Monday, September 22, 2008

Dutch Baby Pancakes

I tried Dutch Baby Pancakes the other day and it was good. We served it with fresh cut peaches and homemade yogurt with a sprinkle of nutmeg. It was delicious!

Page 479 in N.T.

My Personal Tip: Make sure the amount you cook never exceeds 1 1/2 cups. It's not good thick.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Beef Back Ribs with Red Wine Sauce

I could never find a good recipe for beef back ribs (I want to put them in my beef stock and still use the meat) so I made up my own.  The sauce is from "Nourishing Tradition's" Filet of Beef recipe.  Yummy!  We usually eat it with Yukon Gold potatoes baked or boiled and a salad.  

4 lbs beef back ribs
2 qts beef stock (I've used chicken stock)
2 cups red wine (I substitute grape juice and a little vinegar)
2 TBS gelatin (optional)
Sea Salt


Lightly brown ribs in a pan, discard fat.  In a large pot add stock and ribs and bring to a rolling boil.  Reduce to a very low simmer and cover tightly for 1 1/2 - 4 hours.  Remove ribs and place on a rack to drain.  Sprinkle ribs with salt and let stand.  Meanwhile, spoon off any excess fat in stock and bring stock back to a rolling boil.  Add wine and gelatin, and boil uncovered until sauce is reduced to about 1 cup, skimming frequently - this may take as long as 1 hour.  About 10 minutes before sauce is done place ribs in a 250 degree oven to warm them. The sauce should be thickened and shiny, about the consistency of maple syrup.  If the sauce gets too thick, thin with a little water.  Taste sauce before you season it - but you may not need salt.  Serve the ribs with sauce, I usually have the sauce on the side and let everyone dribble as much as they want over the ribs (it's a reduction so a little sauce goes a long way).  Serves 4.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Steamed Fish with Tomato Vinaigrette

This is probably our favorite fish recipe, we serve it with the rice recipe in Nourishing Traditions where the rice is cooked for a long period of time in chicken stock.  Yummy!

1 TBS Dijon mustard
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
2 TBS finely chopped scallions (or onion)
2 TBS freshly chopped coriander (or 1 TBS ground)
Pinch red hot pepper flakes (optional)
3 TBS raw rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
½ c diced and peeled tomatoes
2 TBS grated ginger
1 TBS raw soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
4 fish fillets (about 6 oz)(red snapper, sea bass or salmon)
4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried

Put the mustard and vinegar into a mixing bowl, add the oil, whisking in vigorously. Stir in remaining ingredients except the thyme and fish. Keep the sauce at room temp. Pour water into a steamer. Place the fillets on the steamer rack.  Do not preheat the water.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Place 1 sprig of fresh thyme on each fillet and cover the steamer and turn on the heat. When the water begins to boil, steam for about 4 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove the thyme sprigs. Serve immediately with sauce spooned over the fillets.

Mulligatawny Soup

This is from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, we had it for dinner tonight.  So yummy!  It wasn't too hard to convert, it's got amazing flavor, and both my kids devoured it!  I had to cook up some chicken but it would be great with leftover baked chicken.  Don't use leftover stock meat, it just mushes up.  Enjoy!

1/3 cup long grain brown rice
1 TBS each butter and olive oil
2 1/2 cups homemade chicken broth 
7 1/2 oz diced canned organic tomatoes
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 tsp curry powder (a little more if you like)
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper (or to taste)
1/8 tsp ground mace or nutmeg
Sea salt to taste 

1 cup chopped apples (2 small)
1 cup chopped carrots (2 med.)
1/2 cup chopped celery (1 stalk)
1/4 cup organic raisins
1 TBS freshly snipped parsley
1 tsp lemon juice (a couple good squeezes)
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey

Heat butter and olive oil in a pot.  Saute rice, stirring constantly, until rice turns milky.  Add broth, tomatoes (including juice), onion, curry, salt, pepper, and mace or nutmeg.  Note: the original recipe didn't call for salt but the broth was canned so don't be stingy.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to the lowest possible heat and cover tightly for 1 1/2-2 hours.  Add remaining ingredients, except chicken, and bring back to a simmer.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, add chicken or turkey, heat through, and serve.  Makes about 6 cups, serves about 4.