Rachael Ray's Blog, page 87

Easiest Blueberry Lemon Zest Jam

I do not know why it’s taken me so long to make homemade jam. The process couldn’t be easier or more gratifying. It takes 20 minutes and will keep in your fridge for up to one week which means you’ll have seven days of freshly made jam to jazz up your boring morning toast in the morning. And it’s a great way to use up berries that are so plentiful this time of year. Homemade jam is so incredibly delicious and it seriously puts to shame anything you can buy in the store so why not give it a try, right?

This past weekend I was throwing not one, but TWO birthday brunches and i figured some homemade blueberry jam would be a nice touch to the buffet table. I decided to combine it with a bit of fresh lemon juice and zest because i love the combination of blueberries and lemon zest and it turned out delicious! There really is no way to mess the recipe up, (unless you leave it bubbling on the stove too long) and you can use any berries you have hanging around. Now that I’ve made my first batch, I can’t wait to whip up some more and give them as gifts to friends and neighbors alongside some yummy scones!

Easiest Blueberry Jam

Makes 1 jar

Ingredients:

3 cups blueberries, stems removed, washed and dried
3/4 cups granulated sugar
Juice and zest of one small lemon

Instructions:

1. In a medium saucepan stir together blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Set the saucepan over medium heat and  bring to a boil.

[image error]

2. Lower the heat until the mixture is just bubbling gently. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickens, about 15-20 minutes.

[image error]

3. Cool, place into a mason jar or airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week.

Christina Stanley-Salerno is a mama, recipe developer, food stylist, photographer and blogger atTakeBackYourTable.com. She loves cooking for and with her family. Life is hectic, but Christina is passionate about mealtime because she believes that family meals are the glue that holds everyone together. Creating simple, quick and healthy meals is her specialty and her trick to keeping the family meal a reality, even on busy weeknights.

Follow her on Twitter @TakeBackTables

6 (More) Swap-Outs That Will Save You in a Pinch

A few posts back, I shared with y’all 6 swap-outs that will save you in a pinch.  You know, that make or break moment when dinner is in full swing and you realize you’re out of poultry seasoning?  How about getting your favorite biscuit recipe going and staring down an empty bag of self-rising flour?  Luckily, disaster can be avoided!  Stash these kitchen pinch hitters away in your culinary memory bank and the kitchen safety net is all yours.

CURRY POWDER

Curry powder can be a funny thing.  In my house, we can’t get enough of it (which makes me feel a bit like I’ll never dig out from the army of yellow jars that line my spice shelf).  But, if you’re just getting into experimenting with it and can’t find it, or perhaps don’t want to commit to the whole jar just yet, mix together equal parts ground coriander, cumin, and ginger with a pinch of cayenne.  While they’re not essential, If you’ve got them around, add more authentic flavor with some ground cardamom (for a beautiful floral freshness) and ground turmeric (for the trademark yellow color) as well.

POULTRY SEASONING

Anyone who cooks along with Rachael Ray knows that poultry seasoning is a must in her cupboard.  If you find yourself fresh out - or perhaps are questioning just how well last Thanksgiving’s jar is faring after taking the year off - mix up your own at home.  In a small bowl, stir together 3 parts dried sage, 1 part dried thyme, and a dash of ground cloves and apply liberally.

SELF-RISING FLOUR

Rach may not be much of a baker, but I love it (and did a lot of it when I was at her show).  Many recipes out there call for self-rising flour, which I only end up using on occasion.  For just such occasions, it’s easier for me to just whip up some of my own.  For every 1 cup of self-rising flour a recipe calls for, whisk together 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and use as directed.

CREME FRAICHE

Many supermarkets today have really beautiful specialty cheese counters, which is usually where you’ll find creme fraiche (if you’re unfamiliar with it, creme fraiche is a delicious, fancied up version of sour cream that is higher in fat and much more indulgent).  If your grocery store isn’t stocking creme fraiche, you can make your own at home by combining 2/3 cup sour cream with 1/3 cup heavy cream.  Beat the mixture together with a whisk and whip it for about 30 seconds until the mixture starts to thicken up.  Use it immediately or store it in the refrigerator and use it up in a day or so.

