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Broccoli and Cheese Pie ... Not 100% sure where this comes from but it is an amazing, vegetarian-friendly dish and pretty easy and forgiving. Serves 6 Ingredients 2 good sized leeks 150ml of soured cream packet of blue cheese (I like dolcelatta but you can...
Fish Catalan ... In 1981 one of my sibs gave me the first cookbook I got as an adult cook: The St Michael All Colour COOKERYBOOK By Jeni Wright. When M&S still called things "St Michael" - remember? Sorry for my foster countrywomen...
Brit Abroad Beet(root) Soup - served hot ... Looking at two week's worth of beetroots (beets in American) which I don't really like (too many salads covered with the chopped pickled things as a child) but they come in the veg box, I ask Iain if he has...
Brit Abroad - Chocolate Brownies for the East End Runners ... Chocolate brownies are like Chardonnay - too many dreadful versions. But Nigella Lawson is the Redeemer... This recipe comes from her Express book which Kier (one brother) got me for Christmas. Along with being able to play the USA national...
Baked Barley with Shiitake Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions ... From one of my good friends in the new life in Pittsburgh. Great as a main course or side dish. For you barleyphobes (UK school dinner fear) - face it and think of the shiitake. Very, very good winter comfort...
Spiced Tomato Soup ... There is only one Tomato Soup and that is made by a firm that is not British (surprise!) but from Pittsburgh and comes in an Andy Warhol tin. But with a surfeit of sun dried tomatoes one night I made...
Twice as Nice Curry ... Ever thought curry is nicer the day after? I went into my laboratory and came up with this modification of a simple curry recipe that has the cooked-in qulaities of a day-after curry. The secret? Finish the cooking in the...
Proper American Pancakes ... DON'T, from some misguided egalitarian impulse, wrap them in a cloth or put them in a warm oven until you've cooked the lot, as they'll go flaccid and lose a great deal of their charm. Pancakes are an action breakfast...
Guacamole Zinger ... Guacamole, pretty simple, right? Erm, well yes it is but this recipe adds lime to create a serious zing and let's face it who hasn't eaten guacamole and wished it could live up better to its lively Latin reputation? Ingredients...
Veggie Sausage Sandwich (with Green Pesto) ... In my opinion, vegetarian Lincolnshire style sausages work best with the green pesto. And for added effect, once the sausages are cooked, pop the whole sandwich into a sandwich toaster or George Forman grill for a couple of mins to...

elise.com-simply recipes Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:32:20 -0800
Corn Relish ... Corn Relish

You know one of the reasons why hot dogs are such favorites with kids? Well, at least when I was a kid we got to choose our own toppings. The act of getting the toppings on just right, without making a complete mess, was challenging. But we had such a feeling of accomplishment, keeping the mustard or ketchup inside of the bun instead of all over the floor. Of course, eating the hot dog was another matter. Hard to avoid that mess. ;-) My favorite topping, next to mustard of course, was sweet relish, which I would pile on with gusto. I do believe the reason they wrap hot dogs in paper at ball games is to catch the relish, so you can still eat it, and not waste a morsel. Right?

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Peperonata ... Peperonata

Have you noticed the brightly colored bell peppers in the market lately? They're glorious. Here's a quick and easy recipe for Italian peperonata, or fried peppers, with onions, fresh plum tomatoes, garlic, and basil. This is one of those "I almost ate the whole batch" dishes, only reluctantly shared with my parents who agreed they were terrific. Peperonata recipes come in many versions; some get cooked a good long time, some get cooked with potatoes, or without tomatoes. This dish is certainly open-for-improvisation. Rather than cooking the peppers until they were stew-like, we opted for a light sauté so there is still some crunch in the vegetables. A perfect side dish for chicken or fish, great on bread, and great on its own too.

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Stir Fry Ginger Beef ... Stir Fry Ginger Beef

The trick to a good stir-fry is working with a very hot, relatively stick-free pan. I say relatively stick-free because you don't want one of those stick-free pans with the coating that peels off, but say more like a well-seasoned wok or a cast iron frying pan. Hard anodized aluminum will work too, as its surface is bonded into the pan and can take high temperature cooking. Cooking on high heat allows you to get a good sear on the meat and vegetables without overcooking them.

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Basil Vinaigrette ... Basil Vinaigrette

Have extra basil in your garden right now? Here's a quick and easy vinaigrette dressing you can make with it that you can use not only as a salad dressing, but also as a sauce for fish, chicken, potatoes, tomatoes, or white beans. Here's an idea, use this dressing with some chopped fresh tomatoes and drained canned garbanzo beans. Presto jammo, instant basil-y bean salad. Enjoy.

