still out. It looks like stew.

Carbonnades à la flamande

3 lb beef chuck, cubed (cut out any huge tendons)
4 large onions, sliced
1 clove of garlic, chopped finely
1 tbsp cider vinegar
about 4 tbsp olive oil, or more if necessary
2 bottles brown ale (I used Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale)
2 cups hot water
3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp brown sugar (or omit; I used it, and it was too sweet for my tastes)
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
small pinch ground cloves
salt, pepper to taste
2 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread, each spread with 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Brown the beef cubes in batches until well-browned on all sides (about 3-4 min per side if the oil is hot enough). Meanwhile, saute the onions and garlic in a large frying pan over medium heat until you are done browning the beef; stir frequently to make sure they get only a little color, adding the vinegar about three minutes before the end of cooking.

Return the beef to the pan, and add the flour, salt, and pepper, stirring to coat. Add onions. Deglaze the pot by adding one cup of hot water and scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the beer and the remaining water. Bring to a boil; turn down the heat to a low simmer. Add the sugar (if using), thyme, bay leaves, and cloves. Cook 2 1/2 hours over low heat, stirring occationally. One hour into the cooking, float the slices of bread at the top of the pot. Stir them in as they absorb liquid (the crusts may require some vigorous stirring).

After 2 1/2 hours, turn the heat to medium (NOT high, or you will burn the bottom of the pot, as I did) and reduce about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened enough that it coats the spoon and clings to the meat.

Serve with brown rice or potatoes.

Serves 5-6.

Onion-Poppyseed Muffins

During finals, the onion-poppyseed combination just wouldn't leave my mind. I had been thinking an onion-poppyseed quick bread, but today I needed something to bring along for a long car ride, so it's in the form of muffins instead.

Onion-Poppyseed Muffins

3/4 cup diced onion
3 tbsp olive oil plus a little more to cook the onion
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp cornmeal
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese (or substitute Cheddar)
1 egg plus 1 egg white
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp poppyseeds
1 tsp dried rosemary

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tin with paper cups.

Saute the onion in a little oil about 10 minutes, until lightly colored. Take off heat and reserve. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and cornmeal. Add 3 tbsp olive oil and stir to combine. Stir in the feta, poppy seeds, rosemary, and pepper. In a separate container, beat together the egg, egg white, and milk. Mix the egg/milk mixture gently into the dry ingredients. Gently mix in the onions and stir just until combined. Spoon mixture into muffin tins and bake 20-25 minutes. Let cool at least slightly before attempting to remove from muffin papers.

Make 12 muffins.

Quinoa Salad

This salad has a wide variety of flavors that match well together--bitter mustard greens, sweet apricots and onions, mellow Brie. It's also pretty. I used 2 cups of mustard greens and that turned out to be a little too much for my taste, but it can easily be varied. Red quinoa is prettier but regular would be fine as well.

Quinoa Salad


1 cup red quinoa
1-2 cups chopped frozen (or fresh) mustard greens
1 small red onion, sliced thinly
10 dried apricots, quartered
about 2 oz. Brie cheese, in small cubes
2 tbsp olive oil plus more for sauteing
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 pinch dried basil
salt and pepper

In a saucepan, bring quinoa and two cups water to a boil. When boiling, turn the heat down to low and simmer about 15 min, until all the water is absorbed and the spring-like germ has separated from the quinoa.
Meanwhile, saute the onion in olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the mustard greens (do not thaw if frozen; if not frozen, also add enough water to prevent them from burning). Saute over low heat about 10 more minutes, until the quinoa is nearly done. Combine greens/onions and quinoa in a large bowl. Season with basil, salt, and pepper. In a small cup, beat together the oil, vinegar, and mustard; pour over the quinoa mixture and toss to coat. Add the chopped apricots and Brie and toss. Chill and serve. Noticeably better the next day after the flavors have blended.

Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a side dish.

Pasta Salad with Eggplant

Last night, I was imagining a nice cool pasta salad that would be full of lush, smoky eggplant, with something to highlight the eggplant's sweetness and something with a little crunch: long-cooked red onions. I put in some feta for heft, but this would probably be good without it as well.

Pasta Salad with Eggplant

1 globe eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch slices. (I skipped the salting and draining step, but it wouldn't hurt.)
1 red onion, sliced into thin, long strips
1/2 cup chopped parsley
4 oz feta, crumbled
1 box shell pasta
Olive oil
2 tbsp Red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Saute sliced onions in olive oil over medium-low heat for about 25 minutes--until pale pink, sweet, and tender. Meanwhile, brush eggplant slices with a little olive oil and place on a cookie sheet, working in batches if necessary. Broil 6 minutes, flip, brush with more oil, and broil 3-5 minutes longer, until soft and browned but not burned. Let the onions and eggplant cool while cooking the pasta. Chop the eggplant and parsley roughly. Toss eggplant, onions, parsley, feta and pasta. In a small glass, whisk red wine vinegar with mustard and 2-3 tbsp olive oil. Toss with pasta. Season with salt and lots of pepper.

Serves about 5.