Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon

If the premise behind posting this recipe was a real-life assignment in a college or school, I would have failed.Or been thrown out of school. Well, OK, not that serious, but I probably would be in detention for a while. Herein is a lesson on How Not To Be a Good Member of a An Otherwise Earnest Little Food Blogging Group:

1. The very charming Simran of the equally charming food book club This Books Makes Me Cook announces that the book "Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously" by former blogger Julie Powell as a contender for the May book choice.
2. Yes, May 2010. Lets do a little fact check. Star Date Now: February 2011.
3. Back up to May of last year. Sulk, because I don't want to read this book. Because I watched the MOVIE version THREE times. And I didn't like it. All.Three.Times.
4. Secretly conspire to NOT have the book chosen by trying to buy out the other book club members. Fail at mission as the book is overwhelmingly chosen.
5. How can someone watch a movie THREE times if they didn't like it, you ask. Easy. Be stuck on a three-stop-layover aeroplane where this was the ONLY movie available to watch. Three times over.
6. Except for the two hours you squeezed your head between the gaps in the seat in front to spy on what was playing on the other passengers mobile DVD. No I didn't. Really. It was cartoons.
7. And you start mimicking Julia's shrill accent to the flight attendant when they come around with peanuts...."Bon Appetit!"
8. For an excruciating 15 hours of flight time which feels like 67 years after adding two kids to the mix, and this is the ONLY movie that you get to watch can make someone feel a tad "underwhelmed" when asked to review the book that sprouted the movie. So I read My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prudhomme (her auto biography) instead.
9. And in case anyone wants to do a psychological analysis of my deep-seated resentment. The answer is quite simply Jealousy. Yes, I'm jealous of blogger Julie Powell. That she got to blog way back in 2002 when some of us were not even born. Oh wait, I mean some of our blogs were not even born. And then she comes up with this great idea to cook all of Julia Childs recipes. And then she gets the book deal. And then she gets the movie deal. And then Meryl Streep. Oh my. Meryl Streep!!! I'm JEALOUS.
10. Have an overwhelming urge to try Boeuf Bourguignon - a stew of beef in red wine with mushrooms, pearl onions and bacon (pronounced BUH-YOF BOOR-GWEE-NYON (heh heh, that's me pulling a Dictionary sounding thingy heh heh)) because it
• factors so prominently in the Julie and Julia Project (movie/book/blog) - its the dish Julie Powell slaves over, burns to a crisp because she gets drunk and/or falls asleep and finishes perfectly the next day only to be stood up by her important journalist dinner guest
• gained notoriety amongst cooking circles as the quintessential French recipe captured absolutely perfectly by Julia Childs
• has a lot of bulleted steps, which I seem to be a fan of
11. Host a Valentines Day pot-luck and pick the theme FRANCE for your unsuspecting guests, and decide "This is it! This is the time to try this dish, once and for all!".
12. I did like this dish, and I thought it was worth the effort (see the mixed reviews from my powerful critics a.k.a. my family, below).

So in a nutshell, in the time it could have taken to, I dunno, maybe birth a child (9 months exactly May 2010 - Feb 2011), I finally made Boeuf Bourguignon, all three components of it

• beef stewed in red wine with onion, carrots and bacon
• sauteed mushrooms in butter
• brown braised pearl onions and 3 hour cook time later I present it to you, along with these pointers and reviews from my critics a.k.a. the Family.

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon Recipe - Completely sourced from her publisher's website Knopf Doubleday. I copied the entire recipe, so I am not cutting and pasting it here, instead I'm adding my pointers and the mixed reviews from my critics.

