Roasted Fingerlings

These little fingerling potatoes are perfect when roasted as a side to grilled or roasted meat and so easy to make.  Set them in a single layer in a baking dish, coat with olive oil, salt pepper and a little paprika and roast in a 350F oven for 30 to 45 minutes until tender.  Add a little granulated garlic if you want ( or even fresh minced - just a little though ).

My Shooter's Sandwich

Matt sent me a link to Tim Hayward's ( food writer and photographer for the UK's The Guardian ) recipe for what's called a Shooter's Sandwich, traditionally a huge beef and grilled mushroom sandwich that the cook would make the night before the hunt. I decided to make it, but I added to it and changed it a bit.  We liked ours cut in wedges and warmed in the oven, but eating it at room temperature is perfectly acceptable.

The link to the original is here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/apr/07/how-to-make-shooters-sandwich 
You'll also find a slide show presentation there.


1 8 inch round loaf of crusty bread, the top quarter cut off and hollowed out a bit.
2  10 ounce boneless ribeyes, about 3/4 inch thick

Marinate the steaks in the following for about 45 minutes:
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp minced rosemary
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

In the meantime make the mushroom filling:
7 Tbl butter
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced shallots
1 Tbl minced rosemary
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
16 ounces diced mushrooms
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Saute all but the wine and parsley in a large frying pan until the mixture becomes almost dry.  Add the wine and parsley and continue to cook until the wine has evaporated. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

Make the spread for the bread by combining the following:
4 Tbl prepared horseradish
2 Tbl Dijon mustard
2 tbl olive oil
1 tbl chopped capers
1 tsp black pepper
Spread this mixture over all cut surfaces of the bread, top and bottom.

Remove the steaks from the marinade, pat dry and sear the to rare to medium rare in a large frying pan. Place one steak on the bottom half of the bread round.  Spread the mushroom mixture over the steak and place the second steak on top.  Cover with the bread top.  Wrap in waxed paper and then in aluminum foil. Set the sandwich on a baking sheet, top with another baking sheet  and top that with something heavy ( I used 2 foil wrapped bricks).  Set in a cool place for at least 6 hours before serving.
To serve, slice into wedges .  As I said earlier, we warmed the wedges in a 400F oven for about 8 minutes.

Buffalo Shrimp Wontons

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Here's a fun appetizer idea ( or even lunch ) taking the flavors of buffalo wings to shrimp with a little crunch.

12 peeled and deveined (26 - 30 count or larger) shrimp, tails left intact.
12 wonton wrappers
1/4 cup of your favorite hot sauce ( I used Cholula )
3 ounces softened cream cheese
2 Tbl crumbled blue cheese
1 Tbl finely minced chives
peanut or vegetable oil for frying

Marinate the shrimp in the hot sauce for about 20 minutes.
Thoroughly combine the cream cheese, blue cheese and chives in a bowl.
Take a wonton and with your finger wet all 4 edges with water.
Spread about 1/2 tsp of the cheese mixture in the center of the wonton.
Take a shrimp, pat it dry with a paper towel and place it in the center of the wonton, leaving the tail hanging over the edge.
Fold the top side of the wonton over the top of the shrimp, pressing firmly along the whole top. Fold the sides over the shrimp, wrapping tight, being especially careful to seal the tail end.  Repeat for remaining shrimp.
Heat enough oil in a large frying pan for shallow frying  Fry the shrimp quickly on both sides until nicely browned. Transfer to paper towels to drain a bit.
Place the wontons in a baking pan and bake in a preheated 350F oven for 10 minutes.  Cool a few minutes before serving with hot sauce blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping.

Swedish Potato Dumplings

These are wonderful with the Swedish meatballs that I posted the other day. You can serve them boiled and then drizzled with a little melted butter or browned in butter after boiling.  Traditionally they're made filled with pork, bacon or ham, and shaped larger and served as a main course.  I made these smaller to serve as a side.

For the filling:
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, diced
3 Tbl butter
3 green onions, sliced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Saute the mushrooms, green onion, salt and pepper in the butter until the mixture becomes almost dry. Set aside and cool.


