Fast French Bread or Rolls

The bread was the same French bread I make almost every week, but I under baked it this time :-P I pulled it out of the oven after 28 minutes - it should have been left in maybe 4 min more.

Fast French Bread or Rolls (junquegirl)

(modified slightly from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman)

3 ½ cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more as needed

(optional: vital wheat gluten, 1-2 teaspoons per cup of flour)

2 teaspoons salt

1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast

1 cup water, plus more as needed

1) Put the flour in the food processor, add the salt, gluten and yeast, and turn the machine on. With the machine running, pour about a cup of water through the feed tube. Process until the dough forms a ball, adding a little water at a time until it become smooth; if the dough begins sticking to the side of the bowl, you’ve added too much water. No harm done; add ¼ cup or so of flour and keep going. You’re looking for a moist, well-defined ball. The whole process should take about 30 seconds, and it will once you get good at it. If he dough is too dry, add water 1 Tbs. at a time and process for 5 or 10 seconds after each addition. If it’s too wet, ad another tablespoon or two of flour and process briefly.

2) Dump the lump of dough into a large bowl or simply remove the blade from the processor bowl and leave the dough in there. Either way, cover with a plastic bag or wrap and let sit for at least an hour at room temperature. (2-3 hrs, if you can)

3) Use a small strainer or your fingers to dust the counter with a little flour. Shape the dough as you like, into small loaves, one big one baguettes or rolls, sprinkling with flour as necessary but keeping the flour to a minimum. Preheat oven to 400 degrees while you let the loaves or rolls rest, covered with a towel. (2-3 hrs, if you can)

4) When you’re ready to bake, slash the top of each loaf once or twice with a sharp knife. If the dough has risen on a cloth, slide or turn it onto floured baking sheets or gently move it onto a lightly floured peel, plank of wood or flexible cutting board, then slide the bread directly onto a baking stone. Or you can bake on lightly oiled baking sheets, Turn heat down to 375F.

5) Bake until the crust is golden brown, cool on wire rack. [30 to 34 min]

Artichoke Soup Provencal

Artichoke Soup Provençal

(source: Moosewood Restaurant New Classics)

1 Tbs. olive oil

3 cups chopped onion

1 ½ cups chopped potatoes

2 ½ cups peeled and chopped carrots

½ cup chopped celery

1 ½ teaspoons salt

2 bay leaves

5 cups veg stock or water

5 artichoke hearts, quartered (1 14 oz. can)

2 Tbs. dry sherry

¼ teaspoon crumbled saffron

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)

¼ cup fresh orange juice (1 orange)

½ teaspoon freshly grated orange peel

ground black pepper to taste

Warm the olive oil in a non-reactive soup pot. Add the onions, potatoes, carrots, celery salt and bay leaves and sauté on medium heat for ten minutes, stirring often. Add stock or water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Add the artichoke hearts, sherry and saffron to the soup pot and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, orange juice, and orange peel and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste with black pepper. Remove bay leaves and serve. Garnish with chopped parsley and thins slices of lemon, if desired.

Tuscan Mushroom Chickpea Soup

Tuscan Mushroom Chickpea Soup
margots-mom adapted from a "clean eating" message board

2 cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup dried mushrooms, lightly packed, add 1 cup boiling water and let sit for an hour, do not discard the water!
mix of any kind of mushroom (I used white mushrooms and shitake, about 10 oz)
1 onion
1 medium potato, peeled and cubed
1 med sweet potato, peeled and cubed
fresh sprig of rosemary - if fresh is not possible, use about 2 tsp of the dried needles and add to the soaking mushrooms to soften, do not use powdered
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
chicken broth
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Saute onion, garlic and ground pepper with olive oil over medium heat. It should be fragrant and will turn slightly translucent but never brown. Add the potatoes, rosemary, a sprinkle of salt, soaked mushrooms and mushroom water. Add chicken broth to cover. Cook over medium heat until the potatoes are cooked. The pot should be at a low simmer, not a boil. Add fresh mushrooms and continue cooking - it will be about 5-10 minutes. Add the chickpeas and when they are heated through remove half of the soup to puree in a blender. Add back into the soup. Taste and adjust the salt. Add more water if the soup is too thick.

Eggplant Parmesan Stacks

Eggplant Parmesan Stacks

Notes: Look for tubes of cooked polenta in the supermarket refrigerator case; they are often stocked near the cheese.

