2008 January « The Average Cook

Archive for January, 2008

Cuban Black Bean Soup

January 28, 2008 at 1:15 pm · Filed under Cooking, Cooking Light, Food, Recipes, soup

I’ve been trying to find a good black bean soup recipe for a few months now. The first one I tried was from the Food Network’s site. Not sure whose it was, but it was baaadddd. So bad, I didn’t even post it here, the pictures alone were horrible and unappetizing. So when I found the recipe for Cuban Black Bean Soup in the January issue of Cooking Light I was hopeful. Granted, the ingredient list was quite long, but if you look closely you’ll see that the last nine ingredients are the toppings, most of which I found unnecessary (which now looking back were probably necessary to help out the lack of flavor of the actual soup….).

My first problem was with the dried black beans. It took longer than 2 1/2 hours for them to soften, more like 3 1/2. My second issue was taste, I found it to be quite bland. I did add some sour cream, tomatoes, and avocado on top to help it out. The husband added some hot sauce which he said also gave it a little boost. There were quite a few negative postings on Cooking Light’s site that were very similar to my complains -the beans, the blandness, etc. Please, someone point me in the direction of a good black bean soup recipe!

Overall rating- 2 stars

Cuban Black Bean Soup

Chef Douglas Rodriguez of DeLaCosta restaurant in Chicago was born in America, but this recipe is inspired by his mother’s black bean soup, which offered robust flavor for people who didn’t have money to spend on meat for stock. Here we use both fresh and dried oregano because each imparts a different flavor to the final dish.

2 bay leaves
1 pound dried black beans
12 1/2 cups water, divided
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper (about 3 medium)
2 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped shallots (about 2 small)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups diced peeled avocado
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cups thinly sliced red onion
1 1/2 cups chopped 33%-less-sodium smoked, fully cooked ham
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup light sour cream
10 teaspoon unsalted pumpkinseed kernels, toasted
1/3 cup finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper (about 2 medium)
Lime wedges (optional)Place bay leaves and beans in a Dutch oven. Add 12 cups water to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 2 1/2 hours or until tender, stirring occasionally. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper, chopped onion, and shallots to pan; cook 10 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Stir in cumin, dried oregano, and fresh oregano; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Place vegetable mixture in a blender; add remaining 1/2 cup water. Puree until smooth.Add vegetable mixture, sugar, and salt to beans; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaves. Combine avocado and juice; toss gently. Ladle 3/4 cup bean mixture into each of 10 bowls; top each serving with about 3 tablespoons avocado mixture, about 3 tablespoons red onion, 2 tablespoons ham, about 1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro, about 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream, 1 teaspoon pumpkinseed kernels, and about 1/2 teaspoon jalapeño pepper. Serve with lime wedges, if desired. Yield: 10 servingsCALORIES 344 (31% from fat); FAT 12g (sat 3.4g,mono 5.7g,poly 2.3g); PROTEIN 18.6g; CHOLESTEROL 14mg; CALCIUM 110mg; SODIUM 637mg; FIBER 14.7g; IRON 6.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 43.9g Cooking Light, JANUARY 2008

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Pirate’s Cove on the Bay, Middletown, NJ

January 26, 2008 at 1:56 pm · Filed under Food, NJ Restaurant Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, seafood

After saying for several months I would try this place, we finally made it to Pirate’s Cove on the Bay in Middletown, NJ. My parents, whom I trust their dining recommendations, had been here before over the summer and had a wonderful meal served on the outside patio with fabulous views. Pirate’s Cove is mainly a seafood restaurant and is actually connected to a fishery. It’s a small, quaint restaurant located right next to the Belford Ferry (Belford is a section of Middletown, NJ) right on the water.

For our party, there were five of us, my husband, myself, my teenage sister (who does not eat seafood) and my mother and step-father. We arrived for our reservation and were seated promptly. Most tables in the house were occupied as well. For appetizers, we ordered the Clams Casino (cherry stone clams in a bacon, garlic, cherry pepper and white wine broth), Fried Calamari (traditional style, may also be ordered Buffalo style), and for the carnivore the Blackened Sirloin Strips (Sirloin smothered with Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onions).

The clams were large, plump, and juicy and they weren’t cooked the traditional way Clams Casino are. The rest of the ingredients were tossed together with the clams which was very good. The calamari wasn’t the best I’ve had but it was still good and I would probably order it again. I did not try the Blackened Sirloin Strips since I don’t like blue cheese, but my husband and step-father finished them off and gave it a thumbs up.

Our entrees were also served with a house salad with a balsamic vinegarette which was tasty but had the mushy, pale pink tomatoes I detest. The warm, crusty bread was served with a fresh herb butter that was wonderful.

For entrees, both my step-father and I choose the Stuffed Shrimp (served with crab cake mixture over wild rice). I substituted horseradish-mashed potatoes for the rice. The shrimp was grilled and very meaty and the crab cake mixture contained large, sweet chunks of crab. We both enjoyed our choice. The mashed potatoes had just the right amount of horseradish and were heavenly.

My husband went with the Seafood Paella (scallops, shrimp and clams over saffron rice with artichokes and chorizo) which was my second choice. This was a generous portion and they weren’t stingy with the seafood. I gave it a bite and thought it was perfect as did the husband.

Mom had the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes (with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette and Rice Pilaf). Again, two very large portions of crab cakes. She enjoyed them and noted the roasted red pepper sauce was also very good. Our little carnivore, my sister, went with the Chicken Cacciatore Panini with fries. She didn’t like it at all citing the chicken was dried out. For dessert, the girls shared an enjoyable, warm Apple Crumb Tart with vanilla ice cream.