VINEGAR

I know this one may sound like a no-brainer, but trust me - in moments of culinary panic, it’s often the simplest solutions that are first to escape us.  Next time you’re making up a recipe that calls for vinegar (say a vinaigrette, for instance), remember that its most active property is its level of acidity.  If you’re out of whatever vinegar the recipe calls for, reach for any other type of vinegar or even the juice of a lemon or lime.  The flavor of the finished product will be a bit different depending on what you add, but the acidity in all of these options will get the job done.

WATERCRESS

Rach is a big fan of watercress.  I like it too, don’t get me wrong, but it can be tricky to find great looking watercress in some markets and if you don’t eat it up very shortly after buying it, this peppery green can go south in the refrigerator very quickly.  If your market is short on watercress, reach for the arugula, mustard greens, or even an “Asian Mix” of bagged salad greens.  Each greens option has the same sharp, spicy bite that watercress provides and will stand up to any of the same preparations.

Patrick W. Decker’s life revolves around food. Always has. Probably always will. As a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and past member of the culinary team on Rachael’s daytime talk show, he now works as a food stylist and producer in NYC by day, and a food writer and recipe developer at his home in New York’s Hudson Valley by night. You can see what he’s up to by following his latest twEATs on Twitter at @patrickwdecker or visiting his website at patrickwdecker.com.

Easy Entertaining: Fig and Cheddar Crostini

[image error]

I like to entertain casually and my definition of the word “casual” has gotten even more loose since I had kids. Gone are the days when I can spend weeks pouring over recipe ideas and table-scape plans. And you know what? I sort of love keeping it loose and relaxed. I have more fun preparing because I’m not stressed and in turn, my guests get a more focused, less frazzled host. Everyone is happy and well fed regardless of how many days it took me to prepare or how many courses I serve.

In the interest of keeping things simple, my go-to meal plan goes like this:

Signature Cocktail/Mocktail

Small nibble or antipasti plate

Main Course

Dessert (ask guest to bring to make it even easier)

This plan is foolproof and so easy yet it still feels special and even luxurious. No matter how much time I have to spend on preparations, I always want my guests to feel special and welcome in my home and the above strategy always does the trick, allowing you to actually enjoy your guests, and after all, isn’t that what really matters?

We recently moved into a new home and have been entertaining family and friends and I’ve already managed to have two separate dinner parties in the midst of unpacking boxes and exploring our new town. ANyone whose ever moved knows it ain’t easy and entertaining while unpacking seems insane. And it kinda is, but we loved having people over to break us from the packing insanity and it made our house feel that much more homey. Best of all, I did it without feeling stressed or anxious. A good time was had by all and the food was delicious if I do say so myself.

Like good Italians, we schlepped our fig tree all the way from our previous home in Brooklyn to New Jersey Using our figs in an appetizer to serve to our first house guests seemed only natural. The sweet tender fig set atop a crusty piece of bread with melty cheddar is one of my favorite appetizers to make and it’s always a hit. I love how the salty sharpness of the cheddar pairs with the sweetness of the fig, top that off with a drizzle of flowery honey and you have yourself one divine appetizer in less time than it takes to bake up frozen ones out of a box. . It goes perfectly with any beverage and is a nice nibble before the main course.

[image error]

Fig and Cheddar Crostini

Makes 16

1 baguette cut on the bias into 16 (1/2-inch) slices

16 thin slices of sharp cheddar

8 ripe figs cut into quarters

1/4 cup honey

Instructions:

1. Set oven to broiler setting. Place slices of baguette onto a large baking sheet and cook under the broiler for 30-60 seconds or until bread is slightly golden. Keep an eye on them because they burn quickly.