1. This dish takes some time. Be prepared. It's mainly cooking time, but there are a couple of prep steps, the most time-consuming being the searing of the beef prior to cooking it in the stew.
2. The recipe calls for the searing to be done in small batches to get the right crust. Of course, I cheated by using my largest non-stick pan so I could get more done, and possibly paid the price by not quite getting the crust that a cast iron or steel skillet would have given you. But then I had less clean-up. *snicker*.
3. Bacon needs to be sliced, boiled and then fried in butter. Julia? WT? I know, heaven help her. But she lived to be 91, so she must have known some s^*t. This process, though completely weird to me, removes all the salt from the bacon.
4. Two of the three components are basted pearl onions and sauteed mushrooms, they taste really good as individual dishes, and I questioned why they needed to be thrown into the powerful stew and lose their identity. I used frozen pearl onions and defrosted them prior to cooking. Here is the odd thing, two days later, when I was reheating leftovers, the onions still stood out in the stew. Julia. You are one smart cookie. 

Now the reviews:

• My mom preferred the stew straight out of the oven, bubbling with heat. I preferred it a day or two later, re-heated of course, I felt the flavors had really become pronounced over time. This is a really rich stew with meat that becomes fork tender after the long cook time. I also like the fact that there are quite a few vegetables included in it.
• My dad thought I had cooked the beef in cough medication. He didn't like the strong wine flavor. This critique has issues of its own.
• The dish was almost finished by all the guests, they must have liked it?
• I didn't give it to The Kids - Too Much Wine I thought...
• The Husband Who May Have Been On His Crackberry/Blackberry The Entire 3-4 Hours That The Dish Took To Make:
• Me: How Is it. Its BUH-YOF BOOR-GWEE-NYON. It's Julia Childs. It's this really long recipe. It's the one from the annoying movie we watched. Remember, the one with the lady that I am so jealous of. How is it? What do you think? Do you think it needs salt? It's got a bottle of wine in there.... a WHOLE bottle.
• THWMHBOHCTE3-4HTTDTTM: Good. Good. good-good-good. Needs a little salt.
• Me: How is that possible! It has BACON in it! And stock! How can it need more salt???!!!
• THWMHBOHCTE3-4HTTDTTM: Good. Good. good-good-good. Needs a little salt.
• Me: I think I am going to stick my head in the oven now.
• THWMHBOHCTE3-4HTTDTTM: Good. Good. good-good-good. Needs a little salt.

This is a long recipe, but do not despair. It only took me 9 months...errr.. 3 hours to do.

Julia Childs :  Obituary from USA Today

A 30th Wedding Anniversary Menu and A Winner for the Giveaway!

So I don't date myself too much here, not MY 30th wedding anniversary, but rather a 30th wedding anniversary party that my parents and I hosted for my aunt and uncle who got married on the same day as my birthday. I was a bratty flower girl at their wedding, and as a surprise to me, they rolled out a birthday cake onto the reception floor which I got to cut, and then I graciously returned the favor by throwing a tantrum for all their wedding gifts.

My aunt, the young bride, who was probably exasperated with me at that point for stealing their thunder, steely bartered one gift to me in exchange for good behavior. Thinking I had won the duel, I smartly marched up and selected the largest and shiniest gift box, only to open it up and find a three speed metal blender.

Defeat.

As pay back, I threw them an impromptu little party last week because my parents were in town unseasonably and my mom always complains how she never gets to do anything for her little sister's anniversary.
Since I now pretty much exclusively cook out of all your blogs, this turned out to be another installment of I Ate Your Food, and since I needed to post my giveaway winner..I rolled it all into one post! Scroll down for the winner...yes, I am evil that way.

Here is the menu that my mom and I drummed up for the party. Our idea was to re-create their wedding reception menu, which none of us could actually remember. Yes, I remember my STEEL BLENDER but failed to remember other details of the evening. My dad vaguely described roast chicken, potatoes and salad and so we ran with it:

Lentil Soup With Sauteed Scallops

Garlic Rolls

Hearts of Palm Salad With Cilantro Vinaigrette

Flavors of India Roasted Cornish Hens With Carrots, Celery and Leeks

Hasselback Potatoes

Broiled Salmon with Spicy Mushroom Sauce and Saffron Rice

Lemon Coconut Cake with Raspberry Preserves

As is the case with all meals, as the dinner progressed, I got caught up and couldn't take pictures of all the items, so I'm just leaving a link to the master recipes that I used =(.

