New York Strip Roast with Port Wine and Mustard Sauces

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...When all is said and done, Christmas is much like a wedding. Weeks of planning and preparation are over in nanoseconds, and along with the special memories we create are the remains of the day, which someone must attend to. The best part of being responsible for planning and execution of a feast is being excused from its clean-up detail. That gives me time to sit a spell and tell you about our dinner tonight, as others, very noisily I might add, tackle table debris and the dishes. Being queen is not half-bad on these occasions. One of the delights of living in an area where cattle and sheep are raised, is the abundance and affordability of meat, especially during the holiday season. Beef, standing rib and loin, can be had for under $5 a pound and that means that groaning boards in this area don't groan, they moan under the weight of holiday meat entrées. Most years, I prepare a really large boneless rib roast, but my trip to the market this week revealed some really nice looking New York Strip roasts that I decided to bring home as well. I've had a recipe developed by Wolfgang Puck for several years now and the roasts gave me the perfect opportunity to experiment with it. This is a nice alternative to a standing rib roast for the holiday. It is very easy to do and I made the roast as directed, save for the fact that I used coarse garlic salt and seasoned the roast 24 hours before cooking. It may be in my head, but I think the meat is more flavorful if its seasoned and sits for a good long while before baking. Our dinner began with a fresh pea soup and gravlax. Because of the potential sweetness of the sauce, I kept the remainder of the food quite simple and served the roast with Potatoes Anna and plain, lightly steamed asparagus. As it turned out, the sauce is wonderfully nuanced and I recommend it without reservation. I do think the beef, if cooked to specifications, will be overdone. I personally will aim for rare beef next time around. I also had to make a last-minute slurry to thicken the sauce, but in the light of eternity that was a small glitch and easily taken care of. I'm so glad I gave this recipe a try. It did not disappoint. Here's how the roast is made.

New York Strip Roast with Port Wine and Mustard Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Wolfgang Puck

Ingredients:

Roast

1 whole New York strip, about 5 pounds, trimmed, trimmings reserved

Kosher salt (I used a coarse garlic salt)

Freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

Port Wine Dijon Sauce

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 cup port wine

1 cup beef stock

1 cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1) Place rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2) Generously season all surfaces of roast with salt and pepper. Place a heavy metal roasting pan or cast iron skillet on a burner over high heat. Heat pan, then film bottom of pan with olive oil. When oil begins to smoke, carefully put meat in pan and turn down heat to medium-high; scatter reserved trimming scraps around it. Sear until meat is evenly brown, about 5 minutes per side.

3) Transfer meat and trimmings to a roasting pan. Place roasting pan in oven and cook meat for about 45 minutes, or until it is medium rare, 140 to 145 degrees F on a meat thermometer.

4) Transfer meat from roasting pan to a serving platter, tent with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

5) While meat rests, remove and discard scraps from roasting pan. Pour off all but a thin film of fat. Transfer pan to stovetop and heat drippings over medium-high heat. Add shallot and, as soon as it starts to sizzle, pour in port wine and stock, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon to dissolve pan deposits. With a whisk, stir in the cream. Reduce heat to maintain a bare simmer and, a piece at a time, whisk in butter until it melts. Continue cooking until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Turn off heat and stir in mustard. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer sauce to a small saucepan. Keep warm, but do not let boil.

6) Uncover New York strip and transfer it to a cutting board. Stir any juices that have collected into sauce. With a sharp knife, cut meat across grain into slices about 1/2-inch thick and place on a serving platter. Ladle a little sauce over meat. Pass remainder of sauce at table. Yield: 10 to 12 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Roast Beef Tenderloin - Sea Salt with Food

Garlic Studded Herb Beef Roast - Life's Ambrosia

Herb Rubbed Roast Beef - Phoo-d

Roast Beef 3 Ways - Food and Whine

Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding - Chow and Chatter

Braised Beef Provencal - Fight the Fat Foodie

Slow Roasted Beef with Red Wine Sauce - Gourmeted

♬ Christmas Wishes and A Canon ♬

May all who journey and brave the dark of night know there
is warmth and shelter here tonight. We send blessings, joyful greetings and a bit of music from our home to yours. Eat well, make merry and bask in the warming comfort of family and good friends. We hope the peace and light of Christmas remain yours throughout the coming year. Merry Christmas to you and those you love...Bob and Mary



