VPWL

Roasted Garlic: How to Batch Roast and Freeze Garlic

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The big bag is such a bargain, but what do you do with 200 cloves left after your recipe is made??

Ingredients:

  • Garlic cloves, peeled (You know, the big bag/jar from Costco)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt & Pepper

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, toss garlic with a generous amount of olive oil – enough to coat each clove.
  2. Spread garlic cloves onto a foil lined baking sheet in a single layer.
  3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Cover the baking sheet with foil, making sure you have a good seal over top and around the edges.
  5. Bake at 375 degrees for one hour.
  6. Remove from oven cool (without removing foil) for about 15 minutes.
  7. Remove foil and allow to cool to room temperature.
  8. Place in a freezer bag and freezing flat. (Make sure to taste test some on a toasted baguette first though!)
  9. When you’re ready to use, just break off as much as you want to thaw, then return the rest to the freezer.

Source: Mama Loves Food!

Mint Aioli

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I find the Mint Aioli much better with the lamb than mint jelly (too sweet) or mint sauce (too thin).

Ingredients:

  • 1 c mayonnaise
  • ½ c finely chopped fresh mint
  • 2 Tab minced garlic
  • 1 Tab white wine vinegar
  • salt to taste

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, chopped mint leaves, minced garlic ,and white wine vinegar. Add salt to taste.
  2. Cover and chill overnight.

Serves: Makes 1 cup

Source: Sunset June 2001

Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

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A nice dressing that works with any green salad with fruit in it.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ c white sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 Tab white wine vinegar
  • ½ c olive oil
  • 1 ½ tsp poppy seeds

Directions:

  1. Place the sugar, salt, vinegar, and oil in a blender. Blend until smooth.
  2. Stir in the poppy seeds.

Serves: Makes ¾ cup

Source: nowthingsarecookin.blogspot.com

Pecan Tassies

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These cookies are a little labor intensive but are really good – sort of mini pecan pies.

Dough Ingredients:

  • ½ c unsalted butter
  • 3 oz cream cheese
  • 1 c flour
  • baking spray

Filling Ingredients:

  • ¾ c light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • ¾ c pecans, toasted and chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tab unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 Tab bourbon (sour mash if possible)

Dough Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 °.
  2. Spray 36 mini muffin pans.
  3. Cream the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer.
  4. Add flour and beat just until dough comes together; do not overmix.
  5. Divide the dough into 36 pieces and roll into balls.
  6. Place on a plate or in a zip-top bag and refrigerate for about 2 hours.
  7. Either press the dough balls into the muffin cups and up the sides, or flatten the balls slightly with your palm and use a rolling pin to roll into a disk about 2 inches in diameter (a little larger than the size of the muffin cup opening) and place into the muffin cups.

Filling Directions:

  1. Mix together the brown sugar, egg, butter, bourbon and vanilla extract with a spoon.
  2. Divide pecans among the mini muffin cups.
  3. Evenly divide the filling between the mini muffin cups.
  4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tops are set and cracked slightly.
  5. Cool in the muffin cups on a cooling rack.
  6. The tassies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Serves: 36 Tassies

Source: Brown Eyed Baker (Recipe adapted from an old firehall ladies auxiliary cookbook)

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

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Margie makes the world’s greatest garlic mashed potatoes.  Just ask her husband and daughter.  And they reheat.

Ingredients:

  • 3 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cubed
  • 2 cloves raw garlic
  • 12 cloves roasted garlic (see below)
  • 1/2 sour cream
  • ½ c butter, softened (one stick)
  • milk or cream, if needed
  • salt and white pepper

Directions:

  1. Boil unpeeled potatoes and raw garlic in salted water until tender.
  2. Drain.
  3. Smash roasted garlic with the side of a large knife.
  4. Return potatoes to potato pan and heat until dry and a film forms on the bottom of the pan.
  5. Mash by hand with roasted garlic, sour cream, butter, and salt and white pepper.
  6. Add cream or milk to adjust consistency.
  7. Place in casserole and reheat (microwave or oven) when ready to serve.

Serves: 10 – 12

Source: The daughter, Margie

Roasted Garlic: How to Batch Roast and Freeze Garlic

Ingredients:

  • Garlic cloves, peeled (You know, the big bag/jar from Costco)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt & Pepper

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, toss garlic with a generous amount of olive oil – enough to coat each clove.
  2. Spread garlic cloves onto a foil lined baking sheet in a single layer.
  3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Cover the baking sheet with foil, making sure you have a good seal over top and around the edges.
  5. Bake at 375 degrees for one hour.
  6. Remove from oven cool (without removing foil) for about 15 minutes.
  7. Remove foil and allow to cool to room temperature.
  8. Place in a freezer bag and freezing flat. (Make sure to taste test some on a toasted baguette first though!)
  9. When you’re ready to use, just break off as much as you want to thaw, then return the rest to the freezer.

