Clearly, I've been on a cheese spread kick. Not only did I do the Cheddar Cheese Spread recipe, and Justin did Ina Garten's smoked salmon spread, but I also made a cream cheese, green olive and pecan spread that I remembered my mom stuffing celery sticks with for holidays when I was a kid. After talking to my grandmother the other day, come to find out, my great-great grandmother used to make the pecan-olive spread stuffed in celery. 100 year old family recipe! Pretty cool to me! One of my older brothers and I both had the urge to make it this year (without having talked about it) - must be feeling reminiscent. I hope at least one of my nieces or nephews end up liking it too to carry on the tradition.
Anyway, this all actually started with me having the desire to do a Swiss-almond cheese spread. I just hadn't gotten to it yet. I was trying to think of something to do to it so it wasn't just Swiss-almond spread and I thought caramelized onions would be great with it... and they were. I think this might be our favourite dip/spread yet. The Swiss cheese is so mellow and mild... but the almonds give it a good crunch and the onions with it almost remind me of French-onion soup. Really delicious!
I blame the holidays for my cream cheese extravaganza. And I've definitely been in a holiday mood - I am guilty of being one of those dreaded people who loves Christmas music. Justin suggested a song from Bad Religion's Christmas Songs, but I couldn't decide on one. And Christmas only comes one a year, so I thought I'd share a link to the whole album. -jen
SWISS-ALMOND CHEESE SPREAD WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS Time: 25-30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Makes: about 2 cups
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, 1/4" slices (on the thin side)
8oz cream cheese, softened
8oz finely shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2-3/4 cup finely chopped almonds
In a large skillet over a low heat, melt butter and add olive oil. Add sliced onions and let cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Onions will be soft, dark and sweet. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, in a food processor (or with a fork), combine cream cheese, shredded Swiss, mayonnaise, paprika, a pinch of salt and a few cranks of fresh ground pepper; blend until creamy and smooth. Add caramelized onions and pulse (or fork) until combined. Fold in chopped almonds by hand. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.
Here's the thing about this recipe - you can go all out and do the whole thing: marinated chicken, whiskey caramelized onions and mushrooms, whiskey cheese sauce, and it'll take a few hours, but be well worth it! Or... you can only go half ass and make it quick! You could just marinate the chicken and bake it, easy enough. You could make the onions and mushrooms to stuff in the chicken breast, and pass on the cheese sauce. Or throw the whiskey onions and mushrooms on a burger. You could just make the cheese sauce to go on some veggies, or nachos, or pasta or whatever you want to put cheese sauce on. I'm trying to say it's versatile! And only as complicated as you want to make it. But it was smokey and rich... delicious.
I could see this being good with a variety of whiskeys. I used Jameson, because that's what we like to drink. Jack would be good. Use whatever you like to drink... and I highly suggest shots while cooking.
So tunes to go with it... some SoCal punk we were just introduced to and really enjoying - The Sparring. Check out their Facebook page for tour dates, news and new music! But first... enjoy their video for "Straitjacket". -jen
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic, depending on taste (we love garlic)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
a few good cranks of fresh cracked black pepper
4-6 chicken breasts
2 cups Whiskey Caramelized Onions And Mushrooms (see recipe below)
2 cups shredded Smoked Gouda cheese
Whisk all ingredients together. Butterfly chicken breasts and place one at a time in a Ziploc bag and using a mallet or bottom of a sauce pan, pound the chicken out to 1/4" thick. Then place all the butterflied breasts into the Ziploc and add the marinade. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (for quick clean up) and coat foil with non-stick cooking spray. Lay the butterflied chicken breasts open on the foil and on one half of the breast, sprinkle a layer of smoked Gouda. Top with a big mound (about 1/2 a cup) of the caramelized onions and mushrooms, then sprinkle another layer of Gouda on top. Fold the breast the other half over the stuffing like a taco. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken has reached 265 degrees. Cooking time is going to vary depending on size of chicken breasts. (We use a leave-in thermometer, they're awesome.)
