Moroccan Birthday Dinner

We created this dinner for my Dad's birthday.  My mom was out of town so we thought we'd treat him to something good for his big day.  The menu consisted of fresh dungeoness crab legs with a butter pesto dipping sauce, Moroccan carrot slaw, Moroccan chicken pot pie, and salad.  The dungeoness crab was fresh from Oregon, and it was amazing.

Recipe - Morrocan Carrot Slaw (really easy and full of flavor)*

2 C carrots, shredded
3/4 C Golden Raisins
1/2 C Fresh mint torn into small pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Whisk together olive oil and red wine vinegar, pour over carrots, golden raisins, and mint.  Add salt and pepper.

*I think this recipe came from sunset, but not sure.

Recipe - Moroccan Chicken Pot Pie (from epicurious.com)

Ingredients 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 lemon 3 tablespoons butter 1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 cup imported green olives, pitted, coarsely chopped 1/3 cup golden raisins 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 1 cup low-salt chicken broth 1 refrigerated pie crust (half of 15-ounce package) Preparation  Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix chicken cubes with paprika, cumin, and cinnamon in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle chicken generously with salt and pepper. Cut lemon in half; remove seeds. Using small spoon, scoop out enough pulp and juice from between membranes to measure 2 tablespoons. Add to chicken mixture; stir to blend. Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, olives, and raisins. Sauté until onion is almost tender, about 4 minutes. Add chicken mixture and stir 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over; stir 1 minute. Add broth and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Transfer filling to 9-inch-diameter deep-dish glass pie dish. Place pie crust over dish and seal dough edges to rim of dish. Using small paring knife, cut several slits in pie crust. Bake pot pie until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling thickly, about 20 minutes.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Moroccan-Chicken-Pot-Pie-240752#ixzz2HcjyI0lu

Stuffed Beet Confit with Cranberry Apple Gastrique

It all started with one beet pining for company in the fruit bowl; it was empty inside.  The potatoes, bread and garlic tried their best to keep the beet from withering away, but with no success.  Molecule by molecule, the beet released its tears into the air.  It refused to hydrate, slowly dying.  Each day the beet reached out for help, rolling closer and closer to the precipice that is death.  Just as the beet was about to take the step from which it could never return, a strong, full-of-life tuber grabbed the beet, saving it from certain doom.  The tuber reasoned with the beet, convincing it that rehydration was possible, not with water, but oil. 

The beet, however, was still empty; it needed something the tubor could not provide.  It had a wild side that needed to escape.  It had a sweet side that needed to be loved.  It had a rich side that needed to be shared. It had an earthy side that needed to be expressed.  And, most of all, the beet had colorful side that needed to be seen.  Little did the beet know, just outside its bowl, hidden from view, were companions that would soon fill its hollowness. 

For the next two days the beet lamented that it would never be full of life. On the third day, the beet's depression broke.  All day the beet rehydrated in a warm bath of olive scented oil.  The bath removed the beet's old, scaly, grumpy shell, revealing its soft and tender side.  Feeling rejuvinated, the beet opened its heart to the world around it, finding friends in all places; the frigid arctic, the shallow streams, the chthonic undergrowth, the kazakh mountains, and the herbacious wood.  Together with these new friends, the beet rejoiced, feeling warm inside. 

Yet, over the beet a cloud still hung, it was warm and happy, but needed more.  As the beet pondered its last desire, a torrential downpour began.  The rain covered the beet and its friends, soaking them win their own desire.  As quickly as the downpour began, it ended.  Leaving the beet and its friends with rich rewards.

That is the story of my stuffed beet confit with cranberry apple gastrique, and here's the recipe:

Beet Confit (or beet poached in oil):
2 Beets
Lots of oive oil

Stuffing:
1 Medium apple, diced
1 C Wild rice (uncooked)
1/2 C Fresh cremini mushrooms, diced
1/2 Onion, diced
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp dried rosemary
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1/2 Tbsp dried sage
1/2 C Shredded gruyere cheese (I used swiss, but gruyere would be better)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Inexpensive wine pairing
$11/bottle

  Cranberry-Apple Gastrique (buttery goodness):
  1 C Cranberry juice
  1/2 C Apple cider vinegar
  1 Tbsp Honey
  1/2 C Chicken stock
  6 Tbsp Unsalted butter
  1 Tsp Cayenne (optional)

  Garnish
  Apple slices


Preparation

Cook the wild rice and let cool.

