December 18, 2006
Okay Urbanites, those of you with tiny kitchens and budgets, here are a few recipes for you and your fabulous Holiday Party.
These have been tested in tiny kitchens, with limited budgets and time, so they do have some teeth.
Amuse Bouche
Here is an easy recipe:
- Low Fat Spring Rolls that require no frying (imagine that!)
- Buy some won ton wrappers, preferably flour, but rice will do as well. These can be purchased in most Korean grocery stores. It is best to use the square variety, but if you can only find round these will do.
- Leeks or scallions – three medium leeks, or five to six bunches of scallions, cleaned and ready for the food processor
- Pork or beef jerky – 3 to 4 ounces, soaked overnight to remove some of the salt and to soften the product; otherwise you can use dried beef – but be sure to soak it a little before using. (Note: some jerkies are better than others – look for brands that use few additives, or order some from New Braunfels Smokehouse – www.Newbraunfelssmoke.com .
- Dried cranberries (or currants) – about 1 tablespoon, soaked overnight with the jerky.
- Rice wine vinegar – just a shot (not a double, but a single)
- Flavorings that you like – e.g., black pepper, orange zest, roasted garlic, cayenne pepper
- Olive oil (1 cup), to be brushed on the finished rolls.
You will need:
- An oven pre-heated to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
- A food processor or other chopping device
- A cookie sheet, preferably non-stick, and if not, then some parchment or was paper
- a small bowl of water
After soaking overnight, drain the water from the jerky and cranberries, then pat dry.
After the leeks (or scallions) have been cleaned and roughly chopped (make sure the leeks are no more than two inches long before putting them in the food processor), pulse the leeks, jerky and cranberries in the food processor and pulse until a coarse paste is formed.
Note: The moisture from the leeks and the re-hydrated jerky is more than enough to form the paste you need for the Spring Rolls.
Add a teaspoon each of: fresh ground black pepper, orange or lemon zest, roasted garlic, and if you like all things piquant a dash (ONLY a dash) of cayenne; or you can just leave out these items and add something you like (for example, you might prefer ginger and lime zest to garlic and orange; maybe you don’t really care and are happy with the paste in its pure form).
Add a shot of rice wine vinegar (about 2 teaspoons) and pulse until the ingredients are mixed well.
Open the package of wonton wrapper. Keep a bowl of water nearby to wet you fingers.
Dip your index finger into the bowl of water and trace around the edges of a wonton wrapper. This will allow you to seal the wonton wrapper once you have filled it.
Drop of dollop (about ½ tablespoon) of the leek & jerky mixture into the center of the wonton wrapper. Press the dollop so that mixture is evenly distributed across the center of the wonton wrapper. Roll the wonton wrapper into a tube and seal. Place finished tube on cookie sheet.
Fill the cookie sheet with the finished rolls.
Take a pastry brush (or your finger) and dip into olive oil. Brush the wrappers with oil. Be sure to coat all sides.
Place the cookie sheet with the filled and oiled wonton wrappers in the awaiting, preheated oven.
Here is the tricky part: You must keep an eye on these rolls and turn them a few times while they brown. Don’t walk off and leave them for half an hour – if you do, then you will find they are crispy only on one side. Depending on your oven, these should be ready in 30 minutes; turn them at least twice during this time. The bottoms will brown more quickly.
Once you remove the cookie sheet from the oven, the best thing to do is cool these bad boys on a rack for a few minutes. If you don’t have a rack, turn them a few times as they begin to cool, so that they don’t sag too much.
As these cool, the wonton wrappers become stiff; they can stack easily for a great presentation. They taste great and are less fattening than deep-fried spring rolls. The last time I made them, my guests ate three dozen in less than fifteen minutes. Thank goodness this recipe can yield a few more dozen!
Appetizer: Shrimp Brochettes
If you have a broiler, this is a quick and easy recipe that is sure to please. If you don’t like shrimp or are worried about cholesterol, you can substitute fish and calamari.
