October 23, 2011

GREEK GRIDDLE CAKES (2-3 banana difficulty level)



Yeah, I admit it.  I made up the name "Greek Griddle Cakes."  I had to.  Technically these are 'Spinach & Onion Pancakes with Avocado & Feta.'  But if you invited someone over for dinner & told them, 'Hey, I make these delicious Spinach & Onion Pancakes' you'll have about a 90% chance the other person will decline your offer...and then you'll have leftover 'SOPWAF' which heat up very nicely at 400 deg for 10 min in the toaster oven...so maybe you DO want to call them 'SOPWAF'...

So these are a savory pancake.  Savory pancakes just aren't eaten much in America.  Seems like we like our pancakes with butter & maple syrup or even with chocolate chips & chocolate syrup with whipped cream.

Please don't put syrup on these.  Hummus, yes.  Syrup, no. 

These have been one of my favorite things I've made this year so why don't we go ahead & get started!

WHAT YOU NEED:


2 c Fresh Spinach (washed with large stems removed) or 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed & well drained
1/2 Red Onion - chopped coarsely
2 c White Whole Wheat Flour
2-3 T Olive Oil
1/2 t Baking Soda
1-2 t Kosher Salt
1 T Miso Paste (optional)
1 T Sugar
1.5 to 2 c Whole Milk
2 Eggs
2-3 T Butter -Melted
1-2 Avocados - sliced
1/2 c Feta Cheese - crumbles

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Large Skillet
Griddle (optional)
Spoon
Knife
Small Microwaveable Bowl
Whisk
Chef's Knife
Ladle or a measuring cup
Small Sock Monkey Mascot (optional)

WHAT YOU DO:
1.  Fully heat Olive Oil in Large Skillet over Medium High heat.  Add the chopped Onions & saute stirring frequently, until they become tender & translucent (about 5-7 min).  Reduce Heat to Medium.



2.  Add the Spinach & saute until it starts to wilt (about 3-5 min)


3.  If you are using a Griddle, Pre Heat to Medium heat.  Otherwise you can use the same large skillet you used for the Onion & Spinach
4.  Microwave the Butter & Miso (optional) for about 1 minute at no more than 50% power.  You probably want to do in 30 sec intervals to avoid the potential of a mess.  Once the Butter is melted, stir to incorporate the Miso as best as you can.
5.  While the butter is in the Microwave, measure & whisk together the dry ingredients (Flour, Salt, Baking Soda, Sugar.)



6.  Cut the Avocado in half length wise.  Discard of the pit.  Scoop out the flesh with a spoon.  Then slice the Avocado.
A much smaller knife will do, I just used this big knife since I had used it to chop the onions


7.  Whisk together the Wet ingredients (Eggs & Milk.)  Then mix in the Butter-Miso.
8.  Mix your Wet ingredients into your Dry ingredients until fully incorporated.  The batter should have the consistency of slightly thick paint.  If yours is too thin, then add 1-2 T of Flour.  If too thick, then add 1-2 T of Milk


9.  Now add the Sauteed Spinach & Onions to your Pancake batter.
10.  Using a Ladle, carefully ladle about 1/2 c worth of the Spinach-Onion Pancake batter onto your Griddle trying to maximize your space.
11.  Working quickly, add 1-2 Avocado slices & about 1 T of Feta cheese per pancake.



12.  Cook until the pancake surface is filled with bubbles (around 4-5 min), then carefully flip to the other side & cook for another 4-5 minutes


13.  Cook Avocado-Feta side down until the Feta has a nice brown crust to it.


14.  Enjoy as is, or with a smear of Hummus

It definitely takes an 'adventuresome monkey' to make these.  But 'every monkey' should give these a try!  It is time to smash your preconceived notions that pancakes are to be sweet & syrupy & only enjoyed at breakfast!

You could also sprinkle some sunflower seeds or crushed walnuts when you added the avocado-feta.

