Po'boy Sandwich

I received a request for this sandwich i served last summer at the cabin. It is really simple.

Po'boy Sandwich

Ingredients

4 catfish fillets
1 baguette, sliced into 4 sandwich servings
fresh baby salad greens
sliced tomatoes of choice
Fresh pickles slices (see my pickle recipe)
My Goat cheese tartar sauce

1 cup of unbleached flour

veggie oil

2 table spoon onion powder
2 table spoon garlic powder
2 table spoon dried oregano
2 table spoon dried thyme
2 table spoon dried basil
1 table spoon of paprika
1 table spoon of ground yellow mustard
1 table spoon of ground cinnamon
1 table spoon of ground celery seeds
1 table spoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoon ground white pepper
2 teaspoon ground pink pepper
salt to taste

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees

Take all the dried spice and place in air tight container and shake to mix.

Clean and dry fish, place flour in a shallow dish and sprinkle some the mixed spices, about 1/3 of it and whisk ti mix. Dredge fish in flour and set aside.

Fill skillet with a half an inch of oil, bring oil to a shimmer over high heat. Next sprinkle fish with more of the spice before frying. Fry fish about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Place on rack on a cookie sheet and place done fish in the oven to keep warm. When you are on your last fillet of fish place sliced baguette into oven to warm.

Once all fish is done start to assemble the sandwich. Spread goat cheese tartar sauce on both sides of the bread, next layer the baby greens and sliced pickles, followed by the fish, top of with more tartar sauce and tomatoes slices and then the bread.

Serve with a cold white wine or an ale.

You can also BBQ these sandwich, you will need to either BBQ fish on tin foil or on a fish board on the grill. To toast the bread spread with olive oil first on the bread and rub it with garlic then place on the grill.

Enjoy cooking

Panzanella

I am going through my recipe file tonight: i am getting ready to meet with a new cook book agent since my last one decided to rep political writers, ugh as if we need more of that.

I came across this in my notes for quick summer salads, well actually it is is an anytime salad.

Panzanella

Ingredients

I loaf French Boule, slightly stale
1 cup red cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 cup of yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Cup of roasted red pepper, cut into ribbons
1 cucumber, ribbon pealed and diced
1/2 red onion diced
1/4 cup celery leaves, chopped
1 cup of basil, leaves cut into ribbons
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 oz can of anchovies in olive oil, drained
2 table spoons red wine vinegar
1 table spoon cabers, drained
Olive Oil
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Tear up bread into bite size chunks, place in a bowl, coat with olive oil, toss and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.

On a cutting board place anchovies and garlic, with the side of a knife smash anchovies and garlic into the cutting board to form a paste, scrape into a bowl with the lemon, vinegar a few table spoons of olive oil and whisk together, add the remaining ingredients and toss, lastly add the toasted bread, toss, taste to see if it needs addition lemon or salt and pepper than serve.

Enjoy Cooking

Rugelach

I have been doing allot of baking the past few weeks and Michael asked for me to make Rugelach. There is a bakery here in the city that make outstanding Rugelach so i asked what the dough was made of and they told be it is like any dinner roll dough only that there is bread crumbs in the dough. Hmm bread crumbs. So with a few misstep i came up with a nice dough recipe, i do not know if its a traditional one but we like it, and i hope you all do too.

Rugelach

Ingredients

Dough
2 cups unbleach flour
2 sticks of butter diced, cold
1 cup of bread crumbs, UN-seasoned
8 oz of cream cheese, diced, cold
1/2 cup raw sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling
1 cup dried Apricots, diced
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup bread crumbs, un-seasoned
or try this filling
1 cup dried blue berries
1/2 brandy
1/2 raw sugar
1/2 chopped pistachios
1/2 bread crumbs, un-seasoned


Directions

In the food processor place flour, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, salt, butter and cream cheese and pulse until crumbly, dump out onto a floured work services and and kneed into a ball. Divided in half, form into a discs, wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight.