Pachelbel's Canon in D Major

Mussels Fra Diavola

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a wonderful dish that I love to make at least once during the Christmas holiday. If I were Italian and celebrated the Feast of Seven Fishes, I would include it in my menu for Christmas Eve. That would raise an eyebrow or two because the dish, like vodka sauce for pasta, is an Italian-American creation that is rarely served in Italy. Whatever the origin, mussels prepared in this fashion are a memorable, if messy, treat. Whenever I serve these, I cover the table with vinyl or oilcloth and distribute lobster bibs. It also helps to provide a large bowl or two to hold empty shells. Everyone at the table also receives two dish towels, one damp, the other dry. Only a crab boil is messier than this to serve to folks who eat with gusto. Believe me when I say, my folk have cornered the gusto market and these preparations are a necessity rather than an affectation. Once the mussels have been scrubbed and their beards removed, the dish can be made in minutes. Its heat, the alla diavola, comes from red pepper flakes, so you can manage it to your family's liking as long as you know their tolerance for heat. The dish has just three elements, a spicy red sauce, mussels and linguine. The mussels simmer in sauce and when they open they are served along with the sauce over piping hot linguine. I always serve this with a salad and the best Italian bread I can get my hands on. I do hope you'll try mussels prepared in this fashion. They really are delicious. Here's the recipe.

Mussels Fra Diavola...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Gourmet magazine

Ingredients:
12 garlic cloves, minced (1/3 cup)
3/4 to 1-1/2 teaspoons dried hot red pepper flakes
1/2 cup olive oil
1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in purée
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
1/4 cup drained bottled capers
1/2 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and chopped
1/3 cup dry red wine
1 lb dried linguine
3 lb mussels (preferably cultivated), cleaned (see cooks' note, below)

Directions:
1) Cook garlic and red pepper flakes in oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with purée, tomato paste, herbs, capers, olives, and wine and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes, until sauce is thick, about 15 minutes.
2) Cook linguine in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain in a colander.
3) While pasta cooks, increase heat under sauce to moderately high and add mussels, then cook, covered, until mussels just open wide, checking frequently after 3 minutes and transferring to a bowl. (Discard any mussels that remain unopened after 6 minutes.)
4) Serve linguine with mussels and sauce. Yield: 6 servings.

Cooks' note:
1) Scrub mussels with a brush under cold water and scrape off any barnacles with a knife. Remove beard by pulling it from tip to hinge or by pulling and cutting it off with knife.
2) Tomato sauce, without mussels, can be made and refrigerated 2 days before serving.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Salt Cod and Tomato Stew - One Perfect Bite
Feast of the Seven Fishes - Italian Food Forever
Broiled Mussels - Smitten Kitchen
Sauteed Mussels with Garlic - The Housewife Diet
Flexing My Mussels - Charm and Salt
Moules Mariniere - One Perfect Bite
Coconut Curry Mussels - Simply Recipes
Spicy Mussels in White Wine - The Culinary Chronicles
Mario Batali's Feast of the Seven Fishes - Epicurious

Lemon-Mint Snap Peas with Lima Beans or Edamame

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I was asked to bring a salad to a cold buffet last week. Knowing that winter salads won't please everyone, I decided to make one that was fresh and green and to my own liking. I didn't expect all of it to be eaten and had hoped for leftovers to bring home for my own table. As it happened, I was surprised and disappointed. The salad was actually well received and there were no leftovers to bring home. The recipe for it originally appeared in Eating Well magazine and it's one I make several times a year. I love the play of mint against the crunchy texture of the crisp peas and beans. It really does refresh the palate. This is very easy to assemble and if you need another salad for your roster, you might want to give this one a try. Its color is perfect for a holiday table. Here's how it is made.

