Iron Chef Pembroke Pines: May 2011 - Garlic Sauteed Spinach

Our lovely new friend Bonnie brought a wonderfully simple, delightfully tasteful dish this month...one that REALLY highlighted the theme...

...a simple and flavorful sauteed spinach.

It's perfection lies in it's simplification...another winner adapted from the Barefoot Contessa.

Garlic Sauteed Spinach

• 1-1/2 pounds baby spinach leaves
• 2 TBS good olive oil
• 2 TBS chopped garlic (about 6 cloves)
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 TBS unsalted butter
• Lemon
• Sea salt (optional) 

1. Rinse spinach well in cold water to make sure it's very clean. Spin it dry in a salad spinner, leaving just a little water clinging to the leaves.

2. In a very large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and saute the garlic over medium heat for about 1 minute, but not until it's browned. Add all the spinach, the salt, and the pepper to the pot, toss with garlic and oil, cover the pot, and cook for 2 minutes. Uncover the pot, turn the heat on high, and cook spinach another minute, stirring with a wooden spoon until all the spinach is wilted.

3. Using a slotted spoon, lift the spinach to a serving bowl and top with the butter, a squeeze of lemon, and a sprinkling of sea or kosher salt.

4. Serve HOT.

Courtesy Bonnie

Iron Chef Pembroke Pines: May 2011 - Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Spinach

Ah-hah!!! Here's another of Sherie's famous dishes...but THIS TIME...I actually GOT the recipe!!

I think I shared with you on my main blog about how Sherie's dishes always seem to be AMAZING to me? Our palates must be similar. Well...she knocked it out of the park again for me this month, and walked away with a little prize, to boot!!

Garlic Mashed Potatoes With Spinach

• 4 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 boxes chopped spinach, defrosted
• 4 TBS butter
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup cream
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1. Place potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Salt water and boil potatoes until tender...about 12-15 minutes.

2. Squeeze the water from the spinach in a clean dish towel.

3. Drain potatoes and set aside.

4. Melt butter in the hot pot, then add garlic and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in cream, add the spinach, separating the greens as you do. Season greens with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

5. Add potatoes to the pot and mash to a desired consistency.

courtesy Sherie McKenna

Iron Chef Pembroke Pines: May 2011 - Spinach Souffle

This was a remarkably light and fluffy souffle submitted by Rose. Total props because it didn't deflate...and quite honestly, mine always do. :(

Spinach Souffle

• 1 bag (16 oz.) frozen chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 2 TBS very finely chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, fresh is best
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1. Thaw spinach in a colander; squeeze well to get as much moisture as possible out.

2. Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 1-qt casserole or souffle dish.

3. Heat butter in a sucepan over medium low heat. When butter has melted, add flour; stir until smooth and bubbling. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. When mixture is thick and bubbling, remove from heat. Stir in the finely chopped onion, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the nutmeg.

4. In a metal or glass mixing bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks have formed. In a separate bowl, beat yolks until frothy and lemon colored.

5. Stir egg yolks into the sauce mixture; stir in the spinach.

6. Stir about 1/4 of the beaten egg whites into the spinach mixture, then gently fold in the remaining egg white mixture.

7. Pour into a prepared siuffle dish; set dish in a large pan then add water to a depth of about 1 inch.

8. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. The top will be lightly browned. serve immediately.

Courtesy Rose Gertner

World's Best Braised Cabbage

Everyone I know makes the same thing on St. Patricks Day...Corned Beef and Cabbage with a side of Potatoes. It's a great dinner...and everyone loves turning the leftovers into Corned Beef Hash the next morning.

But it is NOT, strictly speaking, a traditional Irish dinner.

It's an American dinner...served on St. Patricks Day.

I'm not knocking it...I've made it PLENTY of times for St. Pat's. And I believe that you can make your own traditions...so why not make Corned Beef traditional?

There are many other absolutely WONDERFUL things to make for St. Patricks Day...a truly traditional dish would be Shepherd's Pie.

If you're looking for something a little more simple, you could go with Potato-Leek Soup. It's great when served with Irish Soda Bread.

But, if you're dead set at serving Corned Beef and Cabbage this year, that's more than okay. After all...I did.

Yup...that's right...I can preach about "real" food and "authentic" recipes all I want...but when it came down to choosing my St. Patricks Day dinner this year...I went with Corned Beef and Cabbage, too...

Now...I don't have to tell you how to cook a Corned Beef Brisket. The instructions are written on the blessed package, and all the seasonings are included in a little packet inside.

What I want to share with you is the BEST cabbage recipe ever.

