The Cookbook

Aqua Letifer

It's Michaelmas!

We made bannock for the occasion. Because why not.

Fun superstition regarding the holiday: it was the last day of the season to eat blackberries—after Michaelmas, they turn evil. (Story goes, when God cast Satan out of heaven, he landed in a blackberry bush. He was so peeved that he cursed the blackberries, and so they reveal their curse after the holiday.)

Ingredients
• 2 C oats
• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ C butter
• ¼ C honey
• ½ C milk

Egg Wash Mixture
• 1 egg
• ¼ C cream
• 4 oz butter

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Preheat a lightly greased cast iron skillet on the stove on medium-low heat.
Using a food processor, blitz the oats until they become a fine flour. In a bowl, combine oat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in the butter and then add the honey and milk.
(Mix the honey into the milk before adding to the dry ingredients.)
Form into a ball and then press down into a disk.
Combine the egg wash ingredients (egg, butter, and cream) and slather one side of the bannock.
Lay that side face-down on the skillet and cook for about 1 minute. Meanwhile, slather the other side with the mixture.
Continue flipping and slathering until the cream mixture is used up or until the bannock is browned enough on each side. Then, place the skillet in the oven to bake through. This might take another 10-30 minutes depending on how thick the bannock is.

Aqua Letifer

George K · "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

Cool stuff, @Aqua-Letifer

Horace

Looks good. Maybe some condensed milk on top.

Aqua Letifer

@Horace said in The Cookbook:

Looks good. Maybe some condensed milk on top.

Good call. A lot of recipes call for a glaze or something. For this one we just decided to rawdog it.

Mik

Looks great. I normally have 6 ounces of blackberries on my cereal. They've been much too expensive lately.

George K · "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

Tonight's dinner.

Slow Cooker Rosemary Balsamic Beef Tips

2 pounds beef tips or stew meat, trimmed of excess fat
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 tablespoon if using fresh)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef tips and brown them on all sides, which will give your dish a richer flavor. Transfer them into the slow cooker.
To the same skillet, add the diced onion and sauté until it's soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté for an additional minute, just until fragrant. Spoon this mixture over the beef in the slow cooker.
In the slow cooker, pour in beef broth, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce. Stir in the rosemary, black pepper, and salt.
Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until the beef is tender and falls apart easily.
About 30 minutes before serving, mix cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir the mixture into the slow cooker to thicken the sauce.
Let it cook for another 25-30 minutes. Then, give everything a good stir, adjust the seasoning to your taste, and serve warm.

Variations & Tips

For families with picky eaters, you can make the beef tips without the rosemary and serve the herb on the side for those who enjoy the extra flavor.

Feel free to add in some carrots or mushrooms during the last 2 hours of cooking if you're looking to sneak some veggies into the meal.

Served it over mashed potatoes.

Mrs. George was not fond of the "balsamic-ey" flavor, and I have to agree. Just too much. If I make this again, and I probably will, I'll skip the balsamic vinegar and just increase the amount of broth.

Mik

Peruvian Roasted Chicken With Spicy Cilantro Sauce
By Melissa Clark

Burnished-skinned, deeply flavored and more than just a little spicy, it’s no wonder that Peruvian chicken has become something of an obsession here in the United States. There are dozens of way to make this dish, but most recipes call for two different kinds of Peruvian chile pastes — aji amarillo and aji panca — to add the necessary complexity and heat. You can find them at South American markets and online. But in a pinch, you can substitute a red chile paste (like sriracha or sambal) for the aji amarillo, and ground pasilla chile powder for the aji panca. The flavors won’t be traditional, but the chicken will still be tasty — especially when slathered with the irresistibly creamy, spicy cilantro sauce that goes alongside.

Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
For the Chicken

6garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
3tablespoons soy sauce
1tablespoon aji amarillo paste or another chile paste such as sriracha or sambal
1tablespoon lime juice
1teaspoon aji panca paste or 1 teaspoon pasilla chile powder
1teaspoon Dijon mustard
1teaspoon ground cumin
1teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½teaspoon fine sea salt
1(3½- to 4½-pound) chicken, halved (see Note) or 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken parts
Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

For the Sauce
1cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
3 to 4jalapeños, seeded and diced
¼cup/1 ounce crumbled feta cheese
1garlic clove, chopped
1½tablespoons lime juice, more to taste
2teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or basil
¾teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste
½teaspoon Dijon mustard
½tablespoon aji amarillo or other chile paste (see headnote)
½teaspoon honey
½teaspoon ground cumin
½cup extra-virgin olive oil
Lime wedges, for garnish

Preparation

Step 1
For the marinade: In a large bowl, whisk together garlic, soy sauce, aji amarillo paste, lime juice, aji panca paste, mustard, cumin, pepper and salt.

Step 2
Add chicken halves, turning to coat them all over with marinade. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.

Step 3
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange skin-side up on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with oil.

Step 4
Roast until skin is golden and chicken is cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes (if using chicken parts, remove the breasts after 25 to 35 minutes). Remove from oven and let sit, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes before serving.

Step 5
While chicken is roasting, make the sauce. In a blender, blend cilantro, jalapeños, feta, garlic, lime juice, oregano, salt, mustard, aji amarillo paste, honey, and cumin until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in oil until mixture is emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt or lime juice or both.