2. Remove baking sheet from oven. Using tongs, flip slices of bread over so the toasted sides are facing down. Place a slice of cheese onto each piece of bread and place back into the oven for another 30-60 seconds or until cheese begins to bubble. Remove baking sheet from the oven one last time. Top each crostini with two fig wedges and drizzle with honey. Serve warm.

Christina Stanley-Salerno is a mama, recipe developer, food stylist, photographer and blogger atTakeBackYourTable.com. She loves cooking for and with her family. Life is hectic, but Christina is passionate about mealtime because she believes that family meals are the glue that holds everyone together. Creating simple, quick and healthy meals is her specialty and her trick to keeping the family meal a reality, even on busy weeknights.

Follow her on Twitter @TakeBackTables

Fish Oil for Heart, Health, and Happiness

A couple of months ago, following a check-up, my doctor told me that I was deficient in vitamin D. She said it was important for my overall health that I remedy the situation immediately, and that to increase my vitamin D levels I could take either vitamin D supplements or fish oil.

[image error]

Strange person that I am, I chose the fish oil. I found it at a natural foods store and since then I’ve been taking 1 large spoonful a day, with food. I’ve tried a few different brands and they all taste pretty much the same. Yes, fish oil tastes pretty vile, but downing a spoonful of it takes only a second, so I don’t mind. I didn’t think much about the fish oil until I noticed that the annoyingly itchy eczema that has plagued my joints for the last ten summers was gone. My eczema breakouts began when I was in my 30’s, and for some reason came on with the hot weather, but not this year. I realized the only thing different in my diet is the fish oil.

[image error]

To confirm my suspicions that the fish oil had cured me, I researched fish oil online and found that taking it by the spoonful or in capsules is a well recognized treatment for eczema and psoriasis, both of which are considered autoimmune skin disorders. Fish oil is believed to be so effective because it’s high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which have anti-inflammatory properties.

To my surprise, I also learned that the omega-3’s in fish oil are essential for protecting your heart and preventing heart disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, inflammation can damage blood vessels and interfere with proper heart function, so fish oil helps there, too. What’s more, fish oil is considered a very effective treatment for depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), and attention deficit disorder. It turns out that not getting enough fish oil can make you really disagreeable!

[image error]

In order to increase the amount of fish oil in your diet, one option is to increase your intake of wild, oily fleshed, cold-water fish. These include salmon, herring, anchovies, sardines, mackerel, salmon, albacore tuna, and lake trout. You can also take good quality fish oil capsules. Personally, I’m going to try to eat more of the recommended kinds of fish, but I’m definitely going to keep taking fish oil. I’m grateful to have finally found a remedy for the eczema, and to have discovered this little secret for heart health and happiness!

To Win this Challenge we’ve got to Save More Lives

Are you ready? In just three short months, we’ll find out if 50 animal shelters hailing from 24 states across the U.S. will smash last year’s record of 52,484 beautiful animals saved!

The 2012 ASPCA Rachael Ray $100K Challenge, challenges animal shelters nationwide to find loving homes for lost and abandoned dogs and cats, and  looks to award more than $500K in prizes-including a grand prize of $100,000-to the those who save the most lives. The fascinating part of the $100K Challenge is the innovation: each shelter creates their own plan to save more lives.  If the past is any indication, we’re expecting to see lots of new and creative ideas, and an incredible effort from all of the shelters.

We’re really excited to see this year’s Challenge kicking off today!  And we’re counting on you to help the shelter in your state or region win big on behalf of homeless animals. So, check out the list of participating shelters at www.aspca.org/100kchallenge - and consider adding a new furry member to your family - summer is a great time to adopt a wonderful new cat or dog (or both)!