I know, I know...you're saying: "But Shannan, it says to just add the cabbage and potatoes in with the corned beef the last 30 minutes of cooking. That's the way I've always done it>'

Yeah, yeah...I know...but we're gonna' branch out today, people. I promise you won't regret it!! Have I ever steered you wrong?

Now. most recipes I share on here are not mine. They are recipes that other, and more accomplished, chefs have created and perfected. My goal isn't to share my OWN cooking...but rather to share stuff I've tried and has proven successful with a large family.

This recipe is no different...it is from a cookbook called All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking by Molly Stevens.

Braising isn't complicated...in fact, it usually requires only a few simple ingredients. What it lacks in complexity, though, it makes up for in TIME...although many chefs "braise" in a pan on the stove in 30 minutes or less...I personally feel that there is nothing better than a meal slow-cooked for hours in the oven...and that's the style of cooking Ms. Stevens book focuses on.

World's Best Braised Cabbage

• 1 medium head green cabbage (about 2 pounds)
• 1 large yellow onion (about 8 ounces)
• 1 large carrot, cut into 1/4 inch slices (now see...I was OUT of carrots, and too busy to run to the store...so I used a couple handfuls of matchstick carrots I had in the fridge. It worked...but was not the same...as I usually add 2 or 3 carrots because I like the way they taste when they're done braising. The lesson, boys and girls, is this: don't be like Shannan. Go to the store, and buy a few damn carrots)
• 1/4 cup chicken stock or substitute Vegetable Stock to make this vegetarian...I do)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste (I use more...for a bit of a kick)
• Coarse sea salt

1. Heat oven to 325. Lightly oil a large gratin dish or baking dish (9x13 works well).

2. Peel off and discard and bruised or ragged outer leaves from the cabbage. The cabbage should weigh close to 2 pounds...any bigger and it won't fit in the dish and won't braise beautifully. If your cabbage is too big, cut away a wedge and save it for salad. Cut the cabbage (or what's remaining if you had to trim it) into 8 wedges. Arrange the wedges in a baking dish in a single layer. They may overlap a little...but do your best to get them all to fit flat.

3. Scatter onion and carrot over the cabbage. Drizzle over the oil and the stock. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper. Cover tightly with foil, and cook in the middle of the oven for an hour. After an hour, uncover and turn cabbage with tongs...re-cover and cook for another hour. It's okay of the cabbage tries to fall apart when you turn it...it's to be expected. If it's drying out, add a few TBS stock.

4. Once the cabbage is completely tender, remove the foil, increase the oven heat to 400, and roast until vegetables begin to brown. It should take another 15 minutes. Serve warm and sprinkled with sea salt.

You will never...

...ever...

...EVER...

boil your cabbage again.

courtesy Molly Stevens in All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking

Mushroom Cheese Rolls

Yellow Squash

So, I've made lots of interesting things from my Apron Simple Meals binder from Publix...

There was the Chicken & Pasta Primavera...

Steaming vegetables for Chicken Pasta Primavera

It was yummy and had lots of vegetable goodness...I love trying new recipes for old favorites. Sometimes the person with the recipe may do something slightly different than you normally do that puts a whole new spin on the dish...and makes it amazing.

That wasn't really the case here...but it was REALLY good...

I also tried their Beef Stew with Barley recipe...

A really delicious Beef Stew with Barley

This was EXCELLENT...and I enjoyed adding the barley to my stew, but it wasn't any better than other stew recipes I've tried.

However, the Beef Stew with Barley recipe had a side dish recipe for Mushroom Cheese Rolls. It's a very simple recipe...but it was SOOOO good, taht I HAD to share it. It made a very good, but ordinary, dinner something MORE...

Mushroom Cheese Rolls

Mushroom Cheese Rolls

• 8 Bakery Potato Rolls
• 1 (12x24-inch) sheet aluminum foil
• 2 TBS unsalted butter
• 8 oz. pre-sliced fresh baby portabellas
• 1 tsp browning sauce
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 2 TBS fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 8 slices provolone cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Split rolls crosswise and arrange bottom halves of rolls in center of foil sheet.

3. Preheat large saute pan on medium high for 2-3 minutes. Place butter in pan, then add mushrooms, browning sauce, salt, pepper; cook and stir 4-5 minutes or until mushrooms are well browned. Chop parsley.

I used some garlic-herb butter...cause I'm crazy like that...

Oh my oh my...

4. Combine parsley and mayonnaise; spread over both halves of rolls. Divide mushrooms evenly over bottom halves of rolls; top with 1 folded cheese slice and top halves of rolls.

Rolls are ready for 'shrooms and cheese!!

5. Make a foil pouch. Bring up foil sides; then double-fold top and ends to seal. Bake 10 minutes to melt cheese. Serve.

courtesy Publix Apron Simple Meals