Step 6
Carve the chicken and serve with the sauce and lime wedges on the side.

George K · "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

Dinner fail.

I made this Sunday afternoon.

Slow Cooker Rosemary Balsamic Beef Tips

2 pounds beef tips or stew meat, trimmed of excess fat
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 tablespoon if using fresh)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the beef tips and brown them on all sides, which will give your dish a richer flavor. Transfer them into the slow cooker.
To the same skillet, add the diced onion and sauté until it's soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté for an additional minute, just until fragrant. Spoon this mixture over the beef in the slow cooker.
In the slow cooker, pour in beef broth, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce. Stir in the rosemary, black pepper, and salt.
Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until the beef is tender and falls apart easily.
About 30 minutes before serving, mix cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir the mixture into the slow cooker to thicken the sauce.
Let it cook for another 25-30 minutes. Then, give everything a good stir, adjust the seasoning to your taste, and serve warm.

=-=-=-=-=-=

The balsamic was overwhelming. As flavorful as the meat was, neither Mrs. George nor I could get over the overpowering flavor of the balsamic vinegar.

I'll make it again, but perhaps substitute some red wine for the vinegar.

Mik

Tonight's dinner. Smells fantastic. Takes much longer than they say. I used more pepper and used 6 boneless things and one breast. I'm cutting the covered simmering time to 15 minutes and will check the meat temp then.

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/poulet-basquaise

Active Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
Servings: 4
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, about 4 pounds, cut into 8 pieces
Salt
Pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper or piment d’Espelètte
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 green bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
16 ounces canned Italian plum tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup water
1/2 cube chicken bouillon or 1/2 cup light chicken stock or broth (See Note)
3 sprigs of flat parsley, finely chopped
Rice pilaf for serving
Directions
Step 1
Season the chicken all over with salt, pepper, and piment d'Espelètte. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over
medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. When the oil is hot, add the butter. When the butter has melted and the foam has
subsided, add the chicken, skin side down, and brown on that side only, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and set
aside on the plate. Add the peppers and onion to the pot and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for about 10 minutes,
then add the tomatoes and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the wine, scraping, scraping — as always — to
get the good stuff up. Cook until the wine is reduced by half, then add the water and the bouillon cube or broth. Return
the chicken to the pot, making sure to add all the juices on the plate. Cover the pot and simmer on low heat for about 25
minutes.
Poulet Basquaise
To make his exceptional braised chicken from the Basque region of France, Anthony Bourdain relies on piment
d'Espelètte, white wine, and plenty of onions and peppers.
By Anthony Bourdain | Updated on November 9, 2023
Step 2
Transfer the chicken to a platter. Crank up the heat to high and boil the sauce until it has thickened and reduced, about 5
minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add the parsley. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with rice pilaf.
Originally appeared: December 2012

Mik

Made this tonight, excellent. This site has a lot of great stuff.

https://www.themediterraneandish.com/easy-baked-ziti-recipe-italian-sausage-fresh-mozzarella/

Mik

Wanted something easy, healthy and used a lot of broccoli. This fit the bill and is quite delicious.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/fnk/recipes/sicilian-pasta-and-broccoli-8312243#reviewsTop

Mik

Made this cheeseburger soup at the request of my bride. Simple but very tasty homespun grub. I did put a third cup of stock in it.

https://allrecipes.familyfreshrecipes.com/?p=5036

jon-nyc

@George-K said in The Cookbook:

The hour I spent making the lasagna is more than offset by the fact that I don't have to cook for three nights.

Sometimes I’ll make two at a time. Not much more time than making one. I’ll buy a disposable lasagna pan for the second, freeze it for months. Later let it thaw for 48hrs and cook.

Then you get 8 meals out of the hour+

Mik

I have grapes and lots of garlic and rosemary, so this is on the menu for tonight. Probably sub boneless breasts for whole chix.

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pan-roasted-chicken-with-grapes-garlic-rosemary

George K · "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

Mayo Spuds

Mayonnaise-Roasted Potatoes

1/2 c mayonnaise or Miracle Whip dressing
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp seasoned salt or Mrs. Dash
1 Tbsp water
2 lb small red potatoes, quartered

Mix mayonnaise, seasonings, and water in a large bowl or gallon-size plastic bag.
Add potatoes; toss to coat.
Place potatoes on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown; stirring after 15 minutes.
NOTE: Oregano can be substituted for all or part of the rosemary. Feel free to decrease garlic and onion powders depending on your preference.

Came out very good. Took only 30 minutes.

However, woefully under-spiced. Couldn't taste the rosemary and needed more salt.

Mik

Made this tonight with shrimp. It’s a good base recipe that you could do anything with. It uses butter instead of olive oil, which is a nice bit of richness.

https://fortheloveofcooking.net/wprm_print/garlic-butter-and-burst-tomato-spaghetti-with-fresh-herbs-2

Horace

Put a spoonful of plain whole milk yoghurt in scrambled eggs.

Mik

It's down home midwestern night at Chez Mik. Cornbread taco bake. Subbing buttermilk for milk, who knows what else.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cornbread-taco-bake/#RecipeCard

Mik

Winner. I used less water and added onions, Rotel and green chiles. You could do a lot of different things with it.

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