Monday, July 16, 2012

Borscht Soup Cooking Techniques

Borscht Soup Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 (16 ounce) package pork sausage
  • 3 medium beets, peeled and shredded
  • 3 carrots, peeled and shredded
  • 3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 medium head cabbage, cored and shredded
  • 1 (8 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar, or to taste
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, for topping
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

  1. Crumble the sausage into a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until no longer pink. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  2. Fill a large pot halfway with water(about 2 quarts), and bring to a boil. Add the sausage, and cover the pot. Return to a boil. Add the beets, and cook until they have lost their color. Add the carrots and potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the cabbage, and the can of diced tomatoes.
  3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until tender. Stir in the tomato paste and water until well blended. Transfer to the pot. Add the raw garlic to the soup, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Taste, and season with salt, pepper and sugar.
  4. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with sour cream and fresh parsley.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Cooking Techniques and Methods

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Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Italian Baked Pasta with Ricotta Recipe

Baked Pasta with Ricotta Photo


INGREDIENTS

1 package (16 ounces) uncooked rigatoni or penne pasta
1 container (15 ounces) ricotta cheese
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 jars (26 ounces each) marinara sauce, divided
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

PREPARATION:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 13X9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Cook rigatoni according to package directions; drain. Meanwhile, beat ricotta, Parmesan, eggs, salt and pepper in medium bowl until well blended.
  3. Spread 2 cups marinara sauce over bottom of prepared pan; spoon half of cooked pasta over sauce. Top with half of ricotta mixture and 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat layers of marinara sauce, pasta and ricotta mixture. Top with 1 cup mozzarella, remaining marinara sauce and 1 cup mozzarella.
  4. Cover with foil; bake about 1 hour or until bubbly. Uncover and bake about 5 minutes more or until cheese is completely melted. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Italian Baked Chicken and Garlic Orzo Recipe

INGREDIENTS

Nonstick cooking spray
4 chicken breast halves, skinned
1/4 cup dry white wine
10 ounces uncooked orzo pasta
1 cup chopped onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 can (about 14 ounces) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup water
Paprika
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges

PREPARATION:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat over high heat until hot. Add chicken breast halves. Brown, meat side down, 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.
  2. Reduce heat to medium-high; add wine. Stir with flat spatula, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan. Cook 30 seconds or until slightly reduced; set aside.
  3. Spray 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add pasta, onions, garlic, parsley, oregano, chicken broth, water and wine mixture; stir. Place chicken breasts on top. Sprinkle lightly with paprika and lemon pepper. Bake, uncovered, 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove chicken. Add salt and olive oil to baking pan; mix well. Place chicken on top. Serve with fresh lemon wedges

Italian Chicken Roll-Ups Recipe

INGREDIENTS

Nonstick cooking spray
2‑1/2 cups low-sodium marinara sauce*
4 (4 ounces each) boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
4 slices (1 ounce each) low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes
*Choose a marinara sauce with less than 800mg sodium per cup. You may use frozen sauce or jarred sauce.

PREPARATION:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Coat bottom of 2-quart baking dish with 1 cup marinara sauce.
  2. Place one chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap on a cutting board. Roll and pound with rolling pin until meat is about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts.
  3. Press 1/2 cup spinach leaves on each chicken breast. Place 1 slice mozzarella cheese on each and roll up tightly, pressing firmly. Place rolls seam sides down in baking dish. Cover with remaining marinara sauce.
  4. Cover dish with foil and bake 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more. Garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes to taste.

Friday, April 15, 2011

French Cooking Techniques - Beef FILET TRUFFÉ

French cooking is indeed an art, but an art that seems to come so naturally to the
French. French cuisine can be created by a novice, or someone trained by an
expert chef, or the expert chefs themselves, to create the seemingly impossible.

Great gourmet food is an exacting art to a chef, and one that the French chefs are proud of, and rightly so. Many of the great chefs in France learned their basic skills from their mothers and grandmothers. These special mother chefs [quite famous in their own rights], were called 'Mères'.

Anyone that loves good food, and loves to cook, can prepare the majority of the well-known French classic dishes. Most are easy and of course...delicious.

Ingredients
  1. White truffle oil;
  2. 4 5-oz filet mignon steaks;
  3. 2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano;
  4. 1/2 lb lettuce or field greens;
  5. 1 tbs red wine vinegar;
  6. 1 tbs balsamic vinegar;
  7. 6 tbs extra-virgin olive oil;
  8. 1 tbs unsalted butter;
  9. Cracked pepper and fines herbs for the steak;
  10. Salt, ground pepper and fines herbs for the greens;
  11. A sheet of waxed paper to cover the steaks.

  1. Several hours before eating, sprinkle ample amounts of the cracked pepper and fines herbs over the steaks. Place the wax paper over the pepper-fines herbs combination and press down to set the herbs and pepper into the steaks. Put aside;
  2. Shave the cheese with a vegetable peeler. Set aside;
  3. Immediately before grilling the steaks, wash and dry the greens. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt and ground pepper. Put aside;
  4. Warm the plates in a medium oven;
  5. Grill the steaks for 5 minutes on each side. Preheat a frying pan. Then, when you remove the steaks from the grill, place the butter and 1 tbs of oil in the pan and pan fry the steaks, over a medium flame, to finish them to your liking. When done, drizzle the white truffle oil over the steaks;
  6. Toss the greens with the dressing. Place 1/4th of the greens on each plate and center the steaks on the greens;
  7. Top each steak with the shaved cheese and serve.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Food in Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is an island known for its beautiful beaches. Tourists from all parts of the world visit Puerto Rico to experience one of a kind encounter with some of the world's best beaches. The island is also a favorite wedding destination for those who are planning to get married in a non-traditional way because Puerto Rico offers white powdery white sand and blue waters - which are perfect for a beach wedding.

However, aside from beautiful beaches, this country has also its mouth watering native dishes that one must taste to be immersed with Puerto Rican culture. To give you an idea with Puerto Rican food, here are some of the island's famous dishes:

Considered as Puerto Rico's most traditional dish - Asopao is a cross between paella and soup. It is made with chicken, rice, vegetables, sea food, beef, and pork. Most of the restaurants in this country serve this dish, so make sure to order one.

In addition, Puerto Rico has the Arr?z con Pollo. This dish is a chicken and rice meal prepared with saffron, vegetables, and spices. One might also request to have additional spices to Arr?z con Pollo such as red peppers and peas. The traditional version of Arr?z con Pollo is cooked using olive oil instead of annatto seed oil or achiote.

There is also the Arroz con Habichuelas cooked using white rice with dry beans. This can be served either as a meal itself or a side dish. This is a favorite meal of Puerto Ricans that is often prepared in their homes.

Lastly, when it comes to special gatherings or occasions, Puerto Ricans are known to prepare Lech?n asado. This is a whole pig roasted on a spit. Before the pig is roasted it is coated using a red liquid made from achiote plant and basted with sour tasting orange juice. Lech?n asado is served with ali-li-monjili or garlic-based sauce or sour vinegar.