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Melon Sorbet ... Melon Sorbet

Please welcome Garrett McCord, who came by the other day to make these melon sorbets. So good! Refreshing on a hot summer day. ~Elise

Melons are one of those rare ingredients that are practically perfect as is. While they do take well to being tarted up a bit (maybe a light dusting of salt, few lashings of lemon juice, or some chopped mint), they certainly don't need to be overdressed. No, with melons like cantaloupe and honeydew you want to preserve and highlight their sweet, musky flavors.

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Curried Ground Turkey with Potatoes ... Curried Ground Turkey with Potatoes

Ground turkey has to be one of my favorite meats to work with. It's lean, takes to spices well, and is relatively inexpensive. We were brainstorming ideas for something that would use ground turkey, potatoes, and onions the other day and were inspired by a classical Indian dish called "Aloo Keema", made with minced meat (most often chicken, beef, or lamb), potatoes, and Indian spices like garam masala and turmeric. Our ground turkey version was delightful, warmly spicy and satisfying. Made for great leftovers too. Feel free to play around with the spices. If I didn't have garam masala in my pantry I would have used some curry powder and maybe a little cardamom. Not that that's a substitution, it's just that the idea is not to complicate things too much, but to work with what you have, and note that "curry" is broadly defined.

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Provencal Seafood Bisque ... Provencal Seafood Bisque

Hank made this seafood bisque for us the other day and it was so outrageously good I begged him to make it again. I served some of it to a friend from Provence whose eyes lit up upon tasting it, "This is just like we have at home! 'Bisque de Fruits de Mer'". The saffron is essential, and even though I usually don't like saffron, this soup has turned me into a saffron lover. I hope you make it. ~Elise

This is a curious, blended fish soup I’ve been making, in various forms, for many years. I like blended soups, which can seem creamy even without cream – although this one does have a little cream added at the end. They’re just, well, more refined than a typical country soup. And sometimes I feel the need for a touch of elegance, even on a busy midweek night.

One of the things that makes this soup so lovely? It only takes about 30 minutes to make. Yet, eaten with fresh bread and a glass of wine, you feel like you’re sitting at an oceanside bistro in Provence; there is a similar soup made like this in the South of France.

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How to Grill Pizza ... How to Grill Pizza

The first time I heard of making pizza on a grill all I could think of was, why would anyone want to do that? Now that I've done it more than a few times I can think of several reasons. Who wants to heat up an oven to 450°F or higher on a hot summer day? If you use a grill to make pizza, you can keep the heat outside where it belongs. Grills also better mimic a wood fired oven than your conventional indoor oven. Whether using charcoal or gas, the smoke from the grill will help give your pizza more flavor. It's also dead easy. No, the pizza dough does not fall through the grill grates. Assuming you've properly heated the grill, your dough will form a lovely lightly charred crust. The trick is that you cook the plain dough first, on one side, on the grill. Then remove it, flip it, brush the grilled side with sauce and toppings, and return the pizza to the grill for final cooking. Easy peasy.

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Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Orange Pecan Cookies ... Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Orange Pecan Cookies

My young friend Audrey was over today. She's 15, and she is the official summer intern of Simply Recipes. For the most part, Audrey's job has been to cook existing recipes on the site that for some reason or another I've decided need work, or need a new photo (e.g. from this to this). This arrangement has been a lot of fun for both of us as you can imagine. Cooking, eating, singing show tunes, and generally acting silly? Yes, in her words, "it's the best summer job ever." (Oddly, Audrey appears to take direction better from me than from her own mother; I sympathize, my mom can't tell me anything. This hasn't escaped Suzanne, Audrey's mom. Audrey credits it to the fact that I'm paying her.)

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Spicy Zucchini Soup ... Spicy Zucchini Soup

If you have friends growing zucchini, right about now they are probably delighted, bordering on desperate, to give some of it away. Especially problematic are those huge, baseball bat-sized monsters, that appear out of the blue when you've neglected to check the garden for a few days. This soup is made for such occasions. It uses lots of zucchini, it cooks up quickly, perfect for a midweek meal, and it keeps for at least a week in the fridge. I like it just as well chilled as hot.

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Blackberry Frozen Yogurt ... Blackberry Frozen Yogurt

I've been on a frozen yogurt kick lately. Not only because it's so darn easy, but also because the tanginess of the yogurt seems to just give any flavor you pair it with a big boost. It's still high season around here for blackberries, which churn up beautifully in frozen yogurt, with a little lemon zest, cardamom, and cinnamon. You can skip the spices if you want, but they do add a lovely touch to the berries. These also make terrific popsicles.

