Pineapple Casserole

I first had this at a friend’s house a year ago, and I fell in love with it! It’s very rich, in my opinion, but it’s sweet and buttery flavor are an awesome compliment to a salty ham. I made it at Christmas and plan on making it again on Easter. A little goes a long way with this side dish, and if you have never had it before you are in for a very tasty surprise! I will post some pictures after Sunday, but I wanted to get the recipe up for anyone who was searching for a little something new to put on their Easter table. Bon Apetite and have a blessed holiday!

PINEAPPLE CASSEROLE

2 lg. cans (20 oz) chunk pineapple
3/4 c. sugar
6 tbsp. all purpose flour
1.5 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 c. Ritz cracker crumbs
1 stick melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a medium-size casserole dish with butter.

Drain pineapple, reserving the juice of one can. Combine flour, sugar and stir in 3 tablespoons of reserved pineapple juice. Add cheese and pineapple chunks. Mix well. Spoon mixture into greased 1 quart casserole.

In another medium bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 3-4 tablespoons of reserved pineapple juice, stirring until well mixed. Spread crumb mixture on top of pineapple mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Garlicky Bean Enchiladas

This recipe also came from the same Rachael Ray magazine. We loved them! I made them according to the recipe with no changes, and they were very tasty, easy to make, and even the teenager loved them! I really love black beans, so I am going to give this recipe a try with them next time. I love recipes like this because they are great base recipes that you can build on.

I did not get any of my own pictures. It was last Sunday and we were starving by the time I got into the kitchen. The meal cooked up quickly, and was consumed even faster! The picture below is from Rachael Ray’s site, and the link below will take you to the original source of the recipe.

Garlicky Bean Enchiladas
Teri Tsang

From Every Day with Rachael Ray
March 2008
SERVES 4
Prep Time: 25 min
Bake Time: 20 min

Ingredients
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Two 15.5-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained
1/3 cup chicken broth
Salt
Twelve 6-inch corn tortillas
2 cups store-bought salsa verde
1 1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until just golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the beans and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the chicken broth. Season with salt and cook, mashing the beans, until softened, 7 minutes. Let cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with paper towels. In a small skillet, heat the remaining 1/2 cup oil. Fry each corn tortilla for 3 seconds on each side, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet to drain.
3. Place about 1/4 cup mashed beans on 1 tortilla and roll up to enclose; transfer to an oiled 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Repeat with the remaining beans and tortillas.
4. Pour the salsa over the filled tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake until the cheese is melted and the salsa is bubbling, about 20 minutes.

White Spaghetti

I found this recipe in a Rachael Ray magazine. The reference is included below. I thought it was a so-so recipe, but to be honest I will not be making it again as is. I do think that adding some ingredients would definitely liven this dish up a little. I recommend trying some freshly diced Roma tomatoes, sliced olives, sauteed mushrooms, etc.  The magazine called this recipe “That’s Shallotta Flavor Spaghetti” but I like the plain title of “White Spaghetti.”

That’s Shallotta Flavor Spaghetti
Rachael Ray
From Every Day with Rachael Ray
March 2008

SERVES 4

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
10 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper

1 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (a generous handful)

1. In a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 4 turns of the pan, over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, 20 minutes.
2. While the shallots are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Pour 3 ladlefuls of the pasta cooking water into the cooked shallots and stir. Drain the pasta and add to the shallots. Add the cheese and parsley, season with pepper and toss.

Tandoori Chicken and Naan

The recipe I used to make my Tadoori Chicken and Naan came from Saveur Magazine (hard copy), and I found it online as well. The link to the recipe is included below. It was a very good recipe, and I can say that the meal honestly tasted like Tandoori Chicken I have had in a local Indian Restaurant. The flavors were not as intense, but I did not marinade the chicken as long as the recipe recommends. I highly recommend marinading as long as possible.

Tandoori Chicken

SAVEUR Online
(Yogurt- and Spice-Marinated Chicken)
SERVES 4 – 6

This version of tandoori chicken—intricately spiced, juicy, and tender—tastes even better if you allow the chicken to rest in the second, yogurt-based marinade overnight. To re-create the heat of a tandoor oven, we placed a baking stone in our conventional one and cranked it as high as it would go.

4 skinless bone-in whole chicken legs
3 skinless bone-in chicken breast halves, halved
crosswise
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 3″ piece peeled ginger, coarsely chopped
Salt
3 tbsp. canola oil
1 tbsp. distilled white vinegar
1 tbsp. kashmiri red chile powder or paprika
1 1⁄2 tsp. cardamom seeds
1 1⁄2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1⁄2 tsp. ground bay leaf
1 1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1⁄2 tsp. ground clove
1 1⁄2 tsp. ground ginger
1 cup plain yogurt
1⁄2 tsp. ground black salt (optional)
6 green thai chiles, stemmed and finely chopped
Chat masala (optional)

1. Make 2″-wide slashes about 1⁄2″ deep all over chicken pieces. Cut knee joints on legs halfway; transfer all the chicken to a large bowl.

