Hortense's String Bean Casserole

GLUTEN-FREE

Summer is a time of recipe testing and heavy-duty eating! Something about the season makes me want to delve into my Southern roots and produce dinner after dinner of "meat and three or fours." 

Here is an extraordinary recipe (discovered during my summer cooking spree) that deserves mention -- it's a classic from Hortense Jones, the legendary cateress of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. I've made a few modifications to the original recipe to make it gluten-free. Enjoy! My family LOVED this dish. You'll never again make green bean casserole with the canned soup and french fried onions!!

Ingredients:

2 packages of 10 oz. frozen cut green beans

2 T salted butter

2 T Thomas Keller's C4C Gluten Free Flour**

1 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 T sugar

1/2 pint of sour cream

1 medium onion, grated on a microplane

dash of garlic salt

1 cup freshly grated Swiss cheese

1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese

1 cup gluten-free Corn Chex cereal

2 T salted butter, melted

9 x 13 glass casserole, buttered or sprayed with cooking spray

** available from Williams-Sonoma

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

Cook green beans per package instructions and drain well. Set aside. Melt butter, remove from heat. Add flour, salt, pepper and sugar to butter. Whisk ingredients together. Add 1/2 pint of sour cream and grated onions and garlic salt to mixture. Return to heat and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and add to bowl with green beans. Stir well. Pour bean/onion mixture into greased casserole dish. 

Combine sour cream mixture and cooked green beans.

Mix cheddar and swiss cheeses in a medium bowl. Sprinkle over beans in casserole dish. 

Sprinkle Swiss and Cheddar cheeses over the green bean mixture. 

Put Chex cereal in large ziploc bag. Crush with fist until all squares are broken up into very small bits. Add 2 tablespoons of melted butter to the bag and shake well to distribute the butter. Sprinkle buttered cereal on top of the cheese. 

Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly. 

Sprinkle with Chex cereal and you're ready to bake it!

My family ate this up so quickly, that I didn't have a chance to snap a photo of the finished product!

(Gluten-Free) Best Ever Fried Fish!!

I recently discovered Thomas Keller's (of French Laundry fame) flour blend C4C (Cup for Cup). Sold at Williams-Sonoma, it carries a rather hefty price tag of $19.99. But after using 2/3 cup for this fried fish recipe, I conclude that it is 1.) well worth the price and 2.) answered prayer for this girl who hasn't eaten fried food since November 2007.

All-purpose gluten-free flours are, as a whole, seriously lacking. I've been disappointed time and time again with a number of brands. Aside from the taste and texture issue, none of them allow for a "cup for cup" substitution for regular flour. Hence the brilliance of Thomas Keller's creation: I can take any recipe from a "normal" cookbook and simply substitute C4C. I don't have to adjust my flour portion or add xanthan gum. It's brilliant, and Friday night's dinner proved that.

Skillet-Fried Tilapia

(recipe from Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen)

2 to 3 pounds of tilapia fillets
salt and pepper
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 large egg
dash of cayenne pepper
2/3 cup of C4C gluten free flour
2/3 cup of yellow gluten-free cornmeal
Canola or vegetable oil for frying

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a brown grocery bag.

Rinse the tilapia and pat dry. Slice each fillet into two or three long strips. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Combine the buttermilk and egg in a shallow bowl. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients.

Pour oil into a large skillet (I use my Le Creuset large skillet) about 1/4-inch deep and set flame to medium-high to heat the oil.

Dip each strip of fish in the buttermilk mixture and then dredge in the flour mixture -- coating both sides. When oil is ready (drop in a pinch of flour -- it will sizzle and bubble when ready), place fish in oil and cook for about 2 minutes per side (more for thicker pieces of fish). Turn just once -- each side should be golden brown and crispy. You might need to cut back the heat on the burner if your oil is getting too hot and making the fish too brown.

Remove fish from skillet and place on paper towels on top of brown paper bag (the grocery bag is great for absorbing extra oil). Season with additional salt and pepper. Serve with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce or ketchup!

The whole batch -- ready to eat!

A closer look

Friday fish dinner with green beans, mushrooms and lady (field) peas

This teen loves her fried fish! She has celiac disease like mom & granddad.

Smothered Lamb (labdhara gosht)

I'm not sure if it's the influence of a dear friend from Kerala, or the results of a recent novena to Saint Alphonsa, but the husband and I have been eating Indian food non-stop for the past two weeks. I purchased three cookbooks (two by the amazing Madhur Jaffrey) before we left town for almost two weeks. So when we returned in early February, I set out on my Indian kitchen adventure.