Lemon-Mint Snap Peas with Lima Beans or Edamame...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Eating Well magazine

Ingredients:
1 small shallot, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
10 ounces frozen baby lima beans or edamame, thawed
Optional: Sea Salt for garnish

Directions:
1) Whisk shallot, oil, lemon juice, mint, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
2) Bring 2 inches of water to a boil in a medium saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Steam snap peas and lima beans (or edamame) until peas are crisp-tender and beans are heated through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Toss with the vinaigrette. Chill. Serve cold or at room temperature. Sprinkle with sea salt just before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Edamame-Bean Summer Salad - Roast Duck and a Big Gooey Cake
Potato and Green Bean Salad - Niya's World
Asian Infused String Bean Salad - Are You Hungry?
Two French Green Bean Salads - Sense and Serendipity
White Bean Salad - Easy and Tasty Food
Roasted Corn, Lima Bean and Feta Salad - The Guilty Kitchen
Warm Quinoa Salad with Edamame and Lemon-Tarragon Dressing - One Perfect Bite
Corn Salad with Edamame and Tomatoes - One Perfect Bite

Salt Cod and Tomato Stew

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The ghosts of Christmas past sometimes surface unexpectedly. Mine snuck up on me this evening as I was making salt cod stew. Its aroma triggered a reverie that carried me back to the Christmas of my eighth year and "Ma'am's" kitchen where salt cod was being prepared for the Feast of Seven Fishes. This was also the year that St. Joseph, to the great consternation of Salvatore, Ma'am's husband, missed Christmas. Salvatore, a successful and respected contractor, was by training a stone mason. He was also an unrecognized, but talented, sculptor who fashioned one of the most beautiful Nativity scenes I've ever seen. There was, however, a problem this particular Christmas and it concerned the disposition of the young and hapless widow Moriarty. Many of you, especially those raised in the comforts and conformity of suburban homes, will be confounded by the remainder of my tale, but trust me, all of this really did happen "once upon a time in America." The widow Moriarty, left with five children and no visible means of support, wanted to sell her house and move back to the home of her parents. The house was in terrible condition and sat on the market for months. She finally told her sad tale to Ma'am who, always sympathetic, sent her boys to paint and otherwise refresh the house. Ma'am also decided to share Salvatore's St.Joseph with Mrs. Moriarty. Together they dug a hole in the Moriarty's back yard and buried the two foot statue, upside down. Ma'am firmly believed that the saint's intercession would help sell the house. I never understood the upside down part of the equation, but it apparently was a deal breaker and necessary if you wanted Joseph's help. In a normal year this would have caused no problems, but the furies, determined to wreak havoc, paid a visit and brought with them an early and hard freeze. The kind that would keep Joseph in the ground until the spring thaw. Now, this business with the statue transpired without Salvatore's knowledge or consent, so his bad temper was, in retrospect, explainable. He was neither religious nor superstitious and couldn't understand how all of this happened to him and his Joseph at Christmas, a time when folks came from miles around to admire his Nativity. Bent out of shape doesn't begin to explain his unhappiness. Ma'am did a lot of special baking that year and things finally settled down after the holiday. Mrs. Moriarty sold her house and, come spring, St. Joseph was disinterred and not buried again until Salvatore and Ma'am wanted to sell their home. Here is the recipe that triggered today's reverie. It's delicious and I hope you'll give it a try.

Salt Cod and Tomato Stew...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Andy D'Amico

Ingredients:
1 pound dried salt cod
1/2 cup to 1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup 1/4-inch-diced onions
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 jalapeño, minced and seeded
2 ounces grappa or dry white wine
2 cups tomatoes, chopped, with their juice
Bouquet garni: parsley stems, thyme, marjoram, fennel fronds, and a bay leaf, tied in cheesecloth or coffee filter
1 cup 1/2-inch-diced bell pepper
1/2 cup pitted Niçoise olives (stuffed Spanish olives may be substituted)
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
Fruity extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
Sea-salt crystals and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1) Place dried cod in a bowl, cover with cold water, and soak for at least 48 hours, changing water every 12 hours. Remove cod from water, pat dry with paper towels, and cut into 1-inch pieces.
2) Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a nonstick sauté pan, add cod in small batches, and sauté until lightly browned; set aside and repeat with remaining cod. (If the cod is too wet, it will not brown.)
3) Warm 4 tablespoons oil in a 2-quart casserole; add onions, garlic, and jalapeño; and cook gently without allowing them to color. Pour in grappa, and reduce until liquid has evaporated. Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add browned salt cod and bouquet garni, cover casserole, and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Fold in peppers, olives, and capers, and return to a simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Stew should be juicy; if it becomes dry, add a little water or stock. Ladle into bowls, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with plenty of black pepper and a few coarse sea-salt crystals. Serve with grilled or crusty fresh bread. Yield: 6 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Portuguese Kale and Salt Cod Chowder - Karen Cooks
Baccala alla Napoletana - Memorie di Angelina
Brandade de Morue - 2 Frugal Foodies
Fried Salt Cod with Garlic Sauce - Lisa is Cooking
Salt Cod, Fava Bean and English Pea Salad - Wright Food
Salt Cod with Red Pepper Sauce - Trissalicious

Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This confection is private stock, served only to BFF's or shared with my daughters as we sip pear brandy and talk late into the night. While not quite as good as the Ferrero Rocher chocolates after which they're patterned, I must say, with all due modesty and a drum roll or two, that these are PDG. They are also embarrassingly easy to assemble and for that reason I make them throughout the year. The truffles take about 30 minutes to prepare, but the chocolate mixture used to form them must be chilled before they can be shaped, so, despite ease of preparation, you'll have to build wait time into your game plan. I found the recipe on the Taste of Home website several years ago and I've made no changes to it, save for altering the time the chocolate must be refrigerated. I've found that the overnight chill suggested in the recipe produces an unworkable mass that must sit for an hour before the truffles can be shaped. A three hour chill is all that's really need. I am currently using milk chocolate candy bars to make these, but come the first of the year I want to make these using Nutella. I like the thought of triple hazelnut truffles. I hope you'll give these a try. They really are delicious. Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Hazelnut Truffles...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Debra Pedrazzi and Taste of Home magazine

Ingredients:
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
4 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55-oz. each)
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
24 whole hazelnuts
1 cup very finely chopped hazelnuts, toasted

Directions:
1) In a large bowl, sift together confectioners' sugar and cocoa; set aside. In a saucepan, melt candy bars and butter. Add the cream and reserved cocoa mixture. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until mixture is thickened and smooth. Pour into an 8-in. square dish. Cover and refrigerate for about 3 hours or overnight.
2) Using a melon baller or spoon, shape candy into 1-in. balls; press a hazelnut into each. Reshape balls and roll in ground hazelnuts. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator. Yield: 2 dozen.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Easy and Festive Peppermint Bark Candy - Sugar and Spice
Candy Cane Fudge - What's Cookin Chicago?
Dark Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Cups - Verses from My Kitchen
Honey Cream Caramels - Eat Good 4 Life
Peanut Butter Fudge - Brown Eyed Baker
Chocolate Covered Toffee - Petit Foodie
Rocky Road Fudge Candy - Baking and Boys
Easy Chocolate Turtles - Culinary Cory

Fettuccini with Corn Pesto - Blue Monday

If you're feeling harried and your Christmas spirit is flagging, this seemingly unplanned event, actually a flash mob performance orchestrated by Canadian music students, will refresh and uplift you. It truly is ambrosia for world-weary souls.






From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I first made this dish in August when sweet corn was plentiful. I found the recipe in Bon Appetit magazine and the pesto was unusual enough to intrigue me. At that time, I made the dish with fresh corn and Bob and I really liked the distinctive and sweet flavor it gave to the pesto. The finished sauce is similar to a carbonara and almost as easy to make. I wanted to make something light for last night's supper and Bob suggested this. With no fresh corn on hand, I decided to make the pesto using frozen shoepeg corn. I've had great luck using shoepeg as a replacement for fresh corn. It is lighter in color and more tender that other types of frozen corn and it's as close to the fresh product as you can get in December. I can happily report it worked well in this recipe. While I used fresh fettuccini to make the dish, a top quality brand of dried pasta would also work well. I do hope you'll try this. I know it sounds a bit strange, but it really is lovely. Here's the recipe.

Fettuccini with Corn Pesto...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients:
4 bacon slices
1 (16-oz.) bag frozen shoepeg corn, thawed
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 -1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
12 ounces fresh pasta (tagliatelle or fettuccine)
3/4 cup coarsely torn fresh basil, divided use

Directions:
1) Cut each bacon slice in half length-wise, then crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Cook in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp and brown, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat.
2) Add corn, garlic, salt and pepper to skillet, and saute until the corn is just tender, but not brown, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the corn to a small bowl and reserve. Transfer remainder to bowl of a food processor. Add walnuts and Parmesan. With machine running, slowly add oil through the feed tube and blend until pesto is almost smooth. Set aside.
3) Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just tender, but still firm and not quite as done as you would want it. Drain pasta, reserving 1-1/2 cups pasta water. Return pasta to pot and add corn pesto, reserved corn kernels, and 1/2 cup basil leaves. Toss well and add pasta water 1/4 cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes, or until pasta is cooked through. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
4) Divide among serving bowls and sprinkle with additional herbs, cheese, and reserved bacon.
Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy the recipes for these unusual pestos:
Caper Pesto - Foodalogue
Cilantro-Parsley Pesto - Blue Kitchen
Pesto alla Trapanese - Sugar Pies
Walnut Pesto - Smitten Kitchen
Arugula Pesto - Simply Recipes
Charred Tomato Pesto - Stephen Cooks

