How to make roasted garlic

I think the only thing that smells as savory and beautiful than home baked bread is garlic roasting in the oven. I make roasted garlic to add to pasta sauces, salad dressings, and butter or olive oil to slather it warm french bread... happiness is served.

Roasted garlic is much more mellow and gentle than raw garlic. It has a sweet flavour to it, and therefore makes it even enjoyable to those who have sworn off the garlic because of it's harsh or strong raw flavor. Plus, it's easy to make!

Cut the tip off an entire head of garlic (see above). Put on a piece of aluminum foil.

Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. You can add herbs if you like.

Gather & slightly twist up the aluminum foil, You can leave a "slight" hole on the top for steam to escape (but if you're worried about oil splattering in your oven, it's fine to twist the top closed). The whole in the above photo is exaggerated to show what is being described.  You can place the wrapped garlic directly on the oven rack, or place on a cooking sheet. Roast at 325F for about an hour. The garlic should resemble the photo bellow when it is done. If the garlic is still a white or cream color, you may keep it in the oven a bit longer, but be sure to keep an eye on the time.

Voila, there you have beautiful caramelized garlic!  Your home will smell heavenly as well! Or at least I think so, my husband and I are huge garlic fans, so we truly enjoy the sensuous aroma..

 

The cloves pop out easily. From there you can create a garlic paste to use in your favorite sauces, dressings and spreads. Nice restaurants charge a lot for "mashed potatoes with roasted garlic" but you can make it at home for pennies! Just add the roasted cloves, some  half & half, salt and pepper, mix in your mashed potatoes, and enjoy the creamy delicious results!

Photos by Susie Ridler

Benjies... an oldie but a goodie!

For my 40th Birthday my family and I took a trip to Southern California. During our stay, one day was reserved for spending time with my dad. On this special day, my dad and my husband and I found ourselves in search of a Jewish deli (I was  jonesing for a piled high corned beef sandwich. I didn't know my way around Southern Cal, and had no idea where we could go. All I knew was that I was having a serious craving for some good old fashion Jewish deli food (a.k.a "Comfort food). As my husband searched for locations in his iphone (what a handy little gadget)he came across "Benjies," a New York Deli style Restaurant, located not far from where we happened to be. Even better, it turns out Benjies Restaurant is located in the city my dad grew up in, and it has a family history! As it turned out, my dad and his dad (my grandpa) used to eat at Benjies when they lived in Southern Cal (over 30 years ago). What a perfect location to celebrate my birthday. 


Benjies is a classic!  Well worn, outdated and truly vintage.... just like an old style deli should be, with all of your deli staples (even an over bearing, "tell it like it is," New York style server to complete the experience). From the moment I walked into the restaurant and bestowed my eyes on all the scrumptious deli items and desserts, I knew we'd come to the right place! I'm not sure, but I think being Jewish must go hand in hand with craving matzoh ball soup, knishes, deli meats, pickles, latkes, and sweet macaroons. Benjies definitely fit the bill! Benjies menu is packed cracker jack full of all the traditional Jewish comfort foods: Pastrami on rye,corned beef and coleslaw, potato latkes, chicken motzo ball soup, and much much more! They even place sliced kosher pickles on your table (instead of bread, hello, can you say "delish!"). And, for my dad, who happens to be a Vegan (a diet with no animal products, i.e., meat or dairy) they even offered him a nice big plate of pasta with marinara sauce. As for me, well, let's just say my corned beef craving was more than satisfied, as well as, my sweet tooth! I enjoyed an extra rich, creamy, and delicious Napoleon to top of what was already a wonderful birthday! 

"Oy" our bellies were so full when we left this joint!! And, Oh do I wish I could go back tomorrow and do it all over again!! I even left with a souvenir ! A Benjies t-shirt that just so happens to says, "Celebrating 40 Years of Excellence..." now you tell me it was not fate (granted, the shirt was 2 years old, but that's not the point:)!


Ahhh Benjies, what a wonderful memory! Thanks DAD!!


If you're ever in the neighborhood!
Benjies, New York Deli Restaurant
1828 N. Tustin Ave.
Santa Ana, California
www.benjiesdeli.com/

Mediterranean Pasta Salad Ideas

Greetings and Salutations..