WHISKEY CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND MUSHROOMS Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Yields: about 4 cups
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, julienned
16oz of sliced crimini mushrooms
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
3 shots of whiskey
Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add onions and mushrooms, Worcestershire, brown sugar and pepper flakes. Toss to coat, then let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. When onions start browning, turn heat to low and add garlic, ginger and whiskey. Let cook an additional 20 minutes or until all liquid has evaporated and onions have caramelized, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
(If you're going to make the cheese sauce below, you can remove the caramelized onions and mushrooms and just use the same skillet - no need to even rinse it out. That's flavour!)
WHISKEY AND SMOKED GOUDA CHEESE SAUCE
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Yields: about 2 cups
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 and 1/2 shots whiskey (divided)
1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream
1 cup chopped Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms (optional)
dash of cayenne pepper, depending on taste
1.5 cups shredded smoked Gouda cheese
salt and pepper
In a skillet or sauce pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk for 3-5 minutes. Whisk in 1/2 a shot of whiskey and heavy cream. Add Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms (if you choose to) and cayenne. Continue stirring until sauce begins to thicken. Once thickened, turn off heat and stir in shredded cheese, one handful at a time, until melted. Stir in 1 shot of whiskey. Add salt and pepper to taste if needed.
This is basically a "we're broke and gotta do something with leftovers" soup that came out fantastic! Very rich, creamy soup and surprisingly, neither the asparagus nor the broccoli are overwhelming. As Justin just said, it's a stick-to-your-ribs soup. Now, I actually made this soup with some of Justin's homemade pork broth which gave it this great, smokey, ham or bacon flavour. However, since I know most people don't have pork broth hanging around in their freezer, I'm going to post the recipe with chicken broth, which is perfectly acceptable.
I'm going to be honest here with the music - I was in a retro mood and listening to my Rosemary Clooney Pandora station (even my garnish got retro!), but this is a rock'n'roll blog and I just can't bring myself to post one of her songs. So I'm going with a song that came across my ears yesterday that I hadn't heard in years! T.S.O.L.'s "Black Magic"! I remember loving this song the first time I heard it and then playing it over, and over, and over, and then over again! Hard to find a video of this song at all! -jen
CREAM OF ASPARAGUS & BROCCOLI SOUP Time: 45-60 minutes total Serves: 6-8 Difficulty: Easy
1.5 pounds of asparagus
1 pound of broccoli
olive oil
salt and pepper
10 tablespoons butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2/3 cup flour
5 cups chicken broth
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on taste)
2 tablespoons dry sherry
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Remove woody ends of asparagus and discard; chop the asparagus into 2" pieces. Chop broccoli into about 2" pieces, including the stems. Lay out on a baking sheet and drizzle generously with olive oil, then toss to coat all vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes. Set aside.
Meanwhile, heat butter in stock pot over medium-high heat and saute onions until soft and transluscent, 5-10 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook an additional 3 minutes. Add flour and stir until combined, cook another 5 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth and milk until all clumps have disappeared and sauce begins to thicken. Add roasted asparagus and broccoli, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, tarragon, and cayenne pepper. Taste soup to see if it needs additional salt and pepper. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. (If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or food processor, but do it in batches and be careful because the soup is hot!) Stir in sherry and serve.
Having just survived through Thanksgiving, I've been in the mood for stuff on the healthier side. I decided to make some baba ghanoush, but ended up kind of crossing it with hummus. Came out way tasty! Makes me think of the show MXC, which is only the best show that's ever been on television, because Vic and Kenny always name one of the contestants Baba Ghanoush. But Justin also came up in an instant with the best song EVER for this dish! Nerf Herder's "Nose Ring Girl". This is an awesome live version! "...and rice cakes! Rice Cakes! Rice Cakes! Rice Cakes!" Admit it... Nerf Herder and MXC are a beautiful union. Just like baba ghanoush and hummus. -jen
BABA GHANOUSH HUMMUS So awesome!
Time: 1 hr roasting/10 minutes prep
Level: E-Z
Roasted Veggies
1 large eggplant
1 large zucchini
1/2 of a large onion
1 head of garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil (this helps clean up!) Cut eggplant and zucchini in half lengthwise. Score the flesh of each in a diamond pattern, cutting all the way through the flesh, but not through the skin. Drizzle olive oil over each, salt and pepper. Place both vegetables scored-side down on baking sheet. Chop onion into large chunks, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on baking sheet. Cut the top off of the head of garlic to expose some of the heads. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on baking sheet. Roast all of the veggies at 400 degrees F for 1 hour. Set aside to cooled enough to handle.
