Wine Braised Carrots, Onion Gratin

Vegetable overhaul this week.  I wanted to challenge myself to use cheap vegetables in uncommon ways.  I didn't want to use potatoes, I wanted to use the vegetables that are delicious.. and healthy!  So I came up with two new recipes, 'Wine Braised Carrots' and 'Onion Gratin'.  Very vegetarian friendly.  Very delicious.


Category:  Side Dish, Vegetarian

Frenchman Rating:  8/10

Comments: "Suprisingly, carrots were very delicious... the onion gratin didn't even TASTE like onions, it's incredible!"

Cost per Serving:  Glazed carrots = .25 a serving;  Onion Gratin = .30 a serving.  Total cost per serving:  €.50.  Yes. Vegetables are insanely cheap. :)

Ingredients

• 4-5 medium yellow onions (peeled, sliced 1/4 inch thick)
• 2-3 large carrots (peeled, tops cut off)
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/5 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/5 cup cream
• 2 teaspooons nutmeg
• 1/5 cup shredded romano
• salt/pepper to taste

Equipment

• 1 large frying pan
• 1 baking dish 

Instructions

1. Begin by peeling the vegetables.  I peel the onions, then slice them.  Chop the carrots into 1 inch long by 1/2 inch wide.
2. Heat some butter/oil in the large frying pan, toss in the onions with salt/pepper and allow to sweat over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to medium, add in the nutmeg, stir around, cook for another 5-6 minutes.
4. Pour in the dairy (cream/milk) and stir around in the pan, bring heat back up to medium-high, and cook for about 2 minutes.
5. Transfer the mixture to a pan, top with the cheese and stick in the oven for 18 minutes at 220 celsius.
6. Rinse the same pan out, and heat up a bit of oil.  Toss in the carrots into the oil, stir around for about 2 minutes.  Pour in the water, cover and cook over medium heat for 4 minutes. 
7. Uncover and add the vinegar/red wine.  Stir around, add seasonings accordingly, recover and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat.
8. Check the carrots for tenderness, if not quite tender, add some more water.. I like mine with a bite.
9. All is done at the same time!! Serve with a nice protein (I had fish, Frenchman had a steak haché)

Wine Braised Carrots, Onion Gratin and Fish Filet

Oven Baked Dorade

Dorade, a stable in French seafood- and something I've never cooked in my life.  I got lucky when my local Carrefour was selling them for 2 bucks a pop 'pret a cuisiner', ready to cook, and so I snagged them.  I just threw it to the wind, so don't be surpised if it might not be the best thing ever.

Category:  Fish, Main Dish, Lunch OR Dinner


Frenchman Rating/Comments:  4/10, "It was good, but the bones were left in so it made it difficult, the fish was a little dry- so maybe more juice or sauce... maybe even a different fish.  Kind of a fail."

Cost per Serving:  Dorade = 1.92 each, Herbs/Lemon = .20 each; TOTAL COST (per serving) = €2.12 a serving.


Ingredients

• Two butt-end parts of the dorade, ready to cook, de-boned if possible.  (I don't know the real name, so sue me)
• 2 tablespoons softened butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 small lemons
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Equipment

• Glass baking dish 
• Paper Towels
• Frying Pan

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.
2. Dry the fish with the paper towels,then fry in a hot pan in a little olive oil for 1 minute on each side.
3. Open the fish and stuff with lemon and a little butter, salt lightly.
4. Slice one lemon thinly, and lay the slices on top of the seasoning/butter mixture.. or inside of the butt piece.
5. The last lemon, cut in quarters, reserve one half for after and the other half to bake in the dish.
6. Cover with tin foil, bake for 15 minutes in preheated 200c oven, then uncover, place higher, turn skin side up and broil for another 2-3 minutes.
7. Serve hot with the juice from the dish poured over!... I served with 'tomato lentils' and baked potatoes with a yogurt sauce.

Salade Niçoise

I had a can of tuna and I didn't want to make another tuna fish sandwich- so I let it hang out in the pantry until one night I was totally inspired a la Julia Child to make a salad niçoise.. my version.

Category:  Dinner OR Lunch, Main Dish, Salad


Frenchman Rating: 9/10, "Incredibly delicious, and surprisingly was not simply just a salad, but a filling meal."

