PAPER CHEF NOVEMBER Turkey and Lentil Burger

I participated in Paper Chef before and its a lot of fun. The idea is that you find out what the ingredients are and then you come up with something and post it before the due date. You can check it out here.

The ingredients for this months challenge, were turkey, anahiem peppers, lentils and winter squash. Of course I was all over this one because I have a TON of butternut squash to use!

I know it was probably not the most inventive entry but it was fun nevertheless. The taste was okay. We liked it but we didn't love it. Here's my recipe if you would like to try it or perfect it. I think next time I would have made the roll with butternut squash or something.

Ilva over at Lucullian Delights always cooks up something amazing and this month is no different. Check out all the others too.

TURKEY LENTIL BURGERS
Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness Original

1 cup of cooked urad dal lentils (the black lentils with white insides)
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup cubed and roasted butternut squash
1 garlic clove minced
1 medium onion, minced
1/2 of an anaheim chili, roasted and diced

Combine all ingredients except for squash in a bowl. Add s and p to your taste. When thoroughly combined gently fold in butternut squash pieces, being careful not to mash up. Fry in olive oil and serve on a roll.

I mixed the remainder of the roasted anaheim chili with mayo and spread it on the bun.

Coconut Cake

( I couldnt resist taking some pics in the light this morning, am I addicted to blogging?)

I am back with a bang of sweet coconut yum! To celebrate my Mom's birthday I made a coconut cake for her. My Mother is a fantastic cook. She taught me how to cook and can. She has taught me a lot over the years. I am still learning. I constantly call her up and say, now how did you mkae that or what did you put in that recipe. Besides being a great cook, she is one super smart woman. So she is also my walking encyclopedia. You should hear her watching Jeopardy! She knows 99 percent of the answers. I am simply dumbfounded watching her.

So with out further ado, I bring you coconut cake, my recipe.


COCONUT CAKE
Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness Original

2 sticks butter, room temp
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon coconut extract
6 large egg whites
3 cups cake flour
1 cup lite coconut milk
1 cup sweetened coconut for sprinkling on frosted cake.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour two 9 inch rounds.

Cream butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat for about five minutes, mixture should be light and fluffy again. Add egg white one at a time. Make sure they are fully incorporated before adding the next one.

Blend in one cup flour, then a 1/2 cup coconut milk. Repeat. Finally add remaining cup of flour.

Pour into prepared pans. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes. Cool for five minutes and remove onto wired rack.

QUICK BUTTERCREAM
adapted from Carol Walter, Great Cakes

3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp.
1 cup superfine sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract


Starting with a 1/4 cup of milk and 3 tablespoons of flour, whisk together ina heavy bottomed sauce pan. Add the remainder of the milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Turn on heat to medium. Continue to heat until mixture thickens. Once it thickens, remove from heat and whisk until it is very smooth. Cool until tempid.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add extract. Add milk mixture in small amounts, combine thoroughly. Continue to whisk until fluffy.

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Quesadillas

Just a quick post for a quick meal! I wanted to share with you this no brainer meal. I fell in love with this combination a couple years ago. Usually its sweet potatoes and black beans but I substituted butternut squash. It was delicious. The above picture is right before I put the top on. It's almost not a recipe because I am sure you all do this kind of thing all the time. What I really wanted to share is the combination of flavors.

I promise tomorrow I will have something sweet for you.

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Quesadillas
Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness Original

1 med onion chopped
minced chilies, to your liking
2 cups butternut squash, cubed and roasted
1 cup cooked black beans
1 clove garlic minced
2 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

Saute onions in olive oil till golden. Add garlic and remainder of ingredients, except cheese. Spoon over tortillas. Sprinkle cheese over the filling. Place a tortilla on top. Press. Bake at 375 F.

WHEAT BREAD: this is light and airy

Have you ever tried something from someone's blog and have been horribly reminded that all those who have blogs dont necessarily have great baking skills (or tasting skills). I was reminded of that recently when I made something from someones site. They shall remain nameless. Its not any of you who I frequent often. It could have been me or maybe I made a mistake. Well, I just wanted to let you know that if I make something and I dont like it, I do not post it. I only post stuff that I think you will like too. In the event that you try something and dont like it, please let me know via email. Or if you have questions, please email me.

Now this recipe, who can go wrong with home made bread, really. Its a good one. It has a crispy crust with a nice crumb. It's light for a wheat bread and really has great flavor.

COUNTRY WHEAT BREAD
based on a recipe from Martha Stewarts, Christmas Cookbook

2 tablespoons honey
2 1/4 cups warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
1/2 cup sponge, pulled into small pieces (recipe below)
4 cups bread flour
1 1/4 cups rye flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons wheat germ
4 teaspoons salt

Combine a 1/4 cup water, yeast and honey in bowl of a mixer. Let stand ten minutes.

