Braised Goat Shank

I know, why goat...Bob had been talking about how good it was a while back, I saw that someone was selling it at our downtown farmer's market and asked for the best cut for a neophyte. The nice vendor gave me an organic grass-fed shank, which I promptly put in my freezer and ignored out of fear.  I was afraid it would taste gamy or that cooking it would be complicated. Turns out neither are true. In going through my freezer this weekend ( I recommend that you do this at least every few months !!) I found the forgotten shank and decided to be brave. Bob made it easier by finding me a recipe for braised goat shank.
It is so amazingly easy and tasty I would definitely make it again. And I'll bet this recipe would work with whatever kind of shank you have. The shank, by the way is the shin bone or tibia.

I didn't take a lot of photos while I was making this dish because I didn't think I would be posting about it. It is sooo easy it doesn't really need a lot of visual aids.
Here is my modified version of the recipe I used. It called for all organic so I left it that way. It also called for lemons slices, instead I threw in a handful of kumquats that Genna had sent me. I think this was a great addition. The original recipe called for a tablespoon each of salt and pepper before cooking, by mistake I left that out. Both Bob and I felt it didn't really need it. I loved that you could put it all in a pot in the oven  and literally walk away for three hours. I was so busy I didn't even look until we were about to eat. The meat was tender, falling off the bone and a very light flavor. I highly recommend serving this over mashed potatoes.

Ingredients.

    •    Grass Fed Goat Shank, 4 pc.
    •    1/3 cup Organic Olive Oil
    •    Organic Garlic, 4 clove
    •    Organic Onions, raw, 2 medium
    •    Organic Diced Tomatoes, 1 can, 15 oz
    •    Organic Red Wine, 2 cups
    •    Balsamic Vinegar, 1 tbsp
    •    Brown Sugar, 2  tbsp.
    •    1 Lemon, sliced
    •    sprigs of fresh herbs, rosemary, oregano or basil
    •    salt and pepper to taste after cooking


Directions
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2. Layer onions on the bottom of a lidded pan. Place shanks on top. Pour wine, balsamic vinegar, and olice oil over shanks. Place cloves of garlic between the shanks. Sprinkle brown sugar on top. Pour tomatoes over everything then place lemon slices and herbs on top.
3. Cover and cook for 3 hours. Serve Immediately.

Sticky Cinnamon Rolls !!

Sticky Cinnamon Rolls

My grandmother used to make the most amazing "sticky rolls" for me. I have great memories of getting to help her make them. They were quite a process and well worth it.

By way of Genna's food blog entry on Cheesy What's Its (http://graynbayns.blogspot.com/2010/07/cheesy-whats-its.html, I have discovered a great way to make those yummy cinnamon rolls that's easier and just as tasty.

You can either buy pre-made pizza dough or use this recipe I modified for pizza dough in the bread machine.
If you use pre-made pizza dough, check the weight, it it is only a pound you will need to modify the amounts of this recipe and the size of the pan.

Dough recipe : yields 1 1/2 pounds
1 cup water
3 cups unbleached white flour ( you can use 1/2 to 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour in place of the white flour)
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. canola oil
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. dry active yeast

Once you have you dough either way, flour a work space and begin to work the dough into a rectangle.

Melt 1/2 cup of butter ( or  Earth Balance ).
Mix together 2 tbsp. of sugar and 2 tsp of cinnamon.

Using your fingers or a brush cover the dough with melted butter. Sprinkle it with the sugar and cinnamon mixture. You can add a 1/2 cup raisins if you like.

Now starting at the long edge, tightly roll up the dough to form a long tube, be sure to squeeze the edges so it stays rolled up.

In a baking pan ( 9 by 13 inch for the dough recipe above), pour the rest of the butter, add 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup maple syrup and swirl together to mix.
You can add 1/2 chopped walnuts if you like.

Now cut the dough into one inch or so pieces and place them in the sugary pan. Cover with plastic wrap.

At this point if you want to bake them right away, preheat the oven to 350 F and let them rise for 30 minutes. OR I often do all this prep in the evening and just let them rise overnight.

Either way bake them for 30 minutes at 350 F.

Prepare a cookie sheet with waxed paper. When the rolls are baked turn the pan upside down on the waxed paper. All the gooey stuff should adhere to the rolls. Remove the pan and voila, very yummy cinnamon rolls.

 

Here are two other cinnamon roll recipes that Genna mentioned to me. We have not tried either of them but they have potential.

Cinnamon rolls with bacon, now that's a concept.

http://rainydaygal.com/2009/12/18/day-6-bacon-cinnamon-rolls/

Or pumpkin cinnamon rolls !!

http://www.grumpyshoneybunch.com/2010/11/pumpkin-spice-cinnamon-buns.html

Tortilla Soup

The other day my friend Laurie brought me lunch. That alone was a treat, I love being fed.
What she made me was a revelation: tortilla soup !! I may be the last person to discover this great meal. I had heard of it before but pictured some anemic broth with bit of tortilla floating in it, nothing could be further from the truth.
Her version was from The Yogic Kitchen: http://theyogickitchen.blogspot.com/2011/04/tortilla-soup.html

I modified it, of course, and was very pleased with the result. The refried beans gave it a thicker texture and the additional spices gave it more complexity. 
This soup will really come into its own in the late summer when corn, tomatoes and peppers are fresh in our farmers markets.
As with most soup there is a lot a room for adaptation, it can be vegetarian, vegan or meaty and don't be afraid to make your own substitutions.

Laurie's version of Tortilla Soup

1 large red onion, chopped

2 frozen roasted bell pepper, chopped, use fresh when available.

