Author: Heidi Lee (Page 36 of 96)

Just so you all know, I basically pull most of these recipes out of my ass.  So, you might want to be a bit diligent in reading it all the way through and SERIOUSLY adjusting the seasonings to your taste.  On the other hand, they usually work out pretty good!

Roasted Poblano Peppers with Spicy Pumpkin Puree

Roasted Pablanos:

Pre-heat oven to Broil:

• 4 Large Pablano Peppers

• 1 T. Vegetable Oil

• S&P to taste

Rinse peppers and pat dry with a paper towel.  Lay peppers on a baking sheet and coat with the vegetable oil.  Place 1 rack down from the broiler element.  I leave the oven door open and smidge so I don’t forget to check them.  Let them do their thing until the skin blisters and is black.

Remove from oven and place in a Ziploc bag for about 10-15 minutes.  Keep the stem on and gently pull the skin off.  Set aside.

Pumpkin Puree:

Pre-Heat oven to 275 degrees:

• 1 Medium Sized Pumpkin

• 1 T. Vegetable Oil

• ½ C. Yellow Onion, Small Dice

• 2 T. Garlic, Minced

• ½ Cup Shaved Carrot

• 1 T. Cumin Powder

• 1/2 t. Red Pepper Flakes

• 1 Cup Vegetable or Chicken Stock (approx.  depends on the yield you get from your pumpkin)

• S & P to taste

• ¼ C. Heavy Cream – optional

• 2 T. Fresh Cilantro for Garnish

Slice the pumpkin in half and scrape out seeds and all that stringy stuff.  Just cover the bottom of a baking sheet with water and invert the pumpkin halves (face down) on the tray.  Put in the oven and bake until a knife easily slides through.  About 40 minutes.

Remove from oven.  When cool enough to handle, spoon out the meat into a glass bowl and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan over medium high heat, sauté the onions and garlic until translucent.  Reduce heat and add the carrot, cumin and red pepper flakes – stir constantly for 3-4 minutes.  Add the pumpkin, stock and salt and pepper reduce to low and let cook until the flavors meld and the liquid has evaporated.  Add the cream (if desired) and puree with an immersion blender or put in a food processor.

Using a paring knife or kitchen shears, cut the pablano up the middle and remove the seeds and pith.  Spoon the pumpkin puree into the cavity and garnish with fresh cilantro.  At this point, you could also sprinkle the pepper and puree with a Manchego or Queso Blanco and broil until bubbly.

This would go nicelywith a gently seasoned green or bibb leaf salad and some ripe tomato slices.

You know when that glass of wine before dinner gives you the inspiration to create…and then, by the third glass, you’ve done some serious creating….and then completely forgot how you did it? Well, that’s kind of the case with this particular recipe. However, I’ve been perfecting this beauty for about 4 years – changing up flavors, adding new elements and, Watson, I do believe we’ve got it!!!

To all of our fans, friends, sponsors and colleagues who have helped to make into the Soup such a great success, this is my own way of saying thank you…so very much! I LOVE MY JOB!!!!!

Naan with Herbed Goat Cheese, Pineapple Chutney and Roasted Shrimp

Ingredients:

Herbed Goat Cheese:

• 1/2 Pound Goat Cheese (Chevre)
• 1/4 Pound Cream Cheese
• 3-4 T. Sour Cream
• 4 T. Fresh Cilantro – fine mince
• Juice of 1 lime
• S&P to taste

1. Get out your Cuisinart!  Let the goat cheese and cream cheese stand at room temperature until soft, about 20 minutes.  Put all ingredients in your mixer and pulse until well incorporated.  You don’t want this to be too stiff, so add a little heavy cream if you need to; otherwise it will be difficult to spread on the Naan.
2. Let sit, covered, in the frig at least two hours, overnight if you can.  When ready to prepare the dish, let it come up to room temperate, thin if necessary and adjust your seasonings.

