Thursday, December 15, 2005
Spinach Salad with Pears and Spicy Pecans
Pecans:
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/3 cup pecan halves
Cooking spray
Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
8 slices of bacon crumbled
2 (6-ounce) packages fresh baby spinach or field greens (about 12 cups)
2 pears, thinly sliced (about 3/4 pound)
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare pecans, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Rinse pecans with cold water; drain (do not allow pecans to dry). Add pecans to the sugar mixture, and toss well to coat. Arrange pecan mixture on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Coarsely chop pecans. Set aside.
To prepare vinaigrette, combine the shallots and next 7 ingredients (shallots through black pepper) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended.
To prepare salad, heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto; sauté 5 minutes or until crisp, and finely chop. Combine spinach, nectarines, and dressing in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with the pecans and prosciutto.
Yield: 12 servings
**I usually double the pecans and I added about 4 oz. of goat cheese.
**This is also an adaptation of this recipe
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/3 cup pecan halves
Cooking spray
Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
8 slices of bacon crumbled
2 (6-ounce) packages fresh baby spinach or field greens (about 12 cups)
2 pears, thinly sliced (about 3/4 pound)
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare pecans, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Rinse pecans with cold water; drain (do not allow pecans to dry). Add pecans to the sugar mixture, and toss well to coat. Arrange pecan mixture on a jelly roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Coarsely chop pecans. Set aside.
To prepare vinaigrette, combine the shallots and next 7 ingredients (shallots through black pepper) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended.
To prepare salad, heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add prosciutto; sauté 5 minutes or until crisp, and finely chop. Combine spinach, nectarines, and dressing in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with the pecans and prosciutto.
Yield: 12 servings
**I usually double the pecans and I added about 4 oz. of goat cheese.
**This is also an adaptation of this recipe
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Wild Rice Stuffing with Hazelnuts and Dried Cranberries
WILD RICE STUFFING WITH HAZELNUTS AND DRIED CRANBERRIES
Mary Risley, the director of Tante Marie's Cooking School, says, "I come from a family of Connecticut Yankees, and when I was growing up, I spent every Thanksgiving at my grandparents' eighteenth-century home, which was right across from a turkey farm. I’m not quite sure how, but something in that experience inspired this recipe. (Maybe the ingredients reflect what a turkey would like to eat, if asked.)"
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 large onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
6 3/4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
2 cups wild rice (about 13 ounces)
2 cups long-grain brown rice
2 cups dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped green onions
Melt 1/2 cup butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add chicken broth. Bring to boil. Add wild rice. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Mix in brown rice; cover and simmer until rice is just tender and most liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes longer.
Stir cranberries, parsley and thyme into rice. Cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes longer. Mix in hazelnuts and green onions. Season generously with salt and pepper.
To bake stuffing in turkey: Loosely fill main cavity with stuffing. Butter ceramic baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake stuffing in dish alongside turkey until heated through, about 30 minutes.
To bake all of stuffing in baking dish: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 15x10x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover dish with buttered foil, buttered side down; bake stuffing until heated through, about 40 minutes.
Makes 12 to 16 servings.
Bon AppétitNovember 1999
Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc.
Punky's notes:
**I used walnuts instead of hazelnuts. Just toasted in a dry skillet and then roughly chopped.
**I made a half recipe for dinner club. The full recipe really makes quite a bit.
**I did not have a chance to do the last bit of cooking in the oven like it called for. Times I have, it has a little less liquid and the rice gets softer. Still very good.
Mary Risley, the director of Tante Marie's Cooking School, says, "I come from a family of Connecticut Yankees, and when I was growing up, I spent every Thanksgiving at my grandparents' eighteenth-century home, which was right across from a turkey farm. I’m not quite sure how, but something in that experience inspired this recipe. (Maybe the ingredients reflect what a turkey would like to eat, if asked.)"
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 large onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
6 3/4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
2 cups wild rice (about 13 ounces)
2 cups long-grain brown rice
2 cups dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 cups hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped green onions
Melt 1/2 cup butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add chicken broth. Bring to boil. Add wild rice. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Mix in brown rice; cover and simmer until rice is just tender and most liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes longer.
Stir cranberries, parsley and thyme into rice. Cover and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes longer. Mix in hazelnuts and green onions. Season generously with salt and pepper.
To bake stuffing in turkey: Loosely fill main cavity with stuffing. Butter ceramic baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down. Bake stuffing in dish alongside turkey until heated through, about 30 minutes.
To bake all of stuffing in baking dish: Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 15x10x2-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Cover dish with buttered foil, buttered side down; bake stuffing until heated through, about 40 minutes.
Makes 12 to 16 servings.
Bon AppétitNovember 1999
Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc.
Punky's notes:
**I used walnuts instead of hazelnuts. Just toasted in a dry skillet and then roughly chopped.
**I made a half recipe for dinner club. The full recipe really makes quite a bit.
**I did not have a chance to do the last bit of cooking in the oven like it called for. Times I have, it has a little less liquid and the rice gets softer. Still very good.
