Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Asparagus

Lemon Balsamic Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:
*I didn't measure anything. I just used about half of one of the bundles we got and just dumped the other ingredients until it looked good to me.*
asparagus
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
fresh squeezed lemon juice
salt
pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash your asparagus and cut 1-1 1/2" off the bottom of the asparagus. Put the asparagus, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a Ziploc bag. Shake the bag until the asparagus is evenly coated. Put on a cookie sheet and cook in the oven for 7-10 minutes, turning the asparagus half way through the time. ENJOY!

Monday, March 7, 2011

tortillas

Ingredients

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons lard
  • 1 1/2 cups water

Directions

  1. Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Mix in the lard with your fingers until the flour resembles cornmeal. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together; place on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
  2. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly and golden; flip and continue cooking until golden on the other side. Place the cooked tortilla in a tortilla warmer; continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough. -allrecipes.com

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Gaucho Chimichurri Sauce Recipe

Preparation time. 20 minutes

3/4 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 cup (packed) basil and oregano leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup inexpensive balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

About the herbs. The parsley and garlic must be fresh, but the other herbs can be dried. You can substitute or mix in thyme, cilantro, rosemary, even mint for the basil and oregano. But not for the parsley. And just because cilantro looks like parsley doesn't mean you can substitute it. I'm talking to one particular reader right now. You know who you are.

About the paprika. If you can get smoked paprika, use it. But taste it first. If it is hot, as it often is, cut back on the crushed red pepper flakes. Remember, not everyone likes it as hot as you do.

If it is too acidic for you, just whick in more oil.

Do this
1) Remove the thick woody stems stems from the herbs leaving behind the tender stems. Measure the herbs by packing them into a measuring cup first, and then rinse in a colander to get any dirt off. Shake off the extra moisture, but you don't have to get the leaves perfectly dry.

2) Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse until the green parts are small bits pushing down any leaves that crawl up the sides. You don't have to make this sauce homogeneous, chunks are OK.

3) Grill the meat and spoon a small amount of sauce over the top or on the side when you serve it. Not too much, it is strong, and we don't want to cover that great steak taste. People can always add more if they want. And there's a good chance they'll want.