Week 4: Cabbage

My dear friend Emily provided the ingredient for this week: cabbage. While looking up recipe ideas with cabbage I quickly confirmed my suspicion that cabbage is literally found everywhere. It's cheap. It keeps. And it fills (heyyyy fiber!).

When I lived in South Korea, I ate cabbage daily - in a spicy pickled form known as kimchi. There, it is literally served on the table for every meal as an accompaniment. Cabbage is found in tradiation dishes all over the world: steamed cabbage, pickled cabbage, cabbage soup, cabbage rolls, cabbage salads - the list doesn't end. 

Cabbage is a cool weather crop that is relatively easy to grow making it a very popular crop world-wide. Emily has travelled and lived abroad quite often, as well, and had a wealth of information about different ways to use cabbage.

In the end, I actually left the menu decision making to her when it came to the the appetizer and then main dish. There were so many options, and I really wanted to try something brand new. 

This week's menu:

Appetizer: Pupusas con Curtido 

Main Dish: Polish Kotle Schabowy with Kapusta

Dessert: Hungarian Sweet Cabbage Strudel

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Molasses: Molasses Chews

These little squares were the consistency of brownies but had a rich dark molasses taste. The powdered sugar on the outside really sweetened them up. 

Still bite-sized Super Bowl-friendly, they were delicious without being too sweet. You could eat them just as easily with coffee as you could with beer. 

Okay, maybe that was a stretch.

But they were yummy. 

I took them to work and my co-workers gobbled them up.

They only have a shelf life of about 3 days though, so plan accordingly.

Most of these molasses recipes were pretty all-American. But it's also fitting. Laura lives here in Spain with me, so really American food is now foreign to us. Molasses was kind of born and bred as an ingredient in America, and well, it was SUPER BOWL weekend. It's about as American as you can get.

If you've got molasses laying around you should give any one of these a try.

Molasses Chews

makes 40

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup unsulfured molasses

4 large egg whites

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar on medium-high until pale and fluffy, 4 minutes. With mixer on medium, add molasses and egg whites and beat until combined. With mixer on low, add flour mixture and beat until combined.

Transfer batter to dish and smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely in dish on a wire rack. Invert cake onto a cutting board and cut into 1 1/2-inch squares. To serve, toss in confectioners' sugar to coat.

(recipe from here)

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Molasses: Molasses Pizza Crust

I rolled out this pizza dough way to thick so it cooked kind of funny, but I'm sure if you have a normal oven, a normal baking sheet and half a brain that it will turn out way better for you.

Sticking with the Super Bowl theme, pizza seemed appropriate and Laura had been looking for a good pizza dough recipe for a while.

I saw this recipe as I was looking for a pizza crust with molasses in it. 

It turned out delicious and if I hadn't used up my entire jar of molasses on this meal, I'd probably totally make it again. 

I think of all the recipes from molasses, this was both Laura's and my favorite.

Molasses Pizza Crust

enough for one large pizza

1 1/2 cups hot water 

2 Tbsp molasses

2 packets of active yeast

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp olive oil

corn flour

melted butter with garlic

As toppings I used:

Onions, red bell pepper and eggplant (pre-roasted in oven)
fresh mozzarella 
arugula (sprinkled on after taking out of oven)
equal parts molassas and balsamic vinegar for drizzle (also after taking pizza out)

Directions:

1. Place hot water in mixer bowl and stir in molasses. Once cooled to warm, sprinkle on yeast and gently stir it in. Let sit 10 minutes.

2. Mix flour and salt together. Add flour mix and olive oil to yeast mixture.

3. Using a dough hook, run mixer on low/stir for 5 minutes.

4. Form dough into ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, sprinkle with flour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and kitchen towel, let rise in fridge over several hours or on counter top for 2 hours, or until doubled.

5. Preheat oven to 550 degrees with pizza stone, hold temperature at least 30 minutes before baking pizza.

6. Form dough into pizza crust, top as desired. Brush crust with garlic butter. Slide onto preheated pizza stone, bake 5-7 minutes or until done, using oven on bake or broil setting, as desired. 

recipe from here

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Molasses Bonus Appetizer: Mahogany Chicken Wings

The sauce on these wings is yummmmmmmmmooooooo!

I kind of cheated because I bought chili sauce already made instead of making it from scratch. I'm trying to do everything from it's most basic form but there's only so much a girl will do for chicken wings.

I tried to stick with the Super Bowl theme. What screams football more than chicken wings and beer?

These wings would be awesome grilled or fried. I baked them after marinating them in the sauce.

The next day I used the same sauce to bake up some chicken breasts for salads.

Yeah, the sauce is that good.

Laura hates chicken wings so that's why a second appetizer was required. She says they remind her too much of the original animal form. Whatever! She ate the little chicky's wing anyway.

Eat them.

And in the words of Matthew, my friend Sheila's son, (who you should all vote for on the link below - after watching the video of course) "TRY THIS. LICK MY FINGER AND TRY."

http://woobox.com/y2qdsz/vote/for/1937751


No but seriously, make the sauce. TRY IT!