Add sponge combine one minute with paddle attachment.

Add remaining water, flours, salt and mix on low for two minutes. Switch to dough hook and mix for 8 minutes. Dough should be tacky.

Knead by hand ten minutes. Place in a greased bowl and let rise until double in bulk. SHould take one to two hours. Punch down and knead four times.

Let rise until double, about one hour. Divide into two loaves. I used a brotform for one (the one pictured) and shaped the other into a round. Let rise again about thirty minutes. Preheat oven to 450 F. Place an oven safe bowl with water into the oven or use a mister at the beginning of the baking process. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes.


Sponge

1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 teaspoon yeast
3 1/2 cups bread flour

Combine in non reactive bowl. Mix two minutes. Leave for 24 hours on counter. Refrigerate remaining dough for up to one week.

CHICKEN AND COUS COUS with apricots and pistachios

How exciting last nights race was. My husband has been saying it would be Obama way back when he was up against Hillary. He believed in him the whole way.

I really didn't expect to cry when they announced who won. But I did. I cried because I was happy he won but I think I also cried because I want to have hope in him that he can turn this country around and make it strong again. I hope that he can make the world believe in us again. We, in this nation, need to pray, focus our good intentions, whatever you want to call it, on making this nation strong again. No matter what party you are in, let's all work together for the common good. Now onto some food...

This is one great recipe and has been a repeater in our house. One of my friends from Four Corners made it for all of us one time and wow was it ever good. The recipe is from Real Simple. You can jazz it up by marinating the chicken in some Moroccan spices. That will add quite a bit more flavor to the dish. You can also used dried apricots which I used here.

Cous Cous with Apricots and Pistachios
Real Simple Magazine, June 2004 recipe

1 1/2 cups instant couscous
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus 6 sprigs
1 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
6 tablespoons olive oil
4 spicy grilled chicken breasts
3 fresh apricots (or ripe nectarines, peaches, or plums), pitted and cut into bite-size chunks
1 small shallot, thinly sliced in rings
1/2 cup unsalted pistachio nuts, shelled
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil and stir in the cinnamon, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Pour the mixture over the couscous. Cover and let stand until the couscous is soft, about 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Stir in the parsley, mint, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Set aside. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add the apricots, shallot, and pistachios. Drizzle with the vinegar and the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the couscous among 6 dinner plates. Arrange the chicken salad over the couscous. Garnish with the parsley sprigs and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

Balsamic Reduction

I remember a couple years ago I heard about balsamic reduction. I made it and put some over roasted butternut squash. It was amazing. Sweet and salty and a little sour. I fell in love with it. Then, this past winter I was watching an episode of Gordon's Ramseys show, Kitchen Nightmares. In one of the episodes the chef relied too heavily on balsamic reduction. In Gordon's opinion he masked the unsavory flavor of whatever he was pouring it over. Gads, I love balsamic reduction. But I guess it could be misused.

I'll tell you, here in this recipe it doesn't mask, it compliments. Okay, maybe it masks a little of the cabbagey flavor but in some people's opinion that is probably a good thing. It's rather easy to make. In my version I add brown sugar to offset the acid of the vinegar. We love the result. I think you will too.

BALSAMIC REDUCTION
Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness Original

1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 cup of brown sugar (to your liking)

Bring vinegar to a boil, turn down the heat and let it simmer. When it reduces halfway, add brown sugar. Simmer some more until it becomes syrupy and sticks to the back of a wooden spoon. As it cools it will thicken up. Store leftovers in frig.

IS THERE ANYMORE OF THAT ORANGATAN?

No direspect about the dish, it's just my husband being the silly guy he is. That would be Randang, Beef Randang specifically. And right away I must tell you it was phenomenol. I wonder if I would have ever picked this recipe. I have to say I probably would not. It has a bunch of ingredients but one I didn't like (Thai basil). As I added each one, I was thinking, I don't know if I am going to like this. I put my faith in our hosts, Rayrena from Happy Cows and Robyn of Culinary Adventures. You know what, they didn't fail me. It was one great tasting dish. No flavor blared out at you they just simply danced together into this one fantastic dish!

Come join us at Recipes to Rival for next months recipe. Just click here to find out how to join. You can view the entire recipe plus more pics of this great dish, click here.
For a vegetarian option, click here.

Beef Rendang (Rendang Daging Sapi)
permission received from James Oseland
Excerpted from Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore by James Oseland (W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2006) Copyright 2006 by James Oseland.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

If you decide to use the maximum number of chiles this recipe calls for, you may need to use a standard-sized food processor, rather than a small one. An excellent garnish for this dish is a tablespoon of very finely sliced fresh or thawed, frozen kaffir lime leaves. Be sure to remove the center stem of each leaf before slicing it.