Source: Mama Loves Food!

Caramelized Shallots and Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

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Even Brussels sprouts can be good with pancetta.

Ingredients:

  • 3 lb Brussels sprouts, halved
  • cooking spray
  • 2 Tab olive oil
  • 1 ½ c shallots, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 oz pancetta or bacon, finely chopped
  • ½ c brown sugar
  • 1 Tab vermouth

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Arrange Brussels sprouts on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray.
  3. Drizzle with oil; toss to coat.
  4. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes.
  5. Add shallots, pepper, salt, and pancetta to pan; toss well.
  6. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes.
  7. Add sugar and vermouth; toss to coat.
  8. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until caramelized.

Serves: 10 – 12 servings

Source: Jeanne Kelley, Cooking Light, October 2008

Honey-Vinegar Leg of Lamb

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The nice thing about this recipe is most of the work is done early (or the day before) and it is forgiving about how long it rests after roasting.

Ingredients

  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 c fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 1 Tab fennel seeds, crushed
  • ¼ c olive oil
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 5 lb boneless leg of lamb, tied
  • ½ c red wine vinegar
  • ⅓ c honey
  • Mint Aioli

Directions:

  1. Pulse garlic, parsley, fennel seeds in a small food processor until very finely chopped.
  2. Add oil and process until smooth.
  3. Season generously with salt and pepper (mixture should taste quite salty as this is the only seasoning meat will get).
  4. Rub parsley mixture all over lamb.
  5. Transfer to a roasting pan, cover, and chill at least 8 hours.
  6. Let lamb sit at room temperature 1 hour.
  7. Bring vinegar and honey to a boil in a small saucepan.
  8. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 8–10 minutes. Set glaze aside.
  9. Place rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 325°.
  10. Roast the lamb until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of lamb registers 100°, about 50 minutes.
  11. Increase oven temperature to 450°, brush roast with glaze, and continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 120°, 15 minutes longer.
  12. Transfer lamb to a cutting board and let rest 30 minutes before carving (temperature will rise to 140° for medium-rare while lamb is resting).

Serves: 12

Source: Bon Appétit October 2013

Comments: If the lamb has netting remove it and tie the roast in 3 – 4 places with string. Otherwise when the lamb is cooked and you remove the net, you will remove all the good crust too. You can simply cut the string while you are carving.

Mint Aioli

I like the Mint Aioli much better with the lamb than mint jelly (too sweet) or mint sauce (too thin).

Ingredients:

  • 1 c mayonnaise
  • ½ c finely chopped fresh mint
  • 2 Tab minced garlic
  • 1 Tab white wine vinegar
  • salt to taste

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, chopped mint leaves, minced garlic ,and white wine vinegar. Add salt to taste.
  2. Cover and chill overnight.

Serves: Makes 1 cup

Source: Sunset June 2001

Watermelon Shrimp Salad

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Very refreshing.  Also good for a summer lunch with some great bread.

Ingredients:

  • 10 c mixed greens
  • 3 Tab chives, chopped
  • 30 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ¾ c English cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise and sliced (½ cucumber)
  • 2 c watermelon, diced in ¾ inch cubes (1/2 a baby watermelon)
  • ¾ lb shrimp, cooked, peeled and tails off – 50 – 70 size
  • Poppy Seed vinaigrette

Directions:

  1. Marinate the shrimp in the dressing for 1 hr.
  2. Toss everything together.

Serves: 10 as salad, 5 for lunch

Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

  • ¼ c white sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 Tab white wine vinegar
  • ½ c olive oil
  • 1 ½ tsp poppy seeds

Directions:

  1. Place the sugar, salt, vinegar, and oil in a blender.
  2. Blend until smooth.
  3. Stir in the poppy seeds.

Serves: Makes ¾ cup

Source: nowthingsarecookin.blogspot.com

Pigs in a Sleeping Bag

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This is a real upgrade from hot dogs in crescent rolls!!  And they freeze.

