Buttermilk Biscuits

These biscuits turned out perfect and flaky just like the recipe said it would. Although there was lots of rolling and folding the recipe did not really take that long to make. The end result was a moist flaky biscuit that would be delicious spread with butter or jam or oven downing in sausage gravy.

Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits
Source: Cook's Illustrated

-makes 12 biscuits -

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces), plus additional flour for work surface
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening , cut into 1/2-inch chunks
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cold, lightly floured and cut into 1/8-inch slices
2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk , cold

Directions
1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 450 degrees. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.
2. Add shortening to flour mixture; break up chunks with fingertips until only small, pea-sized pieces remain. Working in batches, drop butter slices into flour mixture and toss to coat; pick up each slice of butter and press between floured fingertips into flat, nickel-sized pieces. Repeat until all butter is incorporated; toss to combine. Freeze mixture (in bowl) until chilled, about 15 minutes.
3. Spray 24-inch-square area of work surface with nonstick cooking spray; spread spray evenly across surface with kitchen towel or paper towel. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of extra flour across sprayed area; gently spread flour across work surface with palm to form thin, even coating. Add all but 2 tablespoons of buttermilk to flour mixture; stir briskly with fork until ball forms and no dry bits of flour are visible, adding remaining buttermilk as needed (dough will be sticky and shaggy but should clear sides of bowl). With rubber spatula, transfer dough onto center of prepared work surface, dust surface lightly with flour, and, with floured hands, bring dough together into cohesive ball.
4. Pat dough into approximate 10-inch square; roll into 18 by 14-inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick, dusting dough and rolling pin with flour as needed. Following illustrations below, using bench scraper or thin metal spatula, fold dough into thirds, brushing any excess flour from surface; lift short end of dough and fold in thirds again to form approximate 6 by 4-inch rectangle. Rotate dough 90 degrees, dusting work surface underneath with flour; roll and fold dough again, dusting with flour as needed.
5. Roll dough into 10-inch square about 1/2 inch thick; flip dough and cut nine 3-inch rounds with floured biscuit cutter, dipping cutter back into flour after each cut. Carefully invert and transfer rounds to ungreased baking sheet, spaced 1 inch apart. Gather dough scraps into ball; roll and fold once or twice until scraps form smooth dough. Roll dough into 1/2-inch-thick round; cut three more 3-inch rounds and transfer to baking sheet. Discard excess dough.
6. Brush biscuit tops with melted butter. Bake, without opening oven door, until tops are golden brown and crisp, 15 to 17 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Pasta e Fagioli (Olive Garden)

Cooking spray
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1/2 of a small 1 lb. bag of baby carrots, chopped
5 stalks of celery, diced
2 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (32 oz.) carton + 1 (14.5 oz.) can of beef broth (I also used an additional can of beef broth)
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/4 tsp pepper
2 1/2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped (I used dry)
3/4 tsp tabasco sauce
1 jar (1 lb. 10 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 cup dry small pasta (such as ditalini or elbow macaroni)
salt to taste

Brown ground beef in oil. Drain if necessary.
Add onion, carrot, celery and diced tomatoes. Simmer 10 minutes.
Add beans, beef broth, oregano, pepper, parsley, tabasco sauce and spaghetti sauce.
Simmer soup on low for about 30-45 minutes until carrots are almost tender.
Add pasta to pot and simmer on low for about 15-30 minutes until pasta is just shy of al dente. As the soup cools, the pasta will absorb the broth. You can cook the pasta separate and add it to the soup after the soup has cooled.

Olive Garden Breadsticks

Olive Garden Breadsticks

For the Dough:

1 pkg. active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)

4 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 T. unsalted butter, softened

2 T. sugar

1 T. fine salt

For the Topping:

3 T. unsalted butter, melted

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 to 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

pinch of dried oregano

Make the dough: Place 1/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a mixer; sprinkle in the yeast and set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, butter, sugar, fine salt, and 1 1/4 cups plus 2 T. warm water; mix with paddle attachment until a slightly sticky dough forms.

Knead the dough by hand on a floured surface until smooth and soft, 3 minutes. Roll into a 2 foot long log; cut into 16 even pieces. Knead each piece slightly and shape into a 7 inch long breadstick; arrange 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with a cloth; let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400. Make the topping: Brush the breadsticks with 1 1/2 T. melted butter and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. kosher salt. Bake until lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1/4 tsp salt with the garlic powder and oregano. Brush the warm breadsticks with the remaining 1 1/2 T. melted butter and sprinkle with flavored salt.