For the Flavoring Paste:
* 1 whole nutmeg, cracked open with a nutcracker or a heavy, blunt object such as the bottom of a glass measuring cup (I used two teaspoons of ground nutmeg).
* 5 whole cloves
* 6 shallots (about 5 ounces), coarsely chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
* 5 to 20 fresh red Holland chiles or other fresh long, red chiles such as Fresno or cayenne, stemmed and coarsely chopped
* 1 piece fresh or thawed, frozen turmeric, 2 inches long, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 2 teaspoons), or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
* 1 piece fresh ginger, 2 inches long, peeled and thinly sliced against the grain (about 2 tablespoons)
* 1 piece fresh or thawed, frozen galangal, 2 inches long, peeled and thinly sliced against the grain (about 2 tablespoons; optional)
* 5 candlenuts or unsalted macadamia nuts

For the remainder of the dish
* 2 pounds well-marbled boneless beef chuck or bottom round, cut into 2- to 2 1/2-inch cubes
* 2 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
* 3 thick stalks fresh lemongrass, each tied into a knot
* 1 piece cinnamon stick, 4 inches long
* 7 whole fresh or thawed, frozen kaffir lime leaves
* 5 whole daun salam leaves (optional)
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1 tablespoon very finely shredded fresh or thawed, frozen kaffir lime leaves (optional)

1. To make the flavoring paste, place the nutmeg and cloves in a small food processor and pulse until ground to a dusty powder, about 2 minutes.

2. Add the shallots, garlic, chiles, turmeric, ginger, galangal (if using), and candlenuts to the ground spices. Pulse until you have a chunky-smooth paste the consistency of cooked oatmeal.

3. In a 12-inch skillet (nonstick works best), mix the beef and the flavoring paste until well combined. Add the coconut milk, lemongrass, cinnamon, whole lime leaves, daun salam leaves (if using), and salt. Stir well to combine and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Immediately reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered at a slow, steady bubble, stirring every 10 to 20 minutes with a spatula to prevent the meat and coconut milk from sticking and scorching. You'll probably need to adjust the heat periodically to maintain an even simmer.

4. The meat, coconut milk, and flavoring paste will now go on a fascinating journey. At first, the broth will be thin and gorgeously bright orange. As it cooks, the coconut milk will reduce, its fats (as well as the fat the meat renders) separating from the solids. It will become progressively thicker and darker, eventually turning brown. Continue to simmer gently until the liquid has reduced by about 95 percent, stirring every 15 minutes or so to prevent sticking. Only the meat, oils, and a bit of very thick sauce will remain in the pot. This will take anywhere from 2 to 3 hours, depending on the skillet that you use, how hot the fire is, and the richness of the coconut milk. Test the meat; it should be tender enough to poke easily with a fork. Taste some of the liquid for salt, and add a pinch more if needed.

5. When all the liquid has evaporated, reduce the heat to low (the meat and the remaining sauce are prone to burning) and allow the beef to brown slowly in the rendered fat. (The fat may be foamy at this point, but it will settle down when the cooking stops.) Stir every 5 minutes or so to prevent sticking and scorching, being careful not to break the beef apart. Continue sautéing the beef until it's the color of roasted coffee beans, 5 to 10 minutes longer. The surface of the beef should be barely moist and have an appetizing oily sheen. (If there is too much oil in the pan for your liking, skim some of it off with a spoon and set aside for later use; it's wonderful for sautéing potatoes.)

6. Remove and discard the cinnamon, lemongrass, lime leaves, and daun salam leaves (if used), and then transfer the beef to a serving dish. (Alternatively, serve this dish with all the aromatics, for a more rustic presentation.) Garnish with the shredded lime leaves, if using. Allow the beef to rest for at least 30 minutes before serving. Slightly warm room temperature will best show off its intensely aromatic flavors. This dish will taste even better the next day.


Rayrena's notes:
1) For the nutmeg and cloves, I pounded in a small mortar. The threw the remaining paste ingredients in a food blender. I used some of the coconut milk to get it all moving, then poured it all over the meat before cooking.

2) For the lemongrass, remove the first couple outer leaves, trim away the dry tips and pound the stalk with the handle of your knife or a meat mallet, then tie into a knot.

3) The first time I used dried turmeric, didn't use the galangal or lime leaves and it was very good.

4) One time I used 8 cayenne chiles and it was fairly spicy, the next time I used 6 Fresno chiles and there wasn't much heat.

5) Both times I had a hard time getting the meat tender. Both times I ended up adding a can of chicken stock towards the last 1/2 hour and cooking until tender, then cranking up the heat until it evaporated.

6) Definitely use a nonstick pan. And be watchful towards the end, the resulting paste can brown quickly!

Following is the recipe for the accompanying pickle dish: