There’s definitely something decadent about shrimp – maybe it has to do with peeling the shells before popping them into one’s mouth and having to use your fingers as part of the eating experience. This recipe is so intensely flavored that it just seemed a natural choice for part 2 of our valentine’s day menu.
Ingredients
3 heads of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
1 lb large shrimp, frozen, uncooked, with or without peel, thawed
2 tblsp olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 chopped flat leaf parsley
dash of tabasco
salt and pepper
Preparation Instructions
Heat oil in large frying pan. Add garlic and cook about 1minute, being careful not to burn it. Add chorizo sausage. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add shrimp and cooked until almost cooked- about 4-5 minutes. Add white wine, and continue cooking until the shrimp are cooked through. Add tabasco, salt and pepper and parsley.
Serve on top of creamy polenta for an especially decadent meal, or simply with baguette (and cold cutter) to soak the sauce.
I grew up knowing this cake as Flourless Chocolate Cake, so was amused as an adult to learn that it actually does have flour in it! It’s a rich, thick cake that’s almost like a brownie, delicious served with custard sauce, raspberries, whipped cream, or just plain.
A glass of bubbly is always nice on the side too!
Ingredients
6 oz good quality baking chocolate (dark, not milk)
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter
3 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 320. Grease and flour an 8 or 9″ pan.
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Add butter and stir until melted. Beat egg yolks with sugar until soft ribbon forms. Add to chocolate mix and stir. Add flour and mix.
Beat egg whites until smooth. Gently fold egg whites into chocolate mixture.
Bake 40 minutes, or until just set.
These decadent treats have a chewy gingery crust, a creamy layer of pumpkin cheesecake and crunchy spiced pecans on top. And they’re surprisingly easy to make!
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups crushed ginger snaps (about 30 cookies)
1/2 can sweetened condensed mil
1 brick of cream cheese
2/3 cup of pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 sour cream
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper
100 gr (small bag) chopped pecans
Preparation Instructions
Preheat over to 350.
Line a 9″ square baking pan with parchment paper.
Place crushed cookies into bottom of pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk over top. Place in over for 5 minutes. Remove from over and mix until combined.
Mix cream cheese with pumpkin and brown sugar. Beat until smooth. Gradually add eggs one at a time, and beat each time until smooth. Pour over cookie base.
Bake 35-40 minutes, until set. Cool completely.
Prepare spiced nuts: (you could just as easily add store bought pralines here!)
In a frying pan, add sugar, spices and butter. Heat until melted. Pour pecans in. Cook until sugar is dissolved, about 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour out onto parchment paper to cool.
Before serving, top squares with cream cheese and pralines. Cut and serve immediately.
My husband hates brussels sprouts. Here’s a true story that changed his mind: One day we were at a restaurant when the steak he wanted to order was accompanied by brussels sprouts. He asked to have potatoes instead. When his meal arrived, the chef came out of the kitchen with a small plate of brussels sprouts, and insisted that while he may hate most brussels sprouts, he was sure he would not hate these. And he was right. I’ve spent a long time trying to decipher the recipe, and I think I finally got it. Try them, they just may change your mind about this tiny cabbage!
Ingredients
1 lb brussels sprouts
1/2 cup pancetta, or sliced bacon
1 tblsp olive oil
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
Trim the ends and yellow leaves off of the brussels sprouts. Wash. Place in a large bowl. Add the pancetta or bacon, olive oil and salt and pepper. (not too much salt as the bacon has salt in it).
Toss to coat evenly.
Place brussels sprouts on a cookie sheet and roast for 20 minutes.
Stir. Roast for an addition 10 minutes.
Mix dijon mustard and sour cream together.
Remove sprouts from over, pour sour cream mixture over top and mix to coat evenly.
Return to over for an additional 10 minutes.
These amazing food processor latkaes literally take 5 minutes to whip up! And their chopped-up texture make them distinctly hash-brown like! Thanks to Norene Gilletz of Gourmania for sharing this traditional Hanukkah dish! It’s from her Book, the NEW Food Processor Bible. It’s simply delicious- we had them for lunch the other day with a green salad and loads of home made applesauce to dip!
Ingredients
4 medium potatoes peeled or scrubbed (or substitute Purple Sweeties)
1 medium onion
2 eggs (or 1 egg plus 2 egg whites)
1/3 cup flour or matzo meal
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp oil (plus more as needed for frying latkes)
Preparation Instructions
Cut potatoes in chunks and onion in half. Place in processor with eggs. Process on the Steel Blade until pureed, 20 to 30 seconds. Add remaining ingredients except oil; process a few seconds longer to blend into a smooth mixture.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Drop potato mixture into hot oil by large spoonfuls to form pancakes; brown well on both sides. Drain well on paper towels. Add additional oil to pan as needed. Stir batter before cooking each new batch. Latkes can be placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet and kept warm in a 250 degree F oven.
