Recipes

Pickled corn

  • 1 cup water
  • ⅔ cup white vinegar
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups (~2-3 ears) corn kernels
  • 1 large shallot, sliced thin
  • 2-4 jalapenos, stemmed and seeded (some seeds reserved for spice)

Bring water, vinegar, sugar, and salt to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Remove from heat and add corn, shallot, and jalapenos. Let steep for at least 45 minutes, up to 3-4 hours. Drain. Pickled corn mixture can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Recipes

Corn bread

  • ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour (3 3/4 ounces)
  • ¾ cup yellow cornmeal (3 3/4 ounces)
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup buttermilk (can substitute half yogurt/sour cream and half water)
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg together. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until uniform. Stir in the butter until just combined.

Spread evenly in a greased cake or springform pan. Bake 450*F until the cornbread is cooked through in the center, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve.

Recipes

Maple Nut Banana Muffins

  • 3 medium very ripe bananas
  • 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup maple sugar, or brown sugar
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup crushed nuts (walnut or pecan)
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 12 cupcake tins with liners.
  2. Mash bananas in a bowl, set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl cream butter and 1/4 cup maple sugar (or brown sugar) with an electric mixer.
  5. Add egg whites, mashed bananas, maple syrup, apple sauce and vanilla; beat at medium speed until mixed well, scraping down sides of the bowl.
  6. Add flour mixture, stir until just combined. Fold in crushed nuts.
  7. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Spread the pecans evenly over the muffins.
  8. Bake the muffins on the center rack for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Recipes

Instant Pot Coq au Vin

  • ~2 lbs chicken thighs or legs with skin
  • 3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 2-3 celery, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
  • White or red potatoes, cut into 1″ cubes
  • 1 onion, cut into big chunks
  • 1 cup white wine
  • Thyme (1 tsp dry, or 5 fresh sprigs)
  • 2-4 pieces of garlic, smashed, but whole
  1. Add a little olive oil. Sear the chicken skin side down on Saute function or in skillet on stove, 3-4 minutes until skin is golden brown and released some fat. Do this with all the chicken, without crowding in pan.
  2. Sear the onions, celery, carrots, garlic in chicken fat in pot for 3-4 minutes.
  3. Add wine, deglaze pot, bring to a simmer.
  4. Put chicken on top of veggies.
    1. Chicken thighs with bones – pressure cook 10 minutes
    2. Chicken legs – pressure cook 20 minutes
  5. Release steam. Add potatoes. Pressure cook 3 more minutes.
  6. Remove veggies and chicken to serving bowl. Turn on saute function and bring sauce to a boil. Stir in 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with a little water. Simmer until thick (may need to add another tablespoon cornstarch). Pour sauce over chicken and veggies. Serve with rice.
Recipes

Instant Pot Chicken Shawarma

  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • A pinch ground cinnamon
  • Red pepper flakes, to taste
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Prepare a marinade for the chicken. Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and red pepper flakes in a large bowl, then whisk to combine. Add the chicken and toss well to coat. Cover and store in refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours. Turn chicken halfway during marinade.

Add everything to Instant Pot. 8 minutes high pressure, then natural release 15 minutes.

Serve with yogurt sauce:
Mix 1/2 cup plain or Greek yogurt, 1/4 cup mayo, 1/2 lemon juiced + lemon zest, 1 minced garlic in a bowl. Optionally, add minced fresh herbs (basil, chive, etc.). Cover. Chill for 4-5 hours.

