De Ma Cuisine

Meat Archive

Monday

16

December 2013

2

COMMENTS

Sliders with Caramelized Onions and Gorgonzola – In the Kitchen with Rachel O – Video

Written by , Posted in Appetizers, Beef, Cheese, Dinner, In the Kitchen with Rachel O, Main Dishes, Meat, Sides, Snacks, Vegetables

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What can I really say about Sliders? I mean, how many ways can I say delicious? I love a good burger. I really love a good slider… because then I get to eat more than one!! (Plus, they’re little and cute.)

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I think it’s fun to get creative with food. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a pickle, mustard, and onion burger. You know, the usual. But, let’s try something else.

You know how delectable caramelized onions are on a crostini with melty gorgonzola? You do know this, right? If not, stop reading and make a quick snack. You’ve got to try these flavors together. Ok, now that you’re back, let’s discuss the sweet caramelized onions and how well they pair with tangy gorgonzola. Is your mind blown? I know. I’ve been there. (Another mind blowing option: gorgonzola, roasted figs, baguette, and honey. Do this. Go there. You gotta!)

If you are not the biggest fan of gorgonzola, Tim can sympathize. I made his without. But with mustard and pickles. That’s cool. Cool cool cool. We don’t have to have the exact same taste in food.

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Caramelized onions are one of my favorite things. Does it ever just flabbergast you that this vegetable, so pungent, so intense, could ever be mellowed out? I’m amazed at what a little heat and some honey can do. I’m glad that we don’t just have to eat bland, flavorless, boring food. That’d be so lame. I’m totally not into that. I want big, bold flavors. I want surprising new tastes (um, I don’t mean like trying Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, where you expect lemon and get rotten egg). I crave the experience of enjoying food.

For all this, we have Sliders topped with caramelized onions and gorgonzola. C’est très très bon.

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Happy Eating!

Sliders with Caramelized Onions and Gorgonzola
Recipe Type: Main Dish, Appetizer, Dinner, Meat, Beef, Cheese, Vegetables
Cuisine: American
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-3
Cute little sliders with big taste.
Ingredients
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 T honey
  • pinch dried thyme
  • 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • 1 T red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 t salt
  • pinch pepper
  • 1/4 t thyme
  • 1 T olive oil
  • Gorgonzola cheese, sliced
  • 6 mini burger buns, halved
Instructions
  1. Add onion, pinch thyme, and honey to a dry skillet. Cook over low heat for 25-30 minutes, or until onions are caramelized.
  2. Combine beef, vinegar, salt, pepper, and thyme in a bowl. Mix with hands (do not over mix). Shape into 6 small patties. Press thumb into center to create a small indent.
  3. Heat skillet. Add oil. When hot, add patties, and cook over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes. Flip, and cook covered, for 3-5 minutes more, or until a meat thermometer registers 160F.
  4. Remove from heat. Top with gorgonzola and cover. Let stand for a few minutes.
  5. Serve on a bun topped with caramelized onions.

Wednesday

11

December 2013

5

COMMENTS

Three Bean Chili – In the Kitchen with Rachel O – Video

Written by , Posted in Beans, Beef, Dinner, Fruit, Gluten Free, In the Kitchen with Rachel O, Legumes, Main Dishes, Meat, One Dish Dinners, Soups, Vegetables

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Beans beans beans. I love beans. I wonder if I have too many foods that I love. Nah. I just had this awful thought, “What if I hated as many foods as I love!?” That would be terrible. Let’s not even go down that path. Shudder…

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I have made chili about one million different ways. Long before I knew I liked to cook, eons before blogging was even a thing, I liked to make chili. Back then I thought it tasted good. I have no idea if it actually did, since I don’t time travel (I think that that’s the second time I’ve mentioned time travel on here in a short time… I’m cool with that… Tim should be very proud). I suppose that as my chili recipe has evolved, so has the taste. It’s a good thing to learn, grow, change, don’t you think? I mean, if we go deep for a minute, would I want to be the person I was a year ago, 5 years ago, 10, 15, or 20 years ago? Heavens no. I’ve learned, I’ve changed, I hope that I’ve become a better version of myself. As we mature, that’s what tends to happen.