Take the remaining bread crumbs, 1/4 of the sugar and mix together, set aside. In another bowl take the remaining sugar and mix with the cinnamon and also set aside.

For filling place all ingredients into the food processor and pulse to combine.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Now on a floured work surface roll out the discs into a 12 inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Whisk egg in a bowl and brush a 1/2 inch boarder around the outer edge of the circles. Spread the apricots mixture out to within a 1/4 inch of the edge. Next sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top of the apricots, this is what the bakery told me to do. Next take a pizza cutter and cut the circle into 12 to 16 wedges. Starting at the wide end of each wedge roll the dough up to the point, bend the dough into a crescent and place on a parchment covered cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Once all the wedges have been rolled, bent and placed on the cookie sheet, brush with the egg and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

The the filling can been changed to most fruits, but the bakery said to watch out for high water content fruits,like berries. They said it was best to used dried fruits for the filling and use most any nut with it. You are really making a fruit pesto.

Enjoy Cooking

Pumpkin Nut Bread

Pumpkin Nut Bread

Ingredients

3 cups of unbleached flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/4 sticks of butter, diced
1 can of fresh pumpkin, 15oz can
2 eggs
1/3 cup half and half
3/4 cup raw sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Direction

Preheat the oven 350 degrees

Whisk together all the dry ingredients with the exception of the baking soda. In another bowl whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, half and half and baking soda. Next cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Now add the wet to the dry and mix well. Once combined fold in the pecans.

Place dough in a greased loaf pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Like with all breads time can vary, sometimes i have baked this for 35 minutes and as long as 55 minutes, check the bread at the 35/40 minute mark.

Enjoy Cooking

Cinnamon Raisin Apple Bread

I am still playing with breads, we had a version of this bread a few years ago and i have trying to recreate it ever since and I have finally got. The trick was using dried apples.

Cinnamon Raisin Apple Bread

Ingredients

4 cups of unbleached flour, you can use wheat flour too
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cups raw sugar plus an additional 1/4 cup
1 cup raisins
1 cup Dried apples, diced
3 eggs
3 teaspoons of baking powder
3 table spoons butter diced.
2 table spoons ground cinnamon

Optional
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and 3/4 cups of sugar. In another bowl whisk together the cream and 2 eggs. Next cut the butter into the flour. Now add the wet to the dry and mix well, at a point you will need to throw the dough out onto a board and kneed it with you hands to combine. If the dough is still sticky, kneed some additional flour into it.

In another bowl stir together the cinnamon and the 1/4 cup of sugar.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

On a piece of floured wax paper roll out the dough to about a inch thick, enough to roll the dough up 1 1/2 times. Next sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on the dough, leaving enough sugar for the top of the loafs, followed by the apples, raisins and pecans (if using). Roll up the dough and place open side down in the pans.

Take the remaining egg and whisk then brush on the loafs and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes. Check at the 40 minute mark, if a tooth pick comes out clean its done. Some times this take 40 minutes to bake and some time 55 minutes. You want a nice deep golden brown on the top. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. The bread is great with butter.

Enjoy Cooking

Banana Nut Bread

This is actually my Grandmothers recipe; i have all her cook books and this recipe was stuck in one of her books on a piece of paper in her hand writing. I have made it too and its great.

Banana Nut Bread.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup of unbleached flour
2 1/3 teaspoon of baking powder
1 cup of banana pulp
2/3 cup of raw sugar
2/3 cup of chopped pecans
1/3 cup of cubed butter - (5 1/3 table spoons)
2 eggs
3/4 teaspoon of lemon rind or orange rind
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Directions

In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt and the baking powder.

In the stand mixer cream together the butter, sugar and lemon rind. Next add the eggs to the mixer and blend well. Now add the flour into the mixture in three parts alternating with banana pulp: blend until smooth. Now fold in the pecans.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Grease a bread loaf pan and place dough in pan. Bake for about 1 hour or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.

Enjoy Cooking and Thanks Grandma.