(To bake latkes instead of frying, place oven racks on lowest and middle positions in oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Drop potato mixture by spoonfuls onto well-oiled baking sheets; flatten slightly. Bake 10 minutes, until bottoms are browned and crispy. Turn latkes over. Transfer pan from upper rack to lower rack and vice versa. Bake 8 to 10 minutes longer.)
Yield: about 2 dozen or 5 dozen miniatures. Freezes well.
This recipe is perfect alongside Chicken Marvelosa. It comes from our friend Norene Gilletz’s book Norene’s Healthy Kitchen (Whitecap books), and is the ideal side dish to serve at a family gathering. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness of the carrots, or add a dash of honey for the High Holidays.
Ingredients
1 large onion, sliced
2 lb (1 kg) carrots, peeled and cut in 2-inch lengths
3 to 4 cloves garlic (about 3 to 4 tsp minced)
2 to 3 Tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 9- × 13-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Place the onion, carrots, and garlic in the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste; mix well. For best results, the carrots should be in a single layer in the dish.
3. Roast, uncovered, for 45 to 60 minutes or until golden and tender, stirring the carrots occasionally. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Yield: 6 servings. Keeps for up to 2 days in the refrigerator; reheats well. Don’t freeze.
Find variations on the recipe here. Thanks Norene!
Our friend and cookbook author Norene Gilletz of Gourmania.com has contributed this recipe that is perfect for the upcoming Jewish High Holidays, or any festive meal where you need to feed a crowd. In Sept 2008, this recipe was featured on Martha Stewart Living radio when Norene was interviewed by Mario Bosquez. It’s from her book Norene’s Healthy Kitchen (Whitecap books).
It’s easy to put together, can be assembled ahead of time and doubled should your guest list keep growing the way mine tends to!
Ingredients
2 whole chickens (3 lb/1.4 kg each), cut into pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp Italian seasoning (or a mixture of basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary)
6 to 8 cloves garlic (about 2 to 3 Tbsp minced)
3/4 to 1 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup pitted black olives
1/2 cup dry-packed, sun-dried tomatoes, halved or coarsely chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
2 bay leaves
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Preparation Instructions
1. Rinse the chickens well and pat dry with paper towels. Trim the excess fat. Place the chickens in a large roasting pan sprayed with cooking spray. Season the chickens inside, outside, and under the skin with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Add the apricots, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes to the pan. (The dried apricots and sun-dried tomatoes will plump up during marinating and cooking.)
2. In a measuring cup, combine the balsamic vinegar, honey, and olive oil. Drizzle evenly over the chicken mixture; mix well so that the chicken is thoroughly coated. Pour the wine around the chicken and add the bay leaves. Cover the pan and refrigerate for several hours or for as long as 2 days.
3. When the chicken is marinated, remove from the refrigerator, uncover, and bake in a 350°F oven for 11/4 to 11/2 hours, basting often. When done, the skin will be golden and the juices will run clear when pierced with a fork. Remove the bay leaves and discard.
4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken mixture to a serving platter. Drizzle with some of the pan juices and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley. Place the remaining pan juices in a gravy bowl, skim off the fat, and serve alongside the chicken.
Yield: 10 to 12 servings. Keeps for up to 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator; reheats well. Freezes well for up to 4 months.
Find and even healthier variation on her site, www.gourmania.com. Thanks Norene!!
2 medium oranges
4 c. fresh cranberries (1 lb)
2 c. sugar
1/4 c. finely chopped walnuts
Preparation instructions
With a vegetable peeler, remove the orange portion of the peel of one orange; set aside.
Completely peel and section both oranges. Using a food grinder with a coarse blade or a food processor, grind reserved orange peel, orange sections and cranberries. Stir in sugar and nuts. Chill for several hours. Serve with poultry or ham.
2 egg whites, unbeaten
1 1/2 c. sugar
5 tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
Preparation instructions
Combine egg whites, sugar, water, and corn syrup in top of double boiler, beating with rotary egg beater until thoroughly mixed. Place over rapidly boiling water, beat constantly with rotary egg beater and cook 7 minutes, or until frosting will stand in peaks. Remove from boiling water; add vanilla and beat until thick enough to spread.
Variation: fold in chopped nuts, coconut or pieces of fried or candied fruit, or by tinting delicately with colorings.
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
3/4 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. shortening
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 c. light molasses
1/2 c. boiling water
Preparation instructions
Grease and lightly flour 9×1 1/2 inch baking pan. Combine the first 6 ingredients. In a mixer bowl beat shortening on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg and molasses; beat 1 minute. Add dry ingredients and water alternately to beaten mixtur, beating after each addition. Turn into prepared pan. Bake in a 350° oven 30-35 minutes or till done. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pan; serve warm.