Kinda like a good chili. The recipe changes over the years. Ingredients are added and subtracted, cooking times speed up and slow down. The chili itself gets deeper and richer as time passes, gently simmering over the fire. A great metaphor for our lives I think. I want to be chili. With a depth, a richness, a savory quality that can only come from years of well seasoned living.

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This is a well seasoned, deep chili. It can cook for a shorter time or you can let it go for longer. It’s simple, yet rich. It’s hearty. It will fill you right up, but might leave you wanting more, because it tastes so good. It’s perfect with your favorite cornbread. Um, but then what isn’t? Cornbread is one of those foods that I could eat forever. I like it cold the next day, standing in front of the fridge with the door open, starving, needing a snack. It is the perfect solution to that problem. It’s great heated up in the toaster with a fried egg for breakfast. Or, with the leftover chili. That’s always a good idea.

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Here’s to lives and food that have depth, richness, and are well seasoned.

Happy Eating!

Three Bean Chili
Recipe Type: Main Dish, Dinner, Soup, Chili, Hearty, Stove Top, One Dish Dinner, Easy, Meat, Beef, Legumes, Beans, Vegetables
Cuisine: American
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • 1 C onion, chopped
  • 1 serrano pepper, ribs and seeds removed, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, diced
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 C black beans
  • 1 C kidney beans
  • 1 C cranberry beans
  • 1 t salt
  • 1/4 t pepper
  • 1/4 t ginger
  • 1 t chili powder
  • 1 t sweet paprika
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar
  • 2-3 C vegetable stock (beef or chicken would work too)
  • 1 T honey
  • 1 t butter
Instructions
  1. Heat soup pot and add beef. Break up and cook for a few minutes. Add onion and serrano pepper, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  2. Add garlic, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, and tomato. Cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Add beans, seasonings, stock, and honey. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
  5. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
  6. Serve with your favorite cornbread.

Happy Eating!

Thursday

5

December 2013

2

COMMENTS

Orzo Pasta with Kale and Italian Sausage – In the Kitchen with Rachel O – Video

Written by , Posted in Cheese, Dinner, Herbs, In the Kitchen with Rachel O, Main Dishes, Meat, Pasta, Pork, Quick and Easy, Sausage, Vegetables

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Something weird happened. I discovered that I’d never tried Orzo pasta. What?! Why!? Don’t worry, I rectified it. I need to issue an apology to Orzo pastas everywhere. I was sticking to my usuals: rotini, penne, and spaghetti. I can’t believe I was missing out for all these years.

Now I know.

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We’re getting in to the season of greens. Hooray! Yippee! Let’s rejoice! I love to eat greens. I love beet greens, collard greens, and kale. Spinach is awesome, mustard greens are spicy-good, and swiss chard is pretty looking and tastes great.

They’re packed with nutrients (hello vitamins A and C, calcium and magnesium, potassium and folic acid*). They are so easy to make (hello salads, wilted or sautéed, and in a frittata). And, they taste really good.

I like to eat greens just about any way I can think to make them. Add them to a soup? Yes! Bake them and make chips? Please! Purée them and make pesto? Obviously! And then there’s one of my super favorite ways: wilted. Wilted wilted wilted.

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Let’s talk about a spicy sausage that you can feel good about eating. Llano Seco makes an amazing Italian Sausage. How cool that they treat their little piggies so well. Why can’t all meat farmers do this? Use it if you can. Trust me on this one. (Oh and while you’re at it, you might as well buy some bacon, and ham, and Argentine sausage… ok just buy everything. This is seriously tasty pork.)

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It’s a simple meal, with honest, delicious ingredients. Cream, sausage, greens, pasta… you’re done. It will be ready in a flash. Oh this is gonna be good!

