Category: Recipes (Page 14 of 26)

Top-sirloin is on sale at Safeway, but I don’t find this cut (or most Safeway meat) tasty enough to eat by itself (though normally I prefer my steaks with just some salt and some bread to soak in the juices) – so I made this epicurious.com recipe. I’m pretty sure I’ve made it before, but I couldn’t find any mention of it on my archives. In any case, the sauce was very good and this is a recipe worth making again.
I used Malbec instead of Merlot. My philosophy is to use whatever wine I have already open or, in this case, whichever wine I want to drink with dinner. I never pay attention to what varietal it is.
This recipe is for two people – but it produces enough sauce for four, so if you double the amount of meat you cook, don’t double the ingredients for the sauce.
I served the steaks with buttermilk mashed potatoes and peas. The kids mostly ate the mashed potatoes and peas, but they are not great meat eaters.
Marga’s Best Recipes

I made Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Apples and Onions for dinner last night. It was quite a simple recipe, but quite good. The onion/apple combination was amazing – and went great with buttered plain couscous. The pork itself was ok, but I’m not a big fan of pork.
The kids didn’t really like it, though, so I won’t be making it again. If you do make it, note that it takes about 30′ to cook the pork – not 15.

Today is Mother’s Day and the one day a year Mike makes breakfast for me. His specialty (my favorite) is French toast – and this year’s was amazingly delicious. What he does is very simple. He uses day-old Safeway sourdough bread, cut in thick slices. He mixes eggs with milk (lots of eggs, a whole loaf of bread would take about 8 eggs – but should serve 6 people easily) and soaks the bread on it. Then he cooks it on a non-stick pan. When it’s ready, he spreads a thick layer of mascarpone cheese on it and lets it melt. Once out of the pan he pours real maple syrup on it and tops it with sliced strawberries. The results are heavenly.
Thanks Mike!

These two recipes are from epicurious.com, my favorite recipe website*. What I usually do is see what’s on sale at the supermarket, and then go to epicurious and look for recipes using those ingredients. It works very well. I’ve made these recipes in the last couple of weeks and they’ve been delicious – so I’m blogging about them both to not forget them and to share them with you.

Chicken with Mustard and Tarragon Cream Sauce

Lord, was this good. And not as sinful as it looks, as the recipe produces A LOT of sauce. A bit expensive, given that it uses tarragon, but it’s an encouragement to grow it. It’s also quite simple to make.

Cabernet-Braised Short Ribs with Gorgonzola Polenta and Mixed-Herb Gremolata

Now, this is more sinful – but still, one of the healthiest short rib recipes I’ve made, in particular because I used boneless short ribs. They may not be as flavorful as the boned kind, but they were great in this recipe.

I skipped the Gorgonzola polenta, as I forgot to buy the polenta itself, but I’d have loved to make it. I will have to try again. By all means make the gremolata, it really adds a necessary element to the dish.

Note that this recipe takes THREE days to make. One to season the short ribs, another to cook them, and a third to heat them up and eat them.

* 12 years later, these recipes no longer seem to be available at epicurious.com.  I have linked them to the Bon Appetite magazine site, where you can find them.

Last weekend I threw Mika an Ancient Egyptian Birthday Party, which included a slumber party. I wanted the party to be as authentic as possible, which meant offering a dinner that might have been eaten by ancient Egyptians. I wanted to have a vegetarian choice, and I decided on Lentil Soup because it’s a dish that Egyptians eat today and that they are likely to have eaten back then. Plus, my friend Lola LOVED the lentil soup she used to eat in Egypt when she ate there, and I figured I should give it a try.
I found this recipe at waitrose.com, and made about 1 1/2 times as much as the original recipe called for. The results were spectacular. I neither like lentils or soup, but this was something else altogether. It had a creamy consistency and a strong, very well balanced flavor. It’s definitely something I will make again (and I finished all the leftovers).
I’m copying the recipe here, so I don’t lose it in case waitrose.com goes away.
Do try to make this recipe with red lentils. I found them at Mangals market in San Leandro, but I’m sure they are available at Indian stores, if not MIddle Eastern stores (the former are more common around here). The red lentils disintegrate nicely, but I’m not sure regular lentils would do as well.
Now, without further ado, here is the recipe:
Egyptian Lentil Soup
Ingredients

