Raisin Pecan Rye Bread

I've often posted recipes for Marjie Lambert's breadmaking book, and this is from her second book, the New Bread Machine book, published in 1999.

This book has 13 recipes for rye breads, and I'm excited to try a few more because rye bread is better for you for these reasons: it contains much more dietary fiber, which helps digestion and keeps you full longer; it has a lower glycemic index, causing a slower rise in blood sugar; and rye provides higher amounts of micronutrients like magnesium, iron, and B vitamins. 

Today, I decided on a fruit rye bread and almost had a disaster. After the first knead, I realized my new bread machine doesn't have an add-in alarm for the dough setting. In addition, the dough ball was knocking the bread machine off kilter on the counter after the first 50 minutes. I thought back through the ingredients and realized that I used only half the water. I decided to start the cycle over and had a sloppy mess in the machine with water spraying all over the inside pan and cover. Ugh. I ended up taking the ball and sloppy dough out of the pan and kneading it on a floured counter surface and plopping the wet mess back in and resetting the machine to mix and knead. I wanted to see how the consistency was AND if it rose after the 90 minutes.

At that point, I needed to mix in the nuts and raisins by hand. I ended up with a shaggy sausage-shaped dough and hoped for the best. I let it rise in the proofing oven for one hour, brushed it with beaten egg and hoped for the best after baking for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. It's not bad but I'll try again and hope for a rounder loaf, possibly baking it in a shaped pan.

1 cup + 2 T water
3 T. vegetable oil
1-1/2 T. sugar 
1-1/2 tsp. salt
3 T. cornmeal
1-3/4 c. + 2 T. bread flour
1 cup + 2 T. rye flour
1 T. yeast
6 T. raisins
6 T. chopped pecans

Place the wet ingredients into the bread maker pan, mix the salt, cornmeal, and flours and place in the pan. Place the yeast and sugar on top. Use the dough setting, adding the nuts and raisins after the first 15 minutes of the cycle. 

One thing that I did differently was mix about 1/4 c. water with a few T. of molasses and soaked the raisins (they were very dry and chewy) and the pecans for 1/2 hour.  I drained them and mixed those into the bread before baking. 

Beer and Balsamic Braised Beef Short Ribs

I bought a great book a few years ago that uses the flavored oils and balsamic vinegars that you see in multiple shops across the country. In our area it's Ripe from the Vine but I have also bought LeRoux, Fiore and Artisan over the years. They all come in dark bottles (they used to be refillable years ago when you visited the shop) and you can sample them before buying. Believe it or not, most of the vinegars are so delicious they are practically drinkable. They last a long time which is good because I often forget about them for fruit, vegetables and desserts.

On the front of the book, The Olive Oil and Vinegar Lover's Cookbook, there is a great list of the current flavors at the time of publication. There are a few more now, like Suyo Cucumber which is delicious with Dill flavored oil. Or Watermelon vinegar with Milanese Gremolata oil on fruit. There is also a series of cookbooks using these vinegars for Italian, Spanish, Greek and Syrian cuisine by the same author. If you use "balsamic" as a search term on this blog, you'll find some great recipes using flavored balsamic.

Yesterday I decided to make Beer and Balsamic Braised Beef Short Ribs in the crockpot. (I use shallow cookers called Magnifique Slow Cookers. They are great for braising and slow-cooking in smaller quantities than the large crockpots. They are also terrific servers on the table for stew, chili, soups, etc. That said, I had to replace my beautiful huge All-Clad when it died and wish I still had it. For this smaller recipe, however, the smaller is a better option.)

I had one package of short ribs which is one pound so I altered the recipe (in the italicized notes)

• 2-3 lbs trimmed beef short ribs (I used 1 lb. or four pieces already trimmed)
• 2 T. EVOO (1 used one)
• 1 large onion (I used 1/2)
• 2 garlic cloves (we love garlic!)
• 1/3 cup Espresso Dark balsamic vinegar (I used about 1/4 cup for flavor)
• 2 T. tomato paste (I used 1 T of the tube-kind that you keep in the refrigerator)
• 2 cups stout-style dark beer (I used a milk stout by Left Hand Brewing that we had on hand)
• 4-6 cups beef stock (I used about 2 cups and did not completely cover the ribs in the pot - they were fine and used the surplus broth for a delicious onion soup. I did not make a gravy but used about 1/2 cup of the broth on top on the dish.)