But as is always the case, many thanks to all the talented bloggers out there whose recipes I use with much success.

Lentil Soup and Sauteed Scallops - sourced entirely from Chicho's Kitchen with very little adaptation at all.

My only note would be to serve this soup piping hot. I tried to use a soup warmer thingy seen in the pic that I had bought, and it ended up not working right, so my soup reached the table barely warm, a point my loud guests noted quickly. Grrr....

Garlic Rolls - the detailed and step-by-step instructions on Suhaina and Nag's Edible Garden blogs are testament enough. These were killer rolls, perfect in every way and my favorite part of the meal!

Hearts of Palm Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette - adapted from Food and Wine magazine Recipe by Carolina Buia and Isabel González.

Dressing:

2/3 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 small red onion, finely chopped (subst. for shallots) 
juice of 1 lemon 
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons agave nectar (subst. for honey) 
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste 

Salad:
2 clementine/oranges, peeled and sliced into segments (pith removed) 
1 14-ounce jar of hearts of palm, drained and sliced 
2 bunches Romaine lettuce - rinsed, dried and chopped
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
a few grape tomatoes, halved
 
1.In a blender, combine the ingredients for the dressing except olive oil and salt and pepper. With the machine on, add the olive oil in a steady stream and blend until smooth. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
2. Toss together all ingredients for the salad, serve immediately with dressing.


Flavors of India Roasted Cornish Hens With Carrots, Celery and Leeks - I adapted this recipe from Whole Foods website.
I substituted Cornish hens (one per two guests) and the recipe came out perfect.  I added 2 cups each chopped carrots, leeks and celery to the roasting pan with the hens and served the veggies alongside the meat. They still took a good 1.5 - 2 hours to cook, but came out moist and flavorful.


Broiled Salmon with Spicy Mushroom Sauce and Saffron Rice - again entirely sourced from Bong Mom's Cookbook.
I've made this recipe several times now, and I love the mushroom sauce that goes with the easy to bake salmon.

Hasselback Potatoes - these truly deserve their own post, but here is some eye candy to enjoy in the meantime. I adapted the recipe from Seasaltwithfood and added flavored ranch butter to the potatoes as they baked.
They need to be served right away, which I made a mistake on, I made them well in advance, so they lost some of their appeal when sitting out and growing cold.

..and finally dessert. I had to make them cake, in honor for my cake all those years ago, so I chose Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake, which truly was perfect in every single way. What a keeper of a recipe. I ran out of time with this item, so instead of buttercream icing, I just used whipped cream both in the filling and to cover the cake.

Apologies for zero pictures, I kick myself for not grabbing my camera before everything was chopped up and eaten!
And now for the winner of my first ever blog giveaway. The $40 Amazon.com gift card goes to comment #....

........1! As pronounced by random number generator - that is Divya all the way in India who blogs at Easycooking. Congratulations Divya, and thanks to all who participated!

To be honest, I always though the first and last comments were unlucky as they stood no chance against all the other numbers, but I guess that proved my theory wrong! Bang, the first comment got selected, early bird gets the worm...in the form of a gift card =).

Boo! Halloween Pumpkin Carving

At a camping trip this weekend, a friend announced an impromptu pumpkin carving competition. Of course, I had to bring my A-game, but sadly, I fell flat on my face. Armed with thumbtacks and a dull knife, I attempted:

1. A Car - specific instructions from The Little Boy. Of course, I went wild and decided to do a car leaping out of blazing flames. Only to have the car roof collapse in mid-carving. I probably would have won the prize for "But What The Heck Is That?" category.

2. A Princess - even more specific instructions from The Little Girl. We chose Snow White this year over Cinderella last year. I managed to butcher poor Snow White's face and even give her a cleft lip in the process. Hey, at least I got her hair nice and poufy.