Pineapple Chutney:

• 2 T. Vegetable Oil
• 1 Small Yellow Onion, small dice
• 1 each Medium Red Pepper and Yellow Pepper, small dice
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 T. Fresh Ginger – finely diced
• 2 14 oz. cans crushed pineapple, with juice
• 1 T. Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 bottle Sweet Chile Sauce (you can find it in the Asian section of your grocery store)
• 3-4 T. Curry Powder
• S&P to taste

1. In a large sauce pan, sauté the onion, peppers and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the ginger and cook another 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
2. Add pineapple (with juice), chile sauce, vinegar, curry powder and S&P.  Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook down for at least 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently.  Your goal here is to meld the flavors and reduce the amount of liquid in your chutney.  Feel free to spice this up with red pepper flakes, jalapeno…whatever you like.  Don’t make it too hot, though, or the chutney will overshadow the shrimp and goat cheese.

Yogurt Cilantro Sauce:

• 1/2 Pound Greek Yogurt
• 1/4 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1/2 C. Finely minced Cilantro
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1-2 T. Cumin Powder

1. Drain the yogurt in a thin mesh colander over a large non-metallic bowl.  Make sure there’s enough room underneath the screen for the liquid to drain freely.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in the frig for at least two hours, overnight is best.
2. Bring it out, drain off the liquid and return to the yogurt to a clean glass bowl.  Add the whipping cream, cilantro, lime juice and Cumin.  Mix well and let sit in frig for another 30 minutes to an hour.

Roasted Shrimp:

**Pre-Heat the oven to 410 degrees

• 1 pound 16-20 shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 T. EVOO or Virgin Olive Oil
• S&P to taste

1. Clean the shrimp, pat dry and place in a large non-metallic bowl.  Add the olive oil, juice and seasonings and toss well with your hands.
2. Place the shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook for approximately 10 minutes ~ watch closely.  Test doneness by cutting into a shrimp and eating it.  Remove from oven and set aside on a cool plate.

TIME TO ASSEMBLE!!!

1. Make sure that your goat cheese mixture and chutney are at room temperature before you start.
2. Cut your Naan into triangular pieces.   Place the goat cheese mixture and your cilantro cream sauce in separate pastry bags, or Ziplocs with the tip cut off.  Trust me, this is the most efficient way to assemble this dish.
3. Lay your naan pieces out on your serving tray and top each with a dollop of the goat cheese mixture, then the chutney, a single shrimp and a zig zag of the cream sauce.  These go like wildfire whenever I make them ~ enjoy!!

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Noodle Kugel… doesn’t that just roll off the tongue!?! Some consider ‘the kugel’ to be a side dish while others consider it dessert–we’ll leave that choice up to you. I guarantee this will be a repeat recipe in your kitchen!

(and, yes, I am still begging recipes off my brother—he LOVES his kugel!)

Michael’s Noodle Kugel

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. uncooked wide egg noodles
• 16 oz. Cottage Cheese
• 16 oz. Sour cream
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• Black pepper to taste
• 1 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Spray a 9×13” pan or casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook egg noodles according to package directions; drain.  
3. Combine the remaining ingredients together in a large bowl; add noodles and mix.  Transfer mixture to the prepared pan, cover with foil, and bake  for 15 minutes.  Remove foil cover and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until set and brown.

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Black Forest Cake is one of those ‘WOW’ cakes for most people. This recipe gives you an easy way to replicate the effect of Black Forest Cake at home without hiring a professional cake decorator. In any case, Chocolate and Cream Cheese… who can say no to that??!!

Cheesecake Brownies a la Black Forest

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup butter, chopped
• 10 oz good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• Cherry Pie Filling
• Sweetened Whipped Cream (homemade or purchased)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a square 9” cake pan with aluminum foil; spray the lined pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool. Note: you can also melt the butter/chocolate in the microwave.
3. Whisk 2 of the eggs in a small bowl. Add whisked eggs and 2/3 cup of the sugar to the chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Add the flour and sour cream and stir until well combined.
4. Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and remaining sugar in another bowl until smooth. Add the remaining egg and beat until just combined.
5. Spoon chocolate and cream cheese mixtures, alternately, over base of pan. Use a sharp knife to swirl to and create a marble effect. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow brownies to cool in the pan for 1 hour. Store in the refrigerator.
6. To serve in Black Forest style, cut brownies into squares and dollop with cherries and whipped cream.

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