Three Free Thursday Part III: Chicken & Gruyere Turnovers

Happy Three Free Thursday, Blog Readers!   To recap the process, on the first Thursday, I select three free recipes from sources on Twitter.  On the following Thursday, I report back via blog entry the full results of my adventures in the kitchen and let you know if you should try these recipes at home. Enjoy!

Recipe:  Chicken & Gruyere Turnovers

Source: @Real_Simple

Link: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chicken-and-gruyere-turnovers-00000000052482/index.html

I'm always looking for interesting ways to use up leftovers in creative weeknight meals, so @Real_Simple Chicken & Gruyere Turnovers seemed like an excellent way to use up leftover shredded chicken and partially consumed bags of frozen vegetables.  Also, puff pastry is delightful - whether homemade (which I'm slightly afraid to try) or frozen pre-made versions from Pepperidge Farms or others.  To see some gorgeous homemade puff pastry, check out this post from the inspiring Small Boston Kitchen who clearly mastered puff pastry day at culinary school : http://onceuponasmallbostonkitchen.blogspot.com/2011/02/thoughts-on-puff-pastry.html

Findings:

This @Real_Simple Chicken & Gruyere Turnovers recipe is simple as promised.   The preparation time was less than fifteen minutes (after the puff pastry had thawed for forty minutes) and cooking time was twenty-five minutes.  I wouldn't make this recipe regularly for a weeknight meal (too many saturated fats in puff pastry), but it is perfect for entertaining.  Make mini turnovers for guests or slice full-size turnovers into tasty slices (note: cutting puff pastry does cause it to fall and lose some of its' delightfull puffiness). The best way to make this recipe more interesting - explore new filling combinations (see Tips section for more filling ideas)!  I personally greatly enjoyed replacing the frozen peas with layers of fresh baby spinach.  Delicious!

Tips:

• Freeze prepped turnovers prior to baking if you don't plan on consuming all in one meal. Otherwise, only make a half batch of turnovers or thaw until room temperature and eat as a cold lunch- these do NOT reheat very well.
• Substitute turnover fillings - add fresh baby spinach instead of peas, add some carmalized onions or use a mix of grated cheeses. Go meatless by adding lots of spinach, chunks of canned artichoke hearts (rinse well first), other mild-flavored greens, sliced sweet potatoes and/or sauteed onions. Be creative - almost anything tastes good in puff pastry. ;-)

 Rating: 3 out of 5  

Thanks for reading Part III of this week's Three Free Thursday! Feel free to send in recipe suggestions for Three Free Thursday on Twitter to @RecipEngineer or by e-mail RecipEngineer@gmail.com

Three Free Thursday Part III: Brown Butter Cocoa Walnut Brownies

Happy Three Free Thursday, Blog Readers!   To recap the process, on the first Thursday, I select three free recipes from sources on Twitter.  On the following Thursday, I report back via blog entry the full results of my adventures in the kitchen and let you know if you should try these recipes at home. Enjoy!

Recipe: Brown Butter Cocoa Walnut Brownies

Source: @bonappetitmag http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/02/cocoa_brownies_with_browned_butter_and_walnuts

What was Betty Crocker thinking when she started making boxed brownie mixes??? Betty brought us her infamous cookbook (aptly titled "Betty Crocker's Cookbook") and followed it up with box after box of blasphemous 'baking mixes'.  Everything from cakes to cupcakes to brownies to cookies and then eventually into the frosting market. But why? Brownie recipes are simple things - eggs, cocoa, sugar, flour, butter, vanilla, salt, etc.  I will agree that some homemade brownies lack the gooey, chocoloate fudge intensity of their boxed brethren.  This recipe demolishes that concern - you can make homemade brownies so fudge-like and delicious that your friends and co-workers will insist they came out of a box. 



 Findings:


This Brown Butter Cocoa Walnut Brownies recipe is sensational.  Clearly written and well detailed as are most Bon Appetit recipes. The final product is intensely rich flavor from the browned butter and hot melted sugar and cocoa.  The only problem with this recipe - it doesn't make more brownies! I suggest making multiple batches of these brownies.  You won't have a problem finding a home for them - my co-workers finished a batch in under 15 minutes... at 10 a.m. ;-) As an engineer, I work on a team of fifteen men and myself - they have no shame when it comes to inhaling baked goods. 