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Okra and Tomatoes ... Okra and Tomatoes

Mmm, mmm okra! Yes, some people shy away from this odd little vegetable, usually because depending on the preparation it can be a little slippery slimy. Personally I love okra, any which way, including slimified. Alas, not everyone shares my affection (it's a texture thing), but the good news is that okra can be a perfectly un-slippery vegetable if it is sautéed quickly, on high heat. That way you get all the benefits of the crunch and flavor, but without the slurp. This recipe is one such preparation. The pairing of okra and tomatoes is classic. In this recipe, inspired by one in Donald Link's Real Cajun, sliced okra is seared first on high heat, before being simmered together with tomatoes, onions, and garlic.

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Slow and Low Country Ribs ... Slow and Low Country Ribs

When it comes to the grill or barbecue, I defer to my colleague Hank, especially when it concerns meat. Here he shows us how to cook pork country ribs, slow and low. ~Elise

Country ribs. Big slabs of porky goodness cut from the shoulder of the hog. Sold boneless or bone-in, these are nothing like a rack of ribs. They are pork logs, laced with fat, and require slow, low-temperature cooking to become delicious. That’s the downside: You can’t do a fast country rib. The upside is that they are all meat, so you only need one to fill you up. In fact, I slice them in half because a full rib, which can weigh a pound, can be too much for some people.

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Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce ... Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce

Please welcome Hank Shaw as he continues on his tour of barbecue sauce recipes with this Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce. ~Elise

Cooking with cola or root beer is common, so we figured why not cook with Dr. Pepper? Using soda as the base for a barbecue sauce does two things right off the bat: You get sugar and you get acid. You can literally make a glaze out of nothing more than soda. We went a little further with this recipe, making it a full-on BBQ sauce.

If you don’t like Dr. Pepper, you can substitute another dark soda; I’d recommend root beer. And you don’t technically need to put the sauce in the blender, but it does make a smoother sauce that goes on meats better.

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How to Boil and Eat Lobster ... How to Boil and Eat Lobster

Years ago, my first job out of college was in Boston; I lived in the North End, above D'Amore's Italian restaurant on Salem Street, right across from a little fish market. This was a magical time, to be in one's early 20s, exploring the back streets of Boston, feasting on the sights, sounds, and smells, alone or with friends. I was amazed that I could buy fresh lobster across the street from where I lived, at the fish market, for $4.99 a pound, still a luxury at that time, but within reach. (This summer, 27 years later, I bought lobster for $5.99 a pound, a bargain for this Californian!) That summer as often as I could I rounded up friends to enjoy a lobster feast. I still have the big aluminum pot I used.

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red kitchen
Kristine's Ravioli Extravaganza ... 1 batch of homemade raviolis (see below) 1/2 head of garlic, roasted (see below) 2 tablespoons oil, divided 3 tablespoons...
Yogurt Rolls ... Adapted from Yogurt Biscuits on AllRecipes. 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup whole wheat flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons...
Vegetable Cheese soup ... Adapted from Reva's Potato Cheese Soup. 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 cloves finely chopped garlic (3 large cloves) 1 cup...
Dinner Rolls ... This recipe is adapted from Sweet Dinner Rolls on AllRecipes. 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup milk 1 egg 1/3 cup...
Pasta bake ... My husband is a vegetarian, and I eat meat, so sometimes it means I'll make two main dishes. If I...
Basil Garlic fries ... This recipe was adapted from one at AllRecipes. 4 red potatoes, medium sized 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese - grocery...
Peppermint bark ... There are a variety of ways online to make this, but my favorite is where there's chocolate on the bottom...
Watergate Salad ... It's fun to eat something from the Deli at your local store and then finding a recipe on AllRecipes and...
Cooking Blog: Tarting It Up ... Some beautiful pics and yummy looking recipes are at Tarting It Up. I am *so* craving crepes now!...
Cooking Blog: Baking Sheet ... bakingsheet: "the most important thing in the kitchen. except the oven. and ingredients." :) This looks to be a great...
chocolate chip coffee cake ... ingredients 1/2 cup butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 cup sour cream 2 cups flour 1 tsp. baking soda...
chicken and mushroom marsala ... ingredients 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin olive oil works well) 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 4 to 6...
Parmesan Basil Spaghetti ... Seen in Cooking for 2 this month. 3 ounces uncooked thin spaghetti 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons lemon juice...
No Boil Fudge ... Ingredients: 1 lb confectioners' powdered sugar 6 tbsp butter 1/2 cup cocoa powder 1/4 cup milk 1 cup pecans, chopped...
zippy chicken noodle soup ... this is a very easy soup to make when you want something that's got a bit more to it then...