Cost per Serving:  €2.53 per serving

 Ingredients

• 1/2 sac of mache lettuce OR 1/2 head of any type of green leafy lettuce

• 2 whole tomatoes, chopped into chunks  

• 1 can of tuna (usually about 15oz can)

• 2 lemons

• 1 tin of sardines (suprisingly delicious, tastes like a rich tuna)

• 1 large can green beans

• 4 boiled eggs, shelled, chopped
• 3/4 medium onion, sliced
• 1/3 cup black olives (pitted or non pitted)
• 3-4 baked or steamed potatoes
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt/Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Begin by opening the tuna, draining, opening the green beans, draining, and pretty much preparing everything (chopped tomatoes/eggs, sliced onions, steam the potatoes)..
2. Mix up the '*super ball-samic dressing'
3. Layer:
1. Lettuce
2. Tomatoes/Olives/Greenbeans
3. Tuna/Onions with a little spritz of lemon juice or oregano
4. Eggs
4. Serve with dressing on side, or dressing tossed into it.  Serve with two slices of lemon. I like to ensure my potatoes are still warm when I do the tossing.. really goes well with a crusty bread.

*super ball-samic dressing
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tablespoon red wine
2 tsp grainy mustard
(Shake well, serve)

Buttered Cabbage & Balsamic Glazed Turkey

I had half a cabbage to get rid of.. and didn't want to eat cabbage soup- so I thought outside the box.. sort of.  This makes enough for two, with some leftover buttery cabbage.

Buttered Cabbage & Balsamic Glazed Turkey

Category:  Dinner, Complete Meal

Frenchman Rating:  6/10
Comments: "Needs more flavor in the turkey, maybe a 'brining' process before, or even more red wine for more sauce.  The cabbage was just fabulous, great flavor and simple- more butter at the end would make it even more delicious.  I like the carrots being chunky."



Cost per Serving:  Buttery Cabbage = €.60 cents a serving;  Balsamic Glazed Turkey = €1.51 a serving... TOTAL COST:  €2.11 per serving!

Ingredients for the Buttery Cabbage

• 1/2 green cabbage chopped thin, resembling straw
• 3 medium sized carrots, cleaned, scraped and chopped into cubes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter
• salt & pepper to taste

Ingredients for the turkey

• 2 medium cuts of 'dinde escalope'

• Paper Towels

• 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar 

• 1/4 cup red cooking wine 

• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Begin by heating the oil in a wok or large pan to medium high, add in the butter and then toss in the cabbage little bits at a time.  Reduce heat to medium, add in the chopped carrots.
2. Cover the cabbage after adding a bit of salt, stirring, and... well let it hang out for awhile ON MED-LOW.
3. While the cabbage is cooking, about 10 minutes after it started.. take the turkey and pat dry with the paper towels.  Set aside.
4. Heat a pan to a very high heat, important to sear the meat.  Once heated, lay it down, salt & pepper the side not against the pan, leave for about 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Check the cabbage, stir it around a bit, add some more seasonings... cover again.
6. Turn the turkey over, salt & pepper again... leave for about 1 minute, then pour in the balsamic and lower the heat... medium should do.
7. Allow this to cook for another 2-3 minutes, turn off the heat and cover to keep hot.
8. By now the cabbage has cooked for about 16-21 minutes, so it should be tender.. plate with the turkey, pour the sauce over the meat.. and VOILA!

Essum ut vivas, bon appetit!

Southern Dinner.. Done Light!

We all love Southern dinners, southern food. The problem is our middles usually are the results from these such events.

Last night I decided to make a "healthy Southern dinner" and reduce the calories by 2/3.

My Menu for the evening:
"Fried" chicken (175 calories per serving)
Mashed "potatoes"(78 calories per serving)
Green beans (15 calories per serving)
Green Spinach Salad with Tomatoes and Vinaigrette (25 calories per serving)
Gallette de Pommes : French Apple Pastry (200 calories per serving)


Grand Total: 493 calories

My mom decided to compete and do a fattier version and see if anyone could taste the difference and which they preferred. Plus, southern food, as Paula Dean says, "Ain't good unless it got some fat in it!"