There you have it.  'Anymonkeycan' make 'Spinach & Onion Pancakes with Avocado & Feta'...I mean 'Greek Griddle Cakes' because 'this monkey' just did!

Until next time, your favorite neighborweb monkey!
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Greek Griddle Cakes

2 c Fresh Spinach (washed with large stems removed) or 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed & well drained


1/2 Red Onion - chopped coarsely

2 c White Whole Wheat Flour

2-3 T Olive Oil

1/2 t Baking Soda

1-2 t Kosher Salt

1 T Miso Paste (optional)

1 T Sugar

1.5 to 2 c Whole Milk

2 Eggs

2-3 T Butter -Melted

1-2 Avocados - sliced

1/2 c Feta Cheese - crumbles



WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:

Large Skillet

Griddle (optional)

Spoon

Knife

Small Microwaveable Bowl

Whisk

Chef's Knife

Ladle or a measuring cup



WHAT YOU DO:

1. Fully heat Olive Oil in Large Skillet over Medium High heat. Add the chopped Onions & saute stirring frequently, until they become tender & translucent (about 5-7 min). Reduce Heat to Medium.

2. Add the Spinach & saute until it starts to wilt (about 3-5 min)

3. If you are using a Griddle, Pre Heat to Medium heat. Otherwise you can use the same large skillet you used for the Onion & spinach

4. Microwave the Butter & Miso (optional) for about 1 minute at no more than 50% power. You probably want to do in 30 sec intervals to avoid the potential of a mess. Once the butter is melted, stir to incorporate the Miso as best as you can.

5. While the butter is in the Microwave, measure & whisk together the dry ingredients.

6. Cut the Avocado in half length wise. Discard of the pit. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Then slice the avocado.

7. Whisk together the Eggs & Milk. Then mix in the Butter-Miso.

8. Mix your Wet ingredients into your Dry ingredients until fully incorporated. The batter should have the consistency of slightly thick paint. If yours is too thin, then add 1-2 T of flour. If too thick, then add 1-2 T of milk

9. Now add the Sauteed Spinach & Onions to your Pancake batter.

10. Using a Ladle, carefully Ladle about 1/2 c worth of the Spinach-Onion Pancake batter onto your Griddle trying to maximize your space.

11. Working quickly, add 1-2 Avocado slices & about 1 T of Feta cheese per pancake.

12. Cook until the pancake surface is filled with bubbles (around 4-5 min), then carefully flip to the other side & cook for another 4-5 minutes

13. Cook Avocado-Feta side down until the Feta has a nice brown crust to it.

14. Enjoy as is, or with a smear of Hummus

October 10, 2011

MUSHROOM GNOCCHI MARSALA WITH MINT & WALNUTS (a 2-3 banana difficulty)


That Marsala sauce I made recently was great & pretty easy to make.  Where else can we use Marsala Sauce?  Hmmm...

How about 'Mushroom Marsala Gnocchi with Mint & Walnuts'?  Yes, definitely 'Mushroom Marsala Gnocchi with Mint & Walnuts!"  Trust me, cooking it is easier than saying 'Mushroom Marsala Gnocchi with Mint & Walnuts'!

Let's get started!



WHAT YOU NEED:
16 oz of Sliced Mushrooms (mixture of Shiitake & Baby Bellas today)
1/2 c of Marsala Wine (I've been using sweet, but dry is fine)
16 oz of Gnocchi (1 package)
3-4 T of Butter
1-2 T of Feta Cheese per serving
Kosher Salt to Taste
Freshly Ground Pepper to Taste
1 t of Coarsely Chopped Mint per serving
1 T of Crushed Walnuts per serving

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Large shallow pan/skillet
Large pot
Spatula
Chef's knife
Colander

WHAT YOU DO:
1.  Melt Butter in large pan over Medium Heat

2.  After Butter is fully melted, add the Mushrooms to form a single layer (do 2 batches if necessary) & sprinkle with Salt.  Stir occasionally & Cook until some of the butter is absorbed (about 3-5 minutes)

