Playing Ketchup

 

A few years ago my husband and I were waiting to catch a bus to Eugene and we were hungry.  There is a restaurant in between the train station and the bus station that seems way too nice to be in that area.  We ordered their parmesan fries and they came with the tastiest condiment.  Roasted Red Pepper Ketchup.  I asked if they knew what was in there and honestly I cannot remember at this point if they knew anything, but I had to have this at home.  I made this a while back but found the recipe recently.  It was so good.  I threw it together based on other ketchup recipes I saw around the web.  It was excellent on burgers, garden burgers, oven fries, you name it. 

 

Roasted Red Pepper Ketchup

2 red peppers
head of garlic
red pepper flakes
~ 1 lb. tomatoes (I had 1.6 lbs. on the vine with stem and seeds still intact. I figure once those were gone it was close)
small yellow onion
2 Tbs. tomato paste
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/4-1/3 C. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
21 seasoning salute (salt free seasoning mix from Trader Joe's)
salt
sriracha (optional)

Roast peppers. For this I put the peppers a couple of inches away from the broiler and let each side blister and blacken before I turned it to the next side. When all sides are blistered and blackened, put in a plastic bag and close and let steam and cool down. Remove skin and seeds from peppers.

Roast garlic, tomatoes, and onion. I put these all in at the same time and took out the onion at about 25 minutes. Preheat oven to 350. Quarter tomatoes and remove seeds. Quarter onion. Lightly oil a baking sheet and place veggies on it to roast. Chop off top of garlic head to expose cloves. Remove excess skin. Lightly coat in oil and shake red pepper flakes over the top of it. I probably used around 1/2 - 1/4 tsp. Wrap head in foil and put in oven with the baking sheet. Remove onion before it starts browning too much. I had the tomatoes and garlic in for around 45 minutes and then turned off the heat and let them sit while I went to the store to get olive oil.

Puree peppers, tomato, onion, and garlic. I used around 2 tbs. garlic and most of the onion. Add tomato paste, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, worcestershire, seasoning (I used three shakes), and salt (I used probably around 2 tsp. of kosher salt). Add sriracha ( I used about 7-10 drops). Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or so. Adjust vinegar, sugar, and salt to achieve a sweet but tangy flavor. I also cooled this down before we ate it because I didn't want it warm, more around room temp.

The Incredible, Edible Chickpea

Growing up I always knew them as garbanzo beans. And I hated them. I only ever saw them at a salad bar and sometimes my dad would put a few in his salad. I didn't see the purpose and I thought they had a weird name. Years later I discovered hummus and thought that was pretty dang tasty but still never really cooked with chickpeas. Well, turns out that they are awesome. They are low in fat and calories and high in protein and fiber. They contain high amounts of iron, potassium, and zinc and have various B vitamins. And boy are they tasty! A lovely creamy, nutty flavor that goes well many things. Pasta is one of my favorite ways to eat them. I eat chickpeas probably at least once a week these days.


When I found this recipe I was not sure how David would feel about it. I didn't even know if he liked chickpeas. And mixed with tomatoes and put on pasta? This is now one of his very favorite things that I make. Actually I think he would name it as his very favorite. Not only is it easy and nutritious, it is really cheap and literally takes as long to make as it does to boil the pasta. Thanks, Rachel Ray! Looking at the recipe may not make your skirt fly up, but let me assure you that the sum is greater than its parts. You get a spicy, creamy, nutty pasta dish that warms you inside and out. The original recipe says to pass around cheese with it but I don't think it needs that at all and I don't think I would like it as well with it.

Spaghetti alla Ceci

1 pound spaghetti - I actually use a little more that 3/4 of a pound for this usually
salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth - I highly encourage the wine. I use cheapo Two Buck Chuck Sauvignon Blanc for this. I have tried with the broth and it is fine but not nearly as good.
1 can crushed tomatoes - I buy diced and use my mini processor to crush

Boil water for pasta, salt it, and cook spaghetti to al dente.

While spaghetti cooks, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes and garlic. Place chick peas in food processor and pulse grind them to a fine chop (or use a fork). Add chick peas to garlic and season them with thyme, salt and pepper then saute them for 3 to 4 minutes. Add wine or broth and cook down for a minute or so then stir in tomatoes and heat through and adjust seasoning. I always end up adding more thyme and red pepper flakes. Toss with pasta and eat up. If it is too dry you may want to save some pasta water to use in that situation.

There's Many Colors In The Veggie Rainbow

Soup. I love it! I also really enjoy making it. It is so adaptable and fun. It never ends up being expensive and it ends up making a ton of soup. A little of this here and there and suddenly you have a huge pot of soup. This soup started with some purple cabbage and an onion that I needed to use and turned into a healthy rainbow of goodness.


According to people who know things about nutrition, we should eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. These different colors of produce ensure you are getting a wide variety of nutrients. The different plant pigments contain many different beneficial characteristics. I was thinking about that when I started to make this soup. It has red (tomatoes), orange (carrots), green (celery), purple (cabbage), and white (onion and garlic). This (or any) soup is a great way to expand your rainbow of nutrients!