Mahogany Chicken Wings
serves 12 as an appetizer

3 pounds of chicken wings (tips removed) and/or drummettes
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
2 Tablespoons chili sauce
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds for garnish
1/2 cup green onion, sliced thin for garnish (I didn't do this but YUM)

Add all of the ingredients, except for the chicken to a large plastic bag that seals. Combine ingredients by massaging the bag contents or use a spoon stir.
Add chicken to the bag and turn bag until the chicken is coated with marinade.
Marinate chicken in the refrigerator for at least one hour and up to two hours, turning the bag over half way through.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake chicken in the oven for 50 minutes or until the juices run clear.
Discard the marinade or bring it to a full boil for 3 minutes on the stove top and serve as a dipping sauce with the chicken.

(recipe found here)

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Molasses: Molasses Glazed Stuffed Mushrooms

This recipe called for portabella mushrooms.

I RECOMMEND PORTABELLASSS!

Repeat: I recommend portabellaaaaaaassssssssss!

These were good as good old button mushrooms, sure, but a big ol' wide portabella just gives you so much more room to stuff stuff!

I couldn't find any, though, and button mushrooms are much more "Super Bowl" then portabellas that would require a fork and knife. These little guys were just one-biters with a ton of flavor.

Stuffed mushrooms are one of my favorite foods, but stuffed with feta? yummmooooo. Between the sweet molasses balsamic marinade, the salty gooey feta, and the crispy thyme-y breadcrumb topping, these shrooms really are a party in your mouth.

I usually leave the shrooms naked in all their glory, but the molasses glaze had me intrigued. Basting and baking the mushrooms before stuffing takes them to a whole new level.

I toasted a couple slices of french bread to make my own bread crumbs, but Panko would probably be fine, too.

Definitely an idea to play around with.

Molasses Glazed Feta Stuffed Mushrooms

24 button mushrooms, cleaned and stemmed (or 6 portabella caps)

Marinade:

1 TBSP Balsamic Vinegar
1 TBSP Soy Sauce
1 TBSP Molasses
Salt and pepper

Filling:

2 TBSP Olive Oil
1/2 onion minced
1 clove garlic minced
3/4 cup good quality bread crumbs
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1 TBSP dried parsley (I forgot this part but it would've made them prettier)

Instructions:


Place mushroom caps on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 10-20 minutes to sweat out some of the moisture (so they won’t be rubbery).

Baste with the marinade and place in the oven for another five minutes. Remove from oven and baste again. Pop back in the oven for another 5 minutes.


Saute onion in oil until soft but not brown, adding garlic when the onion is just about ready. Add panko or bread crumbs and toss to coat. Add thyme, remove from heat and season with salt & pepper.
Sprinkle feta over mushroom caps, dividing it evenly among them.


With button mushrooms, carefully turn them upside down in bread crumbs and press firmly to ensure proper coating. With portabellas, simply scoop the breadcrumbs evenly over the mushrooms.  Return caps to the oven, baking just long enough to warm through (about 10 minutes).

Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.


(original recipe here)

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Week 3: Molasses

Molasses is the by-product of refining sugar cane into sugar. When sugar cane is harvested and stripped of its leaves and then cut to extract the juice. The juice is then boiled, which causes the sugar to crystalize. It is often boiled 3 times. The first time is what we know as cane syrup. Sugar is extracted and the liquid is boiled again. The second boiling and sugar extraction creates molasses. The third round created what is known as blackstrap molasses.              

Molasses was given to me by my friend, Lodel, who lives here in Sevilla with me, too! I met her on my first day of college at Xavier when she lived across the hall from me. We've pretty much lived in the same city ever since. We were roommates again in Cinci, Nashville and then even here for a little while. 

Last weekend being Super Bowl weekend and Lodel being a self-proclaimed football fan, a menu focused around typical Super Bowl party foods seemed fitting. Usually the idea is hearty man food, with an assortment of dishes that are easily eaten without a lot of utensils... finger food! 

This week's menu:

Starter(s!):  Molasses Glazed Stuffed Mushrooms and Mahogany Chicken Wings

Main dish: Roasted Veggie Pizza (molasses in the crust)

Dessert: Molasses Chews

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Oats: Honey Cheesecake Flat

Yummmmmmm!!!!

I hereby declare that all graham cracker crusts should now be made from oats.

This crust was incredible.

The recipe was for cheesecake bars, so the actual "cake" part comes out really thin but since the crust is so. damn. good. it actually works out perfectly!

I kind of forgot that the recipe was for bars, though, and expected a cheesecake and, well, it wasn't a cheesecake. If you want a cheesecake you could probably double the recipe for the filling party.

We liked it. It's really rich, though, cut the pieces small!

Enjoy!


Honey Cheesecake Flat
serves 10-12

1 cup oats
3/4 cup soft butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp lemon peel
lemon juice from half a lemon

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter and brown sugar together. Stir in oatmeal. Lightly grease 8-inch round springform pan. Press oat mixture into pan. Bake crust for around 12 min. Let cool for 5 min.

Beat cream cheese, egg, milk, honey, lemon juice and lemon peel together (this is the part where you can double everything if you want - maybe, sans lemon... you know me). Pour onto crust and bake at 350F for about 25 minutes or until center is set and bubbles appear. Cook time may be longer if you double the recipe. 

Let cool and place in refridgerator to chill for a minimum of 2 hours. Serve chilled. Drizzle with honey and oats before serving.

(recipe copied almost exactly from here)

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