Baked Potatoes

MHS: Introduction to Foods and Nutrition *

(I realize that many who read this blog are not in need of a 'recipe' for baking a potato. However, for the students in my beginning Foods class at school, I'm making all of the recipes we prepare in class available.)

Preheat oven to 375°.

Depending on their size, potatoes will take 50-90 minutes to fully bake.

Wash the potatoes and remove any eyes and bruises. Dry with a paper towel. Using your hands, lightly coat the potato skins with olive oil, or butter. Randomly prick each potato with a fork.

Optional (affects the texture of the potato skins): Wrap potatoes in foil. If not wrapping in foil, place a sheet of foil under the potatoes so the oil or butter doesn’t drip and burn on the oven floor.

Serve warm with butter, salt & pepper; or…other toppings of your choice.

Possible toppings: sour cream, chives, ranch dressing, bleu cheese dressing, shredded cheese (cheddar, parmesan, cottage cheese…), crumbled bacon, onion (fresh or sautéed/caramelized), salsa, tobasco sauce, sliced or diced green/red/orange/yellow peppers, sliced or diced mushrooms (fresh or sautéed), broccoli, diced tomatoes, chili, dill, garlic, cilantro, tarrogon, thyme, marjoram, pesto…

* * * * * * * * * *

For our baked potato lab in class, butter, salt & pepper will be provided. Your group may choose three (3) additional toppings. Be sure to put them on the “market order” section of your Lab Planning Sheet.

* This recipe is one used in the introductory culinary course I teach.

(Vegetables/Starches)

Basil-Lemon Sorbet

Ice cream, gelato, sorbet...what's the difference?

I generally prefer a gelato to a sorbet (and I do have a recipe for a lemon-basil gelato), but this lemon, basil and mint sounded very refreshing...and I happened to have fresh basil and fresh mint on hand so I had to give it try! Very light and cool, not too sweet...nice combination of flavors.

1 C water
1 C sugar
1 Tbls lemon zest
juice of one lemon
10-12 basil leaves
6 mint leaves

Heat water and sugar in a saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar completely. Add lemon zest and juice and bring to a simmer. Add basil and mint leaves and let steep for about 5 minutes. Strain to remove leaves (and zest, if desired). Refrigerate until well chilled. Process mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately or transfer to an air-tight container to freeze if a firmer consistency is desired.

Strawberry-Balsamic Gelato

Personally, I'm not wild about strawberry ice creams or frozen yogurt. But I do like fresh strawberries and they're in season right now in the Pacific NW and they look so beautiful! So when I found this recipe for Strawberry-Balsamic gelato I thought I'd give it a go!

Ingredients

¾ C sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 cup milk

3½ C fresh strawberries; hulled and quartered

4 Tbls balsamic vinegar*

Preparation

Stir sugar and cornstarch in heavy saucepan. Whisk in milk and cream. Whisk over medium heat until gelato base thickens and begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; cool over ice, stirring occasionally.

Puree strawberries in processor. Strain into gelato base. Mix in balsamic vinegar. Chill 2+ hours. Process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve immediately or transfer to an air-tight container to freeze if a firmer consistency is desired.

* A white balsamic would preserve the bright, fresh strawberry coloring better; but the dark has a richer flavor...your choice! :)

For a creamier version (strawberry-balsamic ice cream) use 1½ C of heavy cream in place of the milk. I added extra fresh diced strawberries at the end of the freezing process, just before serving. I love both the taste and texture. However...once the 'leftovers' were frozen to save for later, the strawberry chunks froze harder than the rest of the gelato and, in my opinion, were much less appealing.

7-Layer (Tex-Mex) Dip

MHS: Introduction to Foods and Nutrition*

Ingredients:

3 medium avocados

2 Tbls lemon juice

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 C sour cream

½ C mayonnaise

1 pkg taco seasoning

2 16-oz cans refried beans

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 small (3 oz) cans chopped olives

½ C chopped green onion

2 C grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.       Peel avocados and remove pits. Mash avocados with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

2.      Combine sour cream, mayonnaise and taco seasoning.

3.      Spread bean dip in one large serving/casserole dish or two dinner plates

4.      Next, spread avocado mixture over bean dip.

5.      Gently spread sour cream mixture over avocado mixture.

6.      Sprinkle with onions, tomatoes, olives, and top with grated cheese. Refrigerate.

7.      Use taco chips to scoop/serve it.

Pineapple-Orange Gelato

Ice cream, sorbet, gelato...what's the difference?*

Ingredients:
1 C water
½ C sugar
½ C orange juice
1 C milk
1 Tbls lemon juice
1  20 oz can crushed pineapple 

Directions:
In medium saucepan, bring water and sugar to a simmer, stirring occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved. Purée pineapple in it's juice in a food processors until smooth (a few chunks are fine). :)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate an hour or two, until well chilled. Pour into ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions. Serve immediately or transfer to an air tight container and place in freezer if a firmer consistency is desired. 

* You can easily turn this recipe into a pure sorbet...using more orange juice and omitting the milk.

Butternut Squash

MHS: Introduction to Foods and Nutrition* 

Ingredients

1 butternut squash (about 2 lb)

2 Tbls olive oil

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cummin

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

Preheat oven to 400°.Peel butternut squash. Using a large spoon, hollow out seeded center. Cut into a large dice (½” to 1” cubes - just be fairly consistent for even cooking). In a bowl, toss squash with olive oil cinnamon, cumin, and minced garlic. Transfer to a casserole baking dish. Bake until soft, about 40 minutes.

