The Charmed Kitchen

Fresh Leeks

I like to cook with leeks. I even grew a few in my garden this year. They have an onion flavor but with lovely sweetness. I get asked all the time about how to prep them. They are full of sand and have to be prepped properly so you don’t get any grit in your food. The only edible part is the white and light green parts. The dark green leaves are tasty, but tough and can be used for making stock.  Peel off the first layer of leaves. There is often a lot of sand there. Cut off the bottom about 1/2 -inch from the root. You should be able to see the rings, or layers of the leek when you do this. Trim off any dark green parts at the top. You’ll have a trimmed leek at this point. Now you have to clean it. Cut the leek lengthwise in half. Hold one half at a time under running water while fanning the leaves to dislodge any dirt. Take the rinsed halves and cut them into 1/2-inch slices. You could also cut them into thin strips, if you like. Place the slices in a large pan or bowl filled with cold water and agitate them to loosen any remaining sand. Use your fingers to separate the layers. Make sure the bowl is deep enough for the leeks to float several inches from the bottom. The leeks will float and the sand and dirt will sink. Let them stand a  few minutes and then lift them out of the water to drain. Any grit will be at the bottom of the bowl. If there is a lot of grit in the bottom of the bowl you might want to repeat the rinsing process one more time. It might sound like a lot of work but it really doesn’t take that much time and the leeks will be completely clean. I often buy a lot of leeks when they are on sale and clean them all at once.Then I saute the cleaned leeks in oil and freeze for later use.

Remove one or 2 outer layer of leaves

Trim off bottom 1/2-inch above the root

Layers should be visible

Properly trimmed leeks

Split leek lengthwise

Rinse under running water while fanning layers

Cut into 1/2-inch slices

Place in large container of cold water and separate the layers

Leeks float- dirt sinks

Lift clean leeks out of the water

Clean and ready for cooking

Smoky Clams with Pasta

I brought home a dozen clams from a clambake with family the other day. I could have just eaten them with butter but wanted to do something more with them. I decided to turn them into a pasta dish.  I sauteed leeks with some diced ham then added cooked pasta, a little white wine and the clams. Topped the whole dish with a little fresh grated Parmesan cheese. It was sublime.

Smoky Clams with Pasta 

1 leek, cleaned and sliced

2 T. butter

 1/2 c. diced ham

 4 0z. pasta, cooked

2 oz. white wine

12 clams, cooked and shucked

salt and pepper to taste

Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Saute leeks in butter until tender. Add ham and cook until ham is getting a little color on it. Add wine to the pan cook 2 minutes. Toss in the hot cooked pasta. Toss to mix well and add the clams. Heat mixture through and add salt and pepper to taste. Place on serving dish and top with the cheese. Serves 2.

Mocha Cupcakes with Orange/Chocolate Buttercream

I wanted a dessert for a clambake I was attending. Something fun with a seasonal look. I decided to make cupcakes. They are always a favorite. I used a cake mix to start. The only brand I like is Duncan Hines so I used their dark fudge chocolate cake mix. I like making cakes from scratch but it was late and I wanted something fast. I also decided on two frostings so I could have a swirled effect. One was a classic buttercream- flavored with orange juice and vanilla. The second was a chocolate frosting. The end result was really good. Moist, tasty and as expected, a big hit.

Mocha Cupcakes with Orange/Chocolate Frosting

1 box chocolate cake mix – I used Duncan Hines

1 T. instant coffee powder

eggs, water and oil- following package directions

1 recipe orange frosting, recipe follows

1 recipe chocolate frosting, recipe follows

Prepare cake mix according to instructions on the box. Before adding the water dissolve the instant coffee in the water. Bake cupcakes according to time listed on the box. Cool before frosting. Place both frostings in a piping bag fitted with a star tip and pipe frosting on in a swirl. Frosting colors will blend somewhat. Makes 24.

Orange Buttercream

1 c. butter, softened

1/4 c. orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 T. vanilla

4-5 c. powdered sugar

a few drops of orange food coloring, optional

Beat butter until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients and beat several minutes on high until light and fluffy.

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 T.vanilla

1/2 c. cocoa powder

2 c. powdered sugar

2 T. milk

Beat butter until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Beat on high for several minutes until light and fluffy.

Gorey Goo Drink

If you want a fun beverage to serve for Halloween try the Gorey Goo Drink. It’s easy to make and will give guests a start. The secret is Jell-o. Make whatever flavor Jell-o you like. Once it is firm mash it with a fork into pieces. Place some in a glass and add ice and whatever beverage you like. I used cherry Jell-o with sour cherry soda. The Jell-o is invisible that way. When your guests take a sip they get little globs of Jell-o in every sip. You can also use color combinations for fun. Grape Jell-o with orange soda looks like little black globs in the drink.  You can also do this with Jell-o shots.

Mash Jell-o with a fork

Add some Jell-o to the glass

100 Vanilla Beans

I am now the happy owner of  one hundred Madagascar vanilla beans.Yes, one hundred.  I found a great deal thanks to a friend on one of my canning groups on Facebook. Shipped from France they arrived earlier today. I took them out of the vacuum  sealed package and just inhaled. Wonderful aroma. Vanilla beans are the seed pods from a type of orchid. I haven’t quite decided where to start. Vanilla extract, for sure. I’ll use vodka- I would prefer Everclear, but you can’t get it in Ohio. Jonathan suggested I use bourbon or rum for a different flavored extract. Perhaps I will. Oh and there will be vanilla sugar. Beyond that I haven’t yet decided. What would you do with 100 vanilla beans?  I’ll post recipes and pictures as I use them.