You will need:
- 1 pound of fresh, clean shrimp, OR ½ pound of tuna steaks cut in cubes and ½ of fresh calamari cut into squares.
- 1 sweet onion
- ½ pound of cherry or grape tomatoes (if available, otherwise you can use sweet bell peppers - red or orange).
- Red Pepper flakes (about 1 tsp)
- Sea Salt
- Olive oil, about 2 tbsp
- 3 lemons
- Skewers for the shrimp (metal is better; if you use wood, cover the tips with a piece of aluminum foil)
- Cookie sheet
Turn on the broiler.
Cut the lemons into quarters.
Place the shrimp in a large bowl.Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and mix so that the shrimp are coated.
Sprinkle the red pepper flakes and sea salt on the shrimp and toss. (If you have dried basil lying around, rub the leaves into a fine powder and sprinkle onto the mixture.)
Cut the onion in quarters.
Make sure you have washed the tomatoes and/or peppers. If you are using peppers, make sure you cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Clean the skewers and put a light coating of olive oil on them.
First, put piece of onion, then a shrimp, then a tomato and/or pepper. Repeat until all the skewers are filled.
Place on a cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with the juice of half of a lemon.
Broil for ten minutes, turn, and then boil five minutes more (longer if you like the tails crunchy).
Serve with lemon wedges.
(If you want to make a dipping sauce, use some olive oil, lemon juice, and honey – beat together to make an emulsion. Yummy).
Entrée
Braised/Roasted Pork Loin with Carmelized Onions & Red Lentil and Colored Corn Succotash
You will need:
- Pork loin (with bone in is best), approximately 2 – 3 lbs.
- Two large, Spanish onions
- Fresh ground pepper
- Mixture of dried parsley, sage, thyme and rosemary (approximately 1 tablespoon)
- 2 cups of Red Lentils (Arrowhead Mills has a great varietal)
- 3 ears of fresh, colored corn (or plain old corn if you can’t find the colorful version)
- Red Pepper flakes
- Tumeric, if desired
- 1 cup of olive oil
- Salt to taste
- Roasting pan
- Sauce pan
Preheat oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit.
Dice the onions.
Remove the corm from the corn cob (be careful – lay the corn down on a chopping board and use a large, sharp knife).
Mixed the dried spices together and rub onto the pork loin.
Take the roasting pan and place over medium heat on the stove top. Make sure pan is hot before adding anything (but not too hot!) If using a non-stick pan, add ½ cup of olive oil. If oil begins to smoke, remove immediately from heat and let pan cool down – lower heat source.
Place pork loin in hot roasting pan.Sear to brown on all sides.
Remove from pan and place on a concave plate – this will allow the meat to rest, and some juice to escape.
Add diced onions and any leftover dried spice to pan, cook onions until they are browned. Add the liquid from the pork loin and stir. Add salt to taste.
Return the pork loin to the roasting pan and cover tightly. Place in oven. Cook 30 to 40 minutes, depending on weight, or longer depending on how fast your oven cooks. To test, check the bone area to make sure the meat is cooked through. Some people like to cook this dish for 60 minutes.
One pork loin is cooked, remove form roasting pan and place on a large dish. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice about ½ an inch thick.
Place the sauce pan over medium heat; let pan get hot – but not too hot. Add ½ cup of olive oil. Toss the corn in the oil. Add 1 tsp red pepper flakes and 1 tsp tumeric. Let mixture brown. Add red lentils. Toss with the rest of mixture until lentils take on a bright, red color. Add enough water to cover mixture. Add more water until surface of mixture has ¼ inch water on top. Sprinkle sea salt on top of water. Lower heat and let cook until water is almost evaporated. Serve hot.
To Plate: Spoon the succotash onto a plate and make a layer about ½ an inch thick. Place sliced pork on top. Garnish with onions from roasting pan.
Tags:
apartment recipes, easy holiday recipes, easy spring roll recipe, pork loin recipe, shrimp recipe
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Posted on 12/18/2006
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