To make the beet confit, rinse the beets off and dry them thoroughly.  Place them in a baking dish with sides 2 inches taller than the beets.  Cover the beets completely with olive oil and cook in a 350°F oven for 30-45 minutes until tender with a fork.  Remove from oil and let cool.  Once the beets are cool, remove the skins, they should peel off with relative ease. Using a melon baller, or spoon, hollow out the beets, leaving a 1/8" - 1/4" of beet on all sides.

To make the stuffing, sautee the onions and garlic in olive oil -- you can use the olive oil the beets cooked in.  Let the onions and garlic cool and then combine them with half of the wild rice, the apple, mushroom, rosemary, thyme, sage, gruyere, salt and pepper.

To make the gastrique, place the cranberry juice, apple cider vinegar, and honey in a pan and simmer until reduced to a syrup.  Add the chicken stock, reduce by 1/3.  Without boiling, swirl in the cold butter to thicken to desired consistency.  Add cayenne.

To assemble, use the remaining rice and cover the bottom of a chafing dish.  Stuff the beets with the stuffing and place on the bed of rice.  Cook the beets in the oven, 350°F, until warmed all the way through and the cheese is melty. Add apple slices to one side of the chafing dish for garnish (see picture).  Drizzle the cranberry-apple gastrique over the completed dish and serve.

Stuffed Mushrooms - the bacon kind

I have yet to meet a stuffed mushroom I don't immediately develop a rapport with.  So when the opportunity arose to make appetizers this week, I thought why not harken back to one of my favorites.  But, I didn't want to go with the standard bread stuffing; I wanted to branch out, but I didn't have the time to develop my own stuffing.  Fortunately, the epicurious app for my iphone is handy in a pinch.  I scrolled through about six recipes before I found this one, and boy did it look good. And it was!

We also used the leftover stuffing to stuff baked (350°F until tender) sweet potatoes, also pretty tasty.

8 ounces bacon slices
1 cup chopped onion
1 10-ounce package chopped frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 3/4 pounds button mushrooms (about 48; each about 1 1/2 inches in diameter), stemmed

Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Coarsely crumble bacon. Discard all but 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons bacon fat (adding olive oil if necessary to equal that amount).

Heat 2 teaspoons reserved bacon fat in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl and cool; mix in bacon, spinach, feta, cream cheese, and crushed red pepper. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper.

Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with foil. Toss mushrooms and reserved 1/4 cup bacon fat in large bowl to coat.  If you're looking to limit the use of bacon fat, use olive oil instead. Sprinkle mushrooms with salt and pepper. Place mushrooms, rounded side down, in single layer on prepared baking sheets. Bake mushrooms until centers fill with liquid, about 25 minutes. Turn mushrooms over. Bake mushrooms until brown and liquid evaporates, about 20 minutes longer. Turn mushrooms over again. Spoon 1 heaping teaspoon filling into each mushroom cavity. (Filled mushrooms can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake mushrooms until heated through, about 10 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to platter and serve warm.

I should probably read recipes all the way through before I make them, but that's no fun.  As it turns out, the first time I made this, I only roasted the mushrooms until the centers filled with liquid.  And, since I was in a time crunch, I just filled them with stuffing and did not rebake them.  Still tasted good.

The recipe is from Epicurious.com at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Mushrooms-Stuffed-with-Feta-Spinach-and-Bacon-105655#ixzz1mNif5C5I

Trout Chowder

What do you make with frozen Montana Trout? Well, I've been thinking about that for nearly 6 months.  Last summer I caught, and froze a number of brook trout, rainbow trout, and brown trout for winter eating.  Of course, as with anything I freeze, I tend to forget about it for nearly a year.  This summer, at one of Erin's softball games, her teammate suggested making a trout chowder.  I finally did, and it was pretty good, ask Erin.

5 10" Montana Trout
1 Can (12 oz) chicken broth
1 Medium onion
4 Cloves garlic, minced
3 medium red potatoes chopped
1 Can (12 oz) corn kernels
1 Red bell pepper
1 small jalapeno, diced
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tsp cayenne
2 C milk
2 Tbsp butter

Start by sauteeing the onions and garlic in the butter until they just start to brown in a large pot Add the potatoes and chicken broth to the onions and garlic, turn the heat to medium.  Cook until potatoes are almost done.  Add the remaining ingredients, except trout, and let simmer.  Cook the trout, on the grill, in a pan, or any other way. Remove the skin and bones, and break up the trout.  Add the trout to the soup and simmer for  20 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool overnight, allowing flavors to mix.

As a side note, I may not have listed all the spices, as I tend to forget what I added if I don't write it down immediately.  So, add whatever you think will taste good!

We enjoyed this with Gin and Tonics, I would recommend the same.