 

Tips:

Luscious batter!

• Be careful not to overcook.  The easiest way to destroy a great brownie recipe is to set your oven timer for 25 minutes and walk out of the kitchen.  Turn the pan halfway through baking time to ensure consist heat and test brownies with a toothpick at the 15 or 20 minute mark.  Best way to know when to toothpick test - the first appearance of surface cracking and color change.
• Never ever buy boxed brownie mix ever again. Seriously, pinkie swear!

Rating: 5 out of 5   

Thanks for reading Part III of this week's Three Free Thursday! Feel free to send in recipe suggestions for Three Free Thursday on Twitter to @RecipEngineer or by e-mail RecipEngineer@gmail.com

Three Free Thursday Part II: Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage

Happy Three Free Thursday, Blog Readers!   To recap the process, on the first Thursday, I select three free recipes from sources on Twitter.  On the following Thursday, I report back via blog entry the full results of my adventures in the kitchen and let you know if you should try these recipes at home. Enjoy!

Recipe: Pasta w/ Butternut Squash & Sage

Source: @TestKitchen

Link: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=18099&Extcode=L1BN3CA00

It is bright, blue-skied afternoon as I prepare to cook up some new hearty pasta dishes featuring savory cheeses and winter vegetables. Despite local retail stores being stocked full of early spring/summer inventory like light pastel-colored cotton cardigans and even short shorts (gasp!), it is still winter in New England. While I may desire a brightly-colored trench coat, I still need that boring old wool coat.  It's still brutal out there and there are ten calendar days left until spring truly begins,  so let's send out the final winter root vegetables and hearty comfort foods out with a bang.  This Three Free Thursday, I'm making two pasta dishes - @TestKitchen Pasta w/ Butternut Squash & Sage and @Real_Simple Cheesy Baked Pasta with Spinach and Artichokes.

Findings:

This Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage  recipe is delicious and so rich in flavor that you don't need a big serving to feel satisfied. Sage is one of my favorite herbs - delicate, velvety leaves, but rich flavor and alluring aroma.This is a very fragrant dish that will infuse your kitchen with aromas so intoxicating that your neighbors are likely going to invite themselves over for dinner. 

Fresh sage leaves...velvety texture
with an intense fragrance.

You will need to adjust this recipe to obtain the required 2 Tbsp of bacon fat required to carmalize the butternut squash. Either double the amount of bacon (8 slices) or add 1 Tbsp of olive oil the pan prior to adding squash.  I believe you can never have too much bacon, but you be the judge.  Also a warning about cooking time - be careful that squash is completely tender before removing from heat.  In my experience, the recipe's timing suggestion was insufficient to produce consistent tenderness in the squash. Serve with nice dry white wine, a green salad and a crusty bread. 

Tip:  Many people dislike handling fresh butternut squash because of its tough peel and hand-staining flesh and seeds. Instead of substituting frozen squash, which can be watery and flavorless, use this technique to easily work with fresh butternut squash. First, cut off the top and bottom of the squash to create flat surfaces.  Stand squash up on a wooden cutting board and place palm atop the squash pressing it gently into the cutting board. Use a very sharp vegetable peeler and peel skin off in a downward motion away from you.  Using a paring knife, remove any leftover skin from the base of the squash that you missed.  Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds using a large spoon and then proceed to cut the butternut squash into 1/2-inch pieces using a large knife. See how easy that can be?

Sidebar: While sauteing the sage and bacon (see delicious photo above), the smell of cooking bacon made me crave breakfast food.  Something inside me kept screaming SAGE & BACON OMELET... so I think Sunday breakfast could be interesting this week - stay tuned!

