Moving Recipes Is Work!

A few posts ago I said I was working to move recipes from the old Jordan Recipes page to this blog. It turns out it is difficult to get them moved over. Formatting issues are a real problem.  If you don't want to wait, just go visit the old Jordan Recipe Pages

Beef Stroganoff

I am pulling recipes from the old Jordan's Recipe pages on the old web site.

An unusual cookbook in Sharon's collection is "A Collection Of The Very Finest Recipes Ever Assembled Into One Cookbook" published by Cookbook Publishers, Hayward, California in 1979. If you want good, standard recipes. this is a sure place to find them.

In this recipe for Beef Stroganoff I questioned Sharon on the use of catsup when I first put this dish together. But, the catsup works! 

• 2 pounds beef, a tender cut works well
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms
• 3 tablespoon flour
• 2 teaspoon meat-extract paste
• 1 tablespoon catsup
• 1 can beef broth
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Trim the beef and cut into bite size cubes. Use heavy, deep pot, heat over high heat and add the olive oil. Quickly sear the beef until it browned. Remove from the pot and set aside. Reduce heat slightly and add the butter to the pot. Sauté the onion, then add the garlic and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are done. Remove from heat and stir in flour, meat extract paste, and catsup and blend into onion and mushrooms. Place back on heat and gradually add beef broth and bring to a boil while stirring. reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the beef, wine, dill, and sour cream. Simmer until beef is hot, about 10 minutes. salt and pepper to taste. Serve over noodles or rice. Serves about 6.

Dining On The Road

I have had some wonderful meals on this trip, most memorable in Boulder and Moab. Not to say I haven't enjoyed my meals in Davenport, Lincoln, Ontario, and Redmond. In fact, today was one of those high points with a vanilla porter and fried onion rings at Smith Rock Brewing in Redmond.

And, let's not forget Gobble, Gobble Balls that I made on Monday night in Redmond. Follow the link and find the recipe on Saveur. I made a fetticini carbonara without bacon or pancetta to go with the meatballs. This was a winner.

In Boulder, Ella's is not to be missed. This southern diner Hungarian fusion restaurant provided me with the best chicken fried steak I have had in twenty five years. And finished off with a Dobos torte as seen below. Sharon found this restaurant and it is on her regular schedule now.

Moab was home to the Desert Bistro. This was quite a surprise even though Jim at the bar at Bistro Monet told me it was good and the Trip Advisor reviews were positive. The dishes were beautifully prepared and presented and delicious. The service was great. The only downside was the pricing. They were not cheap but they were serving prime ingredients in a place you do not expect them, especially Hawaian fish.

 

 

 

A Spring Cocktail

Sharon asked me to make her a cocktail so I came up with a new one inspired by the Negroni.

I might call it "Colby Dreams of Italy"

• 1/2 Lime
• 1/2 ounce Campari
• 1 ounce gin (I used one with a citrus infusion)
• 3/4 ounce Jordan Cranberry Liquor (our home made concoction)
• A squeeze of Orange juice
• Served over ice in a highball glass and garnished with a slice of orange

 

When Will It End?

Cold and more cold. Spring officially arrived last week and it snowed. We had a hint of spring the next two days and then it turned colder again. I saw my gold fish when the ice melted and no longer covered the top of the pond, but then yesterday morning and this morning there was a new layer of ice on the pond. Yes, it was thin, but still ICE.

We are now expecting snow tonight and the temperature dropping to 16° and then warming all the way to 29° on Tuesday then slowly warming to the 40s and perhaps as high as the 60s on Sunday. Can you see how I am tired of this? Update March 26, 2014. The pond has been ice covered for three days now and yesterday morning we woke to one inch of snow. It is now 11:00am in Glen Ellyn and the temperature is a balmy 25°.

Cat pictures of the day. Every morning Shelby has to lick water from the shower by pushing his head around the corner of the shower curtain. He usually manages to get both his head and his tail wet which he then shares with us but rubbing up against us. He also has to be on the sink when we are using. LC will sit on the edge of the sink occasionally, and will drink from the water glass placed on the sink for them, but she is much nicer about the whole bathroom water issue. Other cat owners will understand the cat/human bathroom interactions. You are never alone in the bathroom with a cat or a toddler.

Shelby in the tub

Shelby behaving

Brady and Kathy visited last weekend. Kathy was here for the Shamrock Shuffle walk/run. We got to spend some time with Brady while Kathy was in the city. We had a nice, though sort visit.

Sun through the snow

Sometimes snow can be pretty. One of our last snows came down wet and clung to the trees. Then after the snow the sky cleared and the sun and blue sky was beautiful against the snow. Our official snow totals this year indicate just over 80 inches of snow for the season. this is the second or third most snow since Chicago record keeping started in 1885. This has also been one of the coldest winters on record. Brrrr.

I smoked ribs today - this first time using the smoker since last fall. There is still snow on the patio but I can get to the grills and smoker. If I've done this right, this You Tube video shows you my secrets. I haven't done anything like this, except for some short ukulele and kazoo videos. This is a long one and was a learning experience! All done with my iPad.

 

An Old Recipe From ColbyJ.com

Another Indian winner - this time from Curried Favors, Family Recipes from South India, Maya Kaimal MacMillan, Abbeville Press Publishers. This cookbook has a combination of wonderful recipes, well-written text, and beautiful food photography. This one is easy, quick, and tasty. I served it this evening over rice with corn tortillas on the side, and we cut the quantity quite a bit to serve just the two of us - just over ½ pound of shrimp. I used green onions in place of scallions and upped the quantity a bunch. It made a very attractive color combo on the plate.

2 pounds large shrimp 1/4 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons minced garlic 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions Spice mixture: 2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground red pepper ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

Shell and devein shrimp, rub with mixture of garlic and spice mixture. Set aside for 30 minutes.

In wok or large frying pan over medium high heat, heat oil. Add marinated shrimp and cook, stirring continually, adding salt while stirring, until shrimp are almost entirely opaque. Add lemon juice and continue frying for another 30 seconds or until shrimp are cooked through. Remove from heat. Do not overcook shrimp.

Stir in scallions. Serve hot.

 

Sichuan Style Shrimp Stir Fry

Sichuan Style Shrimp Stir Fry

This was in Cook's Illustrated as Sichuan Stir-Fried Pork in Garlic Sauce. I made it once with the pork, following the recipe and it was great. I liked the sauce and thought it might work well with shrimp. The following is the recipe with the changes I made to make a version with shrimp. The chili paste is one of the keys to this dish - providing a little heat but not too much.

Sauce
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons sherry
2 tablespoons ketchup

2 tablespoons fish sauce2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Stir Fry
4 minced garlic cloves
One bunch scallions sliced thin
3 tablespoons chili bean paste - find this in most Asian sections of your local grocer
6 ounces of destemmed and sliced shitakes
A container of stir fry veggies from Whole Foods! I took the easy way out here. It contained a variety of bite sized veggies.
About 1 pound of raw, peeled shrimp.

1. Sauce - mix it all together and set aside.
2. Combine garlic, scallions, and chili paste in a bowl.
3. Heat some oil in your wok and cook the mushrooms until tender.
4. Add the garlic, scallion, chili paste mixture and cook for a minute or so.
5. Add the veggies and cook for a few minutes.
6. Add the sauce and continue to cook.
7 Add the shrimp and cook until done.
8. Serve over rice and garnish with some reserved scallion greens.