Our youngest child gobbles it up like a trooper. We are thankful that our college-aged daughter is living in the dorm this semester and cannot complain about the abundance of curry, coriander and red chiles!

Our Indian friend tells us that the rate of cancer in India is very low compared to the US. The spices are known to have medicinal and cleansing effects. We are living proof of that. I honestly have not felt this good in a long time. All of the recipes I've encountered have no gluten in them. Nothing artificial either -- just pure flavor. I did have to make several trips to the local Central Market to stock up on Indian food basics, such as coriander pods, ground coriander, turmeric, curry, mustard seeds, whole cloves, lots of garlic, onion and fresh ginger (not the powdered stuff!). But it was so worth it. So if you're ready to dabble a bit in Indian cuisine, I give you my first offering by Chef Jaffrey - Smothered Lamb.

Smothered lamb in the pot!

Smothered lamb with roasted organic beets on the side.

Ingredients:

1 pound of boned shoulder of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 small onion (4 oz.) peeled and finely chopped
1-inch piece of ginger peeled and finely chopped
1/2 can of diced tomatoes (I use the Muir Glen ones)
1/2 cup of finely chopped cilantro
1-2 jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced -- don't remove seeds
1/4 teaspoon of ground turmeric
2 teaspoons of garam masala
1 teaspoon of cumin
1/4 cup plain yogurt (do not use low-fat)
1 Tablespoon of tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon of salt
3 Tablespoons of vegetable oil (I use canola oil)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Put all the ingredients (except oil, garlic and black pepper) into a bowl and combine well.

Put the oil in a deep dutch oven (I use my 5 or 6-quart Le Creuset), and set over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, stir fry the garlic until it turns medium brown. Then put in the meat mixture and stir around a couple of times. Add 1 cup of water and bring mixture to a boil. Put lid on the dutch oven and reduce to simmer. Cook for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, give or take. When meat is done, remove the cover and cook uncovered until the sauce is reduced and thick (stirring occasionally). When the sauce is desired consistency, add a generous sprinkling of black pepper. If you don't care for lamb, you can substitute pork shoulder or stew beef.

Serve with brown rice. I also like to serve either roasted beets or stir-fried green beans and mushrooms.

Polpette di Carne, or meatballs in tomatoe sauce Neapolitan style

I am Italian. Specifically my family is from Bari (Apulia, or Puglia region of Italy) Italy. My grandmother cooked by the eyeball method, so I find myself doing this when I cook Italian food. I don't really measure anything out. This makes posting a recipe difficult at times.

I had some ground buffalo beef in the fridge and wanted to try it in meatballs. I found a couple of recipes, but no single one really sounded good so I combined a couple and hoped for the best. They turned out great, and were seriously to die for. Will never use regular ground beef again. I think for this to truly be Neapolitan (Naples or Campagna region), I would have added white raisins and pine nuts to the meatballs and deep fried them. Alas, I had no raisins and I am allergic to nuts, so out they went. If you decide to add them, it would be 1/3 cup each. Also, deep frying was not on my radar for this night. I am not averse to it, but I wanted this to be a healthier meal.

The recipes I hacked up were a combination of 2 from (will have to try adding the spinach next time) internet and one from my Italian Regional Cooking by Ada Boni. GREAT, authentic recipes in this book. Get it!

Buffalo meatballs:

2lbs ground beef
1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1 cup shaved Parmesan cheese (I love the shaved chunks better than grated. I used DiGiono, but you can shave your own which is even better)
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp Italian herbs (or I might have used more...do this to taste...oregano, basil and parsley...you can also use fresh. Remember that the bread crumbs are seasoned too so don't overdo it. Although, I am not sure you can overdo italian seasonings)
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Mix this all up with your hands (yes, that is seriously the only way to really do this if you want authentic, italian meatballs ;*)) to incorporate everything together, but don't over work it. Form into balls. Mine were largish as you can see. Then roll them in some bread crumbs.



Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and bake your meatballs @ 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.....or more (am so bad about the timer....mostly I eyeballed these, Grandma Balducci style) I turned mine and let them get brown just a bit. You will know when they are ready.

For the sauce I poured about 4-5 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan and sautéed 1/2 a chopped onion with 4-5 cloves garlic. When translucent I added a large can of italian San Marzano tomatoes and broke them up as they heated up. Add a can of tomatoe paste and 1-2 of the paste cans of water, depending on how thick you like your sauce.I think I added 1 can. Stir this up and add about 1 tsp sugar to break the acidity. Now grab some red wine and add a dash. And another. Okay, maybe one more. I used an organic Cabernet....maybe 1/4 cup or a bit less.. Basically just add to taste. Now add salt to taste. Cook for 40 minutes. You can add some herbs to this, but remember you are adding your meatballs, so use care.