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday

Quick Bread Round-Up

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The gifts I've made for our neighbors this Christmas are simple baskets that include a small bread board, a jar of cranberry conserves and two loaves of quick bread, one sweet, the other savory. I've made a lot of bread this year and I had to puzzle what my choices for gifting would be. I could have used any of the recipes that appear in today's round-up, but I finally decided to make a seasonally colorful French olive bread and streusel topped pumpkin and pecan bread that I particularly enjoy. I've found that quick breads make wonderful token gifts for the holidays. They are easy to put together and they are always appreciated. There is a good deal of truth in that old saw, "Nothing says lovin' like something from the oven." So, if you still have gifts outstanding, may I suggest that you fire up the oven and have a go at one of the recipes that appear below.




Olive Bread















Hawaiian Banana Bread










Lemon Poppyseed Bread













Date and Hazelnut Bread












Coconut Bubble Bread











Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread










Pumpkin Apple Bread












Strawberry Tea Bread











Pumpkin Pecan Bread with Streusel Topping










Toasted Coconut Bread

An Assortment of Christmas Confections - Pink Saturday

With Christmas just a week a way, those of us who contribute to Pink Saturday were asked to share a favorite carol with our readers. I am especially fond of Art Garfunkel's lovely arrangement of "O Come All Ye Faithful." I hope you will enjoy it, too.





I suspect that most of you are finished with your holiday baking or know exactly which sweets and treats remain to be done. On the off chance that you still need an idea or two, I'm including recipes that are or have, in the past, been part of our Christmas celebration. These are confections that don't fit neatly into other categories. They are all lovely recipes and I'm delighted to share them with you.






Candied Walnuts












Southern Nut Cake













Forget-Me-Not Fudge













Christmas Pudding













Pink Peppermint Patties













Baby Jesus Birthday Cake













Candied Orange and Lemon Peel













Kris Kringle Ginger Cakes













White Chocolate Truffles












Caramel Corn







This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Bean Burgers

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I'm not a gambler, and have very low expectations when it comes to winning contests or giveaways. For years I'd enter and have nothing to show for my efforts, but it seems my luck has changed. Last week I received a package containing the Real Food Diet Cookbook by Dr. Josh Axe, some Equal Exchange Fair Traded coffee and vegan Snapdragon cookies made by Liz Lovely. The gifts were part of a giveaway sponsored by The Foodie Blogroll which is administered by Jenn Campus, its creator. I was thrilled with my windfall. I hope that all of you will take a look at the contests and giveaways that can always be found here. The Foodie Blogroll is also a great place to network and meet fellow bloggers.You won't regret your visit.


Dr.Ash is a wellness physician and radio show host. The real food diet he supports is not a fad or quick weight loss plan. His interest is in real, unprocessed food that will improve overall health. He is a proponent of counting nutrients rather than calories, fats or carbohydrates. His focus is on recipes that use unprocessed food and the book contains a wealth of information for those seeking a better diet and healthier lifestyle.


My regular readers know that my husband is a committed carnivore. He views meatless meals the same way a vampire views holy water or a cross. While this is not a strictly vegetarian cookbook, I wanted to try at least one of the meatless entrees for this post. My theory being, if the Silver Fox would eat it, it had to be good. I decided to go with the recipe for bean burgers. You'll probably have to shop for some of the ingredients needed to make these. Most kitchens don't have coconut oil or gluten free breadcrumbs lying around, but it is important to remember that these are recipes designed for a new way of eating, and that requires an openness to new ingredients. The burgers are very easy to assemble and they are quite good. Next time I make them I'll use less lime juice, but I was generally happy with the recipe. Oh, and yes, the Silver Fox ate his. He slathered it mayonnaise and buried it in a bun, but he ate it without complaint. If you are a proponent of "real" food, you'll like this book a lot. Here's the recipe for the bean burgers.