3.  After you get the Mushrooms started, heat 3-4 quarts of water in a DIFFERENT Large pot to a rapid boil.  This will be used for the Gnocchi.
4.  Pour the Marsala Wine evenly on the layer of Mushrooms & continue cooking over Medium heat until the Mushrooms are nice & soft (about 8-10 min)


5.  Once the Water in the Pot is rapidly boiling, carefully add the Gnocchi.  Cook per the Gnocchi instructions.  Usually it is for 4-5 minutes.  Once the Gnocchi float at the top, they are ready to serve.

6.  At this point, your Marsala sauce has probably reduced & the Mushrooms are nice, soft, & ready to go.



7.  Drain the Gnocchi.  Dish up about 1 c of the Gnocchi, top with the Mushroom Marsala & serve as is or...

Add some mint...

And/or some Feta Cheese...

And/or Crushed Walnuts...

And Enjoy!!

And there you have it!  Mushroom Marsala Gnocchi with Mint & Walnuts.  Sounds fancy & complicated, but it is simple & simply delicious!

Play around with the herbs.  Rosemary or Parsley or Thyme etc instead of the Mint.  Change up the cheese choice.  Stella Fontinella or Pecorino Romano or Parmesan instead of the Feta.  Use Dry instead of the Sweet Marsala.

See, 'anymonkeycan' cook "Mushroom Marsala Gnocchi with Mint & Walnuts" because this ONE just did!

Until next time, your friendly interweb monkey!

October 6, 2011

MUSHROOM MARSALA RISOTTO (a 3-4 banana difficulty level)



Sometimes you decide to make something to impress someone.  Sometimes, you're sitting at a restaurant & the person across from you says, "I really like Chicken Marsala."

And you being 'anymonkeycan' decide to say, "I bet I can make a Mushroom Marsala Risotto."

And that other person say, "Wow!  That sounds great!!  I think you should make a Mushroom Marsala Risotto."

So guess what, today 'this monkey' will show you how to make a wonderful Mushroom Marsala Risotto.  This is basically 2 recipes in 1.  On 1 side, you make the Risotto & on the other side you make the Mushroom Marsala.



WHAT YOU NEED:
for the Risotto:
2 c Medium Brown Rice
4 c Vegetable Stock (can be chicken, mushroom etc)
**OPTIONAL 1/2 c Water (if you like your Risotta creamy)**
1 c White Wine
2 T Butter
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Shallots -Thinly sliced
Shredded Cheese to taste (Pecorino Romano was our choice)
Kosher Salt to taste
Freshly Ground Pepper to taste


for the Mushroom Marsala
16 oz of Sliced Mushrooms (I used a mix of baby bella, portobello, shiitake)
4-5 Sprigs of Rosemary - chopped
2-3 T of Butter
1-2 T of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 c of Marsala Wine (I use sweet, but lots of recipes call for dry)
Kosher Salt to taste
Freshly Ground Pepper to taste

WHAT YOU DO:
for the Risotto
1.  Pour the Stock (AND WATER IF YOU WANT CREAMY RISOTTO) into a Small Sauce pan, bring to a soft boil, then simmer over low heat.
2.  Melt the Butter & heat the Oil over MEDIUM heat in a large pan.  Add the Thinly Sliced Shallots & a sprinkle of salt, then "Sweat" them for about 4-5 minutes until they turn glassy.  Stir Frequently.


3.  Add the Rice & Stir Frequently for about 3-4 minutes

4.  Pour in the White wine, increase the heat to Medium High & stir occasionally for 5-7 minutes until most of the wine is absorbed.

