Stuffed fennel

Grab some fennel bulbs while they're fresh and try a tasty new method of preparing them.  Only the outer 2 or 3 layers will peel off to allow for stuffing, so make sure you get enough bulbs.  To serve around 4 people, you'll need 4 bulbs.  This makes a great vegetarian main course or a very elegant side dish. 

Stuffed Fennel

4 fennel bulbs
1/4 c butter, melted
2 c bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 c tomato sauce
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Cut the tops and bottom off the fennel bulbs to release the stalk layers.  Steam the fennel layers for about 10 minutes to soften them for rolling.

Chop the reserved fennel hearts and saute them in a little butter.  Add the rest of the butter and stir in the crumbs and eggs.  Cook through.  Place the stalks in a shallow dish, sprayed with cooking oil.  Fill them and use a toothpick to hold the roll closed.  Coat them with tomato sauce and sprinkle with the cheese.  Bake for about 40 minute at 350, or until the cheese is browned.

Parmesan & Oregano Braided loaf

Shirley Moore, from Beads&Bread sent me this fabulous-looking recipe that I can't wait to try out.  Shirley mills her own flour (how jealous am I?  very!) so I'm sure her loaves are exceptional!

Parmesan & Oregano Braided loaf

1 egg
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp oil
1 1/2 cups hot water
3 1/2 cups freshly milled ww flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp yeast
1 Tbsp lecithin (optional)
1 Tbsp gluten (optional)

Add in this order to bread machine using "dough" setting. After dough finishes, remove and spread onto floured surface. Roll into a rectangle. Brush with melted butter. (about 2-3 Tbsp)
Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese. (I just used the Kraft powder kind). Sprinkle about 1 Tbsp garlic powder, and 2-3 tsp dried oregano. Roll up into tight tube from the long side.
Cut into 3 equal pieces. Shape into 3 20" tubes. Braid these together and tuck ends under. Place in greased loaf pan, let rise for 30 minutes. Bake 30 minutes @ 350.

These are just cute little garlic knots that I make for supper a lot. The kids love them. Same bread recipe, just cut into pieces, roll into "snakes" then tie into a knot and bake 350 12-14 minutes. brush with melted garlic butter before serving.

Bok choy over rice

I was puzzling over what to do with bok choy besides put it in soups, and my wonderful produce man gave me this suggestion!  I used my wok, but you really end up steaming rather than stir frying, so use whatever pan makes you happy.  We had the vegetable mixture with leftover saffron rice.

Bok Choy with Rice

Prepared saffron or basmati rice

Bacon grease or olive oil
Garlic
Red pepper, chopped
Jalapeno pepper, chopped
1/4 c water
Bok Choy, chopped

Saute or stir fry the garlic and peppers in oil until softened. Add the water and the bok choy to the pan and cover until the bok choy wilts. Stir to blend the flavors. Serve over rice.

Caraway and lemon Brussels sprouts

Of all the different ways we love Brussels sprouts (stir fried, roasted, steamed, grilled), this might just be the best.  I know, I'm very fickle when it comes to Brussels sprouts...basically I think the best ones are the ones I just had last night!  But in this case, I just might be able to be loyal.

Caraway and Lemon Brussels Sprouts

Butter
Onion, quartered and sliced thin
3/4 t caraway seeds
1 lb Brussels sprouts, sliced thin
Water
Salt and pepper
1 T lemon juice

Cook the onion and caraway seeds in butter in a nonstick skillet until onions are soft.  Add the sprouts and a few tablespoons of water and cook, stirring until sprouts are tender, about 8 minutes.  Add a little water at a time if needed to keep them steaming.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove from the heat and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Seafood chowder casserole

Living in New England for the over twenty years, we've had some wicked fine seafood chowder.  So when I saw this recipe from Eating Well for Seafood Chowder Casserole, I felt that it just wouldn't be right not to try it.

The verdict?  Amazing.  The only changes I made from their recipe (at the link above) was to use pre-cooked rather than raw shrimp, so it needed to be added a bit later.

Dhansak sauce

Dhansak sauce is a savory Indian sauce that you can toss over cooked vegetables and rice to really spice it up!

Dhansak Sauce

Vegetable oil or clarified butter
1/2 t cumin seeds, ground
1/2 t fennel seeds, ground
1/2 t cardamom seeds, ground
1/2 t chili powder
1 t ground coriander
1/2 t cinnamon
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 t fresh ginger, chopped
1 t brown sugar
4 T tomato juice
2 T dried onion flakes
1/2 c garbanzo beans, mashed in their own liquid
3 T hummus
1/4 c spinach leaves, finely chopped
1 t garam masalah (my favorite)
Salt
Lemon wedges for garnish

Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Stir fry all the spices with the garlic and ginger for about a minute.  Add the sugar, tomato juice, onion flakes, beans, and hummus and mix well.  Add a bit of water if needed and simmer for about 3 minutes.  Add spinach, garam masalah, and salt and simmer a few more minutes.  Mix sauce with rice and cooked vegetables and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Parmesan bread

You can vary the fresh herbs contained in this bread depending upon what you've got on hand.  We really liked it with fresh oregano.  The recipe is for use with a bread machine and makes a 1-1/2 lb loaf.

Parmesan, Pepper, and Oregano Bread

1 c + 2 T water
1 T olive oil
3-1/4 c flour
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, fresh grated
1 T sugar
1 t salt
1 t freshly ground black pepper
2 T oregano, fresh chopped
1-3/4 t yeast

Basic setting and medium crust.