Bean Burgers...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Dr. Josh Ash and the Real Foods Diet Cookbook

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked garbonzo beans, rinsed and drained if canned
1-1/2 pounds sweet onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons coconut oil, divided use
1/2 cup gluten free breadcrumbs
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Black pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a large pan and saute onions until they are soft and begin to caramelize. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste. Place caramelized onions in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
2) Place garbanzo beans in a blender or food processor and mix until smooth. Add bean mixture to bowl containing onions.
3) Add all remaining ingredients and combine thoroughly. Form into patties. (I used a third cup measure to make 6 patties.)
4) Heat remaining coconut oil in pan and cook burgers until done, flipping once. (I cooked mine over medium heat, 5 minutes per side.) Serve with avocado slices and sprouts. Yield; 6 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Black Bean Burgers with Mango Salsa - Culinary in the Country
Turkey Bean Burgers - Real Mom Kitchen
Vegan Bean Burgers - Elle's New England Kitchen
Asian-Style Bean Burgers - Finger Licking Food
White Bean Burgers - Rachel Hearts Food
Vegan Mung Bean Burgers - Jeena's Kitchen
Gluten-Free Bean Burgers - Gluten Free Gobsmacked

Tomatillo Chicken and Rice - Crock-Pot Cooking

The two winners of the Novica gift certificates have been chosen. Each of the 270 comments in the drawing received a sequential number at the time it was posted. The winners were chosen by a random number generator which selected the numbers 229 and 71. Congratulations to Aisling and Discovery Woman. I will be contacting you soon.



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...One of the perks of age is learning to cast away the things that aren't important. That helped this morning as I took a look around the house, assessed what I saw and declared an end to Christmas preparations. Basta! The day was crisp and clear and meant to be enjoyed. I grabbed my coat and headed out the door. I had a wonderful day. I accomplished nothing of importance but had an awfully good time doing nothing at all. I walked some along the river, lunched with a friend and relished the luxury of a midday nap. Dinner, too, was stressless. It was a crock-pot creation that turned out well enough to share with you. If you are looking for a quick holiday meal, I think you'll enjoy this simple dinner which has a Southwestern flair. If you'd like to make your own tomatillo salsa, a recipe can be found here. The recipe for the chicken appears below.

Tomatillo Chicken with Rice...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 cups tomatillo salsa
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-1/2-in. pieces
1 can (15 oz.) corn, drained
1 can (15-oz.) hominy, rinsed and drained
1 can (15.5-oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed
2 cubanelle peppers, chopped
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Lime wedges
3 cups cooked rice

Directions:
1) Mix all ingredients except cilantro in a 4 to 5-quart slow cooker.
2) Cover and cook on high 3 to 3-1/2 until chicken is cooked through.
3) Stir in cilantro; serve over rice with lime wedges. Yield: 6 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja - The Perfect Pantry
Slow Cooker Mulligatawny - The Ungourmet
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches - Jane Deere
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork - Never Enough Thyme
Slow Cooker Pork Chops - The Hungry Housewife
Crock-Pot Chili - Taste and Tell

Miso Soup + Seaweed Harvest for Outdoor Wedensday

"Tis the season to be jolly...." True, but wretched excess robs the body of strength and the mind of clarity. That's scary because the holiday season has only just begun and weeks of revelry remain before the firm resolve of the New Year kicks in. Eating sensibly can be difficult and its hard to find nutritional balance on holiday tables. Truth be told, I don't always look for balance, but I do watch what I eat. It's not a diet in the true sense of the word, but when I know dinner will be heavy, lunch will be light, sometimes very light. While I know there are celebrities who advocate regimes of fast and purge, that's not my style. I have to eat something. My something can be light and the portion can be small but it has to be there or my inner diva surfaces. Even I don't like her much. To keep her quiet, I made miso soup for lunch today. In Japan miso soup is a culinary staple. It is very light and usually served at the beginning of a meal. The soup, developed by Buddhist monks in the 7th century, was a favorite of Samurai warriors who chose it for its nutritional content. It is still a favorite in Japan today where it is called misoshiru. The soup is made with a stock called dashi and a soft miso paste. Other ingredients can be added according to whim or availability. Miso paste is made from a mixture of soybeans, a starch such as rice or barley, salt, a smidge of water and yeast. Fortunately, miso paste can be found in most large grocery stores. It comes in four forms: red, white, barley, and soybean. I use a commercially available white miso to make my soup. Unfortunately, I have to make my own dashi. While that's not hard to do, it requires some forethought and advanced planning. When I make it, I make lots and freeze it. If you are unable to get the ingredients for dashi, a vegetable or chicken broth can be used. I add very little else to my soup. I usually settle on a handful of green onions, some Wakame seaweed and tofu. While it is not necessary, I add tofu to "beef" up the protein content of my soup.







