policomm ray's List: Food

• (Crazy Water)

   
   
  • 1/2 large red onion, minced
   
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
   
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
   
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
   
  • 4 cups water
   
  • 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
   
  • 1/2 cup dry orzo pasta
   
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
   
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
   
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped zucchini
   
  • 1 - 7.5 ounce jar of roasted red peppers, cut into thin strips (learn how to roast your own peppers)
   
  • 1/2 cup of kalamata olives, halved and pitted
   
  • 4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
   
  • juice from the zested lemon above
   
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste

• Three bruschettas

• 500g frozen broad beans

   

  A few fronds of fennel

   

  3 tomatoes

   

  1 tsp red wine vinegar

   

  A few marjoram leaves

   

  1 dsp raisins or sultanas

   

  75g duck or chicken livers

   

  Half a glass of white wine

   

  1 tsp balsamic vinegar

   

  1 tsp capers

   

  6 slices country loaf or sourdough

   

  A few sprigs of rosemary

   

  A clove of garlic

   

  Olive oil

• ● Drop the broad beans (still frozen, if need be) into a large pot of boiling water, bring back to the boil and then remove, dropping them into a bowl of cold water. Drain and then, nicking the skin with your thumbnail, pop the kernels out of their skins. Dress these in a bowl with a spoonful of olive oil, some sea salt, milled pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and the fennel (or other aromatic fresh herbs such as mint, basil or savory).

   

  ● Remove the cores from the tomatoes and drop them into the boiling water for 20 seconds, then remove them and drop them into ice-cold water. Remove the skins, which should slip off quite easily, and cut the tomatoes into quarters, then cut the quarters in half and place them in a bowl with a seasoning of sea salt, milled black pepper, a pinch of sugar, a teaspoon of red wine vinegar, a few marjoram or oregano leaves and a tablespoon of olive oil.

   

  ● Put the raisins in a bowl, pour boiling water over them and leave to soak for 15 minutes. Cut the livers into small bite-size pieces. Heat a small frying pan with a film of oil and then sear the liver pieces for a couple of minutes, making sure all the sides are sealed, before removing them from the pan. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and let it reduce until there are just two or three tablespoons. Add the balsamic vinegar, the drained raisins, the capers and the livers and coat them all in the juice before decanting into a bowl.
• ● Heat a ridged grill pan and grill the slices of bread with a few sprigs of rosemary. Create a criss-cross pattern on the toasts and then sprinkle them with sea salt, before rubbing them on both sides with the cut face of the garlic clove. Dribble a little olive oil over each toast and then spoon over the three toppings.

2 more annotations...

• These store for up to two days well wrapped or frozen for three weeks.

• ngredients for "5-6 people"

  1.5kg gilt-head bream, gutted and scaled

   

  2 tbsp lemon juice

   

  3 tbsp olive oil

   

  Salt

   

  Pepper

   For the sauce 

  200g of tahini (sesame paste)

   

  3 cloves of garlic

   

  5 tbsp lemon juice

   

  2 cloves

   

  ½ tsp salt

   

  125 ml of water

    

   

    Garnish 

  40 g of pine nuts

   

  3 tbsp parsley

   

  ½ cucumber, sliced

   

  1 tbsp pomegranate seeds

• Crispy Asian Wings

         

  Ingredients:

   

  5 lbs wings
   1 cup Sprite or 7-up
   1/2 cup soy sauce
   1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
   3 cloves garlic, grated
   3 tablespoons grated onion (from the root end)
   2 teaspoons freshly cracked pepper
   1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

   

   

  Directions:

   

  1. Combine all ingredients, including wings in a large bowl. Let wings marinate for approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour.

   

  2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place wings on a wire rack over a cookie sheet. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until wings are deep golden brown and crisp.

• Barbecue Hummus
   Makes about 5 cups
   Prep time: 5 minutes

   

  Ingredients
   • 2 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, 1/2 cup liquid reserved
   • 3 whole cloves garlic
   • 1/4 cup tahini
   • 1/4 cup lemon juice
   • 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
   • 4 tablespoons barbecue sauce
   • 1 teaspoon Tabasco
   • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
   • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

   

  Directions
   Put all the ingredients, including the reserved chickpea liquid, in a food processor. Puree until smooth and creamy. Serve with pita chips, crackers, or veggies.