Tips:

• To make this a vegetarian recipe, eliminate bacon and cook sage leaves in olive oil for 1-2 minutes to infuse flavor of sage into the cooking oil.
• Penne/ziti are boring! Mix it up with farfalle ("bowties") or campanelle (“bells”). Try using wheat or whole grain pastas to enhance the nutty flavor.  This dish would also go famously atop a bed of cheese tortellini.
Go for it - add a little extra Parmesan cheese and bacon to make the dish more savory.  There's loads of time until bathing suit season truly begins...
• Don't forget to toast the almonds. It's the little things in this recipe that add tremendous flavor and make this dish memorable.

Rating: 5 out of 5 

Thanks for reading Part III of this week's Three Free Thursday! Feel free to send in recipe suggestions for Three Free Thursday on Twitter to @RecipEngineer or by e-mail RecipEngineer@gmail.com

Three Free Thursday Part I: Cheesy Baked Pasta With Spinach and Artichokes

Happy Three Free Thursday, Blog Readers!   To recap the process, on the first Thursday, I select three free recipes from sources on Twitter.  On the following Thursday, I report back via blog entry the full results of my adventures in the kitchen and let you know if you should try these recipes at home. Enjoy!

Recipe: Cheesy Baked Pasta With Spinach and Artichokes 

Source: @Real_Simple

Link: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/cheesy-baked-pasta-spinach-artichoke-00000000031335/index.html

It is bright, blue-skied afternoon as I prepare to cook up some new hearty pasta dishes featuring savory cheeses and winter vegetables. Despite local retail stores being stocked full of early spring/summer inventory like light pastel-colored cotton cardigans and even short shorts (gasp!), it is still winter in New England. While I may desire a brightly-colored trench coat, I still need that boring old wool coat.  It's still brutal out there and there are ten calendar days left until spring truly begins,  so let's send out the final winter root vegetables and hearty comfort foods out with a bang.  This Three Free Thursday, I'm making two pasta dishes - @TestKitchen Pasta w/ Butternut Squash & Sage and @Real_Simple Cheesy Baked Pasta with Spinach and Artichokes.

Findings:
This @Real_Simple Cheesy Baked Pasta With Spinach and Artichokes recipe is simple as promised.  The entire cooking time was under twenty minutes much of which was completely hands off. I wouldn't make it for a dinner party, but this recipe does well as a quick weeknight meal. The dish is sinfully cheesy and an excellent way to get more nutrient-rich spinach into your diet during the bleakest part of the year.

The best way to make this recipe more interesting - explore new pasta shapes. Simple dishes are a great way to experiment with new pasta shapes and try out different thicknesses, lengths and styles of pasta. I'm constantly amazed by the number of different, crazy pasta shapes that are available and how adults react when child-like enthusiasm when presented with a dish containing an unusual pasta shape. Does anything beat watching adults enjoy a bowl of "wagon wheels"?   I read in the New York Times last December about an interesting new book called “The Geometry of Pasta” by Caz Hildebrand and Jacob Kenedy.  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/29/dining/29pasta.html I plan to obtain a copy of this interesting, new book soon and would love to review as part of this blog. 
   

Tips:

• Reheat slowly (either in a microwave on low power or in a warm oven)with a sliver of butter on top to avoid drying out the dish.
• Substitute fresh spinach and 1/4 cup of cream for frozen spinach if, like myself, you MUCH prefer fresh greens to the frozen variety.
• Add shredded chicken to make this a filling dish with a healthy source of protein hidden under all that luscious cheese.

Rating: 3 out of 5  

Thanks for reading Part I of this week's Three Free Thursday! Feel free to send in recipe suggestions for Three Free Thursday on Twitter to @RecipEngineer or by e-mail RecipEngineer@gmail.com

Three Free Thursday Part I: Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs with Edamame

Happy Three Free Thursday, Blog Readers!   To recap the process, on the first Thursday, I select three free recipes from sources on Twitter.  On the following Thursday, I report back via blog entry the full results of my adventures in the kitchen and let you know if you should try these recipes at home. Enjoy!

Recipe: Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs

with Edamame

Source: @Real_Simple

Link:http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chicken-teriyaki-meatballs-edamame-snow-peas-00000000006815/index.html

After the last Three Free Thursday adventure with "Pineapple-Ginger Rice with Edamame", I vowed that I would go back to basic recipes for awhile and simply help my readers find classic recipes to add to their overflowing recipe boxes.  However, after some helpful suggestions from @EatingtheWeek and reading this recipe for "Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs with Edamame", I felt I needed to try again.   