Roasted Spinach and Potato Cake

Desperate for something starchy, but bored of the same-old same-old mashed potatoes, I found this little gem of a recipe on Whole Foods website yesterday. An added incentive to make it was the chance to break in my almost one-year old brand spankin' new never-been-used-before (OK, we GET it!) Lodge Logic 10-1/4-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet.

This is my second piece of Lodge cookware and I'm pretty impressed and tickled pink at the very reasonable price. I held out for Le Creuset for the longest time, and realized

a) I'll never afford it, except for their one set of salt and pepper shakers that always seem to be on sale and

b) I ain't winning no Le Creuset giveaway ANYTIME soon.

The original recipe called for roasting Swiss Chard, but I could not get my hands on any ('tis not the season?). My eyes fell on the next green looking vegetable in the grocery aisle, and it was baby spinach!

Superbly simple - a layer of potatoes, spinach and cheese, enhanced with some caramelized onion and garlic, thrown into the oven in a skillet to produce a wholesome, earthy, bubbling "cake" with a gorgeous golden crust.

I think I could make a meal of it by itself now. Move over, Mr,.Steak....

Roasted Spinach and Potato Cake (recipe adapted from Whole Foods Market)

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp EVOO

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed

1 small yellow onion, diced

4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into thin circles

salt and pepper to taste

a large pinch oregano,rosemary and dried mint

4-5 cups baby spinach, washed ( or 1 whole box pre-washed salad baby spinach found in US groceries)

1 cup grated cheese (I used a mixture of cheddar and spicy habanero cheese)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Heat butter and oil in a seasoned cast iron skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook till onion turns translucent.

3. Add baby spinach, the spinach will wilt rapidly, toss lightly with a little salt and pepper and the dried herbs if using, Cook for about a minute. Remove skillet from heat. Transfer spinach to another dish and try to keep most of the onions and garlic in the skillet.

4. Layer half of the potatoes in the skillet. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Top with the cooked spinach. Scatter half of the cheese on top.

5. Complete a third layer with the remaining potatoes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

6. Cover skillet tightly with lightly oiled aluminium foil, bake until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife (about an hour). Remove foil and return skillet to oven and bake till cheese is bubbly and golden-brown.

7. Set aside to rest, slice into wedges and serve.

Irish Potato and Leek Soup

Spring Break has come and gone. After a visit to the seaside and then to a rental by Lake Conroe, the kids are back in school, the weather has suitably warmed up and I have just recovered from a lovely bout of food poisoning.

*record player comes to a screeching halt*

Just the thing to mar an otherwise lovely few days. And food poisoning puts you off food completely, let alone food blogging. But the right antidote was a lovely cup of the simplest of soups. To boot, after the weather unexpectedly got chilly last weekend (in the middle of SPRING!), I reached for this warm and comforting potato and leek soup from a cookbook called Irish Pub Cooking.

Just the thing for when the weather is awful outside.

Or when solid food makes you want to hurl.

Take your pick.......

Leek & Potato Soup (adapted from Irish Pub Cooking)

Small tender leeks are better than the huge ones. In either case, remember to seprate the stalks and wash the leeks thoroughly, there is usually dirt trapped in every crevice.

2 Tbsp butter + 2 Tbsp oil

1 onion, chopped

3 leeks sliced

2 medium sized potatoes cut into small cubes

3.5 cups vegetable stock

2 cloves garlic mashed with a little salt

1/3 cup light cream (for garnishing)

2 Tbsp fresh chives or parsley (for garnishing)

salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add oil, and then saute onions, garlic and leeks for 2-3 minutes or till they become soft, but not brown.

2. Pour in stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and then simmer for about 15 minutes.

3. Use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender and pulse in bursts for a hearty texture, or process until smooth.

4. Return the soup to the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste, reheat and serve in warm soup bowls.

5. Add a little swirl of cream and garnish with snipped chives or parsley.

This recipe heads off to Joanne who Eats Well With Others and is hosting Regional Recipes - Ireland. Slainte! Boy, do I need some of that...

