Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

I don't seem to make my stuffed cabbage rolls the way most recipes call for it.  Mine is pretty close to the Polish recipes I see, though.  My best friend is from Poland and when we were kids she said my mom made it like her mom does.  She actually said, "How do you know how to make Golabki?"  We had no idea what she was talking about.  I think that somehow my family got the Polish recipe from someone somewhere a few generations ago, and I've added a touch to mine.  They are very good, the cabbage is done just right so that it has flavor and is the right texture, and they do not dry out because they are submersed entirely in tomato juice throughout cooking.

You will need:

1 head of cabbage as large as you can find

1 lb. ground beef
1 c. long grain rice
1 egg
1/4 c. parsley
salt to taste
pepper to taste

1 full sized can of tomato juice
hot sauce to taste
Hungarian Paprika

Fill a large pot halfway with water, then add the raw cabbage and steam it slowly, if you wish, use a steamer basket to keep most of the nutrients in the cabbage.  When the cabbage gets slightly fork tender, gently cut the leaves off one at a time and pull them aside onto a plate until you have eight or ten large leaves.  If your leaves are smaller, just make more rolls with smaller amounts of meat in them.

While the leaves cool, in a separate bowl, mix ground beef with the rice, parsley and egg until it is completely combined.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Depending on the size of your leaves and how much meat it takes to fill them, form balls of meat large enough to fill your leaf without any oozing out when you fold both sides in and then roll them over to completely cover the meat.  Do this with every leaf and gently place them inside a Dutch oven or crock pot layered until they are all filled and rolled.

Slowly pour the entire can of tomato juice over the rolls making sure they are covered.  If need be, gently push the rolls under the juice with a wooden spoon.  Add salt, pepper, a few shakes of Hungarian paprika and a dash of hot pepper sauce if you don't mind a hint of heat and flavor.  Do not stir or you will upset your rolls.

Turn the heat on medium low until you bring the liquid to a slight, simmering boil.  Continue the simmering boil for 10 to 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to the simmer setting for at least 90 minutes before serving.  Some people simmer these all day or cook them all day in a slow cooker, which you may also do.  However, the longer you cook them, the more disintegrated your cabbage leaves will become.  I like them to be firm and sweet, so I only cook them a couple of hours total.

To serve, you may want to make a side of mashed potatoes and I know it's another starch but I have to have corn with my stuffed cabbage rolls.  Then I ladle the tomato juice (which will have thickened a bit) over my meat and potatoes and enjoy.  It's a very hearty meal for cold winter days, and it feeds an army.

John Barleycorn - Schaumburg

We have been to this new upscale Irish pub (I think it's a chain, or a local chain in Chicago) at Woodfield in Schaumburg a few times now.  It's in a stand alone building near the mall off of Route 72.  There is plenty of parking, a valet if needed, and the inside is decorated in traditional dark woodwork with generous booths, plenty of intimate fourtops, and just the right lighting.  There are flatscreens plastered all over, which makes it a great place if you're looking to keep an eye on the game, and the bathrooms are new, clean and stocked.

The first time David and I ate there we had the full rack of ribs for $12.95.  You can't beat that price, and you couldn't beat the dinner either.  The ribs were perfect, fall off the bone with just the right amount of BBQ sauce on them.  The sauce is tangy and smoky, and seemed just right.  The meal comes with a nice salad of romaine and iceberg mixed with some cherry tomatoes and large slices of cucumber, and we both ordered bleu cheese.  Much better than most lackluster salads of plain iceberg you get as a side with the meal when eating out...which is rare nowadays anyway.

The ribs also come with fries, or you can request mashed.  We both had fries, and they are done just right and come out fresh and hot.  It wouldn't be complete without the coleslaw, which was also very good, traditional coleslaw.  Not too finely shredded, not too soggy, just the right flavors and consistency.  It was delicious and so worth the $12.95.  Where else can you get GREAT ribs (a full rack) with sides for that reasonable nowadays?  Oh, and the waitress was on top of it.  I recommend trying it out if you're in the area.

The second time we visited we just stopped in for appetizers in the middle of shopping season.  We ordered the classic nachos thought that'd be plenty, but we were disappointed when they arrived because they were just chips with a so-so chili and some jalepenos dumped on top and they could have been much better.  So we ordered the calamari, thinking we couldn't go wrong with that.  Wrong.  Unfortunately, the heat must not have been right on the fryer.  The calamari was tough and greasy.  This means the temperature wasn't high enough when they were fried.  Besides that, they had very little flavor, so it was a complete bust.  I guess it's not an appetizer stop.

