McGowen BMT Sliders

My buddy Cliff made these tomato sliders for one of our dinner club parties and I promised him I would post them. That was in June. (I'm a little behind on the blogging).

Simple and quick recipe was really tasty and a great way to take advantage of fresh veggies in the summer time. Fresh basil, marinated mozzarella, tomatoes, and carmelized oninons. We also topped half with bleu cheese instead of mozz and they were even better. Grilling the buns is key

Roasted Vegetable Chowder with Bacon

I didn't take a picture of this one, but it was really good. Romer had a bowl while we bottled our most recent homebrew. By the way, who has tried my homebrew? Anyway, I really enjoyed this soup, and am becoming a huge fan of roasting veggies to bring out there flavor. The squash brought some sweetness to the table and I hadn't used parsnips before but I liked the flavor a lot.

ROASTED VEGETABLE CHOWDER WITH BACON
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
From Columbus Dispatch Robin's Picks

Makes 4 to 6 servings

While the veggies take a while to roast, they don’t require your attention while they do. And once they’re roasted, the soup takes little time to get to the table. Serve it with crusty bread and a green salad. To make the soup vegetarian, leave out the bacon and use vegetable broth.
1 medium-size butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 onion, chopped
2 parsnips, peeled, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, cut into chopped
4 bacon slices, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine or water
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Spread the squash, onions, parsnips, carrots and bacon in a deep roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and brown and the bacon is crispy, about 45 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven. Stir in the garlic, wine and sage. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the contents to a Dutch oven.

Add broth to the pot. Bring to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables begin to break apart, about 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning if necessary.


PER SERVING: 222 calories; 5 g protein; 32 g carbohydrates; 7 g fiber; 8 g fat (1 g saturated); 6 mg cholesterol; 734 mg sodium

Asian Potsticker Soup

Beth's friend got her a Trader Joe's cookbook for Christmas, and this recipe came from there (with slight modifications). It turned out pretty tasty, but it will be interesting to see how the leftovers taste this week. I'm afraid the wontons will dissolve, but we shall see. It might be a recipe best served right away.

Ingredients:

4 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger (or 1 T fresh ginger)
2 Dried Thai Bird Chilies, roughly chopped
1/2 package of frozen Chicken Potstickers from TJ's
1 16 oz. bag frozen Stir-Fry vegetables
1/2 Cup Frozen Edamamme, shelled
1/2 Cup Shredded Carrots
4 Green Onions, sliced
2 Teaspoons Sesame Oil

Process:

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add potstickers and allow broth to come back to a boil. Add stir-fry veggies, edamamme, and carrots and bring to a boil once more. Let soup simmer 5 minutes and finish with green onions and sesame oil. (This could easily become vegetarian by using veggie broth and vegetable potstickers)

Spaghetti Cooked in Red Wine

I found this in Wine Spectator and it was pretty good and definitely makes for an awesome presentation. The broccoli rabe is great, I will be buying more of this.

Ingredients:
3/4 lb broccoli rabe
4 oz spaghetti or linguine
1/2 bottle of dry red wine, preferably Zinfandel. (other half for drinking)
2 t sugar
1 T olive oil
1 T minced garlic
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 C Parmesan or Romano cheese

Process:
1. In a large pot of salted water, cook the broccoli rabe for about 3 minutes. Transfer the broccoli rabe to a baking sheet and spread it out to cool.

2. In the same boiling water, cook the pasta for 3-5 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and set it aside. Return pot to stove.

3. Add the wine and sugar, reduce by half; about 8 minutes. Add pasta to wine and cook over med high heat, until most of liquid is absorbed and pasta is al dente.

4. While the pasta cooks, heat a large saute pan over high heat. Add the olive oil, reduce heat and add garlic and red pepper flakes and broccoli rabe. Saute for 3-5 minutes.

5. Stir pasta water into broccoli mixture and then add pasta. Toss gently and cook until most of liquid is gone. Top with cheese and serve.

Portobello Mushroom and Egg White Omlette

I'm normally one to eat some sort of breakfast meat in the morning, but by substituting a hearty portobello mushroom you don't even miss it. It would also work for a regular omlette, but I had some egg whites I was trying to use up. I'm sure Jeff would add carmelized onions!

Ingredients:

1 Portobello mushroom cap

1 teaspoon Olive Oil

cooking spray

3 large egg whites or 1/4 cup of liquid egg whites

1/4 cup Swiss cheese or a slice and a half

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon chopped parsley

Process:

Preheat oven to 350. Wash portobello cap and remove stem. drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. Roast 10-15 minutes, stem side down. Remove from oven and let cool while you make the omlette. Turn oven to broil. Heat a 8 inch non-stick omlette pan over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Pour in egg whites, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook until no longer runny. Slice mushroom cap into 1/4 inch slices and fan over half of omlette and top with Swiss cheese. Slide skillet under broiler and heat until cheese starts to bubble. Pull from oven, fold egg in half and top with chopped fresh parsley. Serve with sourdough toast.