Showing posts with label bacon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bacon. Show all posts
The Man with the Orange Clogs' Empanada
2/21/10: Empanadas and Easy Fruit Salad
Meal details: For the main course I made empanadas with a bacon, chorizo sausage, bell pepper, onion, and cheese filling. But these weren't your typical half moon shaped empanadas, these were of the full scale variety. And for a side dish I made a fruit salad that had pineapple, apple, oranges, bananas, and something a little different: stove-top pudding. Hmm. . . Interesting, huh?
Defining moments: It's kind of funny but this is my first time making stove-top pudding using a mix. :) I only helped stir the pot before! And this is the first time for empanadas.
Recipe sources: The empanada recipe is from Mario Batali, the host of Molto Mario and numerous other cooking shows. He is known for his exceptional knowledge of Italian cooking and of course everyone knows his scooter and orange clogs! You might remember him from the show, Mario Eats Italy. I haven't seen the show in years but that was one of the most interesting (and funny!) cooking related programs I've seen. I chose this recipe because I am part of the Food Network Chef Cooking Challenge that is being hosted by the writer of the I Thank My Mother blog. When I was searching for a Batali recipe I learned that Mario had (or does, not too sure) a show on PBS about his road trip in the great country of Spain. It is called Spain: On the Road Again. Boy, I would like to watch that!
The empanada recipe requires pizza dough and I made my own using a recipe from the 2500 Recipes from Everyday to Extraordinary cookbook. I discovered earlier while making my Le Hog Pizza that this is one great recipe!
The fruit salad recipe came from the October 2006 issue of Home Cooking Magazine. Here is the recipe for those whole are interested:
Easy Fruit Salad
What I learned: I learned what an empanada is. :) Yeah, that's always important. I sort of had a good idea of what it is but I get kind of confuse with all those calzone-type dishes. So what is it exactly? An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry and comes from the Spanish word empanar, which means to wrap. In Spain, an empanada is usually a large circle that is cut into wedges, but in Portugal and Mexico, the empanadas are made in semi-circular shapes like the one seen here.
Did I learn anything else? None of the recipes I did this week were really foreign to me. I mean, the empanada recipe was very close to the way I prepare my BBQ Chicken Pizza; the only difference was adding another crust on top of the filling. And the fruit salad was really easy to do. So not many new techniques or ingredients this week.
Any modifications? Yes, I made modifications to both recipes. For the empanadas, I didn't roll out the dough in a circle, I just stretched the dough out to the shape of a cookie sheet. And by the way, there is a typo in the recipe. Where it says to roll out into a thin round, they mean a 14" round, not a 1/4 round. Yeah, it kind of confused me a bit! And I also substituted bacon for the pancetta and added a Monterey Jack cheese mix to the filling because my family can't have pizza without the cheese!
And for the fruit salad. I used two Clementine oranges instead of the canned mandarin oranges. And to reach the necessary amount of juice, I added some orange juice from the carton.
How it tasted? Super! Everyone enjoyed the empanadas immensely. The fruit salad was loved by some and was "OK," for others. It mainly was caused by the addition of bananas. Some don't like bananas mixed with other flavors, but for some, like me, they love it that way. So it was a sort of hit and miss recipe for this family.
How about a 2nd time? Yes, I will do both recipes again but will take away the bananas from the salad and just add more apples or oranges.
Meal details: For the main course I made empanadas with a bacon, chorizo sausage, bell pepper, onion, and cheese filling. But these weren't your typical half moon shaped empanadas, these were of the full scale variety. And for a side dish I made a fruit salad that had pineapple, apple, oranges, bananas, and something a little different: stove-top pudding. Hmm. . . Interesting, huh?
Defining moments: It's kind of funny but this is my first time making stove-top pudding using a mix. :) I only helped stir the pot before! And this is the first time for empanadas.
Recipe sources: The empanada recipe is from Mario Batali, the host of Molto Mario and numerous other cooking shows. He is known for his exceptional knowledge of Italian cooking and of course everyone knows his scooter and orange clogs! You might remember him from the show, Mario Eats Italy. I haven't seen the show in years but that was one of the most interesting (and funny!) cooking related programs I've seen. I chose this recipe because I am part of the Food Network Chef Cooking Challenge that is being hosted by the writer of the I Thank My Mother blog. When I was searching for a Batali recipe I learned that Mario had (or does, not too sure) a show on PBS about his road trip in the great country of Spain. It is called Spain: On the Road Again. Boy, I would like to watch that!
The empanada recipe requires pizza dough and I made my own using a recipe from the 2500 Recipes from Everyday to Extraordinary cookbook. I discovered earlier while making my Le Hog Pizza that this is one great recipe!
The fruit salad recipe came from the October 2006 issue of Home Cooking Magazine. Here is the recipe for those whole are interested:
Easy Fruit Salad
- 1 (3 1/2-ounce) package cook-and-serve vanilla pudding
- 1 can pineapple tidbits
- 1 apple chopped
- 1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges
- 3 bananas
What I learned: I learned what an empanada is. :) Yeah, that's always important. I sort of had a good idea of what it is but I get kind of confuse with all those calzone-type dishes. So what is it exactly? An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry and comes from the Spanish word empanar, which means to wrap. In Spain, an empanada is usually a large circle that is cut into wedges, but in Portugal and Mexico, the empanadas are made in semi-circular shapes like the one seen here.
Did I learn anything else? None of the recipes I did this week were really foreign to me. I mean, the empanada recipe was very close to the way I prepare my BBQ Chicken Pizza; the only difference was adding another crust on top of the filling. And the fruit salad was really easy to do. So not many new techniques or ingredients this week.
Any modifications? Yes, I made modifications to both recipes. For the empanadas, I didn't roll out the dough in a circle, I just stretched the dough out to the shape of a cookie sheet. And by the way, there is a typo in the recipe. Where it says to roll out into a thin round, they mean a 14" round, not a 1/4 round. Yeah, it kind of confused me a bit! And I also substituted bacon for the pancetta and added a Monterey Jack cheese mix to the filling because my family can't have pizza without the cheese!
And for the fruit salad. I used two Clementine oranges instead of the canned mandarin oranges. And to reach the necessary amount of juice, I added some orange juice from the carton.
How it tasted? Super! Everyone enjoyed the empanadas immensely. The fruit salad was loved by some and was "OK," for others. It mainly was caused by the addition of bananas. Some don't like bananas mixed with other flavors, but for some, like me, they love it that way. So it was a sort of hit and miss recipe for this family.
How about a 2nd time? Yes, I will do both recipes again but will take away the bananas from the salad and just add more apples or oranges.
They Were Good, Both Inside and Out.
9/13/09: Inside Out Burgers and White Out Sweet Corn
Meal details: Burgers that are stuffed with mushrooms, onions, bacon, and cubes of swiss cheese. We had our White Out sweet corn for a side dish.
Defining moments: First time for making burgers from scratch! And also the first recipe for the Food Network Challenge, hosted by I Blame My Mother blog. Click here to learn more. And finally: my first ever attempt using fresh button mushrooms! (I regularly use canned.)
Recipe sources: Aaron McCargo, Jr. from Food Network who hosts Big Daddy's House. See the recipe here.
What I learned: I learned that it takes about two and a half days to thaw out a frozen package of ground beef. So if I am working with it Sunday afternoon, I would place it in the refrigerator Friday morning. I also learned that mushrooms can be cleaned by rinsing them under a faucet. I heard from chefs on T.V. that they should be only cleaned with a soft brush; never have them touch water or they'll wind up being soggy. But after watching a Good Eats show I learned that the mushrooms, which are very close to being sponges, soak up only 1.5% of their weight. Hardly anything to worry about! I would much rather give them a thorough cleaning, they are grown in manure you know. Lol!
I also discovered that I don't need to make as much filling as the recipe calls for. I really tried to stuff the burgers (maybe too much) in order to use everything up. I think they'll turn out better if I go easier on the filling.
Any modifications? Yes, I made smaller burgers because not everyone in my family has big of appetite as Aaron! His burgers are huge! I used 2.65 pounds of ground beef to make 8 medium sized burgers.
How it tasted? They were the best burgers I ever had! The family liked them immensely.
How about a 2nd time? Yes.
Swiss cheese delightfully oozing out of my first ever burger. Gotta love that!
Meal details: Burgers that are stuffed with mushrooms, onions, bacon, and cubes of swiss cheese. We had our White Out sweet corn for a side dish.
Defining moments: First time for making burgers from scratch! And also the first recipe for the Food Network Challenge, hosted by I Blame My Mother blog. Click here to learn more. And finally: my first ever attempt using fresh button mushrooms! (I regularly use canned.)
Recipe sources: Aaron McCargo, Jr. from Food Network who hosts Big Daddy's House. See the recipe here.
What I learned: I learned that it takes about two and a half days to thaw out a frozen package of ground beef. So if I am working with it Sunday afternoon, I would place it in the refrigerator Friday morning. I also learned that mushrooms can be cleaned by rinsing them under a faucet. I heard from chefs on T.V. that they should be only cleaned with a soft brush; never have them touch water or they'll wind up being soggy. But after watching a Good Eats show I learned that the mushrooms, which are very close to being sponges, soak up only 1.5% of their weight. Hardly anything to worry about! I would much rather give them a thorough cleaning, they are grown in manure you know. Lol!