I would love to go back here when I’m in the mood for seafood. In fact, there is a chef’s tasting coming up I’m thinking about going to! I can’t wait for the summer to head here to eat some fresh seafood on their deck. I highly recommend this little hidden jewel! Arrgh! (And not because I love Pirates, I mean Johnny Depp, I mean Captain Jack Sparrow…)

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La Bamba Casserole

January 24, 2008 at 12:28 pm · Filed under Cooking, Cooking Light, Food, Recipes, casseroles

La Bamba Casserole from October 2002 issue of Cooking Light has long been a favorite dish in our household. It’s quick and easy to prepare, healthy, and most importantly tasty. If you like Mexican cuisine, you’ll love this dish. You can use ground beef if you are not a fan of ground turkey and it will work just as well.

The only thing I don’t like about this casserole is the name. It gives me flashbacks to 1988 when the movie La Bamba was popular and the song with the same title from the movie. I was a pre-teen and we did a jazz routine at my dance school to this song all the while wearing shiny blue satin dance costumes with silver sequins everywhere, including a silver sequined head band across our foreheads. Ugh.

But don’t let my ’silver-sequined-Let’s-Get-Physical‘ flashbacks not let you try this great dish!

Overall rating - 4 stars

La Bamba Casserole

1 (5.25-ounce) can whole green chiles, drained
Cooking spray
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped green onionsPreheat oven to 375°. Cut green chiles in half lengthwise. Arrange chiles in a single layer in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add turkey, onion, chili powder, cumin, salt, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add diced tomatoes; cook 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates.Spoon turkey mixture over chiles. Top with corn. Carefully spread beans over corn. Sprinkle cheese over beans. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes; top with chopped tomato and green onions.Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)CALORIES 344 (28% from fat); FAT 10.7g (sat 6.3g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.8g); PROTEIN 32.2g; CHOLESTEROL 77mg; CALCIUM 269mg; SODIUM 902mg; FIBER 7.4g; IRON 3.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 30.7g Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2002

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Beef Fajitas - Hold the Fajita

January 21, 2008 at 5:17 pm · Filed under Cooking, Food, Recipes

Still following a low-carb diet and what I find great is while I sometimes crave a buttered roll for breakfast, other times I can make a meal like these Beef Fajitas without the bread portion and still love it! Here’s a great, quick way to make fajitas, beef or chicken, and you have the option of using fajitas or even lettuce to wrap up the filling. I serve with a dollop of salsa and fat-free sour cream. You can dress these up how you like - some melted cheese, diced avocado, etc. Enjoy!

Overall rating - 3.5 stars

Beef Fajitas

cooking spray or olive oil

1 pound lean steak, I used a london broil, flank steak is also good

1 lime

chili powder

2 to 3 onions

1 to 2 peppers, red or green or one of each

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat skillet over medium high heat. Add spray or olive oil, about 1 tsp. Squeeze half of the lime juice over steak and sprinkle with chili powder. I used about 1/2 tsp. for mild flavor. Use more for heat. Add steak to skillet and cook several minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove from pan and let stand, do not cut up yet. Add more spray or olive oil to skillet and over low heat caramelize peppers and onions. Season with salt, pepper, more lime juice and more chili powder. I also throw in some garlic powder for additional flavor. Once softened and caramelized, slice steak very thinly and toss back in skillet and over low heat cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Serve with any or all of the following toppings: salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese, diced avocados, etc. Serve with tortillas, lettuce wraps or alone.

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Scones

January 17, 2008 at 12:45 pm · Filed under Cooking, Food, baking, breakfast, brunch

Here’s another recipe from my Christmas Brunch for scones. I had actually never had a scone until several years ago. I was living in South Orange, NJ and there was a little gourmet deli in town. I was looking for a quick bite one day and the owner suggested her raisin scones. Well….they were the most buttery, moist, delicious morsel I had eaten in quite some time. Her scones were so good they often sold out the day she baked them. I would have to pre-order them on the days she made them just to make sure I’d get some.

I’ve since moved from South Orange and never found a scone like those. I’ve tried many a dry, baking-soda flavored scone since and a few years ago, decided I needed to add a scone pan to my breakfast bakeware. Now, you don’t necessary need a scone pan to make scones. You can form the dough into a scone shape and just bake on a regular cookie sheet.

The recipe I use for scones comes from Williams-Sonoma, where I purchased the scone pan from. In fact, the recipe was on the packaging. Anyhow, I think it’s a great recipe for scones. They’ll never be as good as the ones in South Orange, but I think they’re a good substitute! I used raisins in these but you can also use dried cranberries.

Overall rating - 4.5 stars

Orange-Currant Scones A Scottish quick bread, scones may have derived their name from the Stone of Destiny (or Scone), the place where Scottish kings were once crowned. Other sources claim that the word comes from schoonbrot or sconbrot, meaning “fine white bread.” Scones were traditionally made with oats and cooked on a griddle, while modern versions are generally prepared with flour and baked in the oven. 2 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄4 cup sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1⁄2 tsp. salt
8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into
small pieces
1⁄2 cup currants
1 egg
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
Zest of 1 orangePreheat an oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a scone pan, or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until pea-size crumbs form. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the currants.In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, cream and orange zest until blended and add to the flour mixture. Using a fork, stir to form large, moist clumps of dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press together with your hands until the dough comes together. Roll out the dough, flouring as needed, into a 10-inch round about 3D4 inch thick. Cut into 8 equal-size wedges. Press each wedge into a well of the prepared scone pan, or place the wedges 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.Bake until the scones are golden, about 25 minutes. Invert the scone pan onto a wire rack and lift off the pan, or transfer the scones from the baking sheet to the rack. Let the scones cool for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 scones.

Adapted from a recipe given to Chuck Williams by Judy Rodgers, Executive Chef and Co-Owner, Zuni Café, San Francisco.