And it will also be making an appearance at Souper Sundays hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

Curried Couscous - A Repost

Trust Jaya of Desi Soccer Mom to come up with an original event - The Repost Event.
Take one of your older posts that is stuffed in the back of your blog somewhere, the one with the horrid photo, and no comments.
Yes, that one exactly.
Take it, jazz it up, brush off the dust and repost it!

Thanks to her event, I found my Curried Couscous post which ironically, has one of the first comments from Jaya herself, albeit lightly admonishing me for not "cooking" the spices in the recipe even though the recipe called for them to be used raw!

Here is the old picture:original recipe from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa).

I love this side dish with any Mediterranean main dish, and it really gives you freedom to stuff it chock full with nuts and veggies of your choice, because, as I had earlier said in the original post, couscous can sometimes have the personality of beach sand. Couscous has been crying out for a makeover, and this should do the trick.

Curried Couscous - (adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water/chicken stock (using stock adds more flavor!)

1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tsp kosher salt (reduce based on whether you used stock to cook couscous)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup small-diced carrots
1/2 cup small-diced celery

I've made this side-dish countless times over, each time adjusting it slightly here and there and its now long departed from the

1/2 red bell pepper - diced
1/4 cup dried currants/craisins/raisins (optional)
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/4 cup small-diced red onion
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1 tsp chopped parsley, mint or cilantro

Directions
1. Place the couscous in a medium bowl.
2. Melt the butter in the boiling stock/water and pour over the couscous.
3. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
4. Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add vegetables, nuts (I like to saute the almonds or you can use them as is for garnishing), onion, garam masala and turmeric. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Lightly saute.
5. Pour over the fluffed couscous, and mix well with a fork.
6. Garnish with parsley/mint/cilantro, currants, scallions and season to taste if necessary.

Spicy Cauliflower Bake - Cheese Vali Gobi

Fresh off the heels of my book review at the "This Book Makes Me Cook Club", I chose to make this spicy cauliflower baked dish or "Cheese Vali Gobi" from the recipe collection in Madhur Jaffrey's autobiography "Climbing the Mango Trees".

Start placing your bets on why I chose to make this particular dish:

1. 
   
   It was one of the easiest recipes in the collection (sucker!)
2. 
   
   I had 2 cauliflowers in my fridge in imminent danger of being unused and tossed
3. 
   
   I actually have no idea how to turn cauliflower into a tasty side dish and was intrigued when I saw this recipe
4. 
   
   All of the above
5. 
   
   None of the above. Shut up and get on with the recipe already.

I'm not sure how "authentic" of an Indian recipe this is, because since when do Indians generously douse their dishes with cheddar cheese. Paneer, yes, but cheddar?

I had to backtrack a little, and thought maybe it was some trascribing error given the dire circumstances I had copied this recipe under *cough*.

Regardless, I really liked the dish. I'n not a fan of cauliflower unless its been spiced, cheese-d, fried or baked into oblivion. Given this had a spicy tinge to it AND the cheese factor, I was sold.

The Man of Chez Split-Pear was not duly impressed, I guess because, again, it is a little hard to picture this as an "indian" accompaniment dish with the cheese and it doesn't help that he detests cauliflower more than I do. But I loved the melted gooiness of the dish and thought it had the right spice punch to it.

Spicy Cauliflower Baked with Cheese (Cheese Vali Gobi) (adapted slightly from Madhur Jaffrey's "Climbing the Mango Trees)

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 head of cauliflower , florets and stems roughly chopped
2 medium Roma tomatoes, grated
1" piece fresh ginger, grated
3 cloves garlic, grated
2 hot green chillies, sliced in rounds
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1/4 tsp chilli pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1/2 Tbsp coriander pwd
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

1.Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.Pour oil in non-stick saute pan.3.When hot, add cumin seeds. Sizzle for a few seconds and then add tomatoes, ginger, garlic, chillies, cayenne, turmeric, coriander. Stir and allow ginger and garlic to soften.
4.Add cauliflower, stir to mix. Add salt and cook for about 5 minutes or until cauliflower has almost cooked though or tomatoes have been absorbed.
5.Add cilantro and stir. Remove from heat.
6.Put contents of pan in lightly greased ovenproof dish. Add cream, mix, and then sprinkle cheese over the mixture.
7.Bake in oven till cheese is bubbly, about 10 minutes.

