Olive-Rosemary Breads

Like many other food bloggers, I love to peruse the photos that make the cut at Tastespotting.  As I was scrolling through recent entries, I saw these Olive and Rosemary Breads posted by Technicolor Kitchen.  I knew this was going on my 'short list' to make soon.  Very soon.  The recipe was a basic bread dough but with the pop of fresh rosemary and chopped kalamata olives.  Admittedly, I spent little time in chopping up the olives - I left them in pretty decent sized chunks.  There's no mistaking their flavor in these rolls.  I also threw caution to the wind when dividing up the dough.  Instead of the 16 rolls the original recipe yielded, I decided to go a little bigger and make just 12.  I used a muffin tin, brushing each well with a little olive oil, then plopped the little balls of dough into each opening.  After their last rising, they were brushed again with olive oil, and then into the oven.  The wafting aroma of bread baking always makes me swoon.  The wafting aroma of this bread baking literally made me salivate.  My thanks to Patricia for being the talented photographer that she is!  I would hate to have missed this one!

Olive-Rosemary Breads


Basic dough:
1 teaspoon dry active yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (240ml) lukewarm whole milk
2 ½ cups (350g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 quantity basic dough
generous 1/2 cup black olives
1-1/2 tablespoons rosemary leaves
all purpose flour, for kneading
olive oil, for brushing

Place the yeast, sugar and milk in a bowl and mix to combine. Set aside in a warm place for 5 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface.

Add the flour, salt and oil to the yeast mixture and mix until a smooth dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic, adding a little extra flour if the dough becomes too sticky.  Cover with plastic wrap, set aside in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Brush sixteen 1/2 cup (120ml) capacity pans with oil or cooking spray.

Press down the olives with the palm of your hand to remove the stones, then tear the olives into pieces. Knead the olives and rosemary leaves into the dough on a generously floured surface, incorporating extra flour to compensate for the wetness of the olives. Divide into 16 pieces and roll into balls.  Place in prepared pans, cover with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 45 minutes or until the dough is doubled in size. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.  Brush with the oil and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Makes 16

Patricia's Note:  "These reheat really well."  Good to know!

Baked Scallops

I've been on a seafood kick of late.  Scallops and shrimp have been my crustaceans of choice, and scallops make an appearance again today.  Ann at Thibeault's Table discovered this recipe at another blog, Bell'alimento.  Both posts piqued my interest.  Both posts contain gorgeous photos.  Both posts compelled me to have to make this dish.  And, THUS.... I did.  And, my friends, am I ever glad I did!  So unbelievably simple to put together, I incorporated Ann's tweaks to the original recipe and tweaked a little myself.  I buttered the baking dishes and used a Meyer lemon for the juice and zest.  Meyer lemons aren't quite as tart as a traditional lemon.  The season is limited and so I incorporate them into my dishes as much as I can while they're available.  They were wonderful with the scallops.  The one thing I didn't do, and which I would encourage any and all who make this dish to do, is use fresh breadcrumbs.  They would have definitely added a wonderful texture to the baked scallops that finer dried breadcrumbs lacked.  At any rate, the sweetness of the scallops still shown through the rest of the ingredients.  Delectable!

Baked Scallops

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1 pound bay scallops
sea salt and pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs, sauteed in 1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Into a small bowl pce the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic,lemon zest, parsley and scallops. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well to combine. Set aside.

Butter 2 ramekins. Using a slotted spoon place enough scallops into each ramekin so that they’re 3/4 full or equally divided between the 2 ramekins. Top with 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs per ramekin and a 1/2 teaspoon butter each.  Bake until golden and bubbly, approximately 10-15 minutes.


Source: Thibeault's Table and Bell'alimento

Peach Cobbler

Today I borrowed a recipe from Pam of ThreeManyCooks.  I don't remember many peach cobblers as a child... growing up in the northeast without air conditioning constituted very little summertime baking for my mom! Nonetheless, I've experienced many a peach cobbler since my arriving in one of the 'lower states'.  This is an easy and delicious version sure to grace my table again and again.  I halved the recipe and made 4 individual servings instead of a big dish of this wonderful dessert.  A little cream (heavy or ice) is the perfect accompaniment.  Thank you, Pam!

Peach Cobbler

Serves 4


4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon almond extract, divided
1 large peach

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Put 1 tablespoon butter in each of 1-cup ramekins.  Place ramekins on a baking pan and set them in oven to melt.

Meanwhile, whisk flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt in small bowl. Whisk in milk and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract until smooth. Toss peaches with remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. When butter has melted, remove pan holding ramekins from oven. Divide batter evenly among ramekins; arrange fruit over batter. Bake until batter turns golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with heavy cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Source:  ThreeManyCooks

Oregano Shrimp

It's not often I come home and cook after work.  To try and turn that trend around, I thawed some shrimp in the refrigerator today, hoping that would impel me to make dinner. Having made up my mind I was going to follow through with my plan, as soon as I walked in the house, I turned on the oven.  I threw a kaiser roll into the food processor and blitzed away with some herbs and a clove of garlic.  I had half of a tomato leftover from yesterday and decided to use that for Julia Child's Tomato Provencal.  So I scooped out the insides of the tomato and filled it with some of the bread crumb mixture, drizzled a little olive oil over it and put it in the oven.  Next I put some rice and water in a pot and got that going on the stove.  Then I set to cleaning the shrimp.  Using kitchen shears, I cut down the back of each little guy, then went back through them and removed most of the shell and the sand vein, rinsing as I went.  I had decided to use them in another easy recipe - Oregano Shrimp.  So simple, so good.  Dinner was done in about half an hour.  This is enough to make me think about cooking during the week more often!