-Ed Sayres

President and CEO ASPCA

The Indoor BBQ - Chicken Kebabs

Tonight I teach a class of 10 people how to recreate the BBQ experience ‘indoors’. An oxymoron ? Yes. A summer necessity? For some of us, most certainly YES! Not everybody has a backyard where they gather for casual fun, and a scrumptiously smoky BBQ. I know I certainly don’t. I wanted to share how I give my summer that ‘BBQ feeling’ by just using the bake and broil setting on my oven.

In Northern India, barbeques are very popular; only, they are made in a clay oven known as a ‘tandoor’. Tandoori dishes get their name from the process in which they are cooked; they also happen to be the dishes that get the most action at an Indian restaurant with sizzlers of tandoori chicken, lamb chops, kebabs, paneer and even bread called ‘naan’.

These dishes are cooked by inserting skewers of meat in to a drum-like furnace as they bubble and crackle away with intense heat and flames that surround them. However, most Indian home-cooks don’t have tandoors yet they still achieve great results by baking on very high heat to seal in meat juices and then flashing it under the broiler for some charring.

Today we will be making ground chicken kebabs. This dish is so versatile and very easy to come to count on because it is like making a spiced-up beef burger. Kebabs are often eaten with lots of salad and either rolled in a naan bread or stuffed into a pita pocket. I like to double or even triple up on the quantity so that I can freeze them and pull them out as I need them. Here are some suggestions for left-overs:

1) Chopped up and added to pasta sauce for that ‘spaghetti-meatball’ effect

2) Thrown in to a burger bun with mustard, ketch-up and pickle

3) Topped on a pizza

4) Sliced and added to a stew in it’s final stages of cooking

5) Sliced and sprinkled over romaine lettuce and topped with caser dressing and croutons

Chicken Kebabs

Ingredients

1 lb of ground chicken (preferably from thigh)
½ a medium sized onion, finely diced
1 heaped tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tbs. oil
Handful of fresh cilantro (incl. Stems)
½ tsp. coriander powder
½ tsp. garam masala or cumin powder (optional)
½ tsp. black pepper
Salt to taste (usually 1 tsp. per pound if using iodized)

Kebab Mixture

Method

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2) Combine all the ingredients but avoid over mixing

3) Make about 12 patties`

4) Place them on a lined and greased sheet pan/ baking tray

5) Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes until the chicken bounces back a little when you press it in the center

*For extra charring, set to broil for a couple of minutes

Saira Malhotra, is of British –Indian descent and is a chef, food writer and cooking instructor based in New York City. Raised in Hounslow, U.K, or rather ‘Little India’, where the air is aromatic with roasted spices, little did Saira know these moments would follow her from being a student in France and Italy to residing in NYC with her husband and kids and parlay themselves unexpectedly in to a culinary career. She is a graduate of the International Culinary Center in New York City. Come visit her at her food blog: Passport Pantry where she shares approachable and international recipes.

Blueberry Lemon Bread

I was at my neighborhood farmer’s market this weekend, which I love. Peaches, corn, tomatoes, beets, lettuces, beans, blueberries are all in season. A little pricey, but worth it. When I was buying my blueberries the girls manning the stand told me this was it for their blueberries this year as they lost the majority of their crop due to the lack of rain and wacky weather (wacky being my term, not a technical farming term). I bought a few extra baskets and headed home.

I love blueberries with yogurt, on cereal, on their own, and of course in muffins, cakes, and bars. Blueberry and lemon is one of my favorite combinations and I made a blueberry lemon bread for the first time - it was delicious - moist and light. Sad to see the blueberries go, but I put a loaf of this bread in my freezer for down the road.

Blueberry Lemon Bread (click here for printable recipe)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour + 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. In a separate small bowl, toss blueberries with the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla and lemon juice. With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour in three additions and the milk in two additions, starting and ending with the flour. Fold in the blueberries by hand. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. This bread freezes well, wrapped tightly.

