Showing posts with label side dish recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label side dish recipes. Show all posts

Sunday, October 6, 2024

Roasted Pumpkin Gratin

The perfect post-Halloween use of the little pie pumpkins I use as indoor decorations, this roasted pumpkin gratin is flavorful, super rich and cheesy. 

Food Lust People Love: The perfect post-Halloween use of the little pie pumpkins I use as indoor decorations, this roasted pumpkin gratin is flavorful, super rich and cheesy.

Every year I buy the little mini pumpkins at the supermarket, mostly for a pop of Autumn color in the house but also because we love to eat them. When left whole, the little pumpkins last for ages in a cool house but once Halloween is past, I start thinking about cooking them. 

One of our favorite recipes is luscious creamy coconut curry baked right inside scooped-out pumpkins.  Another is a Thai-inspired pumpkin stir-fry with shrimp.  

And, of course, a third is this roasted pumpkin gratin featuring a French seasonal cheese called Mont D’Or, which is made with unpasteurized cow’s milk. It is produced in the cooler months only and is shaped by circling it with spruce bark. As it ages, it becomes runny and full of flavor. We adore it. 

Roasted Pumpkin Gratin

‘Tis the season but if you can’t find a Mont d’Or cheese, substitute your favorite soft rind cheese like Brie or Camembert, preferably made with unpasteurized milk, if possible. The stronger the flavor, the better is my attitude.

Ingredients 
2 mini pumpkins, about 1 lb or 450g each, seeded and cut in wedges
Olive oil
Fine sea salt
Red pepper flakes
1 Mont d’Or, chilled – weight 8.8 oz or 250g (See note above for substitutes)
Fresh ground black pepper
Cayenne
2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) for garnish

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and lightly oil a large iron skillet or another baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil. 

Arrange the pumpkin wedges in your prepared baking vessel. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and sprinkle with salt and red pepper flakes.


Roast the pumpkin wedges for 35-40 minutes or until they are fork tender. The skin on the smaller pumpkins is absolutely edible. In fact, it’s my favorite part. 


Slice the chilled cheese and cover the pumpkin with the slices. Add a few generous grinds of black pepper and a sprinkle of cayenne.


Return the pan to the oven and roast for a further 10-15 minutes. 

Take it out briefly to sprinkle on the pepitas and put it back in the oven. 


Roast for another 5-10 minutes or until the cheese is golden on top. If you’d like it a bit darker, you can put the oven on broil/grill for a few minutes but watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn. 

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least five minutes before serving or that molten cheese might burn your mouth. 

Food Lust People Love: The perfect post-Halloween use of the little pie pumpkins I use as indoor decorations, this roasted pumpkin gratin is flavorful, super rich and cheesy.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay and today our group is sharing recipes to trick or treat you for Halloween. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the links below.

 
We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.


Pin this Roasted Pumpkin Gratin!

Food Lust People Love: The perfect post-Halloween use of the little pie pumpkins I use as indoor decorations, this roasted pumpkin gratin is flavorful, super rich and cheesy.

.
  

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing

Spicy and delicious, this Cajun chicken eggplant dressing can be a side dish or dinner! Either way, if you like eggplant, you are going to love it. 

Food Lust People Love: Spicy and delicious, this Cajun chicken eggplant dressing can be a side dish or dinner! Either way, if you like eggplant, you are going to love it.

This was one of my mom’s favorite dishes and one I absolutely detested growing up. For too many years she’d make me put some on my plate, just to try it, until she suddenly said, “Hey, the more for me!” and quit forcing me. Hallelujah! 

When I finally learned to love eggplant through the Italian gateway dish/drug of eggplant parmigiana,  I started cooking Mom’s old eggplant-based favorites and, sur-PRISE, sur-PRISE, sur-PRISE, as Gomer Pyle used say, I loved them all!

Side note to my overseas/younger readers: Gomer Pyle was a character in a terribly hokey 1960s tv show I watched as reruns when I was a kid in the '70s. One of his standard lines "Sur-PRISE, sur-PRISE, sur-PRISE" - emphasis on the last syllable - was always uttered with a big wide eyes, possibly followed by another of his favorite interjections: SHAZAM! He was innocent, easily amazed and we loved him. In case you want to look it up, he was on The Andy Griffith Show.

If you love eggplant like I love eggplant, you might like to try my Cheesy Eggplant Pork Roast Rolls, my Caprese Stuffed Roasted Eggplant or Mom’s other huge favorite, Cajun Shrimp Eggplant Casserole. All delicious but the Caprese Stuffed Roasted Eggplant is especially lovely if you need a pretty main dish for the vegetarians in your life. 

Isn't it amazing how our taste buds and aversions to texture can change as we grow up? 

Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing

You can make this dressing with your preferred chicken parts but know that chicken with skin on and bones helps make the dish more flavorful. If you choose bigger pieces, like thighs, just make sure you cook them till they are tender. On the cooked rice, I like long-grained basmati rice but my Cajun grandmother would have used short grained, grown locally in southern Louisiana. You do you. 

