Green Bean Casserole Do-Over

A few Thanksgivings ago I made a simple (basically prefabricated) green bean casserole. This year, I took a little extra time to make one from scratch using fresh ingredients, and it paid off. I followed this Alton Brown recipe, replacing the chicken broth with veggie broth. To save a little time on the big day, I went ahead and cooked the beans a day ahead - then put them in the refrigerator in the dish I planned to use. 

Green Bean Casserole
Adapted from food network
Beans

• 1 lb / 500 grams fresh green beans, trimmed and rinsed
• 1 gallon water
• 2 Tablespoons kosher salt

Bring water and salt to a boil. If you're using table salt, you'll want to use less than this! (oops.) Cook beans to your preference (Alton blanches for 5 minutes, I boil for 8-10), drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. 

Onion Topping

• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 Tablespoons bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or about 1/2 t. table salt)
• Nonstick spray

Preheat oven to 475F / 245C. Combine onions, flour, breadcrumbs and salt (may want to use seasoning salt) and toss to combine. Coat a sheet pan with nonstick spray and evenly spread onions on pan. I sprayed a light layer of oil on top of the onions also. Bake until golden brown, tossing every 10 minutes, for about 30 minutes. 

Mushroom Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 12 ounces / 350 grams mushrooms, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or less table salt!)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup half and half (or combination of half milk, half cream)

Saute mushrooms in butter with salt and pepper until they begin to lose some liquid, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and nutmeg and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add broth and simmer for 1 minute. Add half and half and cook until mixture thickens - 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 of the onions and all of the beans. Pour into casserole dish (I used a deep round one - I thought 9x13 would be too big), top with remaining onions and bake at 400F / 200C until bubbly, about 15 minutes. 

Many commenters had issues with the onions burning, but I didn't have any problems. Just keep an eye on them in that hot oven and flip them whenever they're looking browned on bottom. I think this version is better than the one I grew up with and I'll never have to open a can of congealed cream of mushroom soup again...woohoo!

Last year I made a cherry chutney that a lot of people liked, but I hated it after pitting all those cherries and cooking them in vinegar for an hour. Ugh, the smell of warm vinegar! For those of you who enjoyed it, here's the recipe.

A Very Modern Art Halloween

Can you guess what we were last year for Halloween? Does this help?

From MoMA

 The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dalí! I'm even signed!

Because I'm a sucker for details I added a pocket watch with ants, an ant ring, one false eyelash and another melting clock hanging over a stick in my hair. Guille, as Dalí, made himself an evil eye cane and funky mustache and then practiced his crazy face.

This year, we reversed roles...

from akgmag

I was Andy Warhol, Bucket was Edie Sedgwick...

...and Guille got to be pop art. Here's The Factory family:

From Art.com

Can you see the resemblance?

They don't exactly look thrilled but I had a blast!

Happy Halloween!

Eat, Drink, and be Green!

image from drinks are on me

This year I'm taking it easy on the green. Just a simple day with Irish Car Bomb cupcakes (and beer) to celebrate. I've found two amazing, similar recipes from Smitten Kitchen and Drinks are on Me that each feature a yummy Guinness-based chocolate batter.

I also came across the Working Holiday Agreement, which allows students and recent grads from Ireland and the US to live and work in each others' country for a year. Wish I would have known about this sooner! Still, thought it would be nice to pass along today.

Saint Patrick was a gentleman,

Who through strategy and stealth,

Drove all the snakes from Ireland,

Here’s a toasting to his health.

But not too many toastings

Lest you lose yourself and then

Forget the good Saint Patrick

And see all those snakes again.

Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!

Feliz Navidad...again

Well, I suppose that Christmas is here again. That year went by quickly. Too quickly. But at least I squeezed in some time for Christmas treats. This year, I added more cookies, chocolate dipped pretzels and pumpkin bread to my holiday repertoire.

The pretzels are half dipped because I didn't want to make a complete mess and they turned out great! I melted about 30 grams of chocolate in the microwave-stirring every 10 seconds until smooth (I melted both semi sweet and white chocolate separately). That was enough to cover 15-20 pretzels each. Then I had a blast with the toppings. After dipping (5 pretzels at a time) and carefully placing on a baking sheet covered with wax paper, I added sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, or a drizzle of melted chocolate. Then let set in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Mom's Pumpkin Bread

I know this recipe as Mom's Pumpkin Bread, but it may be from a can so please don't sue me if you own it.