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Happy Eating!

Orzo Pasta with Kale and Italian Sausage
Recipe Type: Main Dishes, Dinner, Pasta, Vegetables, Sausage, Meat, Pork, Greens, Stove Top, Quick and Easy
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1/2 lb. orzo pasta (dry)
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 2 Italian sausages, sliced into rounds
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, diced
  • 2 bunches kale, sliced into ribbons
  • 1/4 t red pepper flakes
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1/4 t pepper
  • 1/4 t thyme
  • 1/2 C pasta water
  • 1/4 C cream
  • 1/4 C parmesan cheese, grated, for topping
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta. Reserve 1/2 C pasta water.
  2. Heat skillet. Add oil. When oil is hot, add sausages. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
  3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add garlic, seasonings, and half of the kale. Using tongs, pull up from bottom and toss, letting kale wilt. As it decreases in volume add more. Turn to low and cook for 2-3 minutes more.
  4. Remove from heat. Add pasta water and cream. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
  5. Serve kale mixture over or tossed with pasta. Top with parmesan cheese.

Sources: (*) Nutrition Almanac, 2002‚ Lavon J. Dunne.

Friday

15

November 2013

6

COMMENTS

Chicken Pot Pie – In the Kitchen with Rachel O – Video

Written by , Posted in Baking, Dinner, Herbs, In the Kitchen with Rachel O, Leftovers, Main Dishes, Meat, One Dish Dinners, Potatoes, Poultry, Vegetables

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It’s cold. It’s fall. It’s the perfect weather for Chicken Pot Pie.

I would, I could, I will eat it any time of year. But, I especially love to eat cozy foods when the weather co-operates.

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Chicken Pot Pie is one of my favorites. That might be why I have made it twice, once on each show. 😉 You can see the original here.

I don’t know if I’ve ever not liked it. I mean, can you really go wrong with a flaky crust (I used Aimée’s recipe this time, yum!), sautéed veggies, and a creamy sauce?! You are shaking your head no too, right?

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I would almost be happy just to look at it. Even the one I made for the most recent show, as ugly as I made it (I had some trouble crimping the crust… I think I need more practice), still looked amazing. But, then you cut into it… Steam pours out and you get a whiff. Oh that filling… And you know that you have to eat it right away. Something this good just can’t be made to wait.

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Happy Eating!

Chicken Pot Pie
Recipe Type: Main Dish, Dinner, Meat, Chicken, Poultry, Vegetables, Stove Top, Oven, Baking
Cuisine: American
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4-6
A classic comfort food, this Chicken Pot Pie is perfect for a cool fall evening.
Ingredients
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1/2 C carrots, chopped or diced
  • 1 onion, chopped or diced
  • 1 C potatoes, chopped or diced
  • 1 C zucchini, chopped or diced
  • 1 t fresh savory, chopped
  • 1/4 t dried rosemary
  • 1/4 t dried thyme
  • 1/4 t dried oregano
  • 1/4 t dried parsley
  • to taste, salt
  • to taste, pepper
  • 3/4 C peas (frozen are fine)
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1-2 T lemon juice
  • 1/2 t dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 to 2 C cooked chicken, shredded
  • 2 T all purpose flour (or 1 T cornstarch for gluten free)
  • 1 1/2 C cold water (or stock)
  • 1/2 C milk
  • 1 pie crust
  • 1 egg white, beaten with a fork
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 375F.
  2. Heat ovenproof skillet. Add olive oil. Add carrots through pepper. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until veggies are tender, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add garlic, chicken, peas, dijon, and lemon juice. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
  4. Whisk flour (or cornstarch) and water. Add to pan. Bring to a boil and let it thicken for a few minutes. Add milk and cook a few minutes more, but do not boil.
  5. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  6. Top with crust (be careful, the pan is hot) and crimp edges with fingers or a fork. Brush with egg white. Make three or four slits in the center of the crust.
  7. Place ovenproof skillet on a baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the crust is golden and flaky.