5.  Pour ALL (RESERVE 1/2 C IF YOU WANT CREAMY RISOTTO) of the Stock from the Sauce Pan over the Rice; Reduce Heat to Medium Low; COVER, & cook for about 25-30 minutes.  Stir 2-3 times.
6.  **OPTIONAL STEP** For the CREAMY RISOTTA version, Add the Reserved 1/2 c of "Stock" into the Rice & stir Consistently for 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the Mushroom Marsala (BE SURE TO STIR THE RISOTTO OCCASIONALLY)
6.  Melt 1-2 T of Butter & Heat 1-2 T of Oil over MEDIUM heat in a large pot.
7.  Add just enough Mushrooms to form a single layer along the bottom of the pot.  YOU WILL PROBABLY NEED TO COOK THE MUSHROOMS IN AT LEAST 2 BATCHES.  Add a sprinkle of Salt & a pinch of the Chopped Rosemary.  Stir Occasionally.

8.  Cook the Mushrooms until, they absorb most of the Butter/Oil, then pour in some (or all if only 1 batch of 'shrooms) of the Marsala Wine

9.  Stir Occasionally & cook until the Marsala has reduced by about 1/2 (maybe 5-7 min)
10.  Combine your batches of 'shrooms if needed

11.  Dish up some of the Risotto, top with some of the Marsala Mushrooms, sprinkle with Cheese & enjoy!!

This REALLY isn't that difficult of a recipe.  The tricky part is managing 2 "recipes" then combining them at the end.  This is a GREAT tasting dish, but when you use Butter, Oil, & sweet Marsala Wine, it SHOULD be a great tasting dish!

I roughly follow the Cook's Illustrated Risotto Recipe that makes it a bit less, high maintenance.  Arboria Rice is frequently called for in Risotto Dishes.  I opted for the Medium Brown Rice.  I like the earthiness of it.  It probably added about 10 minutes extra to the Risotto cooking portion compared to using Arboria Rice.

Try different Herbs for the Rosemary.  I used Rosemary because I have a Rosemary Bush in my backyard.  I think Sage, Parsley, Thyme might work well with this.  Give it a go & see what happens!

Remember, 'anymonkeycan' make a great tasting 'Mushroom Marsala Risotto' because 'this one' just did!

Until next time, your favorite neighborweb monkey!

HUMMUS SPINACH SANDWICH (a 1 banana difficulty level)


Well, my whole goal is delicious food made simple.  Here's pretty much a slow pitch softball, Hummus Spinach Sandwich.  I bring my lunch to work & at least 90% of the time it is a basic PB sandwich.  That's right, peanut butter sandwich.  Heck, I don't even put the jelly on it!

But everyone once in awhile, maybe I have some leftover hummus & I get to have a Hummus sandwich.

So here's your one banana (if that) difficulty level recipe.  Let's get started!

WHAT YOU NEED:
At least 2 slices of Whole Wheat Bread
http://www.anymonkeycan.com/2011/06/whole-wheat-bread-2-banana-difficulty.html (to make your own)

2 T of Hummus
http://www.anymonkeycan.com/2010/09/hummus-foxymorons-style.html (to make your own)

4-5 leaves of Spinach per sandwich
Shavings of Pecorino Romano Cheese (or your favorite)

WHAT YOU DO:
1.  Well, you make a sandwich.  I'll let the photo do the talking.


So, that's it.  My initial impulse is not to post these, but sometimes it is pretty easy to make a great tasting meal!  Enjoy the simplicity of eating well!

Until next time, your favorite interweb monkey!

October 1, 2011

GRILLED LOBSTER TAIL (a 3-4 banana difficulty)


Sometimes you go for the lobster.  Maybe it's a special occasion.  Maybe the lobster is on sale which could be considered a special occasion in itself.  Well, Lobster Tail was on sale recently, so 'This Monkey' felt the need to grill some Lobster.  I don't know about you, but I always feel a level of trepidation when I buy something out of my normal cost comfort zone, even when it's on special. 

"What a waste of money if I screw this up!" crosses my mind. 