Crispy Baked Chicken

boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1.5 pounds
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence

Combine egg whites, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine thoroughly. Combine wheat germ, breadcrumbs, flax seed and seasoning in a shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg whites, then in breading mixtures. Shake off excess breading and place on a baking sheet fitted with a rack (to keep chicken elevated when cooking). Lining the baking sheet with foil is optional for easy cleanup. Bake chicken at 400 degrees until center of thickest part registers 165 on an instant read thermometer.

Garlic Knots

Ingredients:

For the knots:
3 cups bread flour
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water

For the garlic glaze:
2-4 cloves peeled, garlic
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Combine the dry ingredients for the dough in the bowl of an electric mixer, then add in the olive oil, milk and water. Using the dough hook, knead together the ingredients until it becomes smooth and shiny.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Separate the dough into 8 equal balls. Roll each dough ball into a 10 inch long rope, then knot together. Let the knots rise again for about an hour, or until puffy.

Bake the knots for 15 to 18 minutes or until lightly golden browned. Meanwhile mix together the glaze ingredients. Once removed from the oven, drizzle with the butter glaze.

Latin Rice

Ingredients
Makes 6 servings

2 cups long grain rice
2 tbsp canola oil
1 chicken bullion cube
5 scallions, chopped
2 garlic, minced
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 cups water
sazón
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)

In a medium heavy pot with a tight fitting lid, heat oil on medium heat and saute scallions, cilantro and garlic for about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and saute another minute. Add rice and saute 2 minutes longer, stirring frequently. Add water, bullion cube and sazón. Taste the water for salt and add more to taste. Let water boil on a high flame stirring once. As the water boils down and just skims the top of the rice, turn the flame to very low and cover 15 minutes. The steam will cook the rice so do not open. After 15 minutes, shut the flame and let the pot sit for at least 5 more minutes. This will finish cooking the rice without burning the bottom.

Crockpot Pulled Pork

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crockpot pulled pork

May 30th, 2008 by bridget

My brother has a habit of giving out remarkably vague “recipes.” For example: “Put some pig or cow in the slow cooker with some liquid. Use a spice rub if you want. Cook until you get home from work, then give the fat to the dog and shred the meat.”

Um. Right.

I needed more information. Does the size of the roast matter? Whether it has a bone? I used pork shoulder, and Cooks Illustrated has a recipe for barbecue pulled pork, so I adapted some of their instructions – the ingredients and method for the spice rub – for this slow cooker version. I was reluctant to add liquid to the slow cooker liner with the meat, because I had some idea that it would dilute the flavor in the meat, so I added just a bit of water and some liquid smoke. I cooked it for about 10 hours, added some barbecue sauce, then cooked it for 1 hour longer.

Oh my gosh, it’s so good. I almost didn’t want to add barbecue sauce, because the meat tastes so good without it, but of course it was that much better once I added it. And it makes a ton of food. I’m going to guess that the pork shoulder I used, which was probably the smallest I could find, was about twenty servings. I froze most of it, and it reheats really well.

I learned a few things from this. For one, there’s no need to worry about liquid diluting the flavor of the meat – the meat exudes a surprising amount of liquid anyway. It’s best to add just a bit of water to help the slow cooker get the cooking started. Also, as far as cooking times go, longer seems to be better. So, as my brother said, start dinner cooking before you go to work, and when you get home 9 or 10 hours later, you’ll be just in time to shred the meat, add the barbecue sauce, and let that all cook together for a bit.

Overall, served with coleslaw, this makes for a fantastic meal. I know that crockpot pulled pork recipes are a dime a dozen, but trust me that this spice rub adds far more flavor than root beer ever could. Plus, it’s not much work at all, so with minimal effort you can stock your freezer with multiple nights’ worth of easy and tasty meals.

Update 9.21.08: Last time I made this, I used a pork shoulder that just barely fit in my crockpot; I think it was in the 7.5 pound range. After 8.5 hours, the pork wasn’t tender enough to be pulled, at least on the inside. So I recommend erring on the longer side of this cooking range, especially if you’re using a large roast.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork (spice rub from Cooks Illustrated)

Spice Rub:
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground white pepper

1 (6-8 pound) bone-in pork shoulder
½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
2 cups barbecue sauce

1. Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.

2. Massage spice rub into meat. Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (For stronger flavor, the roast can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

3. Unwrap roast and place it in slow cooker liner. Add liquid smoke, if using, and ¼ cup water. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours, until meat is fork-tender.

4. Transfer roast to cutting board; discard liquid in liner. “Pull” by tearing meat into thin shreds with two forks or your fingers. Discard fat.

5. Place shredded meat back in slow cooker liner; toss with 1 cup barbecue sauce, and heat on low for 30-60 minutes, until hot. Serve with additional barbecue sauce.