Showing posts with label mashed potatoes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mashed potatoes. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Potato and Jalapeno Pepper Pierogies

I am really excited about this post for a couple of reasons:

  1. I love pierogies
  2. I've long wanted to participate in a "Waiter, there's something in my..." event
  3. Pierogies rule!
You could rearrange that list as you like, but it would amount to the same thing. You could even add a few more bullets, but that would be overkill. :)

Anyway, on to my point! I didn't give it any thought when this dumpling event came out - I didn't think I knew how to make any dumplings. My grandpa had a killer chicken and dumpling recipe, but its never as good if someone else makes it. It was a total light-bulb moment, too, one afternoon, I was re-reading the rules/suggestions, and pierogies just came to me. Bam! I knew I wanted potato and cheese, and I found a recipe that included jalapeno peppers - so I knew Dave would love them.

Added to this loveliness were the hot pepper goat sausages in my freezer (Found at a local farmers market. I know, I know - goat? We went looking for lamb, but they were out, the farmer suggested the goat sausage, and as its hot and spicy, we couldn't resist. On top of that, it allowed us to try goat in a friendly way) Anyway, my plan was that the hot yet creamy potato pierogies would pair nicely with the spicy hot sausages.

Because it was there, I tossed the boiled pierogies around in the leftover goat sausage drippings, to tie it all together.

Something worth noting: farmers market peppers mean business. I made the dough and filling yesterday afternoon, say, around 12:30. This morning, my fingers still burned. I've experienced ouchy-contact lens removal post-peppering, but never next day burning fingers. I love the freshness this must indicate, and going forward, I'll make sure to don the surgical gloves. :)

Also of note - the pieces of this recipe don't exactly match up. I have a little more than half of the filling left after using all the dough. I plan on freezing it for future use, but if you have a lot of mouths to feed, make double the dough. Though, now that I'm thinking about it, I might not have rolled the dough out thin enough, resulting in less dumplings. Hmm. Whatever the case, you could end up with extra filling. (I plan on making potato pancakes, too!)

Anyway, pop over to Johanna's site, The Passionate Cook, for the roundup, but also because she has a really delightful site. Great writing, tasty food, and beautiful photographs - a foodies dream!!!

Edit: Ugh - it must not have been a lightbulb moment after all - I went back to see how to submit to the event, and the comments section is FULL of pierogie discussion... I prefer to think I was independently genius, but I'm willing to accept otherwise. ;)

Potato and Jalapeno Pepper Pierogies
Recipe courtesy Helen Mannarino, Pierogies Plus
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_27628,00.html

Pierogie Dough:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons margarine
3/4 cup lukewarm water
1 teaspoon salt

Jalapeno Filling:
2 1/2 pounds Idaho potatoes, washed and peeled
3 cups cold water
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons chopped jalapeno peppers
Freshly ground black pepper

To make Pierogie Dough: Combine all ingredients and mix well. Knead dough on flat surface for approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Let dough rest for 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Roll out dough into a thin sheet, approximately 1/4-inch thick. Then cut in circles: 2 inches for small pierogies and 3 1/2 inches for large pierogies. Fill circles with desired filling. Pinch the edges well and cook them in rapidly boiling water for approximately 10 minutes. Drain and serve immediately with butter. If you decide to store them, dip them in cold water, drain, and let them cool on a cookie sheet. When completely cool, store them in refrigerator.

To make Jalapeno Filling: Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Add salt, bring to a boil over high heat, and cook until potatoes are soft. When potatoes are done, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft; you can continue cooking until onions are caramelized if you so desire. Drain the potatoes and mash them. Add the cooked onion and jalapeno and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Continue mashing until blended. Let filling cool. Use 1 tablespoon of filling to fill the circles of dough as directed above.

See the recipe...



Saturday, April 14, 2007

Really Really Not My Food


So, generally, I'd like to post pictures of food I haven't already dug into... but.. we were hungry... and it had been a few days since I'd blogged, and I'm still new... so I had a couple of bites before I remembered... oops!

What you see is Bobby Flay's Black Pepper Crusted Steak with Toasted Goat Cheese blah blah blah with Giada De Laurentiis' Baked Mashed Potatoes (only I didn't bake them, and I used smoked mozz. instead) and some asparagus with Emeril Lagasse's Sauce Bearnaise... whew! Luckily, I already had the chile sauce for the steak done (frozen extra from earlier).

We had my friend Stephanie over for dinner, so we thought we'd make an evening of it, hence the steaks. She was lovely enough to bring Wegmans awesome chocolate cake and ice cream, and we had a ton of wine. I think I might still be full. :)


Black Pepper Crusted Filet Mignon with Toasted Goat Cheese and Twice Cooked Red Chile Sauce
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_26238,00.html

4 filet mignon steaks, each 1 1/2-inches thick
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
4 (3/4-inch thick) slices goat cheese
Red Chile Sauce, recipe follows
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Preheat the grill to high. Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before grilling. Meanwhile, combine the cumin, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Liberally season both sides of each filet with the spice mixture. Grill the filets for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium doneness.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Remove the steaks from the grill onto a baking sheet, and top each with a slice of the cheese. Place under the broiler until cheese is golden brown and soft. Alternatively, use a blow torch or kitchen torch to brown the cheese. Ladle the sauce onto each plate, place the steak in the center, and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Red Chile Sauce:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 New Mexican red chiles, lightly toasted
2 quajillo chiles, lightly toasted
1 ancho chile, lightly toasted
6 to 8 cups homemade chicken stock
1/4 cup creme fraiche
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until soft. Add the chiles and stock, and bring to a simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chiles are soft. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process until smooth.


Strain the mixture into a saute pan that has been set on high heat for a few minutes, and cook the sauce until slightly thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the creme fraiche and maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Accompanied by:

Baked Mashed Potatoes with Parmesan Cheese and Bread Crumbs
Adapted from:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_32174,00.html

1 tablespoon butter
4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter and set aside.

Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until they are very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; return the potatoes to the same pot and mash well. Mix in the milk and melted butter. Mix in the mozzarella and 3/4 cup of the Parmesan. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

[Transfer the potatoes to the prepared baking dish. Stir the bread crumbs and remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the mashed potatoes. Recipe can be prepared up to this point 6 hours ahead of time; cover and chill.

Bake, uncovered, until the topping is golden brown, about 20 minutes. ]

Skipped the part in brackets. I will say that it’s a great thing to do for holidays… you can get the mash ready ahead of time, and pop it in the oven right at the end of the dinner prep.

And:

Bearnaise Sauce
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_6401,00.html

3 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons white wine
10 peppercorns, crushed
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon water
3 egg yolks
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley leaves

In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, wine, peppercorns, shallots, and tarragon. Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce to 1 tablespoon. Add 1 tablespoon of water. Add the egg yolks and whisk, over low heat, until frothy, about 3 to 4 minutes. In a steady stream, add the butter until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Strain the sauce through a chinois and set aside. Garnish with the parsley leaves.

See the recipe...