farm apple bread

I don't love baking - it's usually too fussy me. But this apple bread is delicious and easy.

2 cups peeled & chopped apple

1/4 cup melted butter (melted and cooled)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

Melt the butter and let cool. In a small mixing bowl add the eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter and applesauce. Stir until completely combined. Mix in the sugars. Stir until combined.

In a large mixing bowl add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir with a fork to combine. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Peel and chop apples. 3 small Empire apples are about 2 cups. Chop into 1/4 inch size chunks. Add the chopped apple to the large bowl and stir.

Pour dough into prepared loaf pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, top will be golden brown. Check that it’s cooked by inserting a toothpick in the center, once it’s done cooking the toothpick will come out clean, no dough will be stuck on it.

Allow bread to cool in pan for about 5-10 minutes. Turn upside down and remove bread loaf from pan and allow to continue cooling on wire rack.

Store covered at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Adapted from House of Yumm

the green kind of steak sauce

A chimichurri-style sauce has a brightness that makes any steak taste even better.

• 4-6 large garlic cloves, minced
• a handful of coarsely chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons basil
• Maldon salt
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• splash of red wine vinegar

Finely chop the garlic, parsley and basil. Add to a bowl and add enough olive oil to cover. Add salt to taste and a splash or two of red wine vinegar and mix well.

Spoon over steak and enjoy.

lebanese shrimp with garlic and cilantro

Turns out that putting cinnamon in savory dishes is maybe the best thing ever (see also the Armenian dish in the next post below).

1 pound of medium-sized shrimp

1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

8 cloves of garlic

1 bunch of cilantro or parsley

1 small red onion

2 teaspoon of ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric or jamaican curry

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne or hot paprika (optional)

Salt, to taste

1 lemon, quartered

Peel the shrimp and lay out on a plate. Slice the onions and put in a bowl.

Mash the garlic in a mortar with a pinch of salt until pasty. Set aside.

Wash and dry the cilantro or parsley and chop finely the cilantro leaves, discarding the stems.

Mix all the spices in a small bowl and sprinkle them on the shrimp and onions.

Heat the olive oil for 3 minutes and place the shrimp and onions in the skillet, stir-frying them for a couple of minutes.

Remove the shrimp and onions from the skillet with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet if necessary and place the mashed garlic and cilantro in the skillet, stirring for one minute until they are mixed and fragrant.

Place the shrimp and onions in the skillet and stir-fry for a minute or so until everything is coated evenly with the garlic and cilantro paste.

Serve with lemon quarters on the side.

Adapted from Taste of Beirut

armenian baked semi-stuffed eggplant

The flavors in this are incredible!

Ingredients:
2 large eggplants (4 smaller eggplants can be substituted), cut in half lengthwise, stem trimmed
Olive oil

Meat Stuffing Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. paprika (or for a spicy version Hungarian Hot Paprika)
1 tbsp. whole coriander
1 large sweet onion, chopped finely
1 lb. ground lamb or beef
1 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (or 2 tablespoons dried)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Sauce:
1-15 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tsp. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish: chopped Italian parsley, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Baked eggplant
Place eggplant halves, skin-side down in a baking pan so they fit snuggly. Brush only cut-sides of eggplant with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until soft and golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Prepare the meat filling while eggplant is baking:

Saute onions with spices
In a mortal & pestle, grind the coriander, then stir in the cinnomon, nutmeg, cloves and paprika. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and half of the spice mix. Cook over medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring often.

Meat filling
Add the ground lamb (or beef), and cook until meat is crumbled and no longer pink; drain any excess grease. Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Cook another minute or two. Remove from heat.

For the sauce, place the remaining spice blend in a mixing bowl with the diced tomatoes and their juices, tomato paste, lemon juice, sugar, and salt to taste. Mix well.

Baked lamb-stuffed eggplant
Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Pour the sauce mixture into the baking pan to surround the eggplants. Spoon the lamb mixture to cover the top of each eggplant. Cover the pan with foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Carefully lift foil and baste the eggplants halfway through baking.
Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, if desired.

Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Adapted from The Armenian Kitchen

russian vinagret salad

A friend made this and I loved it!

1 beet
2 carrots
1-2 potatoes
1 medium red onion
10oz of pickles
1 can (about 15 oz) boiled beans of your choice
Salt to taste

Prepare ingredients: dice vegetables to the same size. Boil carrots, potato and separately beets, then let them cool down to room temperature and peel.

Dice beet, add to a deep bowl, add diced pickles, diced potatoes and and carrots.

Add boiled beans (if you use canned ones – rinse them and then drain liquid out before adding beans to the bowl).

Salt to taste, mix well.

pumpkin bread magic

1 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
3 large eggs
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Heaped 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
Heaped 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Two pinches of ground cloves
2 1/4 cups gluten free flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 6-cup loaf pan or coat it with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs and sugar until smooth. Sprinkle baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves over batter and whisk until well-combined. Add flour and stir with a spoon, just until mixed. Scrape into prepared pan and smooth the top. In a small dish, or empty measuring cup, stir sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle over top of batter.

Bake bread for 80 minutes until a tester poked into all parts of cake (both the top and center will want to hide pockets of uncooked batter) come out batter-free, turning the cake once during the baking time for even coloring.

Cool it in the pan for at least 10 minutes.

Cake keeps at room temperature as long as you can hide it. I like to keep mine in the tin with a piece of foil or plastic just over the cut end and the top exposed to best keep the lid crisp as long as possible.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

lamb chop saucy

Tasty without any of the flavors overpowering anything else.

4 lamb loin chops
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup cognac
salt and pepper to taste

Remove loin chops from the fridge 20-30 minutes before cooking. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

In a cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil on high until hot. Place the loin chops in the skillet and cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Add the butter, cognac, garlic, and fresh herbs to the skillet and swirl/stir until fully melted. Simmer for an additional 1-2 minutes, turn the chops in order to soak up cognac butter sauce. For medium rare, the lamb is done.

Remove from heat, place on plate and drizzle with Cognac butter sauce. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired and serve.

Adapted from Kitchen Swagger