Beef and Bacon Meatloaf

Beef and Bacon Meatloaf
~From the Sense of Home Kitchen, adapted from Bon Appétit, January 2009~
Serves 4

1 medium red onion, coarsely diced
3 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 1/4 pounds ground beef (10% fat)
1/2 cup ketchup, divided
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
7 slices thick-cut bacon, 5 coarsely chopped, 2 halved crosswise
4 slices day old ciabatta, torn into pieces
1 tablespoon dried parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Blend onion and garlic in a food processor until onion is finely chopped.  Transfer to a large bowl; add beef, 1/4 cup ketchup, and next 3 ingredients.

Add chopped bacon and bread to processor.  Using on/off turns, blend until bread is chopped.  Scrape mixture into bowl with beef.  Add parsley; stir gently to blend well.  Transfer mixture to a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Arrange bacon-slice halves crosswise on top of meat, spacing apart and tucking edges down sides of loaf.  Spoon remaining ketchup between bacon slices.  Bake meatloaf until cooked through and meat comes away from the sides of the pan, about 1 hour.  Let rest 10 to 15 minutes.  Slide spatula under one end of the meatloaf.  Tilt pan and slide loaf out onto platter.  Slice and serve.


Sense of Home / Recipes / Beef / Main Dishes

Parsnip Muffins

Sense of Home Kitchen

Parsnip Muffins
~From the Sense of Home Kitchen, adapted from Gourmet, May 1998~
Makes 18 muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup honey
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup shredded parsnips
1 tart apple, peeled, cored, and shredded
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and prepare 18 1/2-cup muffin cups with muffin papers or butter.

Into a medium-sized bowl sift together flours, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

In a large mixing bowl cream together butter and honey, add eggs and vanilla, and mix well.  Gradually stir in flour mixture, stirring until just combined.

Stir in shredded parsnips and apple, pecans, raisins, and coconut, stirring until just combined.  Do not over mix or that will cause the muffins to be peaked.

Spoon mixture into prepared muffin cups, filling them 3/4 full.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until golden brown and a tester comes out clean.

Cool muffins in cups on racks for 5 minutes before turning out onto racks to cool completely.  Muffins keep in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days.  Muffins can be frozen for up to one month.


Sense of Home Kitchen / Recipes / Muffins

Two-Pepper Shrimp

Sense of Home Kitchen

Two-Pepper Shrimp

~From the Sense of Home Kitchen adapted from Bon Appétit, April 1996~

Serves 4

The Shrimp

1 pound of uncooked large shrimp, peeled deveined

4 tablespoons dry white wine

2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

The Vegetable

8 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 cups cold water

5 cups shredded romaine lettuce

1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

The Sauce

1/2 cup bottled clam juice

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

4 teaspoons olive oil

1 pound onions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons of reserved juice from canned whole tomatoes

1/2 cup canned whole tomatoes

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Mix shrimp, 2 tablespoons wine, ginger, black pepper and crushed red pepper in a large bowl.  Cover and chill 30 minutes.  Remove the shrimp, reserving the marinade.

Pour 7 tablespoons rice vinegar into another large bowl.  Add 2 cups of cold water to the bowl, then shredded lettuce and cucumbers.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Drain.

Whisk clam juice, remaining 2 tablespoons wine and remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar in a medium-sized bowl to blend.  Add cornstarch, salt and sugar; whisk until cornstarch dissolves.  Whisk in reserved shrimp marinade.  Set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add shrimp and sauté until just cooked through, about 2 minutes.  Using slotted spoon transfer shrimp to plate.  Or if you are like me and using precooked shrimp, just wait until later to warm the shrimp in the sauce right before eating.  Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons juice from the canned tomatoes and stir 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and garlic and stir 30 seconds.  Re-whisk the clam juice mixture to blend.  Add to skillet and boil until sauce thickens, about 1 minute.  Add shrimp and parsley and toss to coat.  Heat shrimp through about 2 minutes, careful not to overcook, shrimp should form a letter C when cooked, not an O.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat.

Divide lettuce and cucumbers between four plates.  Spoon shrimp mixture and sauce over and serve.

Sense of Home Kitchen / Recipes / Fish and Seafood

Vidalia Onion Tarte Tatin

 Sense of Home Kitchen

Vidalia Onion Tarte Tatin
~From the Sense of Home Kitchen, inspired by A Chefs Daughter~

2 tablespoons butter, additional as needed
1 teaspoon sugar
2 pounds of Vidalia onions, peeled and thickly sliced to reveal rings
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed, but kept cool

Using a 10 to 12 inch cast iron skillet, melt the butter and sprinkle in the sugar.  Remove for the heat.

Arrange thick onion slices in the skillet, filling in any spaces with thick onion pieces.  Lay tarragon leaves on top of onion slices and season with salt and pepper.