For the dumplings and assembly:
4 cups peeled potatoes, diced about 3/4 inch
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 to 2 cups flour
Melted butter for drizzling or browning
Boil the potatoes until tender.  Drain and mash thoroughly ( I used a ricer).
Beat in the egg and stir in the salt and pepper.
Stir in the flour, a little at a time, until a soft dough is formed.
Divide the dough in two and shape each portion into a log about 12 inches long.  Cut each log into 10 pieces.
Using your hands, form each piece of dough into a circle about 2 inches in diameter and place a scant teaspoon of the mushroom filling into the center. Form a ball encasing the mushroom mixture.
Drop the dumplings into a pot of water that has come to a rolling boil.  When the dumplings rise to the surface remove them with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on paper towels.
To serve, drizzle with a little melted butter or brown them in some of the butter.  ( we did both!)
 

Another Easy Veggie Soup

Tuna sandwiches for dinner last night and so another easy vegetable soup that can be made from start to finish in just a little more than a half an hour. This one was made with ingredients that are almost staples. Change the vegetables and make it your own...

2 Tbl olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup couscous
1/2 cup shelled edamame beans
1/2 cup brown lentils
6 to 7 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tsp black pepper

Saute the onions, carrot, celery and garlic over medium heat until the onions soften.
Add the couscous, lentils and edamame and give it a stir
Add 6 cups of broth and the pepper, bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes. ( If the soup seems too thick, add that last cup of broth)
Season to taste with salt and pepper

Swedish Meatballs

We make a lot of meatballs around here...they're cheap and relatively easy to make.  I tend to bake them rather than fry ( I don't like standing over a frying pan for any length of time ).  Tom loves them the next day in a sandwich when we have leftovers.

Makes about 18 golf ball size meatballs:

1 1/2 pounds ground meat ( I used equal parts of beef, pork and turkey)
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tbl butter
1 medium potato, peeled, cooked and mashed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp each salt and pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Saute the onion in the butter until softened.
Thoroughly combine all the ingredients and chill for about an hour , or longer.
Shape into 18 golf ball size ball meatballs and bake at 350F for about 40 minutes.

Serve with a cream sauce made by cooking 2 Tbl flour in 2 Tbl butter.  Slowly add 1 cup beef broth and 1/2 cup cream or 1/2 and 1/2.  Cook until thickened ( add some instant flour if not thick enough). Stir in 1/4 tsp soy sauce and season with a little salt and pepper.
As an appetizer, roll small meatballs, cut the cooking time and serve in the cream sauce.

Sauerbraten with Sweet and Sour Cabbage

After all the turkey this past week I knew we'd be in the mood for beef, so I set out to make my first sauerbraten. I looked at a number of recipes and came up with this. Almost all are served with red cabbage and noodles or spaetzle.  And all have to be started a couple of days ahead in order for the meat to marinate properly. We served ours with buttered noodles and horseradish sauce to cut the sweetness.

For the sauerbraten:
A 3-4 pound boneless chuck roast
2 Tbl whole cloves
2 Tbl pickling spice
1 Tbl black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
Place all ingredients except the meat in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and cool.  When cool, pour over the meat, refrigerate for about 2 days, turning the roast every so often.  After 2 days, gather the rest of the ingredients:
1 Tbl butter
1 Tbl vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups of the strained marinade from the beef ( save the rest)
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup crushed gingersnap cookies

Brown the meat on both sides in the butter and oil.  Add the onion and cook for a few minutes until the onion begins to soften.  Add the 2 cups of marinade, salt, pepper and brown sugar, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours or until the meat is tender.  Remove the meat, add the gingersnaps and simmer a few minutes.  If the gravy seems too thick, add some of the reserved marinade and bring back to the boil.  Return the meat to the pan and simmer a few more minutes before serving.

For the cabbage:
2 strips bacon
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 ounces apple juice
3 ounces apple cider vinegar
5 cups chopped red cabbage
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper


Cook the bacon in a nice size frying pan until crisp.  Remove, let cool and crumble.  In the same pan with the drippings, saute the onion for a few minutes and add the cabbage, apple juice and vinegar. Cover for a few minutes to wilt the cabbage.  Add the brown sugar, salt and pepper and continue to saute until the liquid is just about gone, stirring every so often.