Wakame is an edible seaweed that can be farmed or harvested from the ocean. It is high in nutrients and low in fat and cholesterol and, when fresh, is a glorious leafy green in color. I have no access to fresh Wakame, so, I use a dried, dehydrated form. Today's recipe is a two step procedure. The first recipe is for dashi, a Japanese fish stock. The second is for the soup itself. I know it's hard to make something from scratch when dehydrated packets of it are available in grocery stores. I make my own to keep a handle on the sodium content of my soup. I hope you'll give this version a try. Here are the two recipes.

Dashi - Japanese Fish Stock

Ingredients:
4 cups cold water
1 (6-inch) piece konbu (edible kelp), cut into 2-inch pieces
1/3 cup bonito flakes (bonito is a member of the mackeral family)

Directions:
Put water and konbu in a pan. Let konbu soak for 20 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in bonito flakes and remove from heat. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. Press and strain through a fine mesh sieve. Yield: 4 cups.

Miso Soup

Ingredients:
4 cups hot dashi (see above)
1/3 cup miso paste
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1 cup medium-firm tofu
2-1/2 tablespoons pre-soaked Wakame seaweed

Directions:
Bring miso to a simmer. Slowly spoon miso paste into soup. Do not boil. Stir in softened Wakame, green onions and tofu. Serve hot: Yield: 4 cups.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Japanese Clear Soup with Carrots and Daikon Flowers - Kahakai Kitchen
Nabeyaki Udon - Tasty Trix
Vegetable Wonton Soup - Seriously Soupy
Soba Noodle Soup - The Hunger Struck
Chinese Egg Drop Soup - Curious Eats
Tom Yum Goong - Las Vegas Food Adventures

This is being linked to:
Outdoor Wednesday - A Southern Daydreamer

Coconut Macaroons

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's been years since I made macaroons. My original recipe called for sweetened condensed milk and I thought the cookies made with it were cloyingly sweet. Despite that, I made the cookies each Christmas for Bob's dad who really loved them. When we lost Andy, macaroons, and his favorite chocolate covered cherries, were dropped from my Christmas baking list. I was browsing through the Joy of Baking website the other day when I happened on the recipe I'm featuring today. It is substantially different from the one I had used in the past. I had coconut in the pantry, so I decided to give this version a try. I'm glad I did. While the cookies are way too sweet for my taste, Bob and one of our neighbors loved them. The cookies are very easy to make and the only problem I had was getting them to brown in the time suggested by the recipe. My cookies were still pale at the 20 minute mark and I had to bake them for an additional 10 minutes to get some color. I also suggest adding a small amount of almond extract to the cookie dough. If you have a sweet tooth I think you'll love this recipe. The cake flour gives the cookies a texture that is quite different from that of the usual macaroon and they are slightly less sweet. Here's the recipe.

Coconut Macaroons...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Joy of Baking.Com

Ingredients:
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup cake flour, sifted
3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Directions:
1) Combine egg whites, sugar and salt in top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Whisk until mixture feels warm and is creamy. Stir in vanilla and almond extract and then add coconut and cake flour. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for about two hours, or until firm.
2) Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3) Place small mounds (heaping tablespoons) of batter on parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing several inches apart. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 2 dozen macaroons.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Black Bottom Coconut Bars - Gonna Want Seconds
Coconut Almond Macaroons - Dish by Trish
Coconut Vanilla Lime Shortbread - Luna Cafe
Chocolate Coconut Cookies - Alessandra Zecchini
Lime Glazed Coconut Snowballs - A Bountiful Kitchen
Lacy Coconut Cookies - Family Spice