To read other book club members reviews and their contributions, check out:

Simran made powdered rice pudding Phirni.
Janaki made Palak Gosht.
Sheba made Cauliflower with Cheese. Just like me. Except she was smart and posted it earlier!Sweatha made Madhur's "everyday" cauliflower Roz Ki Gobhi.
Jaya made a potato and tomato curry Bazar Jaisey Aloo.
Aqua made rice with peas Tahiri.

If you would like to join this book club, contact Simran at Bombay Foodie.

Yellow Bell Pepper and Corn Rice

This quick and easy recipe came from the delightful cookbook "The Soul of a New Cuisine" by Chef Marcus Samuelsson. I have been drooling over this cookbook for the past month and it has earned an esteemed place right on my bedside table.

The cookbook is a well-researched and exotic collection of recipes from different regions of Africa. I was thrilled to see this cookbook in the library as I've always found it hard to find a definitive source of authentic and good recipes from the African continent. I believe the Berber and North African countries have been well represented in the cookbook arena to date, but the Central and Southern African countries have not.

Well, not until I came across this gem! Whilst the collection of recipes and Samuelsson's interpretive take on many regional delicacies is brilliant, it is the beautiful photography of the dishes and this spectacular continent that made me go out and purchase it outright.
 This is a simple accompaniment dish for a spicy meal. Samuelsson literally douses the rice in turmeric, I opted not to as I personally find turmeric to have quite a pungent after-taste when used in great quantities. I was startled but impressed to find the clever addition of golden mango and yellow tomatoes in this dish too, carrying forward the "yellow" theme. I opted not to add them, but should I find them in season, I will definitely be revisiting this dish again!
 Yellow Bell Pepper and Corn Rice (loosely adapted from "The Soul of A New Cuisine")

2 Tbsp oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt
1 heaped tsp turmeric (original recipe uses 1 Tbsp!!)1 tsp cumin powder
1 cup long grain rice
1 small red chili, finely chopped
salt to taste
2 cups yellow corn
2 1/2 cups stock
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeds removed and cored, diced
1 Tbsp chopped green onion
(Original recipe also included 1 yellow tomato and 1 peeled yellow mango, chopped)

1. Heat oil in large saucepan.
2. Add onion, garlic, turmeric and cumin and saute till onion is translucent.
3. Add rice, chili, bell pepper, corn and ~1/2 tsp salt (or to taste). Stir fry rice, stirring continuously to ensure it does not burn.
4. Add stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover saucepan and let it cook till all liquid is absorbed.
5. If using tomato and mango, fold into rice, adjust salt to taste and remove from heat. Garnish with scallions and serve hot.


This post has been dusted off and is now heading over to Padmajha at Seduce Your Tastebuds for the A.W.E.D African Event April 2010. The A.W.E.D Culinary Journey event was originally created by DK of Chef In You.

Leftover Shepherd's Pie

Surveying the scene, I sized up the repeat offenders.
- The Turkey.
- A few clumps of mashed potatoes.
- Almost all of the cornbread, scowling angrily at the mashed potatoes and bread rolls that jockeyed them out of their league.
- Multi-colored Vegetable Crudites strewn across their appetizer tray. Their dip long gone, they now lay stark naked and cold with nothing to blanket them.
- A bowl of gravy fighting back its tears at the thought of being unceremoniously dumped in the trash, when hours before it had been the Queen of the table, passed down the table like Cleopatra on a palanquin.

Have no fear my little leftovers - I will resurrect thee!