I am here to ease your worries, grilling Lobster Tail is doable & 'This Monkey' will show you how!

WHAT YOU NEED:
3-4 Lobster Tails
6 T Butter (melted)
Kosher Salt (to taste)
Lime Wedges

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED:
Kitchen Shears
Chef's Knife


The tail at the bottom of the photo shows the top shell.  For this photo, you would cut from Left to Right stopping when the Tail meat ends.


WHAT YOU DO:
1.  Pre-heat grill to Medium High
2.  Butterfly the Lobster tail by using the Kitchen Shears to cut Lengthwise through the hard top shell stopping just short of the end of the tail.
3.  With your knife, Cut the Tail Meat in Half along the same cut you made with the Kitchen Shears, BUT do NOT cut through the bottom of the shell.
4.  After this, you can now butterfly (stretch open) the lobster by opening up the cuts you just made.
5.  Melt the Butter & Salt to taste

6.  Lightly Brush the Tail Meat with the melted butter, then Place the Lobster Tail Cut side down for 3 minutes


7.  Flip the Tails Cut side up & baste with your melted butter.  Baste as needed to keep the Tail moistened.

8.  Grill for 6-8 minutes.  After the Shell turns RED, you are close to being done.


9.  Squeeze 1 Lime Wedge per Tail.  Serve & enjoy!


Here's our grilled dinner:  Grilled Eggplants with Avocado, Grilled Portobello Mushroom with Walnuts, & Grilled Lobster in Butter Sauce
Be careful not to over cook the lobster, it will turn rubbery.  I err a little on the conservative side on the cooking time.  I'll pull the Tail from the Grill, check it, then can put it back on for 1-2 minutes if it is not all the way cooked.

You can add some herbs, garlic etc to your butter sauce, but butter & salt will go along way on their own! 

That wasn't too bad, was it?  'Anymonkeycan' grill Lobster Tail because this one just did!

Until next time, your friendly neighborweb monkey!

GRILLED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS (a 2 banana difficulty)



Here's another thing to throw on the grill.  Portobello mushrooms are GREAT grilled.  It's a straight forward process, so don't be scared.  I'm a little behind on posting.  I went to my sister's wedding up in the Midwest and stopped by Eureka Springs, AR for a few days to try to escape the TX heat for a bit.  'This Monkey' is ready for some cooler temps AND to show YOU how to grill GREAT tasting Portobello Mushrooms!  Let's get started:

WHAT YOU NEED:
3-4 Portobello Mushrooms
1/3 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 T Red Wine Vinegar
1 T Miso Paste
3-4 T Crushed Walnuts
Kosher Salt to taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

WHAT YOU DO:
1.  Prep the 'shrooms by slicing the stem so it is even with the gills
2.  Wipe the tops of the mushrooms lightly with a damp cloth.  Please do NOT put the mushroom under running water or else it may become soggy.  There is also no need to wash the gill side of the mushroom since it just stays under the "umbrella" of the cap.
3.  Pre-heat grill to Medium High

4.  Make the marinade by Whisking the Olive Oil, Red Wine Vinegar, Miso, Salt & Pepper together thoroughly.


5.  Pour just enough of the marinade to coat the bottom of your dish
6.  Carefully pour 1-2 T per mushroom of the marinade around the gill surface

This photo show some walnuts at this point, DON'T add them yet.  I'll let you know when to add them

7.  Place the 'shrooms on the grill GILL side DOWN for about 3 minutes


8.  Turn the mushrooms over & grill with the GILL side UP.  Carefully pour 1-2 T of the marinade & SPRINKLE THE WALNUTS onto each mushroom & grill for another 4-6 min.


9.  The 'shrooms are ready when they are slighly squishy when squeezed from the sides with tongs.

 10. Enjoy!

Be sure to experiment with the marinade.  If you have a favorite marinade you use with chicken, meat, etc then try them on the portobello mushroom.  You won't be disappointed!