Halloween Quesadillas

OK, maybe I’m taking the whole Halloween theme too far. I was making quesadillas the other day and realized that the ingredients were black, orange and green. Thought the combination would be perfect for a Halloween party. They are a fun party food already and by using black olives, orange sweet peppers, green chilis, onions and cheddar cheese  they fit in well with the color scheme for Halloween. They taste great, too, which is always the most important thing in the end. I pan fried these, but you can also bake them in the oven. They can also be made ahead and warmed up for serving.

Halloween Quesadillas

Large flour tortillas

oil

sliced or shredded cheese

sliced black olives

 chopped orange sweet pepperes

chopped sweet onion

diced green chilis, fresh or canned

Mix olives with veggies and set aside. Place tortilla on work surface and spread one half with some of the veggie mixture. Top with some of the cheese and fold over. Press slightly. Repeat with remaining ingredients.  Heat oil in skillet and cook quesadillas over medium heat until golden on both sides and heated through. Remove to cutting board and cut into wedges before serving. Serve on a platter with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Note: If you would rather bake the quesadillas assemble as directed above. Place on a baking sheet and brush with a little oil. Bake in a preheated  425 degree oven until golden, about 15 minutes.

Add cheese and fold over

Saute until golden brown

Halloween Sugar Cookies

I had a class with 50 kids in Beachwood on Friday and we decorated sugar cookies. They came out really cute.  While I like to frost them with Royal Icing we opted for a simple butter cream, tinted orange. We also used Sixlets candies for the eyes and mouths. Great option because they are peanut free and some of the kids have allergies. For the pumpkin stems I just made a little chocolate frosting.

Halloween Sugar Cookies

 1 c. butter

1 c. sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

3 c. flour

2 t. baking powder

3 T. milk

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to butter mixture. Beat in milk.  Heat oven to 375-degrees. Roll dough on lightly floured surface to about 1/3- inch thickness. Cut out with lightly floured cutters and bake on ungreased baking sheet for 10-12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 3 minutes before placing on wire rack to cool completely. Frost when cooled. Makes about 4 dozen.

For tinted dough you can add red and yellow food coloring to butter mixture before adding flour and cut out as pumpkins. For chocolate sugar cookies you can add ½ c. cocoa to flour mixture before adding to shortening and reduce flour by ¼ cup. This dough is great for bats and cats.

Orange Buttercream

1 c. butter, softened

2 T. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 T. vanilla

4 c. powdered sugar

orange food coloring

Beat all ingredients together until smooth. Beat on high for 4-5 minutes until fluffy.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

I had some wonderful broccoli and wanted to make a dish for a dinner with friends. I decided to make a broccoli soup. I used what I had on hand. Luckily had some tomato juice to add as well. It added a nice touch of acidity to the dish. Just a few more ingredients and the soup was finished. It went over very well at the party. A nice first course for a chilly evening.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

2 T. oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 qt. stock- I had turkey but chicken or even vegetable would work well.

2 c. tomato juice

6-8 cups chopped fresh broccoli

3 c. half and half

salt and pepper to taste

 hot sauce to taste

fresh grated nutmeg, to taste

Heat oil in soup pot and add onion cooking until tender. Add stock and tomato juice and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook until broccoli is tender about 5 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup- or puree in a blender in batches. If blending hot soup in a blender only do small amounts. Remove inner ring from the lid. Place lid on blender and then cover with a folded kitchen towel. Mixture will splash up. When smooth add the half and half and seasonings. Heat through and adjust seasonings of needed.  Serves 6.

Flaming Ghost Cake

This one is fun for Halloween. You start with a cake. Frost it with chocolate frosting and then use white frosting to make a ghost on the cake. You can make all sorts of images- cats, bats, pumpkins. When ready to serve the cake the eyes are set on fire. Fun effect. Kids and grown-ups both will get a kick out of it. Just be sure to have proper adult supervision for the kids. The picture doesn’t do it justice. Very cool blue flames. Don’t forget to turn down the lights!

Flaming Ghost Cake

1 prepared 9×13- inch cake any flavor or white cake tinted orange

2 c. chocolate frosting

1 c. vanilla frosting

3 oz. semi sweet chocolate, optional

2 empty eggshell halves, washed well and dried

2 sugar cubes

Lemon extract

Frost cake with chocolate frosting then spread vanilla frosting in the shape of a ghost. Melt chocolate in a small plastic bag. When chocolate is melted snip off the corner of the bag and use to outline ghost. Place eggshell halves in cake, round side down where the ghost’s eyes would be. Soak sugar cubes in extract and place in eggshells. When ready to serve light sugar cubes and turn off the lights. Serve 12-16.

Variations: You can use the flaming eyes effect on cat shapes, pumpkins or even bats. Practice drawing the shape on paper before frosting the cake. If you bake a larger round cake the whole thing can be the pumpkin. Just frost it with orange tinted frosting.

Chili Stew

We made this dish in class last night. It’s a great dish when time is short. It is fast to make and still has plenty of flavor. Can be served as is or topped with cheese, sour cream or chopped onions.  Perfect dinner for a “chilli” night.

Chili Stew

1 pound ground beef or turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small sweet pepper, chopped

1 (15 ounce) can black beans

2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2c. corn, fresh, frozen or canned (drained)

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes 

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies

1 envelope taco seasoning

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

 In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, cook the meat, onion and pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serves 4-5.