(P.S. Sorry about the photo. It's late, too dark, and a less-than-ideal photo-taking situation!)

Oregano Shrimp

1-1/2 pounds fresh large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place shrimp in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle shrimp with lemon juice. Combine bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Parmesan, and oregano in a small bowl. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over shrimp. Pour butter on top. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve over angel hair pasta or rice. Serves: 4 to 6


Source: Stop and Smell the Rosemary, copyright September 1996

Central Market's Pan-Fried Hatch Crabcakes

Recently, a friend from work, JoAnn, told me about a wonderful recipe she used for crabcakes.  It called for roasted Hatch peppers - I was intrigued!  She promised to bring me a copy of the recipe.  Lo and behold, sweet JoAnn not only brought a copy of the recipe but a bag full of roasted Hatch peppers!  Now I love foodies - everyone knows that.  But foodies who provide ingredients?  Top of the list!  Not as spicy as, say, a jalapeno but these peppers definitely have a bit of a kick to them.  And what a great addition to these crabcakes.  Not so hot as to overpower the delicious chunks of crab but another nice flavor element to the cakes.  I didn't have any Old Bay seasoning that the recipe called for (I thought I did or I would have picked some up), so I just omitted it and decided not to sub anything for it.  The crabcakes were great!  I can see making these in a miniature version as appetizers.  Tonight, however, I served them over an undressed bed of arugula which went perfectly with the cakes.  I halved the recipe, eating TWO for dinner, with two more leftover for a hoity-toity lunch at work tomorrow!  Thanks, JoAnn!

Central Market's Pan-Fried Hatch Crabcakes

1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over to remove cartilage or shell
4 green onions, green part only, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1-1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning (I omitted)
4 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup roasted Hatch peppers, peeled, seeded and diced (roasted poblanos would substitute nicely here)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
1 large egg
2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/2 cup vegetable or peanut oil for frying

Gently mix the crabmeat, scallions, herbs, Old Bay seasoning, bread crumbs, diced peppers and mayonnaise in a medium bowl, being careful not to break up the lumps of crab too much.


Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Carefully fold in the beaten egg with a rubber spatula until the mixture clings together.  Divide the mixture into cakes based on the size you desire, making sure that all cakes are about the same thickness.  Place the formed cakes on platter and cover with plastic wrap.  Chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.  Just before cooking, remove the cakes from the fridge.  Place the panko in a shallow dish and dredge the crabcakes in it.  Gently shake off any excess.  Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking.  Gently lay the crabcakes in the skillet.  Pan-fry until the outsides are crisp and browned, about 4 minutes per side.   Drain the cooked crabcakes on paper towels and serve immediately. (Recipe suggest serving the cakes with a pepper-spiked aioli.)

"Woodn't" You Love One?

 

Ann at Thibeault's Table is hosting a spectacular give-away to introduce her new line of cutting boards!  In continuing the wonderful tradition of British Columbia's beautiful artisanship, Ann and her husband have created a new line of gorgeous cutting boards from the native maple that grows there.  The striations and color of the native wood is amazing. To showcase the beautiful wood even further, natural edges are provided on the boards whenever possible.  Having one of these unique boards in  your own kitchen is a must!  And giving one of them to a loved one is a gift that is sure to be treasured always.  Visit Ann at Thibeault's Table to learn more about the give-away and her new site that is hosting these boards, Thibeault's Table's Cutting Boards.

Shrimp Etouffee

It's been quite some time since I've posted.  Life's been a little crazy: new job, travelling, etc.  But things are starting to settle down a bit, and I was able to actually cook something!!  This is one of those dishes that satisfies your soul as well as your taste buds.  Though this dish is classically made with crawfish tails, I'm a shrimp lover, and shrimp substitutes beautifully here.  The richness of the roux combined with the vegetables and the shrimp, all combine over rice to make a satisfying dinner. It's wonderful!

Shrimp Etouffee

1/4  cup  butter
2  tablespoons  olive oil
1/3  cup  all-purpose flour
1  medium onion, chopped
2  celery ribs, chopped
1  medium-size red bell pepper, chopped
4  garlic cloves, minced
1  large shallot, chopped
2  teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1/2  teaspoon ground red pepper (I used 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper - delicious!)
14 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
1/4  cup  chopped fresh parsley
1/4  cup  chopped fresh chives
2  pounds raw, cleaned, deveined shrimp
Hot cooked rice

Melt butter with oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; stir in flour, and cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until caramel colored. Add onion and next 6 ingredients; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add chicken broth, parsley, and chives; cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until mixture is thick and bubbly.

Stir in shrimp; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp are opaque and cooked through.. Serve with hot cooked rice.

 

 

Inspired by Southern Living, AUGUST 2007