Corn on the Cob with Lime Salt

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Kelli

Anyone notice at the markets that corn is back?  Along with my recent bee sting, I’m taking this as the first sign of summer.

My favorite part of the week is Sunday morning.  We go to Sosio’s at Pike Place Market and whatever Alan tells us is good- that’s what we get.  He’s always right.  Last Sunday- one of the can’t misses was corn.

Can you hear the angels singing?

Nothing like delicious corn.  So pairing with lime salt and butter?  Why not?  So easy!

Take your lime and zest it.

      

Mix with some sea salt.

      

Shake it like a polaroid picture.

      

Use a baby spoon to serve extra table side.  Be thankful that you haven’t cleaned out your baby drawer.  Who doesn’t love this little bunny spoon?

    

For the corn- just boil in some well salted water for about 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt some butter with a little of the corn water until it is emulsified and sprinkle in some of the lime salt.

      

When the corn is done, take it out and put it in your salty lime butter bowl and mix it around.

Add some chopped chives on top.

Mix it all around and enjoy the first bites of summer!

The lime salt can be saved in the freezer where I will be using it again.  So easy.  So delicious.  Thank you Thomas Keller.

From Ad Hoc at Home

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Thomas Keller – Memories

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Kelli

From Kathy:

“At the end of the day when we think about what we have, it’s memories.” – Thomas Keller

I ran across a beautiful article about Thomas Keller and his father in the New York Times. It touched home in so many ways about how food is a big part of our lives and how caring for someone takes shape in different ways. It was touching and beautiful.
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My Mother would cook and bake for us amazing meals and she really enjoyed it. She enjoyed taking care of her family. Food was just one way of her showing us how she loved us. These recipes are so much of how I remember her…how I honor her. So for this cookbook club, I want to try Keller’s recipes that are reincarnates of those special meal memories. Just like his father’s favorite dish, BBQ chicken and mashed potatoes.
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Mom’s Spareribs

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Kelli

From Kathy:

I’m a new member to the Seattle Cookbook Club, and this was my first time in the company of some amazing chefs!
My first cookbook club was Grandma’s cooking. My choice of recipe was one of my favorites growing up appropriately named Mom’s Spareribs. This recipe came from my Mother and my Grandmother…who got it from my great Aunt. It was my all-time requested recipe growing up for birthdays and special occasions.
I started the morning off by trying something new and bought some pork spare ribs from the Ballard market. These came from Olsen’s Farm in Colville WA. A little less meaty than what I remember growing up, but ribs any way are tasty. I simmered the sauce and roasted a few of thier potatoes along side the ribs. My favorite thing when I used to eat this meal growing up was mashing these potatoes a little, and then smothering it with a nice big pat of butter. Oh man…so delicious!!
Mom’s Spareribs
Recipe from my Mother, Roz Thompson
prep time:  5 minutes
cook time:  1 hour 40 minutes
total time:  1 hour 45 minutes
Makes 6

Ingredients

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1/2 cup catsup
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • 1 cup cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 lbs spareribs
  • 6 potatoes (Peeled – cut in half. I like to quarter if large potatoes)

directions

Combine 1-8 ingredients for sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Place ribs in 9×13″ pan and brush with sauce. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Decrease temperature to 350, add potatoes and pour rest of sauce over all. Bake 1 hour.

notes

Sauce can be doubled easily (Good call if you like them saucy). Bone-in or boneless work well.
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Makaronilaatikko

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Kelli

Ashley brought this wonderful family dish.  Just try to pronounce without assistance.

Makaronilaatikko is a Finnish dish. Traditionally, in Finland, it is a savory dish and is made with minced meat and served with lots of ketchup on top. Erik’s grandmother liked to make it as a sweet dish though, with the sugar and cardamom in it. She would serve it as a side dish to ham, etc. during holidays.

Again, please excuse my photos- they are admittedly really bad.

mmm…..
Here is Ash’s recipe for Makaronilaatikko (a Heiskanen family recipe):

3 cups cooked macaroni (large elbows)
3 cups whole or 2% milk
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 3 quart casserole dish. Put the cooked macaroni in the bottom. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients, except the butter and bread crumbs. Pour over the macaroni gently, top with breadcrumbs, and dot with butter. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, or until casserole is set and the top is slightly browned. Serve warm. Serves 9-10.

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Bonnie’s Mother’s Meatballs and Sauce

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Kelli

First, a big welcome to Bonnie who was able to join us for the first time.  She was kind enough to share with us her Mother’s meatball and sauce recipe, which she paired with a three cheese ravioli.

Since our other crazy photo member was in DC this meeting, I was feeling self conscious about my photo obsession.

That being said, that I wish I had better pictures of this dish- at least of the perfectly formed meat balls, and my satisfied smile as I ate them…. and then went back for more.

Next time I’ll do better.  (I think I’ve said that before too)

Without further delay:

Meatballs:

  • two pounds lean hamburger
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 Tbsp garlic powder or 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp parsley
  • 1/2 cup seasoned italian bread crumbs
  • 2 large or 3 medium mixed eggs
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 onion, finely chopped

Mix Well.  Shape into balls- not too big, not too small.  I’m a bad judge, but I think they were about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.

Put them on tinfoil on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam.  Bake in oven at 350 for about 45 minutes.  Time will depend on size.  Wipe off any grease with paper towels and add them to your sauce.  Sauce should already be going when meatballs are added.

Sauce:

  • In a large cooking pot add two 29 oz cans tomato sauce.
  • Take 12 oz can of tomato paste.  Take out paste and add one can of water to the can and add the water and the paste to the sauce in the large pot.
  • Add three bay leaves
  • Add one Tbsp of Oregano
  • Add one Tbsp of Parsley
  • 2 tsp of garlic powder or 3 fresh cloves of garlic minced.
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp basil
Simmer for about three hours on low heat.  (Add the meatballs as soon as they are done) Makes enough for one to one and a half pounds of pasta.  At this event, Bonnie also added mushrooms- but those are optional.
Enjoy!!
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Random TK thoughts

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Kelli

OK, you must allow me the pleasure of a quick Thomas Keller geek-out session.

My enthusiasm for the next couple months will not be squelched or even tempered.  Upon finding out the theme, I sent home and immediately pulled out my copy of Ad Hoc at Home and started flipping through the pages just dreaming of the dishes I was going to create, and lamenting that I only had two months to do as many as possible.

Say what you will about these recipes.  They may not be something you pull together in five minutes.  He may come across as a bit fussy and persnickety in the way he cooks.  If you are using the French Laundry Cookbook you may be thinking what did I get myself into…  but one truth can not be denied.  Any man that loves Garlic this much can not be wrong:

from here

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Grandma’s Kitchen Meeting Recap

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Kelli

We successfully had our second meeting of Seattle Cooking Club (still looking for a snappier name) and I have to say it was a success.  Really, can you go wrong when it’s a beautiful spring day, you have food, wine, and fun ladies?  I think not.

A big thanks to our lovely hostess, Heidi!

Once again, I didn’t do a very good job documenting.  No group photo, not even pictures of everyone in attendance.  Oops.  I DO think I captured all of the dishes- though not in the most artistic of ways.  My enthusiasm of getting it in my belly kept me from taking the quality photos that these dishes deserved.  Again, my apologies.  I will post recipes as they come in.

In the mean time, look at us enjoying our spoils!

And did I mention, I just got these yellow pants?

Of course, I didn’t take a full picture of the spread until we had picked over it…

It was a successful event- as evidenced by all of the plates I saw that looked like this:

Next up- Thomas Keller.  I think there is a chance I won’t be reading any more about pimentos or aspic.

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Grandma’s Kitchen

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Kelli

-Posted by Carol

Grandma’s Kitchen is the current theme of Seattle Cooking Club.  This presents a real challenge.  My grandmother cooked on a wood burning stove.   She butchered a chicken in the morning  and cooked it that evening.  This will not work for me since I don’t even have an ax let alone a chicken.

I have seen my own mother butcher a few chickens but  for the most part she was a cook of convenience.  Frozen fish sticks were a real treat.  Sauces started with a can of soup and salads consisted of jello and fruit cocktail.

 

In order to come up with a recipe I scoured cookbooks and internet sites for Grandma’s recipes.   I think this one is going to be delicious.  It is a cornbread recipe that calls for two lbs of bacon, green chilies, cheese and corn.  I actually picked the corn myself and it is in the freezer waiting for the perfect recipe and I am hoping this is it.

 

 

 

Posted in Kitchen Diaries | 1 Comment

wow…i am in.

Posted on April 24, 2012 by heidanders

Although, I did not make them, Kelli had a delicious recipe for me to try.  Paste di Meliga.  From Cooking with Italian Grandmothers.

You’ll have a HOOT making these.  Just look….

It is important to have a dance party Lady Gaga is always invited.

 

 

 

Wear Spanx.

 

 

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Gnocchi di Semola

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Kelli

gnocchi [ˈnɒkɪ gəˈnɒkɪ ˈgnɒkɪ]

pl n

(Cookery) dumplings made of pieces of semolina pasta, or sometimes potato, used to garnish soup or served alone with sauce

[Italian, plural of gnocco lump, probably of Germanic origin; compare Middle High German knoche bone] from here
I really never knew that gnocchi could be made from anything other than potato.  I had to look it up to be sure.  I was wrong.  TECHNICALLY this is Gnocchi.  Semolina Flour Gnocchi.
In my mind it is more of a pillowy biscuit.
Start by whisking the Semolina flour into simmering milk until it is thick and velvety- about ten minutes.
      
Making this gave me flashbacks to the polenta fiasco– fortunately, it didn’t take as long.
      
After it is quite thick, remove from heat, add parmesan and eggs.  Pour it into a baking dish and pop in the fridge for about an hour.
      
Use a cutter to cut into circles (or a glass) Something about two inches in diameter.
      
Put them on a baking sheet and bake at 400 until golden brown and puffy.
      
They turned out quite nice.  The recipe says that this is a main dish or appetizer.  I think it is more appropriate as an appetizer- or at least served with some other substantial sides.  We had it with a large salad and it was tasty.
The recipe also doesn’t say to serve it with any sauce, but we felt that it needed some.  We had some left over Ragu from our last gnocchi, so we had that on the side.   Yum.
Posted in Appetizer, Italian, Kitchen Diaries, Side Dish | Leave a comment