Trisha's Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

This is a post that almost didn't happen. You see, I checked out Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood from our local library (checking to see if I wanted to invest in a copy) and my mother saw it sitting on an end table one day. She commented on how she had wanted to review it when it came out, and never got a chance to do so. So I told her to take it home for a few days. Next thing you know she was calling saying we had to try this and that from the book. We decided to get together at her house (her kitchen is twice the size of mine) last weekend and try the cabbage rolls from Garth's mom. We're mixing and cooking and having a great day. I'm taking pictures and dont you know, my battery dies. I never thought to grab the charger. The last picture I managed to get was the meat on the cabbage leaf about to be rolled. I took the final picture when I came home and had dinner that night, after letting the battery on our camera charge.

So here we go.

The ingredient list is fairly long, lots of spices.

Ready for stuffing.

Wrap and roll.

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Colleen's Cabbage Rolls

Adapted from Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

Ingredients

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 cup long grain rice (we used brown rice)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 8 ounce can stewed tomatoes
2 heads green cabbage
9 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 12 ounce can tomato juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the beef, rice, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, amd tomatoes. Set aside.Wash and core the cabbage. Bring a large stockpot filled with 8 cups of the water, the sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, and bay leaves to a boil. Blanch the cabbage in the boiling mixture for 5 minutes, or until just softened. Drain the cabbage, let it cool, then carefully peel 12 leaves from the cabbage.

Place 1/4 cup of the beef and rice mixture onto each leaf. Fold in the sides of the leaf and wrap into a roll. Place the cabbage rolls, seam side down, closely together in a 9 x 13 x 2 inch shallow baking pan.In a small bowl, combine the tomato juice with the remaining 1 cup water and pour the mixture over the cabbage rolls. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the meat is well done.
Makes 6 servings.


I have to tell you we doubled the recipe and still only had 14 cabbage rolls. We were really unimpressed with this recipe. For one the cinnamon and cloves were quite overpowering. Not our cup of tea so to say. Mom said she'll stick with her recipe the way she's always made them, and I agree. Secondly the sauce was very watery. We even added another 6 ounces of the tomato juice and still watery. When I came home I added some tomato sauce and some onion and garlic powder to mine and put the dish back into the oven for a little while. It was thicker and better. We still weren't happy with the flavors of the spices. Even Michael said they weren't what he was used to. His grandmother frequently made "pigs in a blanket" as she called them. Well, to each his own I guess. You can try them and decide for yourself. I know I'll make them from my own recipe or maybe even do some internet surfing and see what the rest of the world has to offer.






We're off to the other house to paint and clean for the day. Stay safe.
Carla and Michael

Hoppin John, It's a Southern Tradition

  This weeks theme over at IHCC's Mark Bittman Challenge is BACON!!! As some of you may know, Mr. Bittman has been changing his dietary preferences over the last many years. His latest, more recent style of foods has been to, eat less meat, incorporate more vegetables and fruits. He is currently writing for  Cooking Light Magazine and Runner's World Magazine . I'm telling you this because even though I have 5 of his cookbooks and am a subscriber of Cooking Light Magazine, I was having a hard time finding a recipe with bacon in it that I liked. Until I ran across this little jewel, Hoppin John from days gone by, in How to Cook Everything. There are many variances on this recipe, as explained here by wikipedia. It's definately a southern tradition. So since I had some leftover black eyed peas, this was the perfect accompaniment for our roast pork with chimichurri sauce.

Black eyed peas, bacon, onion, thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and water.

Very simple ingredients.

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Hoppin John

Adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything

Ingredients

1 cup Black eyed peas, washed, picked over, and soaked (I used canned, undrained)

4 ounces slab bacon or 1 smoked ham hock

1 large onion

1 4-inch sprig fresh rosemary, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary or thyme

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups long grain rice

Directions

Put the peas in a medium pot with the bacon or ham hock, onion, herb, and water to cover by at least 2-inches. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.

Turn heat down to medium and cook, skimming any foam that arises, until the peas are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove the meat and reduce the liquid to about 3 cups; as the liquid is reducing, cut the meat into chunks, removing extremely fatty pieces if you like. Return the meat to the pot.

Taste the cooking liquid and add salt and pepper if needed. Remove the rosemary or thyme sprigs if you used fresh herbs.Stir in the rice and cook, covered, until the rice is done and the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. At this point, you may let this dish sit for 15 to 29 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Notes: I had canned black eyed peas and leftover cooked rice. I added the black eyed peas uncooked with the bacon, onion, and thyme sprigs and let them simmer for about 1/2 hour. Then added the cooked rice and red pepper flakes, and about 2 - 3 tablespoons of water and let that simmer about another 20 minutes.

It was still delicious. I have to restock my dried beans and peas. I always have plenty of canned beans on hand, just for those quickie through together meals.

This is a good old southern dish. I have eaten a whole lot of blackeyed peas in my life. Oh, oh, oh, and guess what? I got the picky man to eat a bowl of this too, and he liked it. You know the guy that really isn't too fond of legumes, unless they're in Chili. Ha haa. My next adventure with black eyed peas will be to try fritters. Those I have never eaten, nor made. I'll let you know how that goes, down the road from now.

I am submitting this to IHCC's Bacon Theme this week.*

I am also submitting this to Andrea at  My Kitchen, My World for this month's U.S.A. Challenge.*                

      

* Stop in and see what everyone else is cooking up.

 

 

 

If you like or even love legumes, and have never tried this dish, you should definately try it. This could be a meal all on it's own, especially if made with the ham hock. Or leave it out if you don't eat pork products.

Carla and Michael

Pork Schnitzel and Vegetable Rice Pilaf

 

  I know about the picture, it is not a very good one. My thoughts on the opening for this post had been varied. So I setttled on postponing writing it. This picture was taken as an afterthought. It was storming outside, even though all the window's in the house were opened it is still a pretty sorry picture. So, yes I know. We as of yet, do not have a fancy schmantsy (slang and don't lie, some of you have used it) camera, just our faithful Nikon Digital. However, I do have something to say about these two cookbooks. First of all I checked them out at the library for the IHCC's  latest cookbook challenge, which obviously is Mark Bittman. You see, I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to spend the money on two cookbooks I might not really like use. No, I've NEVER done that before!     Yes, you guessed it. I will be hunting these down around town at the various used book stores we have here. You see, I can't even decide which one I like better. The Best Recipes in the World  is a lovely compilation of his TV Show that ran on Public Broadcasting Services (PBS) TV, back in the day. (Yes I know. It was only 4 years ago, however the older we get, 4 or 5 years feels more like 9 or 10.) I used to watch it and I loved it. Hey, I'll go around the world any way I can get there. I also liked his show with Mario Batalli and Gwyneth Paltrow; Spain...On the Road Again , Todd English's show; Food Trip with Todd English , and Jose Andres' show Made in Spain . Yes, I got off track there. However you get the point. Back to this cookbook. Let's say you want a recipe for a Pork Roast. Here you will find regional ways to cook it form Mexican to Scandinavian and try a new flavor profile you might not have otherwise tried. Then there's the second one  How to Cook Everything . In this one for example, if you want to make Beef Stew, you have 8 different add-ins that will change up the flavor profile to your tastes. More like he gives you "method" ideas so you can "run" with it. Still, I couldn't decide so I will purchase them both in the near future. Why all of the rambling on about these two books you are wondering? I don't think enough people know who Mark Bittman is or don't think he has any credentials. Okay, enough of my rambling.

  For this week, it is again Potluck (your choice) at I Heart Cooking Clubs and this is my submission. Since my daughter's wedding back in 2006, when we stayed at a lovely hotel on a lake in Sebring, Florida and Michael ordered a Pork Schnitzel Platter, I had never had it. I was reeled in by this dish. So simple and unadulterated. The squeeze of lemon is all you need. So this is one of my go to recipes for any cutlet cut of meat or poultry.

Pork Schnitzel with Vegetable Rice Pilaf

How to Cook Everything

Pages 364-365

Vegetable Rice Pilaf Ingredients and Pork Schnitzel Ingredients

Pork Schnitzel
Adapted from How to Cook Everything
Courtesy of Mark Bittman

Ingredients
1 cup flour
3 cups bread crumbs,(preferably fresh) We prefer Panko

3 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper
1 pound thinly sliced veal, (can also be made with chicken, turkey, or pork)about 1/8 inch thick
2 tablespoons butter plus 2 tablespoons olive oilor all oil or all clarified butter
Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish
1 lemon, quartered, for serving

Directions
Prehaet oven to 200 degrees. Set out the flour, bread crumbs, and eggs on plates or in shallow bowls and have a stack of parchment or wax paper ready. Season the eggs liberally with salt and pepper.Dredge the cutlets, one at a time, in the egg, then the flour, then the egg again,then dredge in the bread crumbs. Stack the breaded cutlets between layers of wax paper and, when all the cutlets are breaded, transfer the stack into the refrigerator to chill for at least 10 minutes and up to 3 hours.
Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat until a pinch of flour dropped into the pan sizzles. Cook in batches if necessary, making sure not to crowd the pan, adding more fat to the pan as needed.Turn cutlets as soon as they're browned, then cook the other side. The total cooking time should be about 5 minutes or less. As each piece is done, transfer to an ovenproof platter and place into the oven.
Serve as soon as possible. Garnish with the parsley and lemon wedge on the side.
Serves 4


Vegetable Rice Pilaf
Courtesy of  Recipe Addict

Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup onion, small dice
1 medium carrot, small dice
1 medium celery stalk, small dice
1/4 cup sugar snap peas, sliced thin
2 scallions, sliced thin
1/4 cup peas
1 cup long grain rice
3 tablespoons orzo
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
fresh chives for garnish, chopped


Directions
Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Saute onion, carrot, celery, and sugar snap peas until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon. In remaining oil saute rice and orzo until just golden. Add chicken stock, scallions, and salt and pepper. Turn up heat to high, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and allow rice to simmer for 20 minutes. Add peas, cover and turn off heat. Let sit for 5-10 minutes covered. Peas will steam in residual heat. Fluff with a fork and serve, garnished with chopped chives.
Serves 4

 


Michael and Carla

Spring Chicken and Risotto

  Spring is here, though it feels like summer already. Although we haven't had much in the way of April showers, we do have May flowers. Something to smile about after a rough week.

  You may have noticed that we've been participating in the I Heart Cooking Club challenge lately. We are going to be participating in more challenges as we go along. Starting this week we will be joining Reeni at

Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice forSide Dish Showdown which is featuring Spring Vegetables for the month of May. Also, we will be joining Ivonne at Creampuffs in Venice for Magazine Mondays . You can visit their home pages and read about these wonderful challenges by clicking on the appropriate links.

That being said, I am sending this lovely recipe for Risotto with Spring Greens over to Reeni for the Side Dish Showdown and Ivonne for Magazine Mondays. Michael was making simple herb roasted chicken with the herbs we grow in our garden, so I wanted something to compliment it. I thought this risotto I had marked in the June 2009 issue of Oprah Magazine sounded perfect.

Minimal ingredients. Arborio rice, boullion, spinach, shallot, green onion, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, butter and salt.

Start by heating your stock in a small sauce pan. In another pan saute shallot in olive oil until soft. Add rice and saute, stirring to coat with the oil, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour a ladleful of hot stock into the rice mixture and stir until stock is absorbed. Continue doing this, 1 ladleful at a time for approximately 14 minutes. Stirring all the while until the rice becomes creamy. Then add your greens and continue to add the stock for another 2 minutes. Add butter and salt.

I topped this with fresh scallions.

A variety of fresh herbs from our garden was mixed with extra virgin olive oil.

Then brushed under the skin.

And on top of the skin.

So simple, yet so delicious.

Risotto with Spring Greens

Adapted from Oprah Magazine June 2009

Ingredients

8 cups unsalted chicken stock, preferably homemade(I made vegetable stock from a base-see photo)

3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
2 cups Italian Arborio or carnaroli rice
2 cups chopped fresh spring greens, such as spinach, chard, turnip greens, or arugula
4 ounces prosciutto, diced into 1/4-inch pieces (I omitted)
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

Add chicken stock to a pot and bring to a simmer.

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Sauté shallot until just soft. Add rice and sauté, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour a ladleful of hot chicken stock into the mixture; stir constantly until the stock evaporates. Pour another ladleful in and stir until stock is absorbed. Keep doing this for 14 minutes longer. Add just enough hot chicken stock each time to keep the rice from sticking. Slowly, the rice will become creamy.
After that 14 minutes, when the rice is getting softer but is still not entirely cooked in the center, add greens. Continue adding stock for another 2 minutes, then add prosciutto. Stir another minute and continue adding chicken stock until the rice has just the right texture: Each grain should retain its shape, but the overall risotto should have a velvety creaminess. Add butter and salt.
Season to taste with pepper, and serve with lots of grated cheese.
Makes 4 Servings
Note: I cut this recipe in half
 

Michael, Whiskey Willie (mom and dad's baby boy on the left), and Angel.

(we hope to be adding Willie to our family in the near future)

We will forever miss them so.

Michael and Carla

Grand Arroz con Pollo at IHCC with Mark Bittman

We were out shopping the other day and came across a really good buy on cut up chicken. Well in my quest to find something to cook for IHCC's Potluck theme this week I found Mark Bittmman's recipe for Arroz con Pollo in his book How To Cook Everything. So how convenient for me. I was really taken by surprise at how good this was. The recipe starts on page 653 and continues on to page 654. The real surprise came to me when I found at the end of his recipe there are additions to make this dish a Grand Arroz con Pollo. Well that is the one I settled on as the first one actually sounded a bit bland.

I cut the ingredients in half to make just 2 servings.

Michael says that the dish would be even better if the skin was left off the chicken. I would have to agree. We both thought this was a very flavorful recipe.

I think the lemon is a must. It brightened up the dish perfectly.

Grand Arroz con Pollo

Courtesy Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything

Ingredients

3 cups chicken or other stock

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large or 2 medium onions

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups short grain white rice

Pinch of saffron threads

1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 8 pieces, or any combination of parts

Chopped fresh parsley

Lemon or lime wedges for serving

Additions to make Grand version

4 ounces of bacon, cut into small cubes

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 red bell pepper (or mixture of red and green) chopped

1 tomato, chopped (preferably peeled and seeded)

Pinch of ground allspice

1 bay leaf

1 cup peas, (fresh or thawed frozen)

Directions

Warm the stock while you cook the onions. Put olive oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the onions and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and become translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.

Add the rice to the onions and stir until it's coated with oil, a minute or two; sprinkle with the saffron if you like and stir again. Nestle the chicken pieces in the rice, add a little more salt and pepper, and pour in the warmed stock. Bring the mix to a boil; adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles gently but steadily.

Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through; the bird is done when an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 155-165 degrees. (At this point, you may keep the dish warm over very low heat for another 15 minutes, and it will retain its heat for 15 minutes beyond that and still be good warm rather than hot.) Garnish with parsley and serve with lemon or lime wedges.

Grand Arroz con Pollo.It's all about additions. While the stock warms, render about 4 ounces of bacon, cut into small cubes, in the skillet in 1 tablespoon oil. Remove it with a slotted spoon and cook the onions and rice as directed. When the rice is ready, add garlic, bell peppers, tomato, allspice, bay leaf, and saffron. Proceed with the recipe; if you like, add 1 cup of peas to the dish about 10 minutes before the dish is finished.

Makes 4 servings

Michael and Carla