Add the meatballs to the sauce, cover and simmer 20-30 minutes. I think mine went for 45 minutes or more because getting 4 kids to the dinner table is like herding cats....or worse. Am serious. Its okay though. The longer the meatballs are simmered, the more the flavor infuses the sauce.

I served this over Gluten free rice spaghetti (I use Mrs Leeper's). It was soooo good. It had a deep, rich taste that I attribute to the ground buffalo and red wine. I will make this recipe as my go to meatball in spaghetti sauce dish for sure. It was that yummy.

Ahi!!

I love Ahi tuna. So healthy and yummy. I know it is a bit pricey, but it is so worth it.

My kids even like it. The little ones call it steak and have no idea they are eating fish. Even my seafood loathing 14yo likes it.

When I grill it, I marinade it in Braggs organic and gluten free Healthy Vinaigrette. I also pour some over it while the steaks are on the grill. I like mine pink inside, but cook the rest of the families almost all the way through. I served this with steamed veggies (new potatoes and green beans with red and yellow grape tomatoes) tossed with More Bragg's Vinaigrette

I also prepare a few extra steaks so I can have grilled tuna salads during the week for lunch. Healthy and gluten free!

Gluten-Free Backyard Bourbon Marinade

Today I was going through my utility room cabinets perusing old and not-frequently-used cookbooks. I pulled out "The Jimtown Store Cookbook," which was published 10 years ago. I had purchased the cookbook for its amazing buttermilk pie recipe. However, I retired the book four years ago when I was diagnosed with celiac disease. No more pie, no more cookbook. But today, I found I had retired the book way too soon!

I perused the recipes and was struck with the number of delicious offerings that were either gluten-free or could be easily adapted. The longer I deal with this disease, the more adept I've become at substituting or reworking a wide variety of recipes. To sum it up, I'll be cooking from the "Jimtown" cookbook more often. 

Tonight's menu featured porterhouse steaks, and this marinade is PERFECT for steaks. I don't have a picture (because it's a Coca-Cola colored mixture in a tupperware bowl), but trust me -- it's worth the time to let your steaks linger in this goodness!! Then put them on the grill.  Let steaks rest for about five minutes after you take them off the grill. Then enjoy this "ambrosial" goodness!

First off, here is a link to buy your own Jimtown Store cookbook if you're interested. 

Backyard Bourbon Marinade

Ingredients:

6 cups water

1 cup Maker's Mark Bourbon

1-1/4 cup of gluten-free soy sauce (not reduced sodium)

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup Worchestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Kosher salt

Mix all ingredients together in a non-reactive large bowl (I use a large Tupperware mixing bowl with the "burping" lid ). 

Put steaks in marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least three hours. Overnight is even better! 

Blood Orange, Beet and Fennel Salad

I snagged this recipe from Food and Wine magazine and made a few modifications. It's delicious. It's beautiful. It's Gluten-Free and oh so good for you. I made this for the first time a few days ago. Tonight, I am repeating it to serve with bacon-wrapped filets from Roy Pope Grocery (a hometown classic!). The sweet/tartness of the oranges and the fresh fennel taste is unbeatable. Start a bit early with this recipe so you'll have time to segment the oranges and bake the beets.

Lovely salad!

Ingredients:

2 medium red beets (tops trimmed)
2 medium golden beets (tops trimmed)
3 blood oranges
1 medium naval orange
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/2 fennel bulb (thinly sliced using a mandoline -- see photo below)
1/4 red onion (or sweet 1015 onion)
Good quality pecan oil (I buy mine at Central Market)
Coarse sea salt
freshly ground pepper
handmade goat cheese (NOT feta cheese -- the handmade goat is mild tasting and has the texture of cream cheese)

This is a mandoline, a gizmo used to thinly slice veggies and fruits.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets individually in aluminum foil and place on rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for one hour or until beets are tender when pierced with a knife. Let cool before handling.

Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, cut all peel and white pith from all oranges. Cut between membranes of 2 blood oranges to release segments into a medium sized bowl. Squeeze juice out of the membranes and discard membranes. Slice remaining blood orange and sweet naval orange crosswise into thin rounds. Place sliced oranges in bowl with the segments. Add lemon and lime juice.