Recipes

Italian Bean Soup with Orange and Fennel

Ingredients

  • 1 medium bulb fennel or 2 leeks leek, diced 1/2 inch (~1 cup)
  • 1 medium onion, diced 1/2 inch (~1 cup)
  • 2-3 ribs celery, diced 1/2 inch (~1 cup)
  • 2-3 carrots, diced 1/2 inch (~1 cup)
  • 3 ounces bacon, chopped fine, optional
  • 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp grated orange zest
  • ½ tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
  • 3 anchovy fillets, minced to paste (about 1 tsp)
  • 1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes with liquid
  • 1 cup dried beans + 4 smashed garlic gloves + 1/2 roughly chopped onion
  • 1 piece Parmesan cheese rind, about 5 inches by 2 inches, optional
  1. Mix 1 cup rinsed dry beans in 6 cups of water, 4 smashed garlic gloves, 1/2 a roughly sliced onion, 1 bay leaf, and some chicken broth powder in Instant Pot. Turn on high pressure cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on size of beans. Allow natural release for 15 minutes, then manual release. Remove bay leaf, but do not drain.
  2. If using bacon, add chopped bacon to big soup pot and sautee until onion releases.
  3. Add fennel/leek and onion in a big soup pot and sautee until softened, 5 mins.
  4. Add carrot and celery, sautee 5-10 more minutes until softened.
  5. Add minced garlic, fennel, oregano, pepper flakes, orange zest and anchovies and sautee 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
  6. Pour in diced tomatoes, and parmesan rind, if using. Bring to a boil.
  7. Add beans and bean cooking liquid until you feel there is enough liquid. Bring to a boil, then lower to simmer and cover for 20-30 minutes until flavors meld.
Recipes

Gingerbread cake

  • 150 g/3 oz butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 dl / 6 oz / 0.8 cup sugar
  • 1 dl / 472 oz / 0.6 cup dark brown sugar
  • 4 dl /6 oz / 1.6 cups plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 2 tsp ground cloves
  • 2 dl / 6.7 fl. oz / 0.8 cup sour cream, double cream or buttermilk
  • 4 dl / 3.8 oz / 1 cup marmalade

Heat the oven to 175 C/350F. Grease and dust with breadcrumbs a midsize sponge cake dish. Melt the rest of the butter and let cool slightly. In a bowl, whisk the and the sugar and dark brown sugar until porous, using an electric mixer if you have one handy.

Mix the dry ingredients. Blend them into the egg mixture together with the sour cream / double cream / buttermilk and marmalade until smooth. Tip into the cake dish. Bake in the lower oven for 50-65 minutes until it feels dry. Tent with foil for the final minutes if needed.

Recipes

Potato Gratin

For steeping cream

  • 2 ¼ cups half-and-half
  • 2 medium cloves garlic (8g), smashed
  • 2 small shallots (110g total), quartered
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 teaspoons (6g) whole black peppercorns
  • 1 ¼ teaspoons table salt

In a small saucepan, combine cream, milk, garlic, shallots, nutmeg, thyme, peppercorns, and salt. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.

  • 2 pounds all-purpose potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick or less
  1. Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Rub bottom and sides of 5- to 6-cup gratin dish or shallow baking dish with a garlic clove. Once garlic in dish has dried, about 2 minutes, spread dish with half the butter.
  2. Bring steeped half-and-half and potatoes to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon (liquid will just barely cover potatoes). Reduce heat and simmer until liquid thickens, about 2 minutes.
  3. Pour potato mixture into prepared dish; shake dish or use fork to distribute potatoes evenly. Gently press down potatoes until submerged in liquid; dot with remaining butter.
  4. Bake until top is golden brown (basting once or twice during first 45 minutes) about 1 hour 15 minutes.
  5. For a more pronounced crust, sprinkle three tablespoons of heavy cream or grated Gruyère cheese on top of the potatoes after forty-five minutes of baking. Let rest 5 minutes and serve.
Recipes

Best Baked Sweet Potatoes

Orange or red skinned sweet potato with yellow flesh, 8-12 oz each, uniform in size, prickled lightly 3 times with a fork

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Place potatoes on large plate and microwave until potatoes yield to gentle pressure and centers register 200 degrees, 6 to 9 minutes, flipping potatoes every 3 minutes.
  2. Set wire rack in aluminum foil–lined rimmed baking sheet and spray rack with vegetable oil spray. Using tongs, transfer potatoes to prepared rack and bake for 1 hour (exteriors of potatoes will be lightly browned and potatoes will feel very soft when squeezed).
  3. Slit each potato lengthwise; using clean dish towel, hold ends and squeeze slightly to push flesh up and out. Transfer potatoes to serving platter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.