Raisin Bread

I have been on a quick bread kick lately. I have been playing around with ratios to see what i come up with. This one I made a few times and it's really good warm from the oven with melted butter, yum.

Raisin Bread

4 cups of unbleached flour or wheat flour
1 1/2 cups of butter milk
1 1/2 cup of raisins or currants or a mixture of both
6 table spoons of butter, cubed
2 eggs
3 table spoons of raw sugar
1 table spoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl mix together well the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and soda. Next using a pastry blender (see below) cut in the butter until the dough is coarse crumbs.

In another bowl whisk together the two eggs and the butter milk.

Next fold in the raisins into the flour mixture. Once combined start mixing in the buttermilk with a spoon. The dough will be very sticky, once its starts to hold together turn it out on a floured surface and knead until thoroughly mix: it should take out 10 to 12 strokes of the dough. Form into a ball.

Now you can go two ways here: You can grease a Pyrex bowl or 1 1/2 quart casserole, and place the dough in the bowl and then cut an X in the top of the dough - Or - you can cut the dough into four, form into balls and place in a square baking dish, make sure the ball are touching closely.

Whisk the remaining egg and brush on top of the bread.

Place in the oven and bake for about 1 hour an 20 minutes or until a took pick comes out clean.

Let cool in the dish, bowl or casserole on a rack for 10 minutes before removing.

I have also dusted the top of the bread with cinnamon sugar prior to baking if you want a sweeter bread.

Enjoy Cooking

Herb Cheese Wheat Bread

Here is another quick bread for you all to try. It is a variation on the olive bread i posted earlier.

Herb Cheese Wheat bread.

Ingredients

2 cups of wheat flour
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup of chopped pecans
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup of grated parmigiano cheese
1/2 cup diced brie
1/3 cup of Italian parsley, chopped stems removed
1 egg
2 table spoons melted butter
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh dill
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh Thyme
1 1/2 teaspoon sumac
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a bowl mix together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt.
In the stand mixer blend the heavy cream and the egg. Next slowly add the melted butter: note the butter should be at room temp, just before it starts to turn to a solid again. Once well combined all the herbs. Next slowly add in the flour mixture, at one point you may need to need the dough with your hand. Once it has formed into a ball, fold in the cheese and the nuts. leave a few table spoons of the parmigiano to sprinkle on the top.

Place dough into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Let cool on rack, remove from pan and serve.

Enjoy Cooking

Cloverleaf Rolls

Here is one from Thursday night dinner - I looked up how to make dinner rolls and it seamed a bit dull so switched it up a bit.

Cloverleaf Rolls

Ingredients

2 2/3 cups of unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup Half and Half
1 egg
2 table spoons of unsalted butter plus 1 stick for the wash
1 table spoon molasses
3/4 tea spoon salt

1 package of active dry yeast
2 table spoons of water at 105 to 155 degrees

Directions
Warm the half and half add to that the butter, molasses and salt. Once the butter has melted and the half and half.

Melt the stick of butter and set aside.

Grease a bowl in prep of the dough.

Now add the 2 table spoons of water to the yeast and stir. Once it has started to foam up add it to the half and half mixture. Stir to combine. Now whisk in the egg.

Next start adding the flour to the mixture and at a certain point you will no longer be able to mix in the flour with a spoon you will need to knead it in with your hands. Depending on all sorts of things you may not need all the flour. Form dough into a ball and place in the greased bowl, brush with the melted butter and cover with at damp towel and set aside to rise.

Grease a muffin tin of the next step and preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and remove from the bowl. Now divide the dough into about 1 inch balls and place 3 balls each into each of the muffin tins. Brush with more melted butter and cover with a damp towel. Note: I put empty spice jars on the tin so that the towel would ne to laying directly on the dough.

Once the dough has doubled in size again, bake for about 15 minutes or until the rolls start to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and remove the rolls from the muffin tin - Serve.

Note: for a sweeter roll increase the molasses - for a hot cross bun sweetness increase it to a 1/4 cup.

Enjoy cooking