My family brought down the bag of pretzels but you can also find them in the international aisle at Jumbo. Mom also brought a can of pumpkin but it's probably easier to make your own puree if your can opener looks like this:

I made a few changes to her recipe - using chai tea in place of water and substituting 1 t. of baking powder for one of baking soda. I also didn't fill up the whole cup of oil and added a little vanilla. Next time I'll toss in a cup of nuts. Here's the resulting recipe:

• 3 1/3 c. flour (I used mostly sifted wheat flour - but the wheat flour at Coto is nearly like white flour instead of true wheat flour)
• 2 t. cinnamon
• 1 t. nutmeg
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. baking powder
• 3 c. sugar
• 1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree
• A bit shy of 1 cup oil (I used sunflower)
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 c. chai tea
• 1/2 t. vanilla

Mix all dry ingredients except sugar and set aside. Mix sugar, eggs, and oil in a super large bowl (see how mine nearly overflowed). Add tea and vanilla. Slowly add flour mixture - add pumpkin last. Mix well. Split batter between 3* floured bread (budin) pans filled 2/3 full. Bake 40 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool slightly (15 minutes) and flip out of pan while warm.

*I couldn't fit 3 pans nicely in my tiny oven so I baked in 2 (one was rather large) pans for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Most deliciously served with cream cheese :)

Merry Christmas!

As Irish As I Wanna Be (or I'm Becoming My Mother)

There's no parade here today. No green rivers. And I could pinch just about everyone I pass on the street (though my desire to not be punched in the face prevents me from doing so). So I'm desperate for a way to celebrate the one day of the year when I feel proud about my reddish hair and weird middle name.

I will be at an 'Irish' pub tonight but they don't have Guinness or Harp on tap so this day is what I make it! That's why I mixed traditional pub food with a tacky touch - just to get it all in! I won't lie, Guille didn't really want to eat my green food but he did enjoy it once he got over the color. You see, my mother always dyes food green on St. Patrick's Day and it just makes me think of fun.

So here are some recipes for filling up with a hearty meal before running to the pubs, where you will surely lose your sense of taste, and decency.

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Guinness


There are many takes on Shepherd's Pie out there, but I decided to add a combination of Guinness and sauted mushrooms to create the illusion of meaty flavor. Oh, and I dyed the mashed potatoes green (don't judge me!).

• 2 T. butter
• 1 T. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
  
• 1 large carrot, chopped into small cubes
  
• 1/2 kilo mushrooms (I used cremini), sliced
  
• 1 small can (350g) peas
• 1/2 t. dried thyme
• 1/2 t. dried rosemary
• s & p to taste
• 1 cup Guinness
• 1 T. soy sauce
  
• 1/4 t. cornstarch dissolved in 2 T. water
  
• 2 - 3 cups mashed potatoes

Add butter, oil, garlic and onion to large skillet or non-stick pot. Saute on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add herbs, s&p, and mushrooms, stirring often, and cook until they are moderately browned. Add peas, Guinness, and soy sauce, drop heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes - you want the veggies tender. Add the cornstarch towards the end of this cooking time. Keep an eye on the mixture and add more Guinness (or veg stock or water) as necessary. Transfer mixture to casserole dish and spread the potatoes on top, to the edges. I used only 2 cups but it depends on how thick you want the layer to be. Bake at 190C (375F) for 20-25 minutes.

Irish Soda Bread


I followed this Joy of Baking recipe exactly, adding the oats as suggested. I chose this version because it didn't include raisins or shortening, but search around for the one that sounds best to you. It was amazingly simple to throw together and was perfect with our pie. I'll probably cram in a few more buttered slices before I leave tonight.

Irish Surprise Lemon Layer Cake



Yeah, this really isn't Irish but it's so pretty! The Lemon buttercream frosting was way too sweet, so shoot for something a little easier on your teeth. It was surprisingly easy to make this homemade cake (food coloring added) and I love that it is adapted from a 1945 recipe in Gourmet magazine. I would like to try their frosting but I wasn't in the mood for dealing with lemon curd today. I followed SmittenKitchen's cake tips and froze both layers yesterday, this made it easier for me to trim them into shape and frost. I also iced the entire cake with a thin layer, put the whole thing in the frige for 15 minutes, and then spread the rest of the frosting on top of the hardened layer, thus preventing the green crumbs from poking out and ruing the surprise!


So sorry for linking to recipes, but in the tradition of my father and my father's father, I've got some drinking to do.

And it's no, nay, never,
No nay never no more,
Will I play the wild rover
No never no more.

My Funny Valentine

I finally get to spend this silly holiday with Guille. We've spent one other Feb 14 together, thanks to a snowstorm that kept him in New York an extra week, but we pre-celebrated so the actual day was uneventful. I realize that it's a day soaked in over-consumption but I thought that a little homemade surprise wouldn't hurt to set the mood for this weekend.