• 3 onions
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp + a pinch ground cumin
• 1 tsp + a pinch ground coriander
• 8 oz split red lentils
• 2 qts + 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• salt to taste
• juice of 1 small lemon

Directions
Chop 1 1/2 onions and thinly slice the other 1 1/2, set the sliced onions aside.
Heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in a large pot. Add the chopped onions and saute until they become soft and just start to color. Add the garlic, cumin and coriander and mix. When you can smell their aroma, add the lentils and the broth. Mix well, bring to a boil and remove any scum that appears on the surface. Set the temperature to low and simmer until the lentils disintegrate, about an hour.
Meanwhile, heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in a lidded frying pan and add the sliced onions. Cook covered over low heat until soft, about 15-20 minutes. Take off the lead, turn the heat to medium, and cook until they caramelize. Set aside.
When the soup is ready add salt to taste. Stir in the lemon juice and serve with caramelized onions on top.
Marga’s Best Recipes

Yet another great recipe from epicurious.com, which I’m copying here in case epicurious ever goes out of business and leaves me without it.
I really liked this recipe. While the chops themselves were nothing much, pork chops are pork chops, the leek “sauce” was delicious – though a bit too intense. Spoon only a little bit on the pork chops. It was also great with the plain couscous.
Pork Chops with Leeks in Mustard Sauce

• 4 pork chops
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
• 2 thick bacon slices, chopped
• 3 large leeks, thinly sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh sage leaves
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/3 cup sour cream.

Pat the chops dry with kitchen towels. In a small bowl, mix the salt, thyme and rosemary. Sprinkle the seasoning on both sides of the chop. Let chops stand at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.
Heat a large skillet (one that has a lid) over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and saute until crisp. Remove the bacon using a slotted spoon. Increase the heat to medium high and add chops to the skillet. Sear until brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the chops and set aside.
Turn down the heat under the skillet to medium and add the leeks. Saute until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the brandy. Add the broth, scrape the browned bits and bring to a boil. Stir in the bacon. Add the sage and stir.
Return the chops to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover the skillet. Simmer for 3 minutes, then turn chops over and then simmer for 3 more minutes. Remove the chops, place in a serving platter, and tent to keep warm.
Spoon any visible fat from the liquid in the skillet. Turn the heat to high and boil until all the liquid evaporates. Whisk in the mustard and then the sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon over the chops.
Marga’s Best Recipes

This is a modification of the recipe that comes on the back of the Trader Joe’s branded box of Isareli Couscous. I figured I’d write down my recipe down here so that I can use it even if I don’t have the box around. This dish is very nice and simple to make and I’ll make it again.
Note that minus my modifications, this recipe is pretty much the same as the Toasted Israeli Couscous with Pine Nuts and Parsley that I’ve made before.
Israeli Couscous

• 3 Tbsp. butter, divided
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds (or pine nuts)
• 2 large shallots, finely chopped
• 1 8oz box Israeli couscous (or 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 large cinnamon stick
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 3/4 cup broth
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 cup raisins

Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a large saucepan, add the slivered almonds and brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
Add the rest of the butter and melt over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until golden. Add the couscous, cinnamon and bay leaf, and cook, stirring often, until the couscous starts to brown. Add the broth and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, around 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the almonds, parsley, lemon juice and raisins.
Marga’s Favorite Recipes

I wanted an easy recipe for pasta, and chanced upon this one at epicurious.com. I made it with a couple of modifications (i.e. using peas instead of fava beans and canned tomatoes) and the results were surprisingly good. I’d definitely make it again.
Pasta with sausage & peas

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 lb Italian sausage, loose
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup peas
• salt & pepper
• 1 pckg pasta
• grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil on the sauce pan over medium-low heat and add the chopped onion. Saute for a few minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic and saute for a minute. Add the sausage, breaking any large clumps, and cook until browned. Add the white wine and let boil for a minute. Add the diced tomatoes and peas, mix and let cook for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile boil pasta.
Serve cook pasta with sauce and grated cheese.
Marga’s Best Recipes