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tab butter
  • ¼ c minced shallot
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 Tab panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  • 3 Tab milk
  • ¾ c sauerkraut, drained
  • 1 Tab Dijon mustard
  • ¾ tsp caraway seeds, toasted, lightly crushed
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 oz ground pork
  • 1 package frozen puff pastry, thawed
  • flour (for dusting)
  • 1 egg, beaten to blend
  • Mustard Dip

Directions:

  1. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat.
  2. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally,reducing heat if needed to prevent burning, until soft, 4-5 minutes.
  3. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until aromatic, about 1 minute.
  4. Transfer shallot mixture to a large bowl and let cool.
  5. Combine panko and milk in a small bowl Let stand until milk is absorbed, 2-3 minutes.
  6. Add to bowl with shallot mixture.
  7. Squeeze any excess liquid from sauerkraut; coarsely chop and add to bowl.
  8. Stir in Dijon mustard and caraway seeds; season with salt and pepper.
  9. Mix well.
  10. Add pork; using a fork or your hands, gently mix until just combined (do not overmix).
  11. Chill in refrigerator overnight.
  12. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  13. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to a 14″ x10″ rectangle.
  14. Cut lengthwise into three 14″ x3 1/3″ strips.
  15. Transfer strips to prepared baking sheet.
  16. Using one-sixth of sausage filling and leaving a 1″ border at each end, pat sausage to form a thin log of filling down the center of 1 pastry strip.
  17. Fold pastry over sausage mixture to enclose, then press pastry together to seal. Fold seam under to ensure that sausage is tightly wrapped.
  18. Repeat with remaining pastry and sausage mixture.
  19. Cut small diagonal slits at 1″ intervals along top of pastries (to release steam).
  20. Brush top and sides of pastry with beaten egg.
  21. Chill in freezer for about 30 minutes or up to 2 weeks ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then foil, and keep frozen.
  22. Preheat oven to 425°.
  23. Bake pastries (if frozen, no need to thaw) until puffed and light brown, about 15 minutes.
  24. Reduce heat to 350°F; continue baking until sausage is cooked through and pastry is golden and completely puffed, about 25 minutes.
  25. Cut sausage rolls crosswise into 1″ pieces and place on serving plate.

Serves: Makes 36

Source: Bon Appétit | December 2012 by The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen

Mustard Dip

Ingredients:

  • ½ c sour cream
  • ½ c mayonnaise
  • ½ c prepared mustard
  • ¼ c sugar
  • 2 Tab dried minced onion
  • 1 ½ Tab ranch salad dressing mix (½ envelope)
  • ½ Tab prepared horseradish

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, combine the ingredients.
  2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Serve with pretzels.

Serves: 2 cups.

Source:Taste of Home 2014, Iola Egle, Bella Vista, Arkansas

Soft Pretzels

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Soft pretzels are a great variation on crackers as a thing to dip.

Ingredients:

  • 6 c flour
  • ¼ c sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 c instant nonfat dry milk
  • 1 pkg active dry years (2 ¼ tsp)
  • 1 ½ c warm water (about 110° – 115°)
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • ½ c vegetable oil
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • coarse salt
  • extra flour
  • Mustard Dip

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. Stir together flour, sugar, salt, and instant nonfat dry milk.
  3. Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water in a large bow..
  4. Cover 2 large baking sheets with parchment.
  5. Blend together 2 eggs and oil.
  6. Add to yeast mixture,
  7. Add 5 cups of dry ingredients. Stir.
  8. Add enough of remaining dry mix to make a sticky dough.
  9. Turn onto flowered board and knead about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
  10. Incorporated remaining dry mix and add flour as necessary to keep from sticking to board.
  11. Make dough into 18 – 20 equal balls.
  12. Roll each ball into a 14 inch long rope.
  13. Twist ends together and turn back to make pretzel shape.
  14. Place on baking sheets.
  15. Brush tops with remaining egg and sprinkle with salt.
  16. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

Serves: Makes 18 – 20

Source: Donna Barasch, Orange County Cooking School

Mustard Pretzel Dip

Ingredients:

  • ½ c sour cream
  • ½ c mayonnaise
  • ½ c prepared mustard
  • ¼ c sugar
  • 2 Tab dried minced onion
  • 1 ½ Tab ranch salad dressing mix (½ envelope)
  • ½ Tab prepared horseradish

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, combine the ingredients.
  2. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Serve with pretzels.

Serves: 2 cups.

Source:Taste of Home 2014, Iola Egle, Bella Vista, Arkansas

Comment: The dip will also go with the Pigs in a Sleeping Bag