Recipes

Roasted Habanero Salsa

December 17, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

Habanero Chilis are one of the hottest peppers in the world–just a few steps down from pure concentrated capsaicin (the ingredient found in pepper spray). I had never tried the habanero and I was looking forward to this very hot salsa. I recently made Cochinita Pibil tacos but the tacos had very minimal heat. I decided to try the habanero salsa with the tacos and the results were great, though I only needed a tiny bit (1/4 tsp per taco) to add the right amount of heat. The heat from the habanero sneaks up on you while eating so make sure to have sour cream, milk, or yogurt around to cool down the mouth. Water won’t do much when eating a habanero, and dairy or bread are the only things that really help. I can’t wait to use the habanero in tex-mex dishes like chili for some added heat.

…

Gruyere Tuna Melt Sandwich

December 11, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

A great way to spice up a sandwich is using just slightly different ingredients to give it a different twist. I’ve been making tuna melts for a while now as they are one of my favorite sandwiches and I normally just use sharp cheddar cheese. In this sandwich I used an apple smoked gruyere and it tasted great melted in between the layers of bread and tuna. It took an otherwise plain sandwich into a really tasty dinner. I added a little dill and dijon mustard to the tuna which gave the tuna a nice flavor too.

…

Pumpkin and Banana Bread

December 6, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

I have really been enjoying the results of adding pumpkin to different recipes. This bread is just like a banana bread with a hint of pumpkin flavor. The bread is seasoned with ginger, allspice and cinnamon and this recipe works great for the holidays. With the addition of the pumpkin to the mashed banana the result was a very soft, moist bread. I can’t wait to make this again!

…

Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta and Bean Soup)

December 2, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

Pasta e Fagioli is a traditional Italian peasant soup that translates to “pasta and beans.” It’s a soup that can be made with several types of pasta, usually tubettini, ditalini, or conchigliette. Prosciutto or pancetta is used for the base to give it a nice smoky flavor. I wanted to make a big batch so I used a slow cooker to cook the beans and broth. It turned out great, though I forgot to cut up the rosemary and it should really be finely chopped. Just before serving I mixed in the cooked pasta. I strained the rest of the noodles out before putting it away to prevent them from absorbing all the broth over night. The soup was great with a warm, crusty baguette and grated parmigiano reggiano.

…

Mashed Potatoes with Goat Cheese and Dill

November 27, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

Mashed potatoes is a side dish that has become a staple on many Thanksgiving tables. The great thing about mashed potatoes is you can add different ingredients to it and change a plain recipe into a more flavorful one. This Thanksgiving I decided to try mixing goat cheese and fresh dill into the potatoes. The goat cheese gave it a creamy tanginess, and tasted great with the fresh dill! Potatoes are so easy to make and I always leave the skins on (especially if they are red potatoes). Overall the addition of the goat cheese and dill was a success and I will definitely have this on the table on Thanksgiving next year.

…

Roast Turkey Sandwich with Cranberry Sauce

November 26, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving is all the leftovers for the days after. I usually like to make a soup out of the turkey leftovers but another great way to use all that turkey is to make a delicious sandwich with cranberry sauce. There is something about the combination of roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, and mayonnaise on crusty bread that make Thanksgiving part II almost as good as the first day. This sandwich is naturally very easy to make as all the ingredients have already been prepared. I added some tomatoes and lettuce to give the sandwich some extra crunch. An excellent way to finish off any kind of leftover Thanksgiving turkey!

…

Cranberry Sauce with Pinot Noir

November 25, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

I ended up making quite a bit of cranberry sauce this year for Thanksgiving. The nice thing is that it can be stored in the refrigerator or even frozen. Cranberry sauce is easy to make from scratch and tastes fresh and tangy–a perfect topping for a roast turkey or slathering on a piece of bread for a leftover turkey sandwich. I normally go with an orange-ginger cranberry sauce but this year I tried making it with pinot noir. I really enjoyed this version of cranberry sauce, and the addition of the pinot noir gave it a more full-bodied flavor.

…

Baked Bread Stuffing with Sage

November 25, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

This is a standard bread stuffing with a crumbly and soft consistency. The bread is toasted and left to harden over night to get that good crunchy texture. It is then flavored with fresh sage leaves, sauteed onions and celery and baked in the oven. This recipe takes some time and effort to prepare but the recipe is well worth it. A perfect side dish for a juicy roast turkey!

…

Roasted Butternut Squash with Caramelized Onions, Gruyere, and Sage

November 24, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

Butternut squash for me is a staple during the fall and winter, especially during holidays like Thanksgiving. I decided to try this recipe for butternut squash over Thanksgiving and I was not disappointed. The squash is roasted and tossed with caramelized onions, sage, and melted gruyere cheese. The squash added a nice pop of color on the plate and the melted gruyere was delicious with the sage and butternut squash. It takes a long time for the squash to roast in the oven but it ended up being well worth it.

…

French Onion Soup

November 20, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

French onion is a classic soup which I now consider to be one of my favorite soups. The recipe is fairly simple but it takes a fair amount of time and effort to create the perfect french onion soup. It consists of caramelized onions in a beef and red wine flavored broth topped with a slice of toasted bread and melted gruyere cheese. A delicious soup for cold, winter evenings! The key to making a good french onion is the length of time used to melt the onions. I like taking several hours to caramelize the onion until it is melt-in-your-mouth tender and golden brown. The one challenge I discovered early on was chopping 8 lbs of onions–I was crying the whole time! Apparently there is an enzyme in onions that creates an acidic gas when cut and gets in the eyes. I was grateful that this soup turned out to be more than worth the tears and hours it took to create it.

…