Potato Salad from Scratch

We decided to make potato salad and to do it totally from scratch. We leaned on our good mentor Alton Brown for the basics and lifted a recipe from the foul mouthed Scottish Chef Mr. Ramsey for part of it as well. Here is the scoop . . . Pun intended.

2.5 Lbs. Red potatos

3 Tbls cider vinegar

3/4 cup homemade mayonnaise (see below)

1 Tbls chopped fresh Dill

1/2 Tbls minced garlic

1/2 Cup diced red onion

1/2 cup sliced celery

2-3 eggs hard boiled and chopped

First take the potatos and cook them whole. Place them in a pot and bring to a boil, then simmer until you can easily slide a fork into them. Then immediately remove them and dump out the water and place the pot under the cold faucet and either ice them to cool them or run cold water over them to cool them. Once they are cool use a dish towel to rub the skins off them. I found doing this under water works really well. Just put a potato in the middle of the towel and then stick it under the water and rub until the skin is all off. Then slice the potatoes how you like them. I like thicker small chunks. Place your sliced potatoes in a zip lock bag and toss them with the vinegar. Refrigerate overnight.

In the morning chop all the remaining ingredients and place them in a bowl. Then make the mayonnaise. This is really the secret to this dish as it add amazing flavor and texture that you cannot get from a jar and it is not hard to make. Here is how you do that.

3 egg yolks

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 cup oil

1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

Place the egg yokes and mustard in a food processor, blend just until combined. Then, this part is a wee bit tricky, turn the processor on and slowly drizzle the oil in until you get an emulsification. You will know because the motor will change sounds as the concoction goes form liquid to mayo consistency. I drizzle real slow like about a 1/8 inch stream at most. Once your mayo is together add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Do not all the salt, pepper or lemon ahead of time, your eggs will break down and not emulsify.

Add your homemade mayo to the chopped ingredients and mix until well combined. Then fold in the potatoes. Don't stir them as you will break them all up, unless you like it this way. Salt and pepper to taste and viola, amazing potato salad.

Davis Family Japanese Secret Yum Stuff

This is a guest post my Mrs. MC.

So we steal recipes. It is true. And then we make them our own. That is a good preface for what follows. On a trip to Utah, I stopped by the Davis household and was served this for lunch; some of the best leftovers I've had. First is the Davis version, pure and unchanged. Following that is what we did tonight. As for what to call it, I'm at somewhat of a loss. I am sure it is in the stir-fry category, but I don't know the name. Anway, so I don't have to call for the recipe anymore (just calls for things like hooking siblings up) we are putting it down on paper. . . um internet.

2 Stalks Celery

8 oz Mushrooms

1 Green Bell Pepper

2-3 Chicken Breasts

Cook the chicken and then the vegetables before hand.

4 cups Water

1 tsp Sugar

1 Clove Garlic

1/2 Cup Soy Sauce

Dump this on the chicken and veggie mixture and bring it to a boil. While it's getting there, combine

4 TBLS Cornstarch

1 TBLS Water

Turn this into a slurry and when *AND ONLY WHEN* the pot is boiling, add this slurry. It thickens almost immediately. Serve this over noodles or rice.

A word about rice. In the McLean Clan, there are really only 2 kinds of rice; basamati and now (thanks to the Davis Clan) Cal-Rose. We can do Jasmine, but really the others are IT. If we want dry rice, it's basamati and if we want sticky rice it's Cal-Rose. Don't skimp and use plain white rice and don't ever even consider that awful, repugnant stuff termed "minute rice". Please, don't make me roll over in my kitchen!

Anyway, now that we're past that, here is what we did. The sauce is the same, but I really like vegetables, so they are loaded in this. We have overdone it before, so I'm not advocating too many, but this seemed to hit perfect tonight. Good Ratio.

2 Carrots, julienned

2 ribs Celery

4 oz mushrooms

3/4 cup Broccoli

3/4 Red Bell Pepper (the rest was eaten beforehand!)

1/3 cup Fresh Green Beans

Oh and I used Tofu. Often we use chicken, but when we use tofu, it's best to marinade it in something like chicken broth with rice vinegar and sesame oil, ground ginger, red pepper flakes and brown sugar. Then bake it on 350 for 1/2 hour or so, turning them when they begin to brown. This gives them a really nice texture that my 2 year old can't get enough of.

The humungous bonus of this dish as per Davis family recipe is that it really is done within a half hour! Ours took longer since we baked tofu, steamed broccoli, carrots and green beans, in addition to stir-frying the other veggies. It's great their way; it's great ours!

Gnocci in a tomato cream sauce

We went to Buca de Beppo a bit ago and ordered gnocci.  As we ate it, we analyzed what was in it and have made our own version that is different in 2 minor aspects: it's not as smooth (which can be solved by running it through a sieve) and the taste is just slightly different (but wonderful!).  Here is our recipe:

Cut carrots, celery and onions small in the amount of a 1:1:2 ratio and sautee with a bit of olive oil making a mire poix.  Once it is "translucent", add spices such as oregano, basil, fresh garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper and sautee for a minute longer.  Then add a quart of tomatoes (I guess about 2 bit cans of tomatoes) and some brown sugar or honey for a bit of sweet twang.  Let this simmer while you boil water for the gnocci.

Right before you boil the gnocci, transfer your tomato base into a blender and puree it on high for a minute or two.  Then put it back into the saucepan and add about 1/3 ratio of creme and stir to combine.  Make sure you don't heat this up too much, a soft simmer will suffice.