Wednesday

13

November 2013

3

COMMENTS

Hearty Butter Lettuce, Fruit, and Tuna Salad

Written by , Posted in Cheese, Fish, Fruit, Gluten Free, Lunch, Main Dishes, Meat, Quick and Easy, Salads, Sides, Thoughts, Vegetables

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This was one of those days when lunchtime was inspired. Usually, I make the quickest and easiest something or other‚ that I can eat at my desk. Often it’s PB&J, or almonds, fruit, and cheese. But today was different. I don’t really know why.

Whatever the reason, I thought of the head of butter lettuce (which I do believe is my new favorite kind of lettuce) that was waiting in the produce drawer. I hate it when I wait too long to use lettuce and it goes bad. That’s a sad sad fate.

Then all sorts of yummy toppings popped into my head.

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Tuna for protein. And almonds too, for the protein and the crunch. Chopped, so it seems like there are more.

Super ripe pears that just made it into the fridge yesterday, because I’d forgotten that they were hiding in a bowl. An apple. I ordered 10 pounds of apples two weeks in a row. It’s taking a while to get through them. I don’t mind.

I’m totally in love with peony grapes. I’m not crazy about how awkward it is to get the seeds out, so I halved them and scraped them out before tossing them into the salad.

We have a couple cucumbers in the fridge that need to be eaten. Cucumber is a nice accompaniment to tuna. Also adds a nice crunch. I love a good crunchy salad.

I like a few small chunks of cheese in a salad anything. Today I chose gruyère, because that’s what I had on hand. It’s my current best cheese. I have to cut just one or two slices when I eat it, or I can easily eat half the brick.

For the dressing, I made a simple vinaigrette, my go-to recipe. It has balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, dijon, and maple syrup.

Combining all of this was a good idea. I wasn’t sure how the fruit would go with the tuna. But, I loved it. There’s all sorts of sweet, savory, salty, acidic flavors going on. At one moment deep mellow, the next light and fruity. Oh, and it’s healthy. I love that healthy tastes great. No cardboard-like food for moi! And, bonus, there’s lots of tuna and dressing leftover, so it will be perfect for making a tuna sandwich for tomorrow’s lunch, and maybe another salad the following day.

If you don’t like tuna, some shredded chicken would be lovely. If you want to add croutons, I think that would be swell. If you don’t like gruyère, try an aged sharp cheddar.

This would go well with the Leek and Potato Soup that I made for dinner yesterday. I wanted to have some, but was just too hungry to wait for it to heat up. Maybe next time. 🙂

Happy Eating!

Hearty Butter Lettuce, Fruit, and Tuna Salad
Recipe Type: Main Dishes, Salads, Lunches, Fish, Cheese, Gluten-Free, Fruit, Vegetables, Quick and Easy
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • Tuna: 1 can tuna
  • 1 t lemon balsamic vinegar (or 1 T lemon juice)
  • 1 T olive oil
  • pinch salt
  • pinch pepper
  • Dressing: 1/3 C balsamic vinegar
  • 1 t lemon balsamic vinegar (or 1 T lemon juice)
  • 1/2 T maple syrup
  • 1/2 t dijon mustard
  • to taste, salt
  • to taste, pepper
  • 1/3 C olive oil
  • Salad: 4 C butter lettuce, washed and torn
  • 2 slices cheese, chopped
  • 1 apple, chopped
  • 1 pear, chopped
  • 10 peony grapes, halved
  • 18 thin slices cucumber, peeled
  • 12 roasted and salted almonds, chopped
Instructions
  1. Combine tuna ingredients.
  2. Whisk together dressing, adding oil last – streaming it in slowly as you whisk, creating an emulsion.
  3. Make two salads. Place 2 C lettuce in a bowl and top with fruit, cucumber, cheese, nuts, and 2 T tuna. Drizzle with dressing. Repeat on second salad.