I also discovered that I don't need to make as much filling as the recipe calls for. I really tried to stuff the burgers (maybe too much) in order to use everything up. I think they'll turn out better if I go easier on the filling.
Any modifications? Yes, I made smaller burgers because not everyone in my family has big of appetite as Aaron! His burgers are huge! I used 2.65 pounds of ground beef to make 8 medium sized burgers.
How it tasted? They were the best burgers I ever had! The family liked them immensely.
How about a 2nd time? Yes.
Swiss cheese delightfully oozing out of my first ever burger. Gotta love that!
St. Michael's Angel Food
5/31/09: Hash Brown Casserole and Pentecost Cake in Honor of the Feast of Pentecost (May 31st)
The cake recipe wasn't changed exactly, only the frosting. But I did have to resort to using an 8" bundt pan instead of the 7" tube pan that the recipe called for; we don't have any pan like that in my family's collection. Because I used a large cake pan the baking time went much faster. Instead of baking for 45 minutes, the cake was done in 30.
So getting back to the frosting. . . The frosting recipe called for strawberries and since I didn't have any on hand and I wanted a red fruit, I decided to substitute it with a cranberry frosting recipe. Here is the cranberry frosting recipe I used:
4 tb. cranberry sauce (I used the jelly kind you find in the can)
1/3 tb. salt
1 lb. powered sugar (that's 2 cups for you fellow volume lovers!)
Soften cream cheese. Add cranberry sauce and whip until light and fluffy. Add salt. Gradually add powered sugar and continue beating until mixture is creamy. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cake. Yield: enough for two 8" layers. (Note: the frosting I made was not very stiff. It will dribble off the sides of the cake.)
My Papa said, "The texture of the cake is like a pound cake but the flavor is like an angel food. Perhaps a tough angel food would best describe it then? Oh, I got it! St. Michael's Angel Food!" Sounds good to me!
- Meal details: Main course, hash brown casserole -- had cheese, eggs, evaporated milk, and bacon and was baked in two 13 x 9 pans.
- Recipe sources: Casserole recipe came from verybestbaking.com. You can see it here. The cake recipe came from catholicculture.org and can be seen here.
- Defining moments: Using cranberries in frosting. Who would of thought! And I must mention here that this is my first time using bacon as an ingredient for a Sunday supper. Pretty big moment, don't you think? :)
- What I learned: I learned that it is very easy to cut bacon into pieces when it has been out of the freezer for thirty minutes, and only thirty minutes. I shouldn't let it sit out for much longer because it will be difficult to stand the stack of bacon on its side. My Papa said this is the easiest way to do it and he is absolutely right!
- Any modifications? Yes, to both recipes. For the casserole, I didn't add onion or pepper, didn't use turkey bacon but rather good old pork bacon, and added more hash browns (4 oz.) and eggs (2 eggs yolks that were left over from the cake I made) to the bowl.
The cake recipe wasn't changed exactly, only the frosting. But I did have to resort to using an 8" bundt pan instead of the 7" tube pan that the recipe called for; we don't have any pan like that in my family's collection. Because I used a large cake pan the baking time went much faster. Instead of baking for 45 minutes, the cake was done in 30.
So getting back to the frosting. . . The frosting recipe called for strawberries and since I didn't have any on hand and I wanted a red fruit, I decided to substitute it with a cranberry frosting recipe. Here is the cranberry frosting recipe I used:
Cranberry Cream Cheese Frosting
--recipe found on razzledazzlerecipes.com--
3 oz. cream cheese, softened--recipe found on razzledazzlerecipes.com--
4 tb. cranberry sauce (I used the jelly kind you find in the can)
1/3 tb. salt
1 lb. powered sugar (that's 2 cups for you fellow volume lovers!)
Soften cream cheese. Add cranberry sauce and whip until light and fluffy. Add salt. Gradually add powered sugar and continue beating until mixture is creamy. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cake. Yield: enough for two 8" layers. (Note: the frosting I made was not very stiff. It will dribble off the sides of the cake.)
- How it tasted: The casserole was liked by all but I wish it had more of a flavor punch to it! However, the texture was great and it was really easy to put together. Just make sure you have an hour for it to cook!
- How about a 2nd time? I think the casserole can be made again but I would like to find that one important ingredient that it is lacking. The cake I love so that will have to reveal itself again next year!
My Papa said, "The texture of the cake is like a pound cake but the flavor is like an angel food. Perhaps a tough angel food would best describe it then? Oh, I got it! St. Michael's Angel Food!" Sounds good to me!
Am I getting high-tech or what? Here is a 360 view of the Pentecost cake on video. Take a look!
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