Category: Cooking

Making the Sausage

Anya and I ground a whole bunch of pork today to make sausage — as we ground the pork and fat, I added whole jalapeno peppers to the grinder. I formed sausage patties and made some breakfast sandwiches. Very tasty — although our peppers seem to lose their heat when cooked.

Creamy Tomato Sauce for Pasta

I needed a quick meal last night — so I made a carrot-y, creamy tomato sauce for pasta.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 carrots, diced into small pieces
  • 1/2 large onion, diced into small pieces
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, diced
  • 3 oz tomato paste
  • 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • salt, pepper, Italian herbs

Method

  • Heat olive oil in a pan. Add diced carrots and cook for a few minutes. Add garlic and onions and cook for a few more minutes until the onions become translucent.
  • Add salt, pepper, and herbs. Then add tomato paste and stir to incorporate oil. Cook for a few minutes.
  • Add pasta cooking water to thin to a reasonable consistency.
  • Remove from heat and stir in yogurt. Add salt/pepper/herbs to taste.

Harissa Paste Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 15-20 dried guajillo peppers
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/4 tsp caraway seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

  • Cover dried peppers with boiling water and allow to sit for 20-30 minutes.
  • Heat a skillet and toast spice seeds for a few minutes. Then crush seeds with a mortar and pestle.
  • Drain the peppers.
  • Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend into a smooth paste.

Spicy Garbanzo Soup

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, thickly sliced
  • 2 tbsp harissa paste
  • 14 oz can of garbanzo beans
  • 8 cups of stock
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

  • Saute onion and garlic in harissa paste
  • Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15-20 minutes until garbanzo beans are cooked

Anya’s Posting Challenge — Again — And Pie

Anya said I have too much “computer stuff” on my website again — not enough kittens and pie and fun stuff. So I am not allowed to post anything about computers for ALL OF FEBRUARY! And, if I do post about it, I get March added on. And another month for the next infraction, and so on. So  … umm … pie!

Anya made a peach pie — I had extra pie crust dough from making a quiche a few nights ago, and we had frozen sliced peaches over the summer when we picked up a big pile of fresh peaches. I made a maple sugar crumble (maple sugar instead of brown sugar in a crumble recipe) for the topping. Anya used cookie cutters to decorate the pie with maple leaves and a snowflake. It was very tasty!

Anya’s 10th Birthday Cake: Strawberry Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin powder
  • 4 teaspoons water
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup strawberry reduction

Method:

  • Place water in a heat-proof container and sprinkle gelatin on top. Allow to sit for at least five minutes to hydrate. Place container into a pot of water (water should not come too close to the top of the container — we just need a little bit in the pot to make a water bath). Simmer until gelatin is clear and liquid. Remove from heat and allow to slightly cool.
  • Add maple syrup to whipped cream and beat until soft peaks form.
  • Slowly drizzle gelatin into whipped cream (beating as you pour).
  • Slowly add in strawberry reduction and continue to beat until firm peaks form.