Dip
roasted veggies listed above
1 can (15.5oz) garbanzo beans
1/4 cup tahini
juice of 1 large lemon
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/4-1/2 cup chopped cilantro (depending on taste)
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic (or 1 fresh clove)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Accent or MSG (optional)
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon (or a few cranks) of black pepper
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
In a food processor, combine the scooped out flesh of the eggplant (discard the skin), the zucchini, and the onions. Squeeze out the roasted flesh of the garlic head (discard the paper/skin) and add to processor. Then add the garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, vinegar, cilantro, minced garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, Accent, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Process at high speed, slowly drizzling in the olive oil. 1/4 cup makes a thick dip, but you may want to add as much as 1/2 cup olive oil to your dip to thin it out more. Blend at high speed until garbanzo beans are completely broken up and dip is smooth and creamy.
Serve as a dip with toasted pita chips, tortilla chips, crackers, or fresh vegetables like carrots, bell peppers and cucumbers. Or use as a condiment for lettuce and tortilla wraps, burgers, or sandwiches!
So, I'd had a desire to make some onion jam recently and finally found a recipe I liked as well as the motivation to actually attempt it. It came out delicious! With roasted garlic and some apple cider how can you go wrong? Once it was done, however, I needed to use it on something. So we got a nice, big pork tenderloin roast and carved it out into a flat sheet, brined it overnight, smothered it with the jam, cranberries, raisins, pecans, and rolled it back up and baked it. Awesome is the best way to describe it. The brine is good for both pork and chicken and the jam works well on bagels with cream cheese, most meats, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are next on my list to try.
To back it up musically, I've got some Cock Sparrer with one of my favorites from them "Take 'Em All". Nothing like some gutter punks to compliment a nice fall meal! - justin
Add all ingredients to a 3 qt saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely. This can be frozen for later use if desired.
Caramelized Onion & Roasted Garlic Jam
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 60 minutes Makes: Slightly less than 2 quarts Level: Easy
4 heads of garlic
4 cups onion, chopped
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground white pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
5 cups sugar
2 oz dried pectin
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove the papery outer skin from the garlic heads but do not peel or separate cloves. Cut off the top inch of the garlic bulbs and brush with olive oil. Wrap each bulb in heavy duty foil and bake for 35-40 minutes or until soft. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.
In a dutch oven, saute onions in butter for 30-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Squeeze softened garlic into pan. Stir in the cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, salt, white pepper, ginger, cloves, and smoked paprika. Bring to a rolling boil. Gradually add sugar, stirring constantly. Return to a boil for 3 minutes.
Add the pectin and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and allow the liquid to cool for 5 minutes, scraping any foam off the top afterward. Pour mixture into sterile quart canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch of head space. Adjust the caps and process in boiling water for 10 minutes if long term storage is desired. Otherwise the jam can be stored in the fridge for immediate use.
Onion Jam Pork Roast
Prep Time:12 hours Cook Time: 2 to 2.5 hrs Serves: 8 people Level: Medium
5 lb pork tenderloin roast
1 qt pork or chicken brine
1 cup Caramelized Onion Jam
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper
Fillet the pork roast out into a flat sheet, like a flank steak. Take a large knife and cut an inch thick piece along the length so the as you roll the roast away from the knife you create a sheet of meat. Place in a gallon ziplock bag and all enough brine to cover the top of the meet. Place in a spill proof container overnight.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove the pork from the brine and rinse with cold water to remove the brine. Pat dry with a paper towel. Lay the pork out flat, over three pieces of butchers twine (cotton string) cut to 1 ft in length, and cover evenly with the jam, raisins, pecans, and cranberries. It should look like this when you are done:
Roll the roast back up and tie off at even intervals with the butchers twine. Place in a roasting pan, sprinkle the top with the salt and pepper and place in the oven for 30 minutes a lb, or until the center of the roast reaches an internal temp of 150 degrees. Remove from heat and allow the roast to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Serve with the jam as a condiment or topping and enjoy!
Time: 25-30 minutes
In a large skillet over a low heat, melt butter and add olive oil. Add sliced onions and let cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Onions will be soft, dark and sweet. Set aside to cool.
