CHEAP & DELICIOUS RECIPES

[Perelandra]

That was yesterday and the soup became part of my "Clean Out the Fridge Crockpot Soup" today. The possibilities are many.

cream of celery soup
pint of cream
half can chicken broth
half jar cheese whiz (i know)
old bag frozen broccoli
grated carrot
diced onion quarter
about to go moldy zucchini
etc.

[Perelandra]

Not my recipe, but soon to be made. I think it would be great with small button mushrooms left whole.

Mushroom Bourguignon

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 pounds portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices (save the stems for another use) (you can use cremini instead, as well)
1/2 carrot, finely diced
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup full-bodied red wine
2 cups beef or vegetable broth (beef broth is traditional but vegetable to make it vegetarian; it works with either)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen)
Egg noodles, for serving
Sour cream and chopped chives or parsley, for garnish (optional)

Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy sauce pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid — about three or four minutes. Remove them from pan.

Lower the flame to medium and add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the carrots, onions, thyme, a few good pinches of salt and a several grinds of black pepper into the pan and cook for 10, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for just one more minute.

Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half. Stir in the tomato paste and the broth. Add back the mushrooms with any juices that have collected and once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature so it simmers for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender. Add the pearl onions and simmer for five minutes more.

Combine remaining butter and the flour with a fork until combined; stir it into the stew. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency. Season to taste.

To serve, spoon the stew over a bowl of egg noodles, dollop with sour cream (optional) and sprinkle with chives or parsley.

[Perelandra]

For dinner tonight:

Faux Spinach Souffle

1 lb spinach blanched, squeezed and chopped
1/4 onion, 1/4 red pep, 2 garlic cloves minced, sauteed briefly
2 jumbo eggs
~ 1 C ricotta
handful each parm, feta, and cheddar
salt and pepper

Bake at 350 about 30 minutes.

I just found this, Cookaholics BB. Oh no...

http://cookaholics.org/index.php

[Perelandra]

Oven-dried Tomatoes

24 cherry tomatoes
or 8 to 10 plum tomatoes, cut in half
or 8 to 10 yellow, orange, red, or green tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick or thicker slices, Squeeze or spoon
out the juicy seeds.
1 tablespoon sugar, optional
Herbs, such as basil, oregano, or rosemary, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a pan with parchment or a baking mat. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, on pan, spaced 1/2 to 1 inch apart. Sprinkle with sugar and herbs; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil if desired.

Transfer pan to oven; dry until juices have stopped running, edges are shriveled, and pieces have shrunken slightly; timing will vary depending on the variety, ripeness, and desired degree of dryness, 1 1/2 to 6 hours. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Can be frozen.

[JackRiddler]

Fasolia "Freska"

The best!

Stringbeans
Potatoes
Carrots
Tomatoes
Tomato paste
Onion, garlic
1 cup of olive oil, 1 cup of water
Spices you like, pick from basil, oregano, thyme or dill, plus salt & pepper.

Preparation: Take a pound or two of any kind of green stringbeans. Adjust amounts of other stuff so that the string beans are the star in a well-populated ensemble. You do not have to worry about precision. Cut off the tip at either end of every single string bean. (This is the longest part of the job.) Wash them well. Take four, five potatoes, medium size, quarter them, wash them. Chop up carrots, wash them. Wash and chop up the tomatoes, and crush them with your bare fucking hands. Wash your hands. Now you're ready to start.

Chop up buncha garlic and an onion. Throw'em into pot on stove, start heat (1.5 out of 3, if yours goes to 3), add your preferred spices. When it's sizzling a bit, throw in the tomatoes and a small or half a medium thing of tomato paste. Let that heat up a bit, then throw in everything else you chopped. Pour the oil over it, then the water. Trust that this is going to work. Cover. Keep it going until first boil. Maybe lower to 1 out of 3. Let that go for an hour. Occasionally use a spatula or something to move the bottom and push the top down. The liquid won't cover everything, do not worry. Taste it at an hour to see if it's ready for you. This is great. Eat with bread. It will get better. I find you can just leave the pot on the stove, assuming moderate weather, and heat it up again the next day. Two of you will be eating this for two days. Adjust accordingly for larger numbers. Now you're a Greek.

.

[Perelandra]

^^Interesting variation on the traditional dried bean dish. I love peasant foods and will try it some day.

Was going through a departed relative's recipes recently, and found this non-recipe. Sound cheap and delicious to me, and now I know what to do with my extra sauerkraut.

One can tuna
One cup sauerkraut
One cup grated cheese
Mayo to taste

[Perelandra]

I'm tasked with baked mac & cheese for this week and found this variant that sounds easier and possibly better than the classic bechamel method.

For every 8 oz dry macaroni, cooked al dente
Puree in blender:

1 c milk
1 egg
8 oz cheese of choice
2-4 oz cream cheese
1/2 onion or bit of onion powder (opt.)
bit of mustard powder (opt.)

Pour over pasta, sprinkle with grated cheese and breadcrumbs, and bake.

[Elvis]

PARTY DIP:

Equal parts:

1 part mayonnaise
1 part grated parmesan cheese
1 part artichoke hearts

Mix it all up in a baking dish and bake at 350º F for half an hour.

Or is it an hour? I forget. But it's delicious. I usually dislike mayonnaise but this works.

Your guests will ask "what's the secret ingredient?" and usually guess that it has crab.

[Perelandra]

Oh yes, more than the sum of its parts. So 70s/80s. The simple recipes are the best, aren't they, although I see you missed page 4.


Possibly everything one ever wanted to know about artichokes, or any other food is at this fascinating resource.
http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq.html#artichokes

[Elvis]

Oh yes, more than the sum of its parts. So 70s/80s. The simple recipes are the best, aren't they, although I see you missed page 4.

Yes, I jumped in without reading the whole thread. The garlic in Annie's page 4 version is of course a better idea. And thanks for the artichoke resource.