Rainbow Tortellini Soup

olive oil
1 carrot, large dice
1 stalk celery (I used most of one, my celery was at the end of the line), diced
1 white onion, diced
3 cloves, minced
1/2 of a small purple cabbage, chopped
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 can diced tomatoes
8 cups water
1 tbs beef bouillon granules
1 1/2 tbs chicken base
italian seasoning
TJ's 21 Seasoning Salute
black pepper
1 can white beans
8 oz. tortellini of your choice, we had cheese

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a dutch oven or large pot. Throw in onion, celery, and carrots and saute for about 5 minutes or until starting to soften.


Add garlic, cabbage, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, water, bouillon and chicken base, and italian seasoning and TJ's seasoning. I just shook the seasonings in, it was probably around 1/2-2/3 of a teaspoon each. Add a few grinds of pepper. Stir, partially cover, bring to a boil, and then lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for about half an hour or until vegetables are to your liking. I tasted near the end of that time and added more of all seasonings.


At this point I turned the heat off, added the beans, and covered. I also added about a half cup of water so it would not be too thick once I added the tortellini. We were going to grab a beer so it sat like that for around an hour. If you are not leaving your house it will still taste better this way but is not required. If you want to keep going, just add the beans but do not turn off the heat. Boil tortellini in a separate pot and add to soup when it is done. Simmer for another 5 minutes and then serve.

Stir This Way, Really Fast, And If Something Gets In Your Way, Fry

I love vegetables. Not all of them, but nearly all. I try to eat my daily allowance, but I know that does not always happen. David and I were talking about dinner and that we wanted to eat something lighter than we had and also delicious. Stir fry is a great way to do both of these things. It is also a great weeknight meal as it does not take very much time. I have used hoisin sauce in the past, mixed with some other things, but this time I took a simple approach using broth, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sriracha, and some cornstarch for thickening. I don't have a wok, but get by alright with my big skillet.The great thing about stir fry is that it is very adaptable to what you have. Use whatever veggies sound tasty to you. The different oils are also optional, I just happen to have them in the cupboard. I also decided to use tofu for this to have some nice protein. I personally prefer a meat free stir fry. But whatever tickles your fancy. David would say the best thing about stir fry is as a vehicle for soy sauce.

Weekday Stir Fry

canola oil or other high smoke point oil
sesame oil
chili oil
half of small red cabbage, cut into small pieces
small head of broccoli, cut into small florets
5 crimini mushrooms, sliced
white onion, sliced into large wedges
1 block firm or extra firm tofu
ginger, I used about a tablespoon of minced
garlic, I used about a tablespoon of minced
1 cup chicken broth, I used 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon with one cup of water (can use veggie broth if you want to keep it purely vegetarian)
couple tablespoons of soy sauce
tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
squirt of sriacha
1 tsp sugar
1-2 tablespoons corn starch
Rice or noodles, I used white rice

I first drained my tofu and put it in a tea towel under a heavy pot. I let it sit like that for about 30 minutes while I soaked my rice.

Start cooking your rice.

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium high to high heat. Add a bit of all three oils. Not too much of the sesame oil because that is really strong. Cut tofu into chunks. Sprinkle with some soy sauce and black pepper. Pan fry half of tofu at a time until sides are golden brown. Remove to a plate. I cut my veggies while the tofu was cooking.


Let pan heat back up and add a tiny bit more oil. Choose one of your vegetables and cook, stirring pretty much constantly. You want to get a little color but keep your veggies from getting mushy. Do this one veggie at a time, removing them to a plate as they are cooked and making sure the pan gets hot in between each one.


Mix all ingredients for sauce together well. To hot pan add a bit more oil and cook the garlic and ginger for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly so it does not burn. Add sauce and wisk around constantly until thickened and glossy looking. Taste and see if you need anything in it. Once it is thickened, add the tofu and veggies back and stir well to coat. Heat everything up and then serve over rice.

Alien Flavor Pods From Beyond The Stars or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Use Google Image Search

I made a really good thing but I only took pictures of the end product. I often forget along the way I want to take pictures and then I don't want to post something because I like having photos of the process. These were so good that I decided to plunder Google Images and post it anyway. Since I did all my shopping at Trader Joe's last night I used pictures of those products.

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Last night I wanted something like comfort food but didn't feel like eating a bunch of meat. I saw a recipe somewhere for canned crescent rolls filled with some sort of beef mixture and it sounded good. But I still didn't want a bunch of meat. Enter soyrizo. I have used Trader Joe's Soy Chorizo before in tacos and it is really good. I thought I could make a delicious type of thing with that as my starting point. They turned out similar to empanadas or samosas (which seem to basically be the same thing anyway, just from different cultures). These were a hit, they were very easy, and very inexpensive. When talking about them to our friend Alex over Facebook chat he named them "Alien Flavor Pods From Beyond The Stars" and I said this would be acceptable. Then he drove over to our house just to eat some.