Supermarket Score! Cottage Cheese

What’s the first thing to come to mind when someone brings up “cottage cheese”?  Retro diet food surfing through a buffet atop leaf lettuce or cantaloupe?  Bodybuilding “go-to” snack?  Or, worst of all, “boring”?  Cottage cheese has endured all of these stereotypes and lived to tell the tale because - above all else - it’s gallons of kitchen versatility packed into 1-quart containers.

Cottage cheese, as we all know it, is a mixture of cheese curds that are not fully strained, so some of the whey is left behind.  Available in a flavorful array of nonfat to full-fat varieties, this Supermarket Score is packed full of calcium, protein, and Vitamins A & D.  In fact, when paired against its other dairy case companions cream cheese and sour cream, it boasts almost half the calories and triple (yes, as in three times more) protein per serving.

“But that’s like comparing apples to oranges!”, you may say.  ”They’re nothing alike!”, you persistently contend.  I challenge you to think again with these super easy, super delicious ways to get cottage cheese out of the cantaloupe and into your culinary tool belt.

Protein-Packed Lasagna

If you’re someone who favors a meat-free diet - or maybe are just trying to cut down on eating meat - keep your next lasagna packed with protein by layering cottage cheese into it.  It tastes just like the classic ricotta we all know and love and packs a much stronger nutritional punch.  Sneak it into your next Meatless Monday dinner and I’d put down 10-to-1 that no one knows the difference.

Super Powered Sour Cream

I grew up in a family that loved sour cream with a dad who was very nutrition and exercise conscious.  Since the two don’t inherently go together, to keep both parties happy we’d put his favorite post-workout snack together with the family’s favorite chili topping.  Puree together equal parts sour cream and low fat cottage cheese and your now nutritionally super-charged condiment will have even the most discerning eater dolloping more on.

MYO Mayo

Love the creamy decadence of mayo but bummed out that a serving size in only 1 tablespoon?  If you’re as weirded out by “reduced fat mayo” as I am, whip up this quick Make-Your-Own mayo at home and slather on the guilt-free goodness.  In a food processor, combine the flesh of 1 ripe avocado with 1 cup low fat cottage cheese.  Puree until smooth with a dash of salt and fresh pepper and brace yourself, because you just might give up mayo for good.

Instant Vanilla Sauce

You can even bring cottage cheese to the end of the party as it makes an amazing instant dessert sauce (NOTE: when using this variation, try and find a cottage cheese with little to no salt added).  Put 1 cup of cottage cheese in the blender with 2 teaspoons of vanilla sauce, 3 to 4 tablespoons of sugar or honey, the zest and juice of half of a lemon, and 1/4 cup milk.  Puree until the sauce is smooth and pourable and you’ve got yourself an instant guilt-free vanilla sauce.  Serve some up over cake or fresh berries and watch the dinner table bow down in awe of your pastry prowess.

Patrick W. Decker’s life revolves around food.  Always has.  Probably always will.  As a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America and past member of the culinary team on Rachael’s daytime talk show, he now works as a food stylist and producer in NYC by day, and a food writer and recipe developer at his home in New York’s Hudson Valley by night.  You can see what he’s up to by following his latest twEATs on Twitter at @patrickwdecker or visiting his website at patrickwdecker.com.

House Ketch-Up - The Tomato Chutney

This week I was very inspired by Patrick Decker’s post on preserving cherries. Preserving foods not only allows you to enjoy out of season produce, it also makes you extremely resourceful. You can throw an interesting salad, main course or desert together with your signature ingredient being right at home, or in Patrick’s case, a very appealing cocktail.

After looking at his post on cherries, I looked over at my counter top and saw my stack of tomatoes. His conversation was a reminder of a practice followed by my grandmother. I remember how she used to preserve carrots, turnips and cauliflower with spices and vinegar, mangoes with mustard oil, fennel seeds , chili, dry spices and other souring agents but what to me was the strangest of all was goat pickle with mango powder, oil, cardamom and chili.