Guille isn't as big of a fan of chocolate as I am (I actually need chocolately goodness to survive) so I made one of his favorite recipes with a cheesy romantic twist. Yep, I used a tall, heart-shaped cookie cutter to make Scones de mi Corazon. (JAJAJAJA) And I sprinkled raw sugar on the top before baking.


I'm absolutely delighted that my dear friend Julia and her boyfriend are visiting Argentina this week! (Bienvenidos!!) And they're making the trek out to Rosario too! I'm totally excited that we're traveling with them back to Buenos Aires and spending the weekend in the city. I'll be sure to tell you where we take them out to eat here, and what places we find in BA. Your recommendations are warmly welcome!

Guille and I are staying at Moana, a B&B in San Telmo (shamelessly romantic part of town) so that's our present to each other. The scones will undoubtedly be gone by then. So, yay! Fun filled mini-break with friends instead of crazy stuffed animals for Valentines!

Something for Santa

In my silly little mind you can't have Christmas without cookies and other goodies that you deprive yourself of all year long. Determined to make it feel like Christmas down here, I spent a few days selecting and adapting my favorite recipes. In addition to classic Nestle Toll House and Quaker Oatmeal cookies, I whipped up a sugar cookie recipe passed down from my great-grandmother, a Paula Deen inspiration with an Argentine twist, and I attempted fudge for the first time ever.

Buttermilk Drop Cookies


These are classified by my family as sugar cookies, but they are cakey and taste very much like madelines.

• 2 c. flour
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1 c. sugar
• 227 g. margarine (grandma's recipe called for oleo), softened
• 1 egg
• 2 t. vanilla
• 1 c. buttermilk or 1 T. vinegar (or lemon juice) into 1 c. milk

Mix together flour, bs, bp and salt and set aside. Cream together the sugar and margarine, add egg, vanilla, and buttermilk. Slowly add flour mix and chill the dough for several hours. Bake at 190 C. on the top rack for 8-10 minutes. I used parchment paper to get that madeline-like edge but butter and flour a sheet pan if you want a thicker edge.

I made icing out of powdered sugar (available at Royal or cake supply stores) and warm milk and butter. In a small pot, I melted together probably 1 T of milk and 5 g. of butter, then added powdered sugar (stirring constantly) until I got the consistency I wanted and immediately smoothed it onto the cooled cookies.


The green sprinkles were a challenge. Colored sugar sprinkles aren't anywhere to be found so I decided to make my own to give the cookies Grandma's Christmas touch. I bought green paste at a cake store and was told to make dye by mixing equal parts of water and alcohol. I used a tiny amount of water and vodka to mix with an even tinier amount of paste. Then I dripped it over my sugar and meshed it together with my plastic wrapped fingers, and spread it out to let it dry. After it dried out and was all clumped together, I smashed it back into little crystals. Quite a process for a small detail!

Fudge with Walnuts

• 350 g. Aguila chocolate (or any bittersweet/semi-sweet type), chopped
  
• 1 can (395 g.) sweetened condensed milk
• 30 g. butter
• 140 g. walnuts, chopped

Place butter, condensed milk, and chocolate in a double-boiler or your makeshift version -- I placed a glass casserole bowl (with handles) in a heavy pot with about an inch of boiling water on low heat (don't let the water touch the bowl) -- allow the butter and milk to warm up and begin to stir the chocolate into the mix.



Continue stirring until completely mixed and smooth. Add nuts and pour into a 9x9 inch pan, allow to cool and refrigerate until completely set. I poured on a little melted peanut butter as soon as I poured it into the pan for just a touch of extra flavor.



I lined the pan with plastic wrap but it was still tricky to cut the fudge out. Next time I'll try parchment paper. I would also add a dash of salt and try a dark chocolate version as suggested by Nigella Lawson.

Paula's Pistachio Linzertorte Cookies
from Food Network

Oh. My. God. I love this woman. and her butter. These cookies were perfect for combining with membrillo for that Argentine twist. Her recipe is listed below but I made a half batch with some egg finagling and listed this alongside:

• 3/4 c. butter, softened (or 85 g. if you're making half of the batch)
• 1 c. powdered sugar (1/2 c.)
• 3 egg yolks (1 1/2)
• 1 1/2 c. flour (5 oz. for half)
• 1/4 t. nutmeg (1/8)
  
• 1/4 t. cardamom (I omitted)
• 1 1/2 c. ground roasted and salted pistachios (3/4 c.)
• Cherry Jam (I replaced with membrillo)
  

I found pistachios at a dietica, peeled about 175 grams, and ground them up in a food processor until the consistency was like crumbs. These were the priciest cookies out of the bunch.


Combine flour and spices and set aside. Beat butter and sugar on medium and add in yolks, followed by flour mixture. Stir in the nuts, cover and chill for a few hours. My dough was too dry so I added a little water to bring it together. Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick and cut out into desired shapes.


