Mashed Cauliflower w/ Olive Oil and Parmesan

1 cauliflower, cut into small florets (Or you can use frozen cauliflower)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 TBSP butter
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 TBSP chopped Italian parsley
2 tsp olive oil

Put the fresh cauliflower in a food processor and process into rice. Place in a double boiler and steam until just soft – 10 minutes.  If using frozen cauliflower just thaw.  Not necessary to steam b/c frozen has already been blanched.

Return to the food processor and process into a mash (like mash potatoes).

Add to a pot with a little olive oil, with the remaining ingredients, mix and warm up then serve.  You can always add more butter or even cream.  Very similar to making mashed potatoes.

Mashed
Fresh Cauliflower on the board and frozen in the strainer.
Processed fresh cauliflower.
Frozen Cauliflower
Process into a mash

As of 10/9/22

Moo Shu Pork Rolls

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I love this recipe.  First start with the Mandarin pancakes.

100_6175Mandarin Pancakes (for 16 pancakes)
• 160 gr. flour flour
• 90 gr. cup boiling water
•  dash salt
• 2 TBSP veg oil

In a mixing bowl put the flour and gradually stir in the water, mixing to make a thin batter.  Work the dough until smooth.  Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a dish towel and let rest for 30 minutes.  Place your finger in the center and create a donut.  Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 1/2 inch rounds.  Brush a small amount of oil on top of 1 round.  Place another round on top and press together.  Continue this process and stack 8 rounds.  Roll the rounds together to form a circle about 6 or 7 inches in diameter. Heat a large pan with water and place a bamboo steamer in it and steam the pancakes 15 minutes over medium heat.  Pull pancakes apart and again stack.  Place a 6″ bowl over the center of the stack and with a knife cut perfectly round pancakes.  Store pancakes in a zip lock bag until ready for use.  Here is a video on how to make pancakes:

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Steam the pancakes.

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Ingredients (for two people)
1/2 pound Tenderloin pork, julienned
1 TBSP minced garlic
1 TBSP minced ginger
1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
2 cups shredded Napa Cabbage
1/2 cup bamboo shoots, julienned (may use canned that have been rinsed well in cold water)
1/2 cup Hoisin sauce
1 egg, beaten lightly
1/2 bunch scallions, chopped
1 dash of soy sauce
1 dash of Shaoxing Cooking Wine – if available
Veggie oil

Directions
1. In a wok filled with 1TBSP oil, bring to high temperature and add the pork. Quickly stir around the pork and cook until lightly browned. Remove, strain pork and set aside.

100_62092. Leave 1 tablespoons of oil in the wok and return to high heat. Add egg to hot oil and scramble. Set them aside with cooked pork.

100_62123. With remaining oil in wok, stir fry the garlic, ginger, shiitake mushrooms until soft, about 2-3 minutes and the soy sauce and wine. Remove and set aside.

100_62114. Add the cabbage, bamboo shoots and scallions and continue stir frying 2-3 minutes.

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5. Add back all previously cooked ingredients.
6. Add the hoisin sauce and check for flavor.
7. Meanwhile, reheat the pancakes until hot 20 seconds in microwave
8. Lay individual pancakes on plates and top with Moo Shu Pork

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As of 7/9/22

Chicken on Salad

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(click on pic to enlarge)

Dressing:

6 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar
1 TBSP Worcestershire
1 TBSP French mustard
1 tsp capers
Salt and Pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk.

Chicken:
2 chicken thigh with skin or breast (boneless/skinless)
2 TBSP olive oil
3 TBSP white wine

Season chicken with McCormick’s Montreal seasoning. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the chicken 8 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Pour the pan drippings into the dressings and whisk one more again.

Remove chicken, cut into pieces, place and cover with dressing.

Can it be that easy?
(Someone says yes.)

As of 9/27/21

Pork Chop with Bok Choy and Peaches

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This is one of the Little Woman’s favorite dishes she makes often. We’ve eaten this dish for a long time and it has always been an easy quick meal.

The recipe calls for baby bok choy but one large bok choy will work just as well, or actually any greens like kale or even spinach will do.

2 Servings

Ingredients:

3 baby bok choy or 1/2 large bok choy chopped
4 thin pork chops or 2 Iowa chops without bone, serve whole or chopped into bite size pieces
1 small can of peaches with the juice (1/2 cup) chopped
1 TBSP oil
5 Shiitake mushrooms fresh or dried and soaked in water – chopped
½ onion chopped
4 chopped scallions
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp corn starch mixed in 2 tsp cold water
dash of 5 Spice
dash of soy sauce
Salt and Pepper
1 cup of rice

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In a large pan on medium heat add oil and brown the pork chops. Remove and place in a dish. Add onions and sauté 8 minutes. Add wine and deglaze the pan several minutes. Add mushrooms and peaches and cook for several minutes. Add the bok choy and chicken stock and the corn starch and stir until the sauce begins to thicken. Add a dash of 5 Spice, soy sauce and stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Return the meat, reduce heat to simmer and cover and cook for 30 minutes. While that is cooking cook one cup of rice in a rice cooker or as instructed on the package. Serve dish over a bed of rice.

That.is.it. – A very tasty dish.

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Can it be that easy?

(Someone say yes.)

As of 4/13/21

Redneck Leberkäse

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(click on pic to enlarge)

In the year of liver-cheese, that would be 1776, which happened to also be a leap year, and the signing of the American Declaration of Independence; Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, invented the loaf of meat called Leberkäse.

Leberkäse translated means “liver- cheese”. When I Google translate the word Leberkäse in addition it means meatloaf. Which it is – a loaf of meat. Traditionally, it is made with onions, bacon, corned beef and pork, but no cheese and no liver. As I research it, there are many variations of Leberkäse.  According to current Bavarian food disclosure laws, only products called “Bavarian Leberkäse” are allowed no liver content, otherwise, all other variations must now contain at least 4% liver.

Since I do not live in Bavaria, which is a shame b/c it is completely beautiful, and since I don’t wear Lederhosen and the Little Woman doesn’t wear a dirndl, which is too bad b/c I never met a dirndl I didn’t like, this is how I get ready for Oktoberfest which should be starting at the end of this month (September 20, 2014 to October 5, 2014).

I make a Redneck Leberkäse for working-class people like me who sit on a tractor all day in a rural area in Southern America. I serve this dish with Southern mashed potatoes instead of potato salad and a layer of curry catsup (mixed with turmeric) and cover it in buttered mushrooms.

Leberkäse

  • 2 spring onions (scallions)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 6 stalks of fresh oregano
  • ½ lb. ground pork
  • ½ lb. ground beef
  • ¼ cup bread crumbs
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Dash of Worcestershire

Directions: In a food processor add onions and garlic and finely chop.

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Add the leaves of the oregano and all other ingredients and grind the meat mixture in a food processor until it begins to look like a Pâté.

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Form in a covered dish and bake in a 350° oven for 45 minutes. Remove and drain the fat for the gravy.  Add the fat from the meatloaf to the brown gravy.  Cover the top of the meatloaf with the curry ketchup and bake another 15 minutes. 

Curry Ketchup
2 TBSP ketchup
2 tsp of red curry paste or 1 tsp turmeric
Directions: Mix together in the bowl.

Southern Mashed Potatoes

  • 2 large baking potatoes, skinned and cubed
  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 2 TBSP whipping cream
  • Sea salt to taste

Directions: Boil potatoes until soft, drain, return potatoes to pan, add the rest of the ingredient and mash the potatoes using a potatoes masher.

Brown Gravy

  • Mix from a pack as instructed.

As of 5/16/21