Sunday, May 20, 2007

Slow Cooker Pork Ribs

These are one of my staples that I make for parties and events. They take planning since they cook for 8 hours, but everyone loves them, so they're worth it. You could use other types of ribs if you wanted, but pork baby back always work best for me.

Slow Cooker Pork Ribs

4 lbs. pork baby back ribs (If I can't go to a butcher, I usually end up with like 5 lbs. because of the way they are packaged.)
1 cup ketchup
1 cup barbecue sauce (Use your favorite. I like a mix of different kinds for mine, and that's a secret.)
1 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp vinegar (I use red wine vinegar.)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1-3 dashes hot sauce

1- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Rub the ribs with salt and pepper (or a pork rub which is what I do) on each side. Cook for 15 minutes on each side to render some of the fat.
2- Cut up the ribs into slabs that will fit in your slow cooker and place inside.
3- In a large bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients. Pour over the ribs in the slow cooker.
4- Cook on low for 8-10 hours (The longer you cook them, the more they'll fall off the bone.)

Friday, May 4, 2007

Mediterranean Stew


I was happy to get to make this as it is good for vegetarians and goes in the crock pot so you can put everything in before work and come home and have it done. I served this in day-old ciabatta rolls that I picked up at the store. You could easily use pumpernickel or some other type of bread bowl or just a regular bowl. I also topped mine with feta to add a nice tang. I think I might try to do this again and put the feta on top and set the bread bowl in the broiler to melt the cheese just a bit. This stew lends itself well to adding meat if so desired.

Mediterranean Stew

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 cups cubed eggplant with peel, salted and drained
1 cup zucchini
1 10 oz. package frozen okra
1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 cup chopped onion
1 14 oz. can chickpeas, drained
1 carrot, sliced
1/3 cup raisins
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup vegetable stock (Try to find stock not broth.)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp paprika

1- In a slow cooker, combine the first 10 ingredients.
2- In a bowl, combine the remaining 8 ingredients.
3- Add the spice/liquid mixture to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
4- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Balsamic Chicken

I like the flavor of these, but I would like to make them on the grill next time instead of baking them. Either that or perhaps a broiling pan with holes and a drip pan underneath so that the oil from the marinade doesn't pool in the bottom of the baking dish.

Balsamic Chicken

1 - 1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used cutlets so they would be thinner and I wouldn't need to pound them out.)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp honey

1- Pound the chicken lightly until about 1/2" thick or pierce the chicken with a fork instead of pounding.
2- Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
3- Add the chicken and marinate for at least 4 hours (I went for overnight.)
4- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and roast the chicken for about 15 minutes or until thoroughly cooked depending on thickness.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

This dip is chunkier than some others I've seen since I didn't use creamed spinach. I wanted it creamy in flavor and texture but keep the vegetables substantial enough that they could hold their own. I served this in the glass dish I baked it in, but you could reasonably put it in a small crock pot after baking to keep it warm.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (You could use marinated artichoke hearts if you wanted to add some additional flavor. They were a lot more expensive, so I decided not to.)
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed but not drained
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (You could use a blend of Parmesan and Romano if you wanted.)
1 cup shredded Mexican four cheese blend (You could substitute Monterey Jack or similar if you cannot get the blend.)
1 tsp garlic, minced
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp lemon juice

1- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2- In a small baking dish (I used a glass 8"x8".) , mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice and cayenne pepper.
3- Once well blended, add the garlic, artichoke hearts, spinach, Parmesan cheese and Mexican cheese blend.
4- Bake for about 25 minutes until warm and bubbly. (The top gets a slight crust on it that can be avoided if you cover the dish with foil before baking.)

White Bean Dip

No photo on this one as of yet because, honestly, how pretty can white bean dip really look? I made this as I have been having a craving for white bean spread since I ate at Abbraccio months ago. Theirs was thicker and more of a true spread than what I ended up with. I think I might tinker with mine in the future (perhaps by draining the beans and only using half of the liquid) to try to achieve that consistency. I think I'd also cut down on the rosemary. While I like the flavor, at times it seemed a bit overpowering for me. This recipe can easily be doubled, which is what I did. Also, you can just mash the beans, but if you have a food processor or in my case a stick blender, it works much better.

White Bean Dip

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp minced fresh rosemary (Do not used dried as the flavor will be far too strong.)
1 14 oz. can of cannellini beans (aka white kidney beans)
1 tsp lemon juice
salt
pepper (White pepper is nice so you don't have black flecks in the dip, but black pepper will work.)

1- In a medium skillet with sides (if you are going to use a stick blender, I suggest using a wide bottomed saucepan), heat the olive oil and then add the garlic and rosemary.
2- Saute the garlic and rosemary briefly then add the beans, bean liquid and lemon juice.
3- Let the mixture cook down and mash the beans and add salt and pepper to taste. If you are going to use a stick blender, mash the beans slightly and then use the blender.
4- Once the desired consistency is reached, remove from heat and let the mixture cool. It can be served warm or cold, but not hot.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Double Chocolate Cookies With Raspberry Icing


I made these to send to friends for birthdays. The original recipe did not have the icing or the raspberry flavor, but to be honest, when I tried one without the icing, it needed something. So I started adding. In addition to the flavor, I think it makes them much prettier. You could use other flavors, of course, depending on your taste. Kirsch would make for nice cherry flavor, but no color. Bailey's would be a nice pairing. And of course there are a myriad of non-alcoholic flavorings. I just happen to have a well-stocked bar. The texture is similar to those Crinkle Cookies that are very chocolatey and covered in powdered sugar. Don't worry if you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm sure I'll make them at some point.

Double Chocolate Cookies With Raspberry Icing

For the Cookies:

1 lb. semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used a mix of a bag of semisweet chips and some chopped Ghirardelli semisweet from a bar to help cut down the time and effort.)
2 cups all-purpose flour (Do NOT use cake flour here. It would make the dough far too sticky.)
1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa powder (Ok, so if you can't find full Dutch process cocoa, Hershey's is now making something you can use in a pinch. It is their Special Dark Cocoa and it is part regular cocoa and part Dutch process. I am nearly out of my Dutch process so I used part full Dutch process and part Special Dark.)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
10 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp instant coffee granules (These can get kind of grainy in the cookies. I suggest running them through a grinder/chopper to break them up further. It's not necessary, but I would do it in the future for my cookies.)
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp raspberry liquor

For the icing:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tsp milk (I used whole milk as I had some on hand.)
1-2 tsp raspberry liquor

1- Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or the microwave. Set aside.
2- Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside. (This step is very important as the cocoa and baking powder tend to clump.)
3- Cream together butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, instant coffee granules, vanilla and raspberry liquor. Stir in the melted chocolate. Using a spoon (as the batter will be incredibly thick and could burn out the motor in a mixer), stir in the dry ingredients. Do not overmix. Cover and let sit for 35 minutes (I put mine in the fridge and this seemed to help with the set up though it did make scooping the dough a little more difficult).
3- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the sheet with 2" between them. Do not overcrowd your sheet.
4- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cookies will be set but soft. Leave the cookies on the sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a rack or plate to finish cooling.
5- Make the icing by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Add more powdered sugar or liquid to reach preferred consistency (I like being able to drizzle the icing and so like it to be thinner). Spread or drizzle icing over mostly cooled cookies and let set until dry.