Her Menu:
Buttermilk Fried Chicken (480 calories per serving)
Buttermilk Biscuits (160 calories per serving)
Mashed Potatoes (200 calories per serving)
Chicken Gravy (75 calories per 2 tablespoon serving)
Corn on the Cob (78 calories per half ear of corn, with butter)
S'mores (140 calories per serving)

Grand Total of a Southern Feast: 1,133 calories

So. here are my recipes for each item... enough for 5 small stomachs or 3 big stomachs.

"Fried" chicken
1 whole cut up chicken (or two legs and two thighs)
2 cups corn flake cereal
1 cup bread crumbs
whatever seasonings you want, I chose: (onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and some cayenne pepper)
2 eggs
1/2 milk or buttermilk

Step 1: I peeled the skin off of the legs. This is a delicious part, but in order to create a crispier crust the skin has to go. Think of it as... creating chicken armor. A crunchy seasoned chicken armor and to do that you gotta get rid of the skin.

Step 2: Whisk eggs, buttermilk, salt and some pepper into the eggs for the dip.

Step 3: Take a large plastic bag fill with the crunchy stuff and seasonings. Close tightly and take a hammer to IT!!! No, kidding.. I just rolling pinned it out. Roll roll rolll... crunch crunch... it's great for aggression. Keep going until you're either not pissed any more or it's in fine grain pieces.

Step 4: Open bag.

Step 5: Dip two pieces of chicken into awesome egg dip, roll around and roll around. Place in bag. Shake shake shake. Then use hands to press in the crunchy mixture. Repeat. Repeat. Until it's completely covered and all chicken pieces are done.

Step 5 1/2: Place chickens on venilated cooking thing. Basically like a wire rack over a dripping pan, tie air will create that extra crunch the chicken desires.

The finished product looks like this. Stick in fridge until ready to bake.

Step 6: BAKING! Bake in oven @ 375 degrees Fahrenheit for  35-60 minutes, or until the thermomator states "165-170". Then blast the heat on the broiler for 5 more minutes for extra crunch.

The FINAL product. SO good. And a final sprinkling of salt makes it better.

Now... the sides..

Mashed "Potatoes"
This was an interesting recipe I researched and researched. The first time I heard about it was from a vegetarian friend of mine at an old job. He mentioned how the taste was amazingly similar to mashed potatoes. I tested.. I inquired, "What is this?" The consistency was a little runnier.. but sure enough same flavor.

He smiled, "cauliflower."

Now those of you tied to a low carb diet- this is amazing stuff. Try it once, just for tasting sake.

This is enough for 2 people...

you'll need:
1 bag frozen cauliflower
1-2 tablespoons cream cheese
heavy whipping cream
couple pats of butter
pepper
salt
immersion blender, or a strong hand and a masher
imaaagination...

Step 1: Cook cauliflower for 8-10 minutes in salted boiling water.

Step 2: Strain and dry thoroughly with paper towels, or for the eco friendly folks, a washable clean dish towel.

Step 3: Add rest of ingredients and immerse the shit out of it. Wrr wrrr.

Step 4: Place in microwave until time to serve.

 

That's it. It's like 1/3 of the calories, awesome flavor and takes 10 minutes. Fresh. bye bye boxed potatoes.


Finally.. the lovely, fatty and flavorful.. but yet.... not. Dessert!

Galette aux Pommes (apple tart)

Ingredients... are as follows...
2 apples. I used gala, they are sweeeet.
2 tablespoons apple pie mix (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 package of Phyllo dough
1 stick of butter (yes. one stick.)
preheat oven to 400 degrees..

Step 1: Cut up apples (I leave the skin on) into 1/2" chunks and put into bowl minus stems and seeds.

Step 2: Mix into the apples all the other stuff minus phyllo dough and butter.

Step 3, "the hard part": Lay out the phyllo dough two sheets at a time. Do like this:
 Two sheets, brush with enough butter till it's wet, two sheets, repeat, two sheets, repeat... until you are done buttering it up.

Step 4: Drop all of apple mixture into the center and fold one corner in, then another... it'll be like a really rough looking octagon in the end.

Step 5: Place galette onto a bake sheet toss about a tablespoon of brown sugar over the top and the rest of the butter and into the oven for only 12-20 minutes... depending on when it looks sufficiently crunchy and browned. Like the photo below...

Great served with a low fat soy ice cream or even a home whipped cream. YUM!