The bottom cookie should be full size, while the top cookie should have a hole. Bake at 160C on parchment paper for about 10-12 minutes. Spread the membrillo on the bottom cookie (I warmed it in the microwave to make it spreadable) and sandwich with the top cookie. Bake another 2 minutes.


Unfortunately, the holiday season is also swimsuit season here on the flip side of the world so I'm feeling really guilty about these indulgences as I pack for our trip to the beach. Fortunately, Christmas cookies are easy to give away.

A Very Argentine Thanksgiving

The goal was to cook an authentic Thanksgiving feast for my Argentine friends. Quite tricky with the 90+ degree heat. Of course, I don't eat turkey, and they're few and far between here anyway, so here's what I was able to whip up. The recipes are traditional, but altered to fit available ingredients and could be of use to other ex-pats.

The Menu:

• Green bean casserole
• Scalloped corn
• Stuffing
  
• Hashbrown casserole
• Dinner rolls (previous post)
  
• Deviled eggs
• Cranberry Sauce (I splurged on this - 11 pesos - found in the int'l foods aisle at Jumbo)
• Apple pie
• Baked chicken
  

Green Bean Casserole

• 2 cans (350 g. each) green beans
• 1 package Knorr mushroom sauce (for pasta) cooked according to package directions
• dried onions to cover top (found next to the spices)

Mix beans with sauce in baking dish, bake at 180C for 30 minutes. Add dried onions on top and bake another 10 minutes.

Scalloped Corn

• 2 cans (350 g. each) cream style corn
• 3/4 stack saltine crackers, crushed
  
• 48 g. butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cans (use the corn can) milk
• dash of salt

Mix all ingredients together. Bake in shallow baking dish at 180C for 1 hour.

Stuffing
inspired by SimplyRecipes

• 10-12 c. cubed day-old bread (I used french bread)
• 2 c. celery
• 2 c. onion
• 85 g. butter
• 2 green apples
• 2 c. veg stock
• 1/4 c. chopped parsely
• 1 t. dried sage (salvia)
  
• 1 T. fresh thyme (tomillo)
  
• 1 T. fresh rosemary (romero)
• 1 t. salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 T. apple cider vinegar

Melt half of the butter in a saute pan, stir in bread to coat and allow to toast. You may want to do this in a couple of batches if you don't have a super large pan. In a separate pot (dutch oven or non-stick pot would be ideal) saute onions and celery until translucent - about 10 minutes. Add vinegar, apples, herbs, s&p and bread. Stir in stock to moisten all of the bread. Cover and cook on low for approximately 30 minutes, adding stock as necessary. (Mine only took 30 min but it would take longer in a heavier pot.)

Hashbrown Casserole

• 4 c. shredded potatoes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 package Knorr mushroom sauce (for pasta) cooked according to package directions
• 20 g. butter, melted
• 2 c. shredded cheese (I used Sardo)
• 1 large package Casan cream
• Bread crumbs to cover top

Peel and shred approx. 4 potatoes. Squeeze out excess water using a dishcloth. Mix potatoes with onion, sauce, cream and half of the shredded cheese. Spead into a greased baking dish, top with cheese, bread crumbs and melted butter in that order. Bake at 180C for approx 45-50 minutes.

Apple Pie

• All butter crust, refrigerated
  
• 6 small apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/2 c. water
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 T. flour
• 3/4 t. nutmeg (nuez moscada)
  
• 3/4 t. cinnamon (canela)

Roll out half of the crust and place in pie pan. Mix sugar, flour, and spices together. In a large bowl, mix together water and lemon juice and add apples as you cut them. Drain apples and toss with sugar mixture. Add to pie pan.
Roll out other half of the dough and place on top. Pinch crusts together and cut slits in top. Brush milk on top and add sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 190C for 30 minutes.

Thanksgiving Part Two

After 10 guests on Thursday, we were running a little low on leftovers so we added the following dishes for family Thanksgiving on Friday.

Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

• 5 baking potatoes, cubed and boiled in salted water until tender
  
• 1/2 c. parmesan cheese
• 1/3 c. veggie stock
• 2 T. milk
• 1 T. butter

Drain potatoes and immediately add remaining ingredients. Mash with potato masher. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Green Beans with Almonds

• 3 cups fresh green beans, snapped
• 1 small onion, sliced thin
  
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/3 c. almonds

Boil beans in salted water for 10-15 minutes. Slice and toast almonds (I toasted these in a pan over low heat, flipping often, for 5 minutes but a toaster oven works well too.) Saute onions in olive oil until translucent. Drain beans and add to onion. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes, until the beans reach your desired consistency. Toss with almonds and serve.