Third visit, we stuck with the ribs but started with soups too.  The French onion soup is to die for...just the right amount of crouton, onion and cheese, bubbly and oozy, and perfectly seasoned.  Many restaurants get it wrong.  This was right on, and not too salty.  The clam chowder (one of my favorite soups) was fishy and a little thick.  I didn't finish it.  Clam chowder, like any other fish, shouldn't be fishy.  The salads were great again.  The ribs came and looked wonderful.  David loved them.  I noticed some changes.  The ribs seemed to be a little tougher, and David even noticed that mine were when he finished his (meatier and melt-in-your-mouthier) and they were slathered heavily with tangy BBQ sauce.  I don't know if it was something about what I was in the mood for that night or if they changed it, but the BBQ sauce was over the top this time...too much of it to enjoy the ribs and too piquant for me.  I scraped most of it off to enjoy the meat and still had a hard time cleaning the ribs off.  I ate half the rack, David finished them.  I may be a little nitpicky, but my grandmother makes the best coleslaw ever.  They changed the coleslaw this time, I thought.  I wonder if the chef is just playing around making it and doesn't really have a recipe to follow.  It was a bit vinegary and not enough mayo this time.  I'd stick with a winner and stop messing with it.  Basic traditional coleslaw is good.

The manager did come out and ask us how everything was.  It was good overall, I just thought my ribs weren't as good as the first time we were there.  I'll give them another shot because I know the ribs can be great and the French onion is superb.  I love the atmosphere, and the waitress shared the same name as me, plus it's really reasonable.

Happy New Year!

I have changed the theme for the new year, new decade really, and look forward to sharing new adventures in cooking with you in 2010. I have cooked a few things already this year, but David has the photos on his camera. I'll ask him to email them to me so I can share with you.

I saw the movie Julie & Julia this Christmas and I was inspired to try new recipes from the cookbook my sister bought for me, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," by Julia Child, as well as from the other cookbooks I have on my shelves.  I'll give it a shot to add as many new recipes as I can in 2010, maybe a handful a week, including all three daily meals, and a few restaurant reviews too, if I'm lucky!  Until then, happy eating!

Pumpkin Pancakes X 2

A friend on Facebook saw that I was making these and wanted the recipe. They're delicious! (I didn't get a picture of my plate that I actually ate off of...cuz they were so good I started eating without taking a picture with the toppings...pecans and syrup. So here is the stack that I didn't eat right away. They heat up great for leftovers too.)

I have an ez recipe and a scratch one.

EZ Pumpkin Pancakes

2 1/2 c. Aunt Jemima Mix
3 T. br. sugar
2 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 egg
1 3/4 c. milk
2 T. canola oil
2 T. vinegar (white or white wine)
1 c. pumpkin puree

Mix them all into batter and either dust off your pecans in some flour and add to the batter (so they don't sink) or just serve with them on top when they're done, with some maple syrup.


Home Made From Scratch Pumpkin Waffles (My family recipe)

In a bowl for dry ingredients only, sift together:

2 1/2 c. Flour
1 T. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. clove

Then in a wet bowl you will add the dry to eventually, cream together:

4 eggs, whipped
2 c. buttermilk
1 can of pumpkin (or make your own fresh)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla extract

When the wet ingredients are fully incorporated, add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet, and beat until smooth.

Again, if you dust your pecans (optional) with flour and add to the batter before cooking they won't settle so you'll get the pecans in each pancake or waffle. Or, just serve them on top.

Make into waffles or pancakes...they are delish!

St. Louis Style BBQ Ribs

Ooops, I forgot the photos load in reverse for some silly reason.

I made these ribs with a dry rub that I made up, based on reading several good recipes and deciding what I'd like mine to taste like. My dry rub included about a cup of brown sugar, maybe a little more, T. ground chikory coffee, T. Hungarian Paprika, 2 t. Cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic salt, grated lemon zest from one lemon, and T. cumin, I think.

I prepped the ribs by trimming them of as much fat as I could get off with a sharp filet knife. I also peeled off the membrane on the back of the ribs. This makes it easier to eat them and it helps them achieve that fall off the bone doneness that we all want in ribs. Then I rubbed them down completely with the dry rub, covered them on a platter and refrigerated them overnight.

About one hour before I was ready to cook them I took them out of the frig to achieve room temperature. This relaxes the meat and holds in some of the juiciness and allows for even cooking when you let the meat hit the heat. Then I preheated the oven to 350 and put them flat, side by side on a baking sheet that I lined twice with foil and sprayed with Crisco olive oil spray so they won't stick.

I put the ribs in the oven for 10 minutes on each side at 350, to brown them off a bit. Then I took them out of the oven, reduced the heat to 250, and tented the ribs with foil, pretty tightly (meaning close to the meat without touching it) so that the steam will stay inside the foil and cook the meat slowly, tenderizing it.

These babies went for about four hours 20 minutes before we just couldn't wait anymore and we enjoyed them very much. They were not quite falling apart, but parts of them were fall off the bone and the rest were tender and tasty. They could have gone another 30-60 minutes if you want the total fall off the bone effect. We like them as they were. This particular set of ribs was super meaty and I think that's what took them so long. Just 3 or 4 ribs and I was full.