Growing up, there was always an assortment of pickles, after all, some pickles work best with certain dishes than others. Lentil curry and rice call for the sharp and aromatic mango pickle, if I was having meat curry and roti, what would work better than a salad like pickle of crunchy turnips and carrots? Pickles are very addictive and like many of you, I too, sneak out a few pieces to devour with or without food.

As my mind took a brief detour, I steered my attention back to the tomatoes. Right now tomatoes from your local market boast of ‘big flavor’. I decided to make my version of ketch-up or traditionally known as tomato chutney. Tomato chutney is sweet like Ketch-Up and can be used in place of it only the consistency is similar to that of a relish. This is another one of those accoutrements I like to cross borders with. Whilst it is great with onion bhajis (fritters) and samosas (Indian empanadas), it is equally tasty with French fries, spread on a burger bun or slathered over grilled meat.

Picture by Dan Peters

Tomato Chutney

Ingredients

7 vine ripe tomatoes, skinned and finely diced
1 medium-sized onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
20 curry leaves (optional)
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 dried red chili or half a teaspoon of crushed red chili flakes
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
400 ml white wine vinegar
200 grams white sugar
Black pepper and salt to taste

Instructions

1) Heat the oil on high, Add the cumin seeds until they turn a couple of shades darker (17 seconds). Add the curry leaves and dried chili and once the popping dies down, Add the onions and garlic and sweat until translucent

2) Add the sugar and white wine vinegar and once the sugar is dissolved, add the tomatoes, reduce to a simmer. Cook for an hour until the moisture has evaporated and the tomatoes have a jammy consistency

3) Fill whilst hot into sterilized jars and close the lids. For further preservation, boil the jars for 10 minutes. This chutney keeps for 1 month in the refrigerator

Saira Malhotra, is of British –Indian descent and is a chef, food writer and cooking instructor based in New York City. Raised in Hounslow, U.K, or rather ‘Little India’, where the air is aromatic with roasted spices, little did Saira know these moments would follow her from being a student in France and Italy to residing in NYC with her husband and kids and parlay themselves unexpectedly in to a culinary career. She is a graduate of the International Culinary Center in New York City. Come visit her at her food blog: Passport Pantry where she shares approachable and international recipes.

Lump Crab and Pasta

Last night I spotted this giant lump crab meat at the market and without thinking snatched it up. Instinctively I thought about crab cakes but really didn’t want something so breaded and fried for dinner.  It’s summer and it’s hot, so I wanted something a little refreshing but substantial.

I decided to buy fresh, short pasta to match the size of the crab chunks so my dish would be easiest to eat. As Marcella Hazan once said in quoting someone else who I can not remember (it’s in her book, Amarcord), “The pasta and sauce should fit as well as a man and his suit.”  Or something like that.  I can’t remember the exact line, but I remember its meaning, which is to say that the type of sauce should marry well with the type of pasta.  A thin sauce goes well with a long, spaghetti type pasta whereas something chunky needs smaller shells or tubes to match the saucy pieces.  As you twirl your spaghetti on your fork, you want your sauce to cling to the long strands, and if scooping up pieces of meat or chopped eggplant, the shorter tubes or curls will hang on for the ride.

This is my long winded way of saying I chose a short, fresh pasta to make with my lump crab.  To keep it somewhat light, I sauteed minced garlic and shallots in EVOO and a little butter for flavor, added lemon zest and red chili pepper flakes and 1/2 cup of chicken broth and let it simmer for a few minutes while I separately cooked the pasta until al dente.  I tossed it and the crab meat all together with a little salt and black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice and grated Pecorino cheese.  It was so good and even better for lunch the next day!  Done in 15 minutes or less too.

Rosemary Maggiore is our Last Minute Lady. A single mom of two kids plus a full time job (she runs this website!) keep her busy and usually pushing things to the last minute. Somehow she manages to keep her cool and her sanity while she enjoys good food, wine, friends and most importantly, family.

For more Ro, see:

Mom Talk

Follow me on Twitter at @lastminutelady