2. Purée garlic, ginger, and 1⁄4 cup water in a blender; add to chicken along with 2 tsp. salt, half the oil, vinegar, 1 tsp. chile powder, and half of each of the following: cardamom, garlic powder, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, and ground ginger. Toss to coat; refrigerate overnight.

3. Put yogurt, black salt, chiles, and all remaining oil, chile powder, cardamom, garlic powder, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, and salt to taste into a bowl; mix. Pour yogurt mixture over chicken; massage into flesh for 2–3 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap; let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.

4. If using, place a baking stone on the middle oven rack; heat oven to 500° (or 550°, if possible). Line a baking sheet with foil; place a baking rack directly on top of the foil. Arrange chicken pieces (with any marinade that clings to them) on top of the rack in a single layer. Bake, rotating baking sheet once, until crisp, lightly charred, and cooked through, about 25 minutes for breasts and 35 minutes for legs. Sprinkle with chat masala, if you like. Serve hot.

This recipe was first published in Saveur in Issue #102

Naan from Saveur

(Tandoori Flat Bread)

For this method, we use a cast-iron skillet and a baking stone to replicate a tandoor oven. Moti Mahal’s bread maker forms its naan into a triangle; we stretch ours into a circle that fits the skillet. Whisk together 4 cups flour, 1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder, 1 tbsp. salt, and 1 tbsp. sugar in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together 1 1⁄4 cups milk, 1⁄3 cup plain yogurt, 2 tbsp. canola oil, and 1 lightly beaten egg. Pour milk mixture into flour mixture; mix into a dough. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth, 10–12 minutes. Form dough into a ball; cover with towel; let rest for 30 minutes. If using, place a baking stone on the middle oven rack; heat oven to 500° (or 550°, if possible). Divide dough into 12 pieces; cover with towel. Working with 1 dough piece at a time, stretch it over a medium inverted bowl into a 6″–8″ circle. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Peel dough off bowl; lay in skillet. Bake until puffed on top, 2–3 minutes. Brush naan with butter. Makes 12.

This recipe was first published in Saveur in Issue #102

Vietnamese Style Steak with Jasmine Rice

I made this very pleasant and easy to fix dish tonight. It was a huge hit with Bryan, and I liked it quite well! We are both rice lovers, so we would like the Jasmine rice anyway it is fixed, but stir frying it a little in the pan juices was phenomenal! Yum!

Vietnamese Style Steak with Jasmine Rice

2 large choice sirloin steaks (around 2-3 pounds) trim off excess fat
6 T. Maggi Seasoning (found in your ethnic food isle in the Asian section or HERE)
6 T. Canola oil
12 cloves of garlic finely minced
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Jasmine Rice cooked according to package directions ahead of time (4 servings) and cooled.

Whisk together the Maggi, oil, garlic and pepper and pour into a large, shallow dish. Place steak in dish and coat with marinade. Allow steak to marinade for 45 minutes at room temperature. For a longer marinade, place marinaded steak in covered container in the refrigerator. Take steak out and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.

Heat a heavy cast iron skillet on stove (you can also use Stainless Steel, but I do not recommend using any non-stick coated cookware). Heat the cast iron on medium high heat for a few minutes until very hot. Put one steak into pan and sear it on both sides. Cook for approximately 5 minutes for medium rare (a couple of minutes longer for medium). Take steak out and wrap in foil to keep it warm, and repeat the process for the second steak. When both steaks are done and wrapped in foil (and you can place them in a warm oven to keep them good and hot if you prefer) add rice to hot pan and turn heat down to med. Add a few dashes of Maggi as needed, and constantly stir rice until it is nicely coated with pan drippings.

Cut steak across the grain and serve with rice immediately.

Bon Appetite!

Here are some pictures of the process. Enjoy!

Savory French Onion Soup

This is a very tasty and easy recipe. It would be a very nice appetizer soup for company too. I substituted the cheese in the recipe with an asiago, parmesan, mozzarella blend. I only substituted because I could not find a good French cheese at my local grocer. If you can use the Gruyère or the Swiss, I highly recommend it. They are less rubbery and stringy when they melt, making for a nicer presentation — it still tasted wonderful though! I posted some additional pictures of the cooking process down below. Bon Appetite!

What you’ll need:

6 medium onions thinly sliced
2 T. Olive Oil
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp. savory
1 tsp. thyme
salt
pepper
1/2 C. white wine
3 C. Beef consommé
1 sm. baguette
2 C. shredded Gruyère (may be substituted with equal amount Swiss cheese or provolone.)

What you’ll do:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, thyme, savory, and salt and pepper (to taste). Cook in olive oil over medium heat until onions are nice and golden. Stir regularly to avoid burning. Stir in wine and broth after onions are cooked. Turn the heat to low and cover the pot with a lid. Simmer like this for 20 minutes.

Set out 4-6 oven proof bowls (depending on size). Take one half of the bread crumbs and divide them evenly in the bottom of the bowls, follow likewise with the cheese. Add soup, leaving just a little room at the top for additional bread and cheese. After bowls are filled with soup, evenly distribute the rest of the bread and the cheese on top. Place bowls on a cooking sheet with sides, and place in the oven on a middle rack. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.