I served them with a side of BBQ sauce for David, because he loved the flavor of the dry rub but he likes his ribs wet. I just heated that up for him and he could paste it on as he ate. I ate mine dry, and they were less messy and just as tasty that way. I also served corn muffins, corn on the cob and baked beans. It was a messy and tasty dinner!

Eggplant Parmesan

My friend, Christine, came over for dinner after a long commute back home from Chicago by train. I was going to make this for David last weekend, but I made enchiladas.

First make the sauce. My sauce is simple and I'm not sure I have given the recipe entirely away, but let's just say you can do a lot if you sautee a rib of celery, an onion and two cloves of garlic (all finely minced) in olive oil, then add a large can of tomato puree and two cans of tomato paste. You can figure out your own seasonings to taste, and add several cups of water for the right consistency you like. My consistency is 4 cups to that mixture.

Or you can use jarred sauce if you like a certain kind, but then you probably need on jar for the eggplant and one more for your pasta.

Then, peel and slice one very large or two medium eggplants. They shouldn't be too thick, maybe quarter of an inch, so they cook up easily and don't absorb most of the oil. Put them in a strainer and sprinkle sea salt on them to draw out some of the bitterness and excess water for 30 minutes while you prepare your dredges in three pie plates.

First pie plate, about 2 cups of flour seasoned with salt, pepper and a garlic seasoning blend if you like. Second pie plate, 5 eggs, whisked completely. Third pie plate, about 2 cups of Italian bread crumbs, add salt, pepper and the same seasoning if you like.

Now heat a couple of cups of canola oil in a large frying pan. You want it hot but not smoking. The eggplant will absorb oil if it's not hot enough. It should sizzle with a small drop of water dropped in. Careful. You can also use the first small slice of eggplant as a tester.

Dredge your eggplant through plates 1, 2 and 3, coating with each step. Drop into the hot oil and brown on each side. You'll probably have to repeat this process 3 or 4 times to finish them all, draining the browned eggplant slices on a rack with paper towel to catch excess oil.

Now you can assemble your casserole. I made two small ones, one for tonight with Christine and one for David whenever he wants. I'll freeze it and bake it later. It was going to be way too much food for two people. To assemble, first spray a casserole with non-stick spray, I use Crisco spray because it doesn't leave a nasty film on my dishes that won't come off. Then ladle a small amount of sauce into your casserole dish, enough to lightly coat the bottom. Then arrange a single layer of eggplant slices. Top those with more sauce, covering them up entirely. Top the sauce with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and mozzarella. Another layer of eggplant, another layer of sauce, another layer of cheese. You get it, until you run out. I made just two layers and I put more cheese on the second layer.

Pop it in the oven, covered, at 350 for 45 minutes or until oozy and bubbly. You'll know when it's done. You can uncover the last 5-10 minutes to brown the top.

Serve with al dente pasta of your choice and another slathering of sauce on your pasta, a little crusty bread if you want and some vino. You may want to make a salad ahead of this meal, but we're having tiramisu, so we're going to be overfull.

Enjoy!

Great-Grandma Engelmann's German Potato Salad

I modified my great-grandmother's recipe for my sister last week. We had Hungarian sausage that she used to make, and I made this side dish. Grandma used to slice the potatoes, but I like them a very semi-mashed consistency.

Wash half of a small bag of red potatoes. Halve or quarter them to make them all uniform size for boiling so they'll all get done at the same rate. Boil them over medium high heat in enough water to cover them, with a healthy dash of sea salt. This will season the potatoes as they boil. Meanwhile, cook half a pound of bacon until crispy and drain the bacon on a paper towel. Reserve half the bacon fat.

Drain the potatoes when they are fork tender, reserving 3 tablespoons of the potato water. Dice a medium onion and sautee it until tender in the bacon fat. Then add the potato water into the bacon fat and onions. Also add 1/4 c white wine vinegar into the bacon fat, heat and mix together gently with a little black pepper and authentic Hungarian paprika.

Gently mash the potatoes, only sightly mashing them so that there are large pieces and some small pieces. Or, if you prefer...slice them, but that's a pain and takes longer, in my opinion, to achieve the same tasting dish. Add the bacon dripping and onion mixture to the potatoes and then garnish with a heavy handful of chives or parsley. I made this one with fresh chives. Don't forget to add the the bacon back in, crumbled up into small pieces.

Serve hot or cold, but Grandma always served it hot. It was tastier than I remember hers, but then I was a kid and hated vinegary tasting foods with gooey textures. Now? Potatoes, bacon, onions and chives in bacon drippings? It's the bomb!

Semi-Homemade Enchiladas

I made David Mexican food this weekend. I never do. Usually we go to Jose's for this. I have made great enchiladas for parties before, so I thought I'd make those and use up some of the leftover braised meats I had in the freezer. I made three kinds of enchiladas: cheese, braised beef and braised turkey.

In two separate bowls, I soaked 10 corn tortillas each in spicy green enchilada sauce (I bought it in a specialty store) and in mild red enchilada sauce for a couple of hours. I find this makes them easier to roll up when I fill them later. I thawed my leftover meat and grated chihuahua cheese and crumbled Mexican farmer cheese for later.

I seasoned my turkey in a taco seasoning...cumin, paprika, garlic, salt, adobo powder. I left the beef, because it was slow cooked in peppers and peppercorns. I sliced some Mexican cheese into spears for the cheese ones, to make filling them easier, and I finely diced a small Spanish onion.

I sprayed two casseroles. In one, I rolled the beef with some onions in half of the red steeped tortillas, and the cheese and some onions in the other half. In the other, I rolled the turkey in the green tortillas.

I topped both casseroles with the remaining corresponding enchilada sauce, some shredded cheese and some crumbles of the farmer cheese. Then I baked them in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes until bubbly. You can tell they're done.

I made guacamole and served chips, yellow rice and refried black beans alongside the enchiladas, and garnished them on the plate with fresh cilantro. They were a hit. David said, "It's not that easy to pull off Mexican food at home, but you did a great job. I guess we USED TO go out for Mexican."

Personal Chef to Lady Lawyers Too Busy to Cook

Today I started offering my personal chef services in-home to my clients, women lawyers who are too busy to cook, who don't feel like cooking, or who don't know how to cook. It's a great alternative to constantly eating out, having to run to the grocery store and then cook something after a long day of work, or having to wait for a table or pick up carry out or eat microwave dinners every night.

I believe eating right is part of practicing self-care. Eating with your family is an ideal opportunity to connect and discuss what is happening with everyone. I also do romantic dinners for two if you're still dating.

I cook from scratch. I do a personal consultation with you to determine your preferences and create my weekly menu around those, subject to your approval. I then create a grocery list and shop for the food for you. I will bring it to your house and cook your weekly meals for you, put them into containers that will easily reheat, and give you instructions on each to reheat them. My complete service menu is available at http://danalboyle.com/chef.aspx. There you can see prices, packages, and more details.

Obviously, this part of my services will only be available locally to clients within 30 miles of my address, or the Racine-Kenosha, Wisconsin area. I will consider Milwaukee and surrounding areas, and Lake County, IL, for the right client. Just ask.

If you're interested, give me a call. 262-637-2094.

Spicy Cilantro Shrimp

This is a twist on the very first dish I ever made for David on one of our early dinner dates. My favorite food is shrimp, and boy is this good! It's so good that David requests it often and I don't mind because I love it too.

Warning: It'll make you sweat.


In a medium bowl, combine the juice of one lime, 1/4 c. hot pepper sauce (I like Crystal brand), 1 T. ground cumin, 1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes, and 1 T. liquid crab boil seasoning. Whisk together, careful not to get this in your eyes, and let stand.

You'll want to have two pounds of fresh or flash frozen medium to large shrimp, peeled and deveined. They should smell like the water they came out of if they're fresh and safe to eat.

In a medium sautee pan, heat 1 T. olive oil and 2 T. butter over medium heat. Sautee 2 finely chopped shallots and 4 finely minced cloves of garlic. (While you're at the chopping, clean and chop a bunch of cilantro and set it aside.) Now toss your shrimp into the pan and gently turn them until they are done. Shrimp are done when they are pink and firm. They are easily overcooked and taste like erasers when overdone, so be careful to remove them from the heat at just done, opaque, and not a second later.

When they're done, scrape the contents of your pan (shallots, garlic, shrimp, oil and all) into the bowl of spiciy seasoning. Toss througoughly, careful again not to get any in your eyes. Then garnish and toss again with your fresh cilantro.

You can serve this over rice by itself, but I served it along with a black bean and mango salsa and rice with warm tortillas, green chili salsa and some chips. By the end of the meal you'll be sweating and need the chips and tortillas to keep your mouth cooled down, and a margarita can't hurt for good measure!

It should serve 8, but who are we kidding? It really serves more like 5 or 6 people.

Returning By Popular Demand

I apologize that I have not posted my recipes, cooking and eating adventures for a couple of months. I have been one busy girl, but I have continued cooking and now that my camera is back in action I will be sharing again. Be on the lookout for my new format, which may take this blog to a new hosting site.

Thanks for asking about the blog! :)

Dana

Wordle Creations with Food Words

Ever wonder what your entire blog would look like in a word cloud? Here it is...or at least here's one of the creations:


And one more. See if you can make heads or tails of this Chicken Parmesan Wordle recipe:


You can create your own word clouds at www.wordle.net. Have fun!