1 eggplant (1 lb.)
1 tube (1 lb.) cooked polenta (see notes)
Olive oil cooking spray
1 onion (8 oz.), peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed or minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves or 2 teaspoons dried basil
1 can (14 oz.) tomato purée
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (6 oz.)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 fresh rosemary sprigs (optional)
8 to 12 breadsticks (2 to 3 oz. total)

1. Rinse eggplant and trim off and discard both ends. Cut eggplant crosswise into 8 equally thick slices. Cut polenta crosswise into 8 equal rounds. Lightly coat a 14- by 17-inch baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Arrange eggplant and polenta slices in a single layer on sheet. Lightly coat tops of slices with more cooking spray.

2. Bake in a 425° regular or convection oven until eggplant is soft when pressed and polenta is heated through (cut to test), 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in an 8- to 10-inch nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, stir onion, garlic, and basil occasionally until onion is lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomato purée and 1/4 cup water; simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until flavors are blended, 5 to 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is done.

4. When eggplant is soft, sprinkle mozzarella and parmesan cheeses equally over eggplant and polenta. Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes.

5. On each of four dinner plates, place 1 eggplant slice (use largest slices first) and drizzle with 1 tablespoon sauce; top with 1 polenta slice and 1 tablespoon sauce. Repeat until all slices are used. If desired, garnish each stack with rosemary sprig. Spoon remaining sauce around base of eggplant stacks. Serve with breadsticks.

3 Cheese Stuffed Shells with Meaty Tomato Sauce

3 Cheese Stuffed Shells with Meaty Tomato Sauce

thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/10...

Ingredients

· 8 ounces, weight Jumbo Pasta Shells

· 30 ounces, weight Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese

· 8 ounces, weight Parmesan Cheese, Grated, Divided

· ½ cups Grated Romano Cheese

· 1 whole Egg

· 12 leaves Basil, Chiffonade

· 2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley

· Salt And Pepper, to taste

· 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

· ½ whole Medium Onion, Chopped

· 5 cloves Garlic, Minced

· ½ pounds Italian Sausage

· ½ cups Red Wine

· 1 whole 28 Ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes

· 1 whole 15-ounce Can Crushed Tomatoes

· 2 Tablespoons Sugar

· ½ teaspoons Salt

· 2 Tablespoons Minced Parsley

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta shells for half the cooking time; make sure not to overcook. Drain and rinse in cool water. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or two. Add Italian sausage and brown, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Pour in red wine and let it cook for a minute or two.

Pour in cans of crushed tomatoes and stir. Add sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check for seasonings; can add crushed red peppers if you like a little heat.

In a separate bowl, mix ricotta, half the Parmesan, Romano, egg, salt and pepper, basil, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Stir until combined.

To assemble, coat the bottom of a baking dish with sauce. Fill each half-cooked shell with the cheese mixture. Place face down on the sauce. Repeat with shells until cheese mixture is gone. Top shells with remaining sauce. Sprinkle on extra Parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Serve with crusty French bread.

White Chicken Chili

WHITE CHICKEN CHILI
(luckymommyto2boys ~ Amy)

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cooked, boneless skinless chicken breast halves, chopped
2 (14-oz) cans chicken broth
1 (4-oz) can chopped green chilies
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (original recipe said 1 ½)
3 (14.5-oz) cans great northern beans, drained, divided
1 (4-oz) cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Chopped jalapeno pepper, optional

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the onions and garlic in oil for 10 minutes or until onions are tender. Add chicken, chicken broth, green chilies, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low. With a potato masher, mash one can of beans until smooth. Add to saucepan. Add remaining beans to saucepan. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until heated thoroughly. Top each serving with cheese and jalapeno pepper if desired.
Yield: 10 servings

Kitty's Kick Ass-Refried Beans

Kitty’s Kick-Ass Refried Beans
Sharon via myhusbandhatesveggies.com

2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 large sweet red pepper, diced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
1-2 canned chipotle peppers, in adobo sauce, finely chopped
ground cumin, chili powder, Adobo powder – to taste
1/2 cup stock (chicken or veggie, water if no stock on hand)

1) Saute the peppers and onions in some olive oil, adding the garlic after a few minutes. Add your ground seasonings, giving them a few minutes to toast. Add the chipotles (one for mild, 2 or more for spicy, but remember, a little goes a long way!). Allow chipotles a minute or so to incorporate with the veggies.

2) Stir in the beans.

3) Add stock or water, partially cover, and leave on medium low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until liquid has mostly absorbed.

4) Using a potato masher, mash the mixture until it is almost smooth, but leaving the appearance of crushed beans. You may either serve it as-is, OR, what I like to do is:
5) Spoon mixture into a small casserole dish, cover mixture with shredded cheddar cheese, and place in a 300 degree oven, covered for 10 – 15 minutes. Mmmm…