• Creamy Cauliflower Cheddar Soup
   Makes 8 cups
   Prep time: 20 minutes
   Cook time: 20 minutes

   

  Ingredients
   • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
   • 2 shallots, minced
   • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
   • Kosher or sea salt
   • 1 medium potato, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
   • 2 cloves garlic, minced
   • 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
   • 1/2 head cauliflower, chopped into small florets
   • 2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish
   • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

   

  Directions
   Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add the shallots and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt, then mix in the potato, garlic and vegetable broth. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, keep covered, and let cook for about 8 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Add the cauliflower and cook about 10 minutes more, until the cauliflower is tender. Stir in the cheese and mustard.

   

  Puree with a hand-held immersion blender for a chunky texture (or a regular blender for a smoother texture, working in batches.)  Mix in additional water or broth if the soup is too thick. Season with additional salt to taste. Serve warm topped with additional shredded cheese and croutons.

• Ingredients

   

    5 1/2 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 pound)
    10 green Spanish olives, halved and pitted
    8 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
    1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
    3 tablespoons olive oil
    1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
    3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

   

    Procedure

   

    1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

   

    2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow roasting pan. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with pepper. Toss well to coat. Bake at 450° for 22 minutes or until cauliflower is browned and crisp-tender, stirring after 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

• Beet Hummus

    

  - 500 grams (1.1 pounds) cooked, peeled, and cooled beets, about 2 medium
   - 70 grams (2.5 ounces) tahini (sesame paste), about 3 tablespoons
   - 1 clove garlic
   - 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more as needed
   - 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
   - 2 teaspoons ground cumin (I grind my own so it's quite vivid in flavor; if yours is pre-ground and/or old, you may want to use more)
   - 1/2 teaspoon salt

    

  Cut the beets into chunks and put them in the bowl of a blender or food processor. Add the tahini, oil, lemon juice, cumin, and salt, and process until completely smooth. Add a little more oil as needed to get a smooth consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

    

  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop. Serve with crackers, pita triangles, or toasted slices of baguette.

• • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
     
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
     
  • 2 medium carrots, finely diced (about 1 cup)
     
  • 2 ribs celery, finely diced (about 1 cup)
     
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced on a microplane grater
     
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
     
  • 1 quart homemade or low-sodium canned chicken broth
     
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans white beans (cannellini or great northern), with their liquid
     
  • 4 6-inch sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped and stems reserved
     
  • 1 (3-4 inch) chunk parmesan rind (optional)
     
  • 2 bay leaves
     
  • 3 to 4 cups roughly chopped kale or swiss chard leaves
     
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
     
  • Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving

• • 10 pesticide-free lemons
     
  • 375 milliliters high-proof neutral grain spirit (such as Everclear 151)
     
  • 1 3/4 cups water
     
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar

• Easy Candied Almonds and Hazelnuts

    

  - 50 grams (1/4 cup) white sugar (don't use unrefined sugar: the impurities it contains would prevent it from candying properly)
   - 100 grams (3.5 ounces, about 1 cup) whole almonds*, not blanched
   - 100 grams (3.5 ounces, about 1 cup) whole hazelnuts*, not blanched
   - 3/4 teaspoon fleur de sel or other flaky sea salt

    

  Makes 250 grams (9 ounces) candied nuts; the recipe can be doubled.

    

  Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F) and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

    

  In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and 15 ml (1 tablespoon) water. Place over medium heat, stir just until the sugar is completely dissolved, then bring to the boil without disturbing.

    

  Remove from the heat, add the almonds and hazelnuts, and stir until evenly coated. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and spread out into a single layer with a spatula. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.

    

  Insert in the middle of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, stirring with a spatula every 5 minutes, until the nuts are coated with a golden brown crystallized sugar crust.

    

  Let cool completely before transferring to an airtight jar. Once they're in the jar, take care not to shake it too much, or the sugar crust will loosen and fall on some of the nuts.

    

  * Naturally you could substitute other kinds of nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, macadamias, cashews, etc.