1 bag frozen corn, rinsed and drained

1 cup refried beans(optional)

1 cup finely chopped red cabbage (optional but highly recommended)

1 can black beans, drained or use kidney or pinto beans

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 pint canned tomatoes

1 quart veggie or chicken or beef broth

1 tbsp chili powder ( I was out so I used fajita seasoning)
1 tsp. ancho chili (optional)*
1/4 red chili flakes, more if you like it hotter
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika ( optional)*
2 tbsp cumin
sprig of fresh oregano or 1 tsp. of dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
* If you leave these out add more chili powder.

Saute the corn until dark around the edges, this will take longer than you might imagine since you start with the corn frozen. To speed this up you could use the fire roasted frozen corn from Trader Joe's.
Add in the onion, garlic, cabbage and bell pepper, cook until soft.
Add in the spices and saute another minute or so, to release the full flavor of the spices. Combine the rest of the ingredients and cook until bubbling.

Serve over fresh corn tortillas cut into strips ( I found that heating them up first is great). 

 

Top with sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, a slice of lime, chopped avocado, cilantro and hot sauce or salsa, or whatever strikes your fancy.

This soup make a very hearty meal, it will become a mainstay at our house.

Preserved Lemons

Lately I have noticed everyone's lemon trees are loaded with beautiful yellow fruit right now. So it's the perfect time to post about preserved lemons.

They so simple and so fun to use in sauces, marinades and salad dressings.
Here is my version.

You will need a clean wide mouth jar with a lid, preferably non-metallic, a dozen or so lemons and salt.

Wash the lemons and remove the stem end, slice into quarters long ways.You can remove the seeds or leave them in.

Begin to layer them into your jar, liberally adding salt between each layer( a tablespoon or so). Press them down to pack more in, more salt. When you have the jar full of lemon quarters and salt, juice the rest of the lemons and pour in the jar. Run a knife along the side of the jar to make more room for juice, fill to the top.

Set the jar on your counter and shake everyday. In 7 to 10 days the lemons will be ready to use, place them in your fridge. You can use just the rinds in sauces or dressings or use the whole lemon in marinades.

 You can see in the above photo the different between the fresh lemon slice on the left and the preserved one on the right.

For a tasty marinade for fish, chicken or grilled veggies, use one or two slices of preserved lemons, chopped, 1/2 cup olive oil, the juice of a fresh lemon, a tablespoon of preserved lemon salty juice and whatever fresh herbs you have on hand.

I just made some for the fresh salmon I plan to grill tonight.

To make my favorite sauce to serve on the fish or veggies, chicken, rice... take 1/2 cup plain yogurt, add one quarter preserved lemon rind finely minced and 1/2 teaspoon of the salty lemon juice.

If you want to pop it up a notch add fresh chopped herbs and a clove of minced garlic, mix all that together, yum !!

Chocolate Chip Nut Butter Cookies

Chocolate Chip Nut Butter Cookies

I was having a craving the other day for peanut butter cookies, you know the kind with the little fork cross hatch on the top ?? I wanted to use my own mongrel mixed nut butter (I know it had some walnuts, peanuts, almonds, maybe even a few pistachios, and pecans). I started looking online for recipes. Many of them cautioned me against using fresh peanut butter, what the heck ?? I am sure there were some good reasons, but none of them mattered to me. I finally found this one on the Joy of Baking website and modified it to suit my tastes. You can make them with peanut butter or try a combination of other nut butters, almond, cashew etc...
I decided I wanted chocolate with my cookies but I don't like the way the chocolate chips bake in the cookies or the trouble you have making the fork marks. I love my solution, put the little chocolate suckers on after the mark and before they get baked, that way you can leave some plain if you like.
These cookies were so good, I had trouble keeping them around more than a day.

(Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking)
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup  white sugar
3/4 cup  peanut butter (smooth or crunchy) I used my own mixed nut butter.
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups  all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
  some chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

• In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). 

• Beat in the nut butter .
•  Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. 
• In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. 
• Add Flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and beat until incorporated. 
• Chill the dough for an hour or more.

• Roll the batter into 1 inch balls. I dipped the top of each ball in the sugar, this made it much easier to do that little fork thing on top. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, placing about 2 inches apart. Then, using the tines of the fork that has been dipped in white granulated sugar, make a crisscross pattern. 

• After the fork thing I placed 4-6 chocolate chips. on each cookie.

Bake the cookies for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Can be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container, for about a week. Freeze for longer storage.
Makes about 30-35 cookies.

Baked French Toast

I love French toast, but I don't like standing around the stove and having to tend it while Bob eats his slice, then I try and eat mine before it cools while watching the next batch. You get the picture.
I discovered baking it and now the problem is solved !! You can adapt your favorite recipe to this method.

Heat the oven to 375 F.
Depending on the amount you want to make, choose a glass baking dish (9 by 13 inch works well for 8 slices of regular loaf bread).
Place 2-3 tablespoon of butter in the baking dish then into the oven.
While the butter is melting make up your French toast batter.
For the recipe pictured, I used 4 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cardamon, the zest from one orange.
I used a brioche egg bread thickly sliced the night before and left out to get "stale". You can use any kind of bread you like, French baguettes, whole grain sliced bread, even croissants or muffins.
Soak the slices in the batter and place in the baking dish with the melted butter. You can over lap the slices if you like,if so use a longer baking time.
If there is extra batter pour that over the top. 
Bake for 10 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of your bread, the amount of batter and how moist you like your French toast.
Remove and serve with maple syrup, fresh fruit, yogurt, honey, applesauce, lemon curd...the possibilities are endless.