Return to the heat and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.  Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking until the onions are a deep golden brown on the pan side (this may take a little while, for me it was about 10 to 15 minutes, be patient you want the onions to be caramelized), add additional butter if the skillet begins to go dry.  Turn on oven to preheat to 375.

Once the onion is a deep golden brown on the skillet side, add stock and vinegar and bring to a simmer.  Simmer until the liquid is syrupy and almost completely reduced.  Remove from heat and let cool about 5 minutes.

Roll one sheet of puff pastry out to the size and shape of your skillet.  Place puff pastry sheet on top of onions right in the skillet and tuck the edges down between the onion and the pan.

Place skillet in preheated oven and bake until the pastry is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 25 minutes, watching close so the pastry does not burn.

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a serving plate.  Serve warm.


Sense of Home Kitchen / Recipes / Pastries / Side Dishes

Spicy Stew

Sense of Home Kitchen

Spicy Beef, Shallot and Root Vegetable Stew
~From the Sense of Home Kitchen, inspired by Bon appétit, October 2001~
6 Servings

1 pound beef stew meat
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 dried red chili pepper, with seeds, if you want the heat
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups beef stock
2 cups whole tomatoes in juice
3 medium-sized potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium-sized yams, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup dry red wine (use the same wine you plan to drink with dinner, if you are drinking any, I used a Cabernet Sauvignon)

Place beef chunks in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add flour; toss to coat.  Heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat, sauté stew meat until brown, about 5 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to another bowl; reserve flour remaining in first bowl.  Add shallots and garlic to pot, stir one minute.  Add reserved flour and stir for 30 seconds.  Add both stocks, thyme leaves, and crush the chili pepper into the pot (removing the seeds if you don't want as much heat, but we love the heat).  Bring to a boil and scrap up browned bits.  Add tomatoes with their juices and beef with any accumulated juices; return to boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 45 minutes.  Uncover; add potato and yam cubes.  Add red wine and simmer uncovered until potatoes, yams and beef are tender and sauce thickens, stirring often, careful not to break potatoes, about 40 minutes longer.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.


Sense of Home / Recipes / Stews

Rosemary and Leek Focaccia

Sense of Home

Rosemary and Leek Focaccia

~From the Sense of Home Kitchen, adapted from Heart of the Artichoke, by David Tanis~

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon honey

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 cup olive oil, plus extra for drizzling and cooking leeks

1 cup finely sliced leeks

1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

Coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Place 1/2 cup of the warm water in a small mixing bowl, add yeast and honey and stir with a wooden spoon.  Let the mixture sit until bubbles form, about 5 minutes.

Add the remaining 1 cup of water, 3 cups of flour, salt, and olive oil and stir with the wooden spoon until a sticky ball of dough forms and all the flour and oil are incorporated.  Dust the work surface with flour and turn out the ball of dough onto it, dust the dough with flour and knead for a couple minutes.

Drizzle a little olive oil into the bowl and place the dough back into the bowl, turning dough to coat with oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until it has about doubled in size.

Once the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl and place it on a baking sheet lined with Silpat or oiled.  If you want a thicker focaccia use a smaller baking sheet, thinner use a larger baking sheet.  Work the dough into roughly a rectangle shape filling most of the baking sheet, if you do not have Silpat, the oiled sheet will take a bit more working with the dough before the dough relaxes and lays in place.  Cover the focaccia with oiled plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for another hour.

In the meantime clean and finely slice your leeks until you have approximately 1 cup of sliced leeks.  Sauté the leeks in a tablespoon or so of olive oil until they are soft, set aside.  Prepare your rosemary by roughly chopping, and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Uncover the risen focaccia dough, place the leeks and rosemary evenly across the dough, drizzle dough with olive oil.  Poke small indentations all over the top of the focaccia dough with your finger, and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until it is browned on top and the bottom appears done.  Cool on pan for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.  Enjoy!

Sense of Home / Recipes / Bread

Leek and Mushroom Egg Bake

Sense of Home

Leek and Mushroom Egg Bake
~from the Sense of Home Kitchen, inspired by a December 2008 Gourmet Egg Custard~
8 servings

3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 cups thinly sliced leeks
10 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 cups grated Gruyère (approximately 6 ounces)
10 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (you can eyeball this one)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. with rack in the middle.  Butter a 9x13x2-inch baking dish.

Place 2 tablespoons of butter in a large sauté pan and sauté sliced leeks until tender, reserve butter and spread leeks evenly on the bottom of prepared dish.  Add one tablespoon of butter and sauté sliced mushrooms, spread these on top of leeks in the prepared dish.  Sprinkle Gruyère evenly on top of the mushrooms.

Blend eggs, milk, cottage cheese, and nutmeg in a blender with pepper and salt until smooth.

Pour egg mixture over leeks, mushrooms, and Gruyère in dish and bake until puffed, set, and golden, 35 to 45 minutes.  Serve warm or at room temperature.



Sense of Home / Recipes / Eggs / Vegetarian Dishes