Christmas Cranberry Conserve + Blue Monday + Ruby Tuesday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We had duck for dinner tonight, and, as is my habit when serving duck or goose, I made a fruit conserve to serve alongside it. I've found that a conserve or chutney helps clear the palate when rich or potentially fatty foods are eaten. A conserve is a fruit spread, much like a fruit preserve, save for the fact that it contains a mixture of fruits and no pectin is required to set it. Only a handful of ingredients are required to make conserves and they really are easy to prepare. I chose cranberries to make ours this evening. While they are seasonal and add great color to the table, the berries were selected more for their tartness than their seasonality. The cranberry is a perfect foil for potentially fatty fowl and the berries make a marvelous conserve. This spread is almost foolproof to make. The only thing you can do to spoil it is to cook it for too long a period of time. Overcooking produces too much juice and excess liquid will keep the conserve from setting. I added raisins and nuts to mine to make it a bit more festive. Here's the recipe.

Christmas Cranberry Conserve...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Mildred Banker and Taste of Home

Ingredients:
4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, halved or very coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
2 oranges, peeled, sliced and quartered
1 cup raisins
1-1/4 cup water
1 cup chopped pecans
2-1/2 cups sugar

Directions:
1) In a large saucepan, combine cranberries, orange zest, oranges, raisins and water. Cover and simmer over medium heat until cranberries are soft, about 5 minutes.
2) Add pecans and sugar; stir well. Simmer, uncovered, 10-15 minutes, stirring often. Cool. Spoon into covered containers. Refrigerate. Serve as a relish with poultry or pork, or spread on biscuits or rolls. Yield: 3 pints.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Fig Jam Preserves - My Man's Belly
Relish the Thought - Stacey Snacks
Cranberry Chutney - Closet Cooking
Brandied Apple Conserve - Foodista
Plum Conserve - Simply Recipes
Honey Pear Conserve - Mermaids Treasures

This post is being linked to:
Smiling Sally - Blue Monday

Work of the Poet: Ruby Tuesday

Holiday Coffee Cake and Muffin Round Up

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...While it may be wretched excess, I think a holiday breakfast or brunch is incomplete without a coffee cake or muffins on the table. Butter, after all, needs a vehicle on which it can be spread. I watch what I eat for most of the year, and go so far as to lose 5 pounds just before the holidays begin. Then my reserve crumbles and I start to eat foods I wouldn't normally allow to cross my lips. When January rolls around I have, of course, regained the 5 pounds I lost back in October. Now, the cynics out there will note that I've lost and gained the same 5 pounds for 50 years running, and because everyone knows cynics have a mean streak, they'll also gleefully do the math for anyone who will pay attention to them. Ignore them. The optimists, however, will see Mrs. Feeziwig and say only that she "knew how to keep Christmas well." Really well. The recipes in today's round-up are for the optimists among you. They have all been tested and eaten with complete abandon and wouldn't be here if they weren't delicious. I hope you find something here that tempts you. Here are the recipes for some of my favorite coffee cakes and muffins.






Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake










Pom Koec - Belgian Coffee Cake











Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake











Blackberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake










French Breakfast Puffs











Coffee Walnut Snack Cake











Raspberry Streusel Muffins












Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze











Morning Glory Muffins










Budapest Coffee Cake














Marionberry Muffins

Holiday Breakfast Round-Up + Pink Saturday

We have lots going on today. It's Pink Saturday and we've been asked to share our favorite holiday movie with you. That's way too easy, so I'm going to cheat a bit and simply give you a visual clue. There will be no homework for anyone who can correctly name my favorite movie. Are you ready?



....and finally I want to share some ideas for holiday breakfasts with you. The recipes that appear below are easy to make but they produce dishes that are festive enough to make holiday meals special. I must admit I'm a bit spoiled when it comes to holiday breakfasts. The Silver Fox makes breakfast on Thanksgiving and Christmas morning, so the recipes are, of necessity, very straightforward and easy to complete. As an aside, they are also very easy to clean up after. Add one or several of them to the menu for your holiday breakfast or brunch and I know you'll be happy with the results. Here are some of my favorites.






Asparagus and Mushroom Strata









Eggs Florentine












Oven Baked Scrambled Eggs









Frittata with Spring Herbs and Leeks











Pumpkin Pancakes with Orange Caramel Syrup









Baked French Toast with Cardamom and Apricot Preserves










Breakfast Polenta with Chorizo and Queso Fresco










Smothered Eggs in Spoonbread











Swiss Onion Tart











Brussels and Liege Waffles







This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.