Sear the short ribs in the oil in the pot on all sides - about 1 minutes each side. Place them aside on a plate. Chop the onion and garlic and add to the crockpot and saute until soft and golden for 5-7 minutes. Add the balsamic and tomato paste to deglaze the pan, scraping bits off the bottom.  Add the ribs, bone-up. Cover with the beer and the beef stock.*

Place the lid on the cooker and cook the ribs on low for 6 to 8 hours. I served them with Basmati rice cooked with cubed carrots and fresh peas. Cover with sauce. 

Espresso Balsamic and Beer Onion Soup

I made a yummy onion soup with the surplus sauce from cooking Balsamic Braised Beef Short Ribs. I sauteed 4 onion - 1 red and 3 white/yellow until golden. I added the broth and slow-cooked for a few hours on high.

Yummy!

Rye Bread

I made rye bread in the breadmaker today - using the recipe book I always trust. The Bread Machine Cookbook by Marjie Lambert.

I made a 1-1/2 pound loaf recipe and cut the dough into half to make two smaller rounds. I baked it for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  I shaped each half into rounds and rolled those lightly in white flour. After rising one more hour, I used a pastry brush and a beaten egg and generously painted the egg on the rounds.

So good!

• 
  1-1/4 c water
• 1-1/2 T vegetable oil
• 2 T molasses
• 1-1/2 tsp.salt
• 1 T. caraway seeds
• 2-1/4 c bread flour
• 1 cup + 2 T rye flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Dark Rye flour)
• 1 T. yeast
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

I placed them all in the breadmaker in the order of ingredients above and set for dough. When the dough is ready after 1-1/2 hours, remove it from the machine and shape.

Set it in a warm place and let it rise* 1 hour. Place on a pan and bake for 30 minutes.

It's great warm (like any bread out there!)

Flourless Lemon Zucchini Cake

 

I looked forward to making this recipe I had saved for several months. (There are many places you'll find this cake on the Internet and this seems to be from Cooking with Sabrina on Facebook.) The ingredients intrigued me (cottage cheese, almond and coconut flour) and I thought it might be a good low-carb, low-sugar and protein-based cake. And I love everything lemon.

It was simple to make without a mixer (I used a whisk). I made this in a loaf pan which was a bit of a mistake (see below) and will make it in a shallower pan next time. I served it with homemade lemon ice cream and did not glaze it. But I would glaze a shallower cake and garnish with lemon peel.

To make this delicious Flourless Lemon Zucchini Cake, you'll need the following ingredients:

• 2 cups zucchini, finely grated (excess moisture squeezed out, which I did not do!)
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup cottage cheese
• ⅓ cup honey or maple syrup (I used honey and lemon paste)
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil or butter
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 ½ cups almond flour
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a shallow cake pan* and set it aside.

In a large bowl, combine grated zucchini, eggs, cottage cheese, honey or maple syrup, and melted coconut oil or butter. Mix well.

Add lemon zest and juice to the mixture and stir.

In another bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let it cool before serving.

You can top it with a light glaze, if desired. 

*The loaf cake cooked for at least 35 minutes but I was afraid to cook it longer. I possibly made it a bit too wet with the lemon paste and wet zucchini. In the end, I sliced two pieces from the ends and cooked them on ceramic plates for about a minute to set the dough. The guys LOVED it with the ice cream. It had the consistency of a warmed, moist banana bread.

The next day, I sliced the very moist cake into thick slices (one inch or more) and placed them separately on a cookie sheet lined with parchment in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes and then turned them over for another ten minutes. They are delicious and good for breakfast warm or cold - perhaps with yogurt. 

Shrimp with Asparagus and Tomatoes and Fettuccini

 

I bought some lovely very thin (maybe even baby) asparagus this week so looked for a recipe in  The Tucci Cookbook and there it was! Fettuccini with Asparagus and Shrimp. We always have frozen shrimp on hand and this was the 16 or 20 large size in the shell from Costco that I freeze separately for a dinner for two or three.

I decided to make fresh fettuccini, freezing the rest or gifting it. It's just so easy to make several batches at once, making several pounds of fresh pasta.

While I made the pasta, I got the ingredients together - things we always have on hand (shallots, garlic, fresh parsley and basil, tomatoes, red pepper flakes and white wine.) Gerry came into the kitchen and chopped the herbs and got the pasta water and skillet ready to cook. This comes together fast.

1 pound fettuccini

1 pound of shelled shrimp either whole or slices in half lengthwise.

Salt and fresh pepper to taste

1/2 cup white wine (dry or cooking wine)

12 medium asparagus or 8-16 oz. of the baby ones

5 T. olive oil plus more to drizzle on top of the pasta

2 T. finely diced shallots

2-3 cloves or garlic, finely sliced

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 T. chopped fresh basil leaves

1 cup tomatoes, coarsely chopped - we used the tiny Roma-shaped tomatoes that come packed on vines and Gerry cut them into sixths

Cook pasta in generously salted and gently boiling water (four minutes for homemade fettuccini. Drain and use just as the dish has come together after tossing with olive oil.

While pasta cooks, cut off the tough bottoms of the asparagus and take any tough layers of skin off with a peeler (this wasn't necessary with the baby asparagus.) Cut the asparagus into 2-inch long pieces. 

Warm 3 T of the olive oil in a skillet or large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the shallots and garlic, red pepper flakes, parsley and basil and cook, stirring frequently to flavor the oil with the aromatics, for one minute. Stir in the asparagus and shrimp. Cook for about three minutes until the shrimp are pink. Add the wine and cook until it evaporates, about a minute. Add the tomatoes and gently boil for another minute. Toss in the pasta to coat with all.

Plate and serve. No cheese, please!

*From OliviaOven.com: In traditional Italian cuisine, it is generally discouraged to put cheese on seafood dishes, including shrimp pasta. This is because cheese can overpower the delicate flavors of the seafood. However, some people enjoy the combination of shrimp and cheese, finding that certain cheeses, like feta, can complement shrimp well. Ultimately, if you enjoy the rich, creamy flavors of cheese, feel free to incorporate it into your shrimp pasta. If you prefer to let the seafood shine, it might be best to skip the cheese.

From HardCoreItalians.blog: Good old formaggio, it is flavorful and can make so many Italian dishes come to life. However, there is an exception. In Italy, cheese never goes on fish pasta, for several reasons. If you go to Italy and ask for cheese on a fish dish, don’t expect a typical response as you will likely be looked at like you’re pazzo. The rule that cheese does not go on fish originates in Italy, especially since many dishes from other countries combine fish and pasta. Take, for example, arides saganaki, a Grecian dish that combines feta, tomatoes, and broiled shrimp.

White Bean Antipasto (Tucci's Cookbook)

After spending our three weeks in Italy and then reading What I Ate in One Year, I'm tempted to start a Charlotte & Stanley blog. Every one of the recipes in the Tucci Cookbook sound delicious. 

This morning, I made the White Bean Antipasto. The flavors blended nicely by dinnertime (and I ate a spoonful each hour to test this!) I used more balsamic vinegar because Gerry loves the flavor, and I used the bottle we brought home from Rome. I served it on the side of some pasta with sausage and sauce that I made last week. I actually used two cans of beans and adjusted accordingly. 

• 2 cups cooked cannellini beans, rinsed and drained.
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• Two sprigs rosemary (I chopped the leaves)
• 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar (I used twice as much)
• Salt and pepper, freshly ground to taste
• 1 T. chopped fresh basil leaves

In a serving bowl, mix the beans and oil with red onion. Add the rosemary. Toss and add the vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss again and add the basil. Let it set at room temperature for awhile before serving.

I think I will try this as a dip, blended and eaten on toasted bread.