Blood and navel oranges. Sliced and segmented.

Sliced fennel and red onion.

Peel cooled beets and slice 2 beets into thin rounds. Slice the remaining two beets into wedges.

Strain citrus juices from bowl into measuring cup.

Layer beets and oranges (sliced and segmented) on plates, dividing evenly between plates. Arrange fennel and onion over the beets. Spoon reserved citrus juices over fruit/veggie arrangement and drizzle pecan oil generously over it all. Top with coarse sea salt, pepper and a dollop of goat cheese. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow for the flavors to blend. Enjoy!!

Welcome Blake, Guest Recipe Maven!

I know you all enjoyed Monday's post from our buddy Blake. Blake grew up in "the hood" with Jody and me. We all went to the same high school, and afterwards, Blake joined me at TCU for some good clean sorority fun ;). Now we are spread out in different parts of Texas, but we're still "sisters!" And Blake loves to cook for the men in her life (hubby and two boys).

Stay tuned for more guest posts and delicious recipes!

Tortilla Soup **

**(Can be gluten-free -- check your enchilada sauce can)

Ok this is not fancy but yummy and very easy and quick!

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

1 12 oz can mexican corn

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh cilantro

1 can diced tomatos

1 can mild enchilada sauce

2 cups water

3 sliced soft corn tortillas

olive oil

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tbsp chilli powder

1/2 chopped onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

salt and pepper to taste

tortilla chips

sour cream

shredded cheese

In large saute pan saute oil in garlic and onion and cooked shredded chicken breast, add tomatos, add corn and then add stock and water and enchilada sauce. Stir well and then add the cilantro, cumin, chili powder and oregano. After everything is cooked through then add salt and pepper to taste and add the tortilla strips and cook till soft. Serve in bowls and put a dollop of sour cream and cheese on top and a few chips if you prefer some crunch!

Bourbon-Butternut Squash Soup

Gluten-free recipe. After the Christmas-time feeding frenzies, I always seem to find myself scouting out soup recipes for  January dinners. This soup is perfect for the fall and winter seasons. Organic butternut squash is plentiful in grocery stores, and when roasted, yields a "meat" so flavorful and rich that it needs neither butter nor salt. The following recipe is an excuse for me to use my favorite gluten-free bourbon in a recipe (Maker's Mark). It's also an excuse to showcase the flavor of the regal butternut squash. 

The following recipe is my own -- an amalgam of the best of several different recipes.

Bourbon and Butternut Squash Soup 

with Bourbon Créme Fraiche

Ingredients:

1 large organic butternut squash (3 pounds)

olive oil for greasing squash

1 T olive oil

1 cup diced onions

1 cup diced leeks

1/2 t. cumin

2 T chopped fresh garlic

1 T chopped fresh ginger

2 T maple syrup, grade B

2 T gluten-free soy sauce

1/4 c. bourbon (Maker's Mark is my fave & gluten free)

1/2 c. dry sherry

1/4 t. freshly grated nutmeg

5 cups gluten-free chicken stock

1/4 c. heavy whipping cream

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Microwave squash on high power for 2 minutes to make it easier to cut. Cut squash in half length-wise and remove pulp and seeds. Brush exposed flesh with olive oil and place face down on foil-lined baking dish. Add 1/4 cup of water to dish and then cover tightly with foil. Cook for 90 minutes (one hour for convection ovens). 

It should be very soft when you push on it. Scoop it out into a bowl. 

In a heavy soup kettle (I use my 6-quart Le Creuset), heat the olive oil and add onions. Cook until light golden brown and add leeks and cumin. Cook for 2 minutes and add garlic and ginger. Cook for one minute. Then add maple syrup, soy sauce, bourbon, sherry and nutmeg. Add squash and stock and bring to boil. Lower the heat and cook gently for 15 minutes. 

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Add cream, but do not reheat to a boil because the cream will clot and make lots of white specks throughout the soup.

For an added touch, garnish the soup with:

Maker's Mark Créme Fraiche 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of Maker's Mark bourbon

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 T buttermilk

1 teaspoon salt

Place cream in heavy saucepan and heat to 100 degrees. Remove from heat and add buttermilk. Transfer to a small jar and store for 24 hours at room temperature (75 degrees). When créme fraiche has thickened, add the salt and bourbon and stir until incorporated. Place in a small container and refrigerate until ready to use. If you don't have time to make your own créme fraiche you can purchase some at the grocery store and incorporate the bourbon. 

A perfect pot of soup.

Next-day leftovers are even more flavorful.