Alien Flavor Pods From Beyond The Stars

oil
1 small onion or half of a larger one, diced small
12 oz. soy chorizo
1 large or two small cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. diced green chiles
2 medium yukon gold potatoes, diced very small (1/4-1/8 inch erring on the small side)
4 oz. cream cheese
cumin
paprika
salt
pepper
2 tubes of canned crescent rolls (8 rolls inside)

Turn on your oven to 350.

Heat up a couple of tablespoons of oil and sautee your onion until soft, 5-7 minutes.

Crank up the heat some and put in the soyrizo. Just cut the tube open and squeeze it out. Stir every few minutes so the soyrizo starts to brown and get some nice crispy parts.

Add your garlic and cook about 30 seconds.




Add all the green chiles and stir around. Add a pinch of salt and a few shakes of cumin and paprika.


Remove to a plate and heat a little more oil. Add potatoes and cook until they are tender and starting to brown. This probably takes 10-15 minutes. If they aren't cooking fast enough you can cover them for a bit. Crank the heat at the end to get some nice color. Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper if you want.


Add soyrizo mixture back in and mix well. Heat through and add cream cheese. Stir around until well blended. Taste to make sure you like it.





Open your crescent rolls. You will want to have two triangles per Alien (that is the short version we came up with). Pinch them together in the middle so you have a rectangle shape.


Put some filling in the middle and then seal up like a triangle, corner to corner. Just pinch them all together, it will be fine. You can probably put a healthy couple of tablespoons in there. Put these on a greased (I used foil with a bit of oil on it) cookie sheet and cook in the oven until a lovely golden brown. 15-20 minutes. Turn pan once to ensure even cooking. Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!


P.S. This made extra filling and I am going to put it in tortillas tonight as that sounds rad.

Popeye (and Ramsay ) Approved Penne

I used to have cable. It was a waste. All I did was end up watching Spongebob (it is on ALL the time) or stay up too late watching crap on VH1. Why yes, I do remember the 90's. Please, tell me more. So, we turned off the cable. And now in order to watch network television you have to have your digital converter box plugged in along with an antennae. So, with our cable went our TV all together because there is not really anything worth watching on network television and if there is the internet will provide it. Far too much hassle to finagle the antennae in such a way that we get decent reception.

There is one exception to this rule. The husband and I turn on network TV one season a year and bask in the glory that is Asshole Chef. I suppose most people would be familiar with its Christian name, Hell's Kitchen. I love this show. My husband loves this show. Unabashedly and apologetically. I love to watch Chef Ramsay whip these little punks into shape. I love to watch them squirm when they think they can pass something by him and he stops them in their tracks. I love to think about how awesome all that food tastes. And I love to hear him shout, "It's RAAAAAW!" In order to not be driven crazy with food lust, we always make sure to schedule dinner during Asshole Chef. This way I can enjoy the show and enjoy dinner and not feel as cheated that I don't get to try that amazing beef wellington. The one I cooked last night was a winner, and I think even Chef Ramsay would have thought it was delicious. Healthy and colorful too.


Popeye Approved Penne

Or, pasta with white beans, tomatoes, spinach, and feta. I wanted something relatively healthy and light and also satisfying. This was delicious. My husband was taking me at my word as he did not think the ingredients I had assembled looked like they went together and he insisted that I remember to write this one down because he loved it. Obligatory apology for picture quality due to fading evening light and a cell phone.


1 medium onion, diced ( I went with red)
3-4 cloves garlic, diced
olive oil
28 oz. diced tomatoes***
1 can white beans
10 oz. spinach, chopped roughly
1 lb. whole wheat penne
red pepper flakes
dried oregano
dried basil
dried parsley
pepper
salt
~ 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
feta cheese

Heat a couple of tablespoons olive oil in a skillet and cook onion until softened, about 10 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook a few more minutes. I would start with around 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes and add more later if you need to. Add about a teaspoon each of oregano, basil, parsley, pepper, and any other seasonings you care for. I also used TJ's 21 Seasoning salute but maybe 1/2 a teaspoon of that (I don't really measure). Stir those around for about 30 seconds and then add tomatoes. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add rinsed beans and stir gently. Turn down to a simmer while you prepare the pasta. I ended up simmering this for about 20 minutes, the last 10 were the pasta cooking minutes. I tasted part way through and added a bit more of each spice and a tiny bit of salt. I added a splash of red wine vinegar in the last 5 minutes or so to brighten it up.


Boil your pasta and when it only has a couple of minutes left, scoop out some of the water and save it. Add spinach to your sauce and stir around to start wilting. When the pasta is almost done, when it just needs a tiny bit more time, drain it. Put the sauce back in the big pot you used to boil the pasta. Add the noodles a bit at a time because you probably will not quite want the whole amount with the sauce. I used almost all of them, but did not want all noodles and no goodies. Maybe an 1/8th were left. Put the pot on low heat. Add a little pasta water to incorporate the sauce and pasta, and also to finish the final moments of cooking in the sauce. When the pasta is perfect and everything is mixed, serve with feta to crumble on top. That really rounds out this dish.

***I went with more expensive tomatoes than I normally do for this (San Marzano). I feel like it was 100% worth it for a dish that is featuring the tomatoes like this. It made a big difference.