The following one-pot dish will wipe out all your leftovers, and can easily be thrown together the day after Thanksgiving, or after any party with similar menu items. It is absolute comfort food for cold days, I almost climbed into the casserole dish and lived there for 2 days straight, eating nothing but it.
But lets get out of that visual...Update! No shepherds were hurt during the making of this dish. I was wondering why Hannibal Lechter showed up several times to view this page and after I gave the title to this post more thought, I felt the need to clarify that actual shepherds were not used in the recipe either.

Shepherd's Pie using Leftovers (slightly adapted (and using my version of leftovers) from the Good People at Good Housekeeping)

2 tbsp butter + 2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp flour
1 can (14.5 oz) stock
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups leftover cooked white meat (turkey or chicken), diced
2 cups leftover vegetables (I steamed celery, carrots and red bell pepper)
1 cup crumbled cornbread (or leftover stuffing)
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1/2 cup shredded cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Lightly grease a casserole dish.
3. In a large sauce pan, melt butter and add oil. Whisk in flour until smooth, cook for a minute.
4. Whisk in stock and Worcestershire sauce, heat until boiling.
5. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in cooked turkey (or other white meat) and pre-cooked vegetables. Heat through and then remove from stove top.
7. Make a layer of cornbread or stuffing in the casserole dish.
8. Top with turkey mixture. Spread mashed potatoes on top and finally sprinkle with cheese.
9. Bake for about 20 minutes or until cheese melts and casserole is hot and bubling on the edges. 10. Serve with gravy, if she doesn't mind....

Boo!

Here are the pumpkins we carved this year. Cinderella and her Prince - who has been cast under an evil spell. Thought we'd twist up the classic a bit. Happy Halloween!
I still have another pumpkin left to carve, but I'm battling a 5 year old about doing another cartoon character vs. something ghoulish.
And I appear to be losing...

I'm sending these "pumpgrins" off to DK's Chef In You - who is hosting a "Show Me Your Pumpgrins" event. (Thanks Jaya for letting me know such an event was on!).

Barefoot Bloggers - Curried Couscous

I'm not sure if this feature is still in place, but a while ago, the BB group decided to do Backtracking - which meant you could post an old BB recipe that you may have missed. Since I missed a lot of summer, I wanted to feature the recipe for Curried Couscous which I had approached with a lot of trepidation, but it turned out so well its going to be a staple side chez nous.

This recipe jazzes up couscous by adding a host of veggies, and the addition of curry powder gives it a nice spicy kick. I can't stand plain jane couscous, to me, it has the equivalence of eating beach sand. I tinkered around with the store bought versions which have add-ins, most of the time, they were terribly salty and you ended up with 5 limp dehydrated mushrooms withered on a bed of couscous.

I deviated slightly from the original recipe .
First, I opted not to add the yogurt into the couscous at the end. Reason being, the couscous looked and tasted great at this point, and I was worried it would reduce to "glop" with the addition of such a wet ingredient.
Secondly, I added homemade garam masala instead of the ubiquitous "Curry Powder" because sometimes the store bought curry powders are too pungent. I also cooked the couscous in chicken stock to add more flavor. Watch the salt though!
Thirdly, I did a light saute of the veggies that I added because I had mushrooms in the mix, and did not want to eat them raw.

This is a fantastic side with Mediterranean dishes, and as I said before, I'm definitely going to repeat this again as it is such a flavorful spin on plain couscous. Hats off to the Barefoot Contessa for the recipe, and to Ellyn of Recipe Collector and Tester who chose this recipe back in June ‘09.

Curried Couscous - (adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook)
1 1/2 cups couscous
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water - I used chicken stock
Optional - 1/4 cup plain yogurt (I omitted this)
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon curry powder or garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup small-diced carrots
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup dried currants/craisins/raisins (I reduced the amount originally called for)
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms - sauted till cooked through in a little olive oil2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup small-diced red onion

Directions
Place the couscous in a medium bowl.
Melt the butter in the boiling stock/water and pour over the couscous.
Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper.
Pour over the fluffed couscous, and mix well with a fork.
Saute the carrots and mushrooms in a little olive oil. Add to the couscous, mix well.
Add red onions, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions and season to taste if necessary.