Anyone else think soba noodles
kind of look like brains?
Great Halloween dinner. ;-)

Findings:

The recipe is pretty basic and requires a bit of "re-engineering" - in particular adding different types of vegetables instead of just heaping three cups of snow peas into skillet/wok and incorporating different seasonings.  I tried @EatingtheWeek's brillant ideas - serving the dish over a bed of soba noodles and seasoning with red pepper flakes and/or brown sugar - in a few of my experiments. In the end, I settled on my favorite combination - mini meatballs atop a bed of soba noodles, adding a heaping serving of frozen stir fry vegetables in place of half of the snow peas, adding red pepper flakes and fresh ginger to a doubled amount of soy/brown sugar sauce and chilling overnight. 
After experimenting with this recipe, I did end up enjoying the final meal outcome.  It was particularly good as a cold dish for lunch the following day.  The flavors really deepened overnight and the soba noodles absorbed a bit of the sauce.  I'd suggest that everyone start with the basic recipe and my tips and then experiment with frozen vegetables to tailor the recipe to their taste. Let me know what combination works best for you and yours.

Tips: 

• Serve hot over white/brown long-grained rice or serve cold over soba noodles.
• Replace 1 1/2 cups of snow peas with 1 1/2 cups of frozen stir fry vegetables (thawed) and cook for 3-4 minutes before adding the sauce.
• Double the sauce recipe to better coat the rice (or soba noodles) and add stronger flavor to the dish.
• Make 32 mini meatballs instead of 16 larger meatballs to minimize cooking time.   
• Spice it up! Add a small pinch of red pepper flakes or 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger to soy sauce/brown sugar sauce prior to reduction.

Rating: 3 out of 5  

Thanks for reading Part I of this week's Three Free Thursday! Feel free to send in recipe suggestions for Three Free Thursday on Twitter to @RecipEngineer or by e-mail RecipEngineer@gmail.com

Three Free Thursday Part II: Tuscan Kale with Pine Nuts & Golden Raisins

Happy Three Free Thursday, Blog Readers!   To recap the process, on the first Thursday, I select three free recipes from sources on Twitter.  On the following Thursday, I report back via blog entry the full results of my adventures in the kitchen and let you know if you should try these recipes at home. Enjoy!

Recipe: Tuscan Kale with Pine Nuts & Golden Raisins

Attack of the killer kale!

Source: @Sur_La_Table
Link: http://ht.ly/3Sxyp

People tend to have very strong opinions about kale.  They either shudder at the thought of this slightly bitter, nutrient-filled leafy green or delight in its chameleon-like ability to blend seamlessly into many dishes from savory soups to hearty side dishes.  I knew that some of my readers would skip this blog entry about healthy kale and move directly on to the double chocolate chips cookies - that's fair.  Still, I grew up on kale and it holds a special place in my heart as my Portuguese paternal grandmother's incredible cooking once featured a thick, flavorful kale soup.  The Portuguese are renowned for their kale soup recipes - a mix of kale, potatoes, beans and chourico (Portuguese sausage) - and a winter month never passes without my mother or I crafting a tasty Portuguese Kale Soup for the entire family.

Surprisingly, in my decades of experience with kale, I'd never tried Tuscan kale.  A flat-leafed kale that resembles collards, Tuscan kale is slightly more expensive than traditional curly green and red kale and more difficult to find in standard grocery stores.  I tried this recipe with both Tuscan kale and a mix of curly green/red kale.  The results were rather similar, however the mix of curly green/red kale was much more attractive when plated.  Feel free to substitute any type of kale available at your local grocery store or farmers market into this recipe.

Findings:

Go easy on the garlic! My one complaint with this recipe was the three full cloves of garlic minced and incorporated into this side dish were a bit overwhelming.  To limit the intense garlicky flavor in this side dish, don't add minced garlic.  Instead, crush garlic cloves and toss them into the oil for 1-2 minutes to infuse the oil with garlic flavor.  Remove cloves prior to adding the kale and you'll enjoy the essence of garlic without  the intense after-taste of garlic and ensuing dragon breath.