* This recipe is one used in the introductory culinary course I teach.
(Vegetables)

Roast Rutabagas

 MHS: Introduction to Foods and Nutrition*

Ingredients

4 rutabagas

3 Tbls olive oil

salt & pepper

4 tsp apple cider vinegar

4 tsp chopped parsley

 

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 425°.

2) Peel rutabagas, cut into a large dice (½” to 1” cubes - just be fairly consistent for even cooking). In a bowl, toss rutabagas with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread rutabagas in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

3) Bake until golden and soft, about 40 minutes.

4) Toss baked rutabaga with vinegar and chopped parsley.

* This recipe is one used in the introductory culinary course I teach.

(Vegetables)

Strawberry Ice Cream

Ingredients
1 lb fresh strawberries
1 Tbls lemon juice
1 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 C milk
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 C heavy cream

Directions
Hull and chop strawberries. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup sugar in a mixing bowl, set aside for at least an hour so strawberries soak in the sugar and lemon juice.

Beat eggs until frothy.
Add the rest of the sugar, mixing well.
Next add the milk and vanilla, stirring until well combined.
Add about half the strawberries and the cream, stirring gently until all ingredients are blended.
Pour into ice cream maker and chill according to manufacturer's directions.
Just before it's finished, dump in the remaining strawberries; mix just until well blended.

Serve immediately, or transfer to an air-tight container to freeze to desired consistency.

Pineapple Gelato

3/4 C sugar

1 C milk
3 large egg yolks

15 oz can of crushed pineapple, puréed with juice
pinch salt

3 Tbls lemon juice

Purée pineapple with its juice, set aside in medium bowl.

(Obviously, if you’ve got fresh pineapple – Yes! Use that!)

Lightly beat egg yolks in a small bowl, set aside.

Combine the milk and sugar in a saucepan; heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is completely dissolved. Temper in the egg yolks:  Add half the hot milk mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Return the mixture with yolks to sauce pan and bring just to boiling point, stirring constantly.

Pour custard through a sieve into the bowl with puréed pineapple. Add salt and lemon juice; mix thoroughly. Cool in refrigerator for a couple hours. Place mixture in ice cream maker for 20-25 minutes. If desired, transfer to an air-tight container to freeze for a firmer consistency.

Bacon-wrapped Balsamic Sea Scallops

Ingredients

6 very large sea scallops*

1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2-inch ginger, thinly sliced

12 slices pepper bacon

Directions

Heat a slotted broiler pan in a preheated 450° F oven.

Pat scallops dry and quarter them. (*The scallops I had – pictured – were not “very large” so I did not quarter mine.) Combine vinegar, sugar, garlic and ginger and marinate the scallops 10 minutes.

Separate bacon slices, cutting them in half. Wrap each scallop piece with a strip of bacon (secure with a toothpick if necessary). Place scallops on sides (seam down). Remove garlic and ginger from vinegar marinade and drizzle over scallops; bake 10 minutes, turning once.

The original recipe -- I think this was a Rachel Ray dish, but I could be mistaken -- called for water chestnuts. I'm not that fond of them, personally. I didn't have any on hand and wasn't going to make a special trip for something I'm not wild about. However, they'd add a nice crunch/texture to the little wraps. (And if I marinated them in the balsamic mixture I'd probably like them a lot more!) :)

Creamy Polenta

Here’s a fairly basic recipe for polenta (with a little parmesan). :) Pictured…I had a handful of mushrooms I sautéed, sliced very thin, and added to the mix, topped it with Italian parsley and a little basil (chiffonade), and some extra grated parmesan. Delicious!

Ingredients

2 C chicken broth (more if needed)

1 C milk

2 Tbls butter

1 tsp salt

1 C polenta

½ C grated parmesan (or similar)

Directions

Bring broth, milk and butter to boil in a medium saucepan. Add salt, and sprinkle in polenta while whisking. Whisk constantly for 3-4 minutes to prevent lumps. Simmer for about 40 minutes, partially covered, stirring about every 10 minutes. Polenta should be thick, but smooth and creamy (use a little additional broth if needed to maintain creamy consistency while cooking).  Add grated parmesan, stirring until melted and thoroughly combined.

Sautéed Eggplant

Ingredients

1½ to 2 lbs eggplant, preferably small

salt

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp minced garlic

freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn (or more, to taste)

Optional seasoning: additional garlic, thyme, coriander, cayenne, parsley …it’s really up to you! :)

Directions

Slice eggplant into ½ inch thick slices; halve or quarter the slices (depending on how big the eggplant is; I usually quarter the slices). If time allows, sprinkle the eggplant liberally with salt and let rest in a colander for up to 1 hour; rinse and pat dry.

Put the olive oil and garlic in a large, sauté pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add eggplant slices. Toss (or stir) almost constantly until the eggplant begins to release some of the oil it has absorbed (5-10 minutes). Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the eggplant is very tender and browned around the edges (usually between 20-35 minutes) – it varies quite a bit depending on how ripe/firm the eggplant is, how thick the slices are, etc.

In the final minutes of cooking, salt and pepper to taste, stir in the basil, and add any additional seasonings desired.