I received my first recipe request (Whoa!) for a Mediterranean pasta salad recipe.. And, I just happen to have a couple of recipe ideas to share... A while back my husband and I visited some friends in Seattle WA. Well, the hostess of our little gathering is very well known for her masterful culinary works of art.. And, she did not let us down.. We were presented with an amazing pasta salad (antipasto dish).. I later asked her for the recipe, and here's what she sent me (word for word.. And, please don't be fooled by how caviler she may seem, this dish is really fantastic & offers a great presentation!).. All I can say is you (and your guests) will not be disappointed..I will also post a pasta salad that I make from time to time and never get tired of.

For those of you who are wondering, when we speak of a Mediterranean Pasta dish (or other Mediterranean dishes) we are referring to three specific continents, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Since the Mediterranean covers a large geographical area, you can imagine how many different variations of pasta salad are out there.. If you know of a Mediterranean dish that you think really "hits the spot," please submit your recipe (just click on the little envelope at the end of this posting and share (remember, "Sharing is Caring!").

Robin's (the bomb) Antipasto:
"There really is NO recipe...I just throw a pound of crap in a bowl. Like a jumbo antipasto. I will try to list some of the things I use, anything can be opted out!"

Jumbo pasta (cooked and cooled under cold water, rinsed)
Italian Dry salami (or any kind of Turkey or Beef salami)
Heart of palms cut into 1 inch pieces (canned)
Artichoke hearts cut up or quartered standard artichokes (canned)
Baby Corn (canned)
Any kind of olives
Tomatoes
Carrots (cut up) or petite
Celery
Pickled mushrooms (or oil soaked)
Pickled green beans or pea pods
Red Pepper (or the roasted in the jar kind)
Banana peppers
Pickled Cauliflower
Variety of cheeses...you can use tiny mozzarella balls, or any number of non-mushy cheeses...Jarlesberg, Swiss, Gouda...name it (talk to your cheese guy)
Garbanzo beans (canned)
Paul Newman Balsamic salad dressing

So, you take any number of things on this list, Throw it in a large Ziplock bag and pour some Paul Newman over it. It can be made the night before or Days before...
Best served with a crusty baguette or crackers. Use as appetizer or main course salad. People think you are a super hero but all it really is is opening cans and throwing shit in a bag. If you accidentally put in too much dressing, drain the bag before serving. The whole thing takes five minutes. I always keep the ingredients in the pantry in case there is company."

---- courtesy of Robin, Seattle WA.
_____________________________________________________

As for the Saucy Chef...

With some help from recipes and friends, I've been making this pasta salad dish (or variations of it) for a few years now. It's as simple or as time consuming as you want to make it. The more you add, the more you chop, the more you chop, the more time it takes. It's a pretty basic pasta salad recipe, but we always enjoy eating it for days (lunch & dinner)..

What you'll need: Large pot for boiling pasta, Large bowl for mixing salad, Wooden spoon, and a sharp knife

Ingredients:
Bell peppers (green, red, and orange peppers for a colorful salad, and only green peppers if you want to keep the cost down).
About 1/2 cup of Olives (I use a combination of kalamata olives and traditional black. You can add green ones if you're a fan. Whole looks prettier, but sliced goes further
Mozzarella cheese -cut into cubes (or buy the pretty round balled mozzarella)
one bunch Broccoli (I usually blanch - or cook until soft) Just add the broccoli it to the boiling pot of pasta near the end of the pasta cooking time.
Pasta Noodles (colorful spiral noodles (Rotini) or Farfalle (Bow tie) noodles look great, but choose the past you prefer.
About 1/2 Cup of Paul Newman's Cheesy Fantastico Salad Dressing
Best Foods Mayo
2 teaspoons Italian Herbs (any or all of the following‚ garlic, Italian seasoning, Thyme, and/or basil)
handful of Pine Nuts and/or Sun Dried tomatoes (optional, but great additions)

In large bowl pour about 1/2 cup of salad dressing and a few Table Spoonful's of mayo. Sprinkle Italian seasonings (garlic salt/powder, Basil, Rosemary, etc.)and salt, pepper into the mixture and blend well. ** Add the pasta last, after all veggies & seasonings have been smothered in salad/mayo dressing** You want it to be creamy.

Add the pasta noodles and mix all the ingredients together well. Add more salad dressing and Mayo if needed (I usually add more dressing and mayo and herbs until It's the taste good to me).. Add anything that tastes good to you.. I try to put as much color as I can into the salad, but for some people the simpler the better. You can use fresh bell peppers for a little crunch, or you can cut them in half, brush with olive oil and broil on high for 10/20 min. (then cut into chunks or strips and add to mayo/dressing). I usually just use the fresh & raw bell peppers, but sometimes I like to mix things up a bit..

To cut down on time if need, use packaged chopped bell peppers and broccoli (Trader Joe's & most grocery stores offer veggies in a bag now if you're so inclined).. This cuts the time in 1/2.. I enjoy the process of chopping if I have the time, but if time is of the essence, there is not shame in getting a little help...

I recently started to add some chopped fresh basil to the mix at the end (but that's up to you). I also add Parmesan cheese as a final touch.

NOTE:
Other ingredients to use when trying to really "spice things up"
Artichoke hearts from a can (chopped), roasted garlic (roasted w/olive oil in tinfoil in oven on broil set at High for about 25 - 30 min). You can also add some kind of Italian meet (salami, etc..). I've also made this salad with pesto as well. It's really up to you.

Now, go and eat!!

Hungarian Chicken Paprika Stew with Tomato's / Paprikas csirkeporkolt pardicsommal

Tonight The Saucy Chef (and her hubby) traveled to the little country of Hungry.. Well, at least our taste buds did some traveling. If you are like me, you may not know very much about the food, culture, and people of Hungry.. Here's what I learned though my culinary travels today.. The best-known ingredient in Hungarian food is the red-powdered spice called paprika (there is an actual Hungarian Sweet Paprika). It is used to flavor many dishes. Other staples of Hungarian cooking include onions, cabbage, potatoes, noodles, and caraway seeds (all available here in Sacramento. Both cream and sour cream are used heavily in Hungarian food. Dumplings (dough wrapped around different kinds of fillings) are very popular as are cabbages or green peppers stuffed with meat and rice. Another favorite is the pancake called a palacsinta. It is often rolled or wrapped around different kinds of fillings.

Travel sources indicate that the country of Hungary is the ideal place for anyone wishing to enjoy a spa or wellness vacation. Each year thousands of visitors seeking rest and rejuvenation travel to the country's spa cities, which are famous for their natural healing thermal waters.
Apparently, if you travel to Hungry, you don't want to miss all of the gastronomic delicacies, for example Goulash soup, stuffed cabbage, paprika chicken(the dish we tried tonight!), roast duck, the famous letcho, and for dessert the sour-cherry strudel.

Chicken Paprika Stew with Tomato
(Paprikas csirkeporkolt paradicsommal)

The recipe includes directions for making traditional dumplings to go with it, but I served it on wide noodles. Hopefully I'll try to make the home made dumplings next time..

Original recipe taken from June Meyer's cooking Hungarian website. Again, I cut this recipe in half (for two). We enjoyed it so much I'm planning on making a full batch next time and enjoying the leftovers! This beautifully presented dish is full of flavor and is complemented with a green salad on the side. This was my first Hungarian dish and I'm inspired to explore more! I think I'll read up a little on the country of Hungry..

Happy cooking!! I'll post photos of the dish soon..

2 onions chopped
4 Tbsp. oil
3 Tbsp. Hungarian paprika
2 tsp. sugar, do not omit
1/8 Tsp. black pepper or whole pepper corns
1 bay leaf
2 Tsp. salt
4 to 5 lbs. chicken disjointed, use legs and thighs for best flavor, but breast will turn out good as well..
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
2 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. butter
1/2 pt. sour cream (I use plain yogurt)

Brown onions in oil.
Add seasonings and chicken, brown 10 minutes. Do not let burn.
Add tomatoes, bay leaf and water, cover and let simmer slowly until it is tender. It will smell wonderful!
To thicken gravy, mix into a paste 2 Tbs. soft butter with 2 Tbs. flour and stir into the stew liquid.
Cook a few minutes until the liquid thickens.
Serve with dumplings & dollop of sour cream / plain yogurt

Cheers!

French Scrambled Eggs / Oeufs Brouilles

"Grasp the handle of the pan with both hands, thumbs on top, and immediately begin jerking the pan vigorously and roughly toward you at an even, 20-degree angle over the heat, one jerk per second. It is the sharp pull of the pan toward you which throws the eggs against the lid of the pan, then back over its bottom surface. You must have the courage to be rough or the eggs will not loosen themselves from the bottom of the pan. After several jerks, the eggs will begin to thicken... " Julia Child

The above is an exert (from Julia Child's, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking") taken from the book Julie & Julia (by Julie Powell). As you can see, the French have an interesting relationship with eggs.. My sister visited Paris, France a few years back and came back complaining about the fact that eggs were put practically ever dish they ordered in Paris (my sister is not a fan of the "Egg").. I find it interesting that the French have found so many culinary uses for eggs (when you have a moment, look up all the variations of poached eggs, keyword "Oeufs"). Even scrambled eggs find a place in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." This morning, I tried scrambled Eggs, ah la French Style... Be careful as to not heat up your pan to high to begin with.. Everyone I know adds milk/cream to the eggs before they are cooked, but not Julia Child! My husband described the eggs as delicate, fluffy and very tasty (this works for me ;).... They were different from the scrambled eggs I usually make, but I enjoyed the process much more.. The French Scrambled egg is more of an art form, the process makes you feel like you've actually created something worthy of the term culinary art..

Scrambled eggs in French are creamy soft curds that just hold their shape from fork to mouth. As stated in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, "Their preparation is a matter of stirring the eggs over gentle heat until they slowly thicken as a mass into a custard."

What you will need:

Fork or wire whip
Mixing bowl
Eggs
pinch of salt & pepper
2 Tb softened butter
Frying pan (the heavier the better)
Spatula
Cream and/or butter
Parsley sprigs (optional)

Now Julia suggests 8 eggs or 7 eggs and 2 yolks.. I'm only cooking for my husband and I, so I have to shorten the ingredients..

Beat the eggs in the bowl with salt & pepper for 20 to 30 seconds only

Smear the bottom and sides of pan with butter (this is not low calorie, the French eat for taste...)
Pour in the eggs and set over moderately low heat. Stir slowly and continually. Nothing will seem to happen for 2 to 3 minutes as the eggs slowly heat up.

When you notice the eggs begin to thicken, begin to stir rapidly and jerk the pan back and forth above the heat (see top of this page for helpful hint). Heat until the eggs have thickened to the consistency you desire and remove from heat. The eggs will continue to thicken slightly.

As soon as you see the eggs are at the consistency you like, stir in the butter and/or cream (this enhances the flavor as well as stops the cooking). I made the mistake of adding the cream when the pan was still on the burner, but they still turned out very good.

Sprinkle with parsley if you so desire and enjoy!

*Note
I like to add cheese (feta), spinach, and sometimes olives in my egg dishes, but I find that in the French style eggs, the cheese works, but not the olives.. Good luck & share your thoughts!!

Arroz con Pollo / Spanish Chicken and Rice

Tonight I tried Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rise).. Arroz con Pollo is said to be a traditional Spanish meal served throughout Spain. Since my husband and I are hoping to travel to Spain sometime in the next 12 months, I thought I would begin exploring the spices and flavors of this colorful and beautiful culture. I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome of this dish. Although I was expecting a bit more fiery pizazz, I was still very pleased by the subtle flavors and overall "essence" of this dish, not to mention, my hubby thoroughly enjoyed it! Ah success!

Ingredients:

Because I only cook for my husband and myself, I cut the following recipe in half...

3 lbs of chicken, cut into small pieces

6 Tbs extra virgin Olive oil

1 chopped onion

4 Tbs chopped garlic

salt & pepper

6Tbs chopped parsley

5 wood-fired roasted piquillo peppers(Trader Joe's sells them)

paprika (pimenton de la Vera) Hungarian Paprika is closest

1 pinch of saffron

31/2 cups of chicken broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 cups white rice

Preparation:

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper (be sure the chicken is dry before you begin the process). In a large deep pan (rice will be cooked here, too) heat the oil and saute the chicken until golden on all sides. Remove chicken to a warm platter. Add the onion, garlic, and parsley to the oil and saute until the onion is soft. Add the pimentos, pimentón, saffron, broth, wine, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Add the rice and cook over medium high heat, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, stirring until the rice is semi-dry but some liquid remains. Burry the chicken in the rice. Cover and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. Turn the rice and the chicken over with a fork from bottom to top; cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. Transfer rice and chicken to a serving platter and garnish with a little parsley.

The dish takes a bit of time to prepare, if you enjoy wine, pour a glass of the white wine your using in this dish to help you enjoy the cooking time.. If you're not someone who enjoys wine (I'm trying it out for size these days), just enjoy the process of creating something that you can feel good about eating. Cooking is one of the rare moments in life that gives you the opportunity to actually "create!"

Cheers to you!!