Once you tone down the garlic, this is a delicious and healthy side dish.  The raisins add a surprising sweet note amidst the slightly bitter garlicky kale and the pine nuts add a nice crunch.  If you are allergic to or severely opposed to pine nuts, omit them or substitute other nuts (like toasted walnuts or pecans).  This side dish works well topped by a simple chicken or pork entree and is an excellent way to get your vitamins in the depths of a dark, cold winter. Enjoy!

Tips: 

• Mix up varieties of kale - curly green and red kale mix is readily available, less expensive and more visually appealing than Tuscan kale.
• Serve immediately - leafy green side dishes wilt and compact quickly as they cool down. 
• Replace golden raisins with dried cranberries for a new twist on this side dish.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Thanks for reading Part II of this week's Three Free Thursday! Feel free to send in recipe suggestions for Three Free Thursday on Twitter to @RecipEngineer or by e-mail RecipEngineer@gmail.com

Three Free Thursday Part III: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy Three Free Thursday, Blog Readers!   To recap the process, on the first Thursday, I select three free recipes from sources on Twitter.  On the following Thursday, I report back via blog entry the full results of my adventures in the kitchen and let you know if you should try these recipes at home. Enjoy!

Recipe: Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Source: @Real_Simple
Link:http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/double-chocolate-chip-cookies-10000001046904/index.html

The best way to describe these Double Chocolate Chip Cookies is to say that they are "the cookies".  These are "the cookies" for when you finally realize that "he's just not that into you".  These are "the cookies" for when your lifelong rival gets married/promoted/pregnant before you. These are "the cookies" for a hot Friday night of Lifetime television movies and sweatpants.  Oh yeah, and I guess boyfriends, best friends and co-workers would like these cookies too (if there were any left to share).

I randomly ended up testing this recipe late on a rainy Friday night when friends and I had finally admitted to ourselves that we were not venturing out in the storm to seek Boston nightlife. Instead, I pulled out my mixing bowl and whipped up these treats as we snarkly discussed former classmates and planned a friend's imaginary wedding - good times.  This Double Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is simple (nice work @Real_Simple), but delicious.  The cookies were quickly and neatly in the oven in mere minutes and engulfed my cozy apartment with warm melting chocolate aromas. I'd say the worst part of this recipe was waiting for the cookies to completely cool... but who would ever do something insane like that?

*** Apologies for the blurry photo - these cookies were disappearing too quickly to get good photo quality.  Think of it as live action shot of deliciousness flying off the plate and into my friends' mouths.

Findings:

This Double Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is sensational. The real question regarding this recipe is... why would anyone ever stop at "double chocolate chips" when there are so many other scrumptious chips available to the modern baker? This recipe calls only for semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips.  Two very fine options in baking chips, but certainly not the far limits of the baking chip galaxy. Toss in some white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, dark chocolate chips, bittersweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or even novelty chips like rainbow chips to take these cookies to another level of decadence.

Fortunately, I had lots of willing taste testers or I would have eaten the full batch of cookies myself.  Taste testers described these cookies as "orgasmic", "the best thing that happened to me this winter" and a other few unmentionable raves and noises as they inhaled the full batch of "Triple" Chocolate Chip cookies containing semisweet/milk/white chocolate chips in under 30 minutes.

Tips:

• Go wild! Add lots of different chocolates! Experiment with various mixes of semisweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, dark chocolate chips, bittersweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or even novelty chips like rainbow chips.
• Make a double batch - your friends will thank you and describe you to everyone they meet on the streets of Boston as the best baker ever! Seriously, your friends will purchase MBTA ads to share their appreciation of your baking skills with their fellow passengers on the Red Line. (For my readers outside of Beantown, this is a good thing... well except for the riding the subway part... just kidding... mostly). 

Rating: 5 out of 5  

Thanks for reading Part III of this week's Three Free Thursday! Feel free to send in recipe suggestions for Three Free Thursday on Twitter to @RecipEngineer or by e-mail RecipEngineer@gmail.com