Gnocci cooks for a very short amount of time, look at the back of the package, usually about 2 minutes.  Don't over cook it or you'll have mashed potatoes.  

Transfer the cooked gnocci into the saucepan and mix with the sauce.  Plop the whole amount onto a serving plate/dish and add fresh in water mozzarella cut into chunks and cut basil leaves. Have it with a salad and it's a wonderfully healthy (minus the creme) and tasty meal!

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Chile Relleno with Chipotle Asado Sauce

This is one of our favorite recipes! It's another vegetarian one and is worth the effort!  I think we have never tried anything at a restaurant even close to how good this is!  Give it a try and you'll be hooked.

Chile Relleno with Chipotle Asado Sauce

• 4 fresh poblano chiles
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 cups quinoa, rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and remainder julienned
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup grated asadero cheese
• 6 egg yolks
• Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For Chipotle Asado Sauce:

• 12 ripe tomatoes, preferably Roma
• 1 small yellow onion, julienned
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 tablespoons chipotle chiles in adobo or 5 re-hydrated dried chipotles
• 3 cups heavy cream

Handle chiles with latex gloves or with kitchen tongs, avoiding contact with skin or eyes.

To make the Chile Relleno:

Preheat oven to "broil" 

and roast the chiles until skin blackens, making sure to turn frequently. Remove chiles from the oven and place into a stainless steel mixing bowl. Peel the outer skin, being careful not to tear the flesh of the chile. With a sharp paring knife, make a long slit the length of each chile and then gently remove and discard all of the seeds.  Set the chiles aside while you make the filling.

Heat the oil in a 4 quart saucepan over medium high heat and saute the onion until translucent. Add quinoa and toast for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. 

Add salt, pepper, and water to cover about 2 inches over quinoa. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until water is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Turn out onto a baking sheet and allow to cool. In a clean pan, saute the mushrooms in butter over high heat. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper and allow to cool. In a bowl, combine the cooled quinoa and mushrooms with asadero cheese, eggs, thyme leaves, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stuff each of the chiles with the filling mixture until they are very full and then set aside while you make the sauce.

To make the Asado Sauce:

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.

Quarter the tomatoes and then place into a stainless steel mixing bowl and combine with the onions, garlic, oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Turn onto a baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven about 15 to 20 minutes or until the tomatoes and onion start to turn black. Remove from the oven and process mixture in a food processor, working in batches if necessary. In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the processed onion-tomato mixture with the chipotles and heavy cream and heat over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and keep the sauce warm until you're ready to serve.

To serve:

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the stuffed chiles into the oven and roast for 20 minutes or until heated through. Ladle enough of the warm asado sauce on 4 dinner plates to form large pools and then place 1 chile relleno on each plate and serve.

Tofu Lo Mein

Mrs Mc (that's me) is taking

over this blog temporarily.  My wonderful husband has been so packed with work and church stuff that he's been neglectful of his creation.  But I want to share some recipes, so I'll just fill it in for him.  Either way it means we're not going to lose the recipes we put in here and that is a major concern for me with as many little kids as are running around looking for papers to draw on.  So here is a vegetarian recipe that I made tonight that is wonderful!  I think my "baby" sister will really love it, so here it is Sis!

Tofu Lo Mein

Ingredients: 1 pound reduced-fat firm or extra-firm tofu, frozen, thawed, and squeezed dry 

Nonstick cooking spray 

10 ounces linguine pasta 

1 1/2 teaspoons crushed fresh garlic 

2 cups small fresh broccoli florets 

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips 

1/2 cup sliced scallions 

SAUCE 

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth 

1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce 

1/4 cup white grape juice

 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar 

2-3 teaspoons sesame oil 

1 teaspoon ground ginger 

2 teaspoons cornstarch

 Directions: 

To make the sauce, place all of the sauce ingredients except for the cornstarch in a small bowl, and stir to mix well. Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes and place the cubes in a shallow nonmetal container. Pour 1/4 cup of the sauce mixture over the tofu, toss to mix, and set aside for 10 minutes. Add the cornstarch to the remaining sauce, stir to dissolve the cornstarch, and set aside. 

Coat a large nonstick baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Drain off any sauce that the tofu has not soaked up, and spread the tofu cubes in a single layer on the sheet. Spray the tops of the cubes lightly with the cooking spray, and bake at 375ºF for 10 minutes. Turn the cubes with a spatula, and bake for 10 additional minutes, or until the cubes are nicely browned, crisp on the outside, and chewy on the inside. Remove the tofu cubes from the oven, and set aside.

While the tofu is cooking, cook the pasta al dente according to package directions. Drain well, return to the pot, and cover to keep warm. 

Coat a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Place the skillet over medium-

high heat, and add the garlic, broccoli, mushrooms, red pepper, and scallions. Stir-fry the vegetables for about 4 minutes, or until crisp-tender, covering the skillet periodically if it begins to dry out (the steam from the cooking vegetables will moisten the skillet). Add a few teaspoons of water or broth to the skillet only if necessary. 

Add the tofu, and toss to mix well. Add the pasta, and toss to mix well. Stir the reserved sauce, and add it to the skillet. Toss the mixture for a minute or 2, or until the sauce thickens slightly. Serve hot. Yum!  

For a little extra kick, we

pulled out our hot red chili sauce that we love in egg drop soup and mixed some in.  It gave it a delicious kick!  Hope you'll try it too!