Ingredients
2 1/2 lbs or 1134g chicken wing parts (use the tips to make stock!) 
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
ground cayenne
1/4 cup or 60ml canola oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely minced
1 medium bell pepper, de-seeded, stem removed, finely minced
2 stalks celery, finely minced
2 medium eggplants (about 2 lbs or 900g in weight)
3 cups or 400g cooked rice
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon cayenne (use less if you don’t like things spicy), plus more to taste 
Freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Optional: chopped parsley for garnish

Method
Season the chicken with salt, black pepper and a good sprinkle of cayenne then pan-fry in the canola oil, uncovered, in your Dutch oven until golden brown on all sides. Remove to a plate and set aside. 


Add the onion, bell pepper and celery to the pot and sauté over a low heat until the vegetables are soft and the onion is translucent. I find putting the lid on helps this go faster but don’t forget to stir frequently. 


Peel the eggplant in strips, leaving some peeling on for color, then cut them into cubes. You can leave all the peels on but the color of the dish will be markedly darker. My mom used to say that when her grandmother made it, the eggplant turned even the chicken kind of black. I cannot verify this as I always peel mine thusly. 


Once the onion mixture has softened, return the golden chicken pieces to the pot. (For the eagle-eyed, I just removed the pot from the stove for photos. My stovetop doesn't have great lighting.)


Pile the eggplant cubes on top and season with the salt, cayenne and a few generous grinds of black pepper. 


Add a half cup or 120ml water to the pot and put the lid to your Dutch oven on snugly. Cook over a high heat for a few minutes, until you start to see a little steam trying to escape, then turn the heat down to simmer. 

Cook for about an hour, checking periodically to see if you need to add a little water, if it looks dry. With a proper tight-fitting lid, the eggplant releases enough liquid that this shouldn’t be necessary but best to check. 

This is after about half an hour. 


This is after a full hour. You will notice that I did not stir so the chicken remains submerged. 


Take the lid off the pot and add in the cooked rice. Now you should mix well. 


Cook, covered, for about five minutes or until the rice is heated through. Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn’t start to stick to the pot. 

Taste the dressing and add more salt, cayenne and black pepper if needed. Mine is usually good for salt but we like more pepper. Again, you do you. 


Pile the dressing in a serving bowl and garnish with a little chopped parsley for color. My grandmother would never have missed this step! Every savory dish she cooked was finished with a little parsley. 

Food Lust People Love: Spicy and delicious, this Cajun chicken eggplant dressing can be a side dish or dinner! Either way, if you like eggplant, you are going to love it.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the fourth installment of our Alphabet Challenge for 2024. Today’s recipes are brought to you by the letter D. Many thanks to our challenge creator Wendy of A Day in the Life on a Farm




Here are my posts for the alphabet challenge, thus far:
A: Anchovy Deviled Eggs
B: Spicy Braised Ginger Pork Belly
C: Cecilie's Favorite Coleslaw
D: Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing - This post!



Pin this Cajun Chicken Eggplant Dressing!

Food Lust People Love: Spicy and delicious, this Cajun chicken eggplant dressing can be a side dish or dinner! Either way, if you like eggplant, you are going to love it.

 .

Saturday, May 27, 2023

Spinach Madeline Stuffed Potatoes

A favorite in southern Louisiana, spinach Madeline is a cheesy casserole or one-pan side dish. For this version, I used it as a filling to make spinach Madeline stuffed potatoes. Y'all, it's so good! 

Food Lust People Love: A favorite in southern Louisiana, spinach Madeline is a cheesy casserole or one-pan side dish. For this version, I used it as a filling to make spinach Madeline stuffed potatoes. Y'all, it's so good!

One of the first cookbooks I ever received was one called River Road Recipes, published as a fundraiser by the Junior League of Baton Rouge. The very first edition, released in 1959, contained a recipe for Spinach Madeline, a thick and creamy spinach dish flavored with garlic and onion plus, the star of the show, jalapeño cheese. 

Spinach Madeline Stuffed Potatoes

In this version, I used my favorite habanero cheese for even more spiciness but any flavorful cheese will do. These stuffed potatoes can be made ahead and baked to heat through before serving. 

Ingredients
4 smallish Russet potatoes (approx. weight about 10.5 oz or 300g each)
2 (12 oz or 340g) packages frozen chopped spinach
3/4 cup or 180ml water
1/3 cup or 75g butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup or 80ml milk
1/4 cup or 60ml cream
7 oz or 200g jalapeño (or habanero) cheese, grated
3/4 teaspoon celery salt
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
fine sea salt to taste

Method
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.  

Scrub the potatoes and lightly pierce the skin with a pointy knife. Microwave on high for 6 minutes to get them started, then bake uncovered, directly on the oven rack for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through. If you’d rather not microwave them, cook in the oven for 55-60 minutes or until they are cooked through.


While the potatoes bake, put the frozen spinach and water in a saucepan over high heat; bring to a full boil. 


Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 8 minutes. Separate with a fork and cook for 2 more minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup or 120ml of the cooking liquid.


Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour, stirring until blended and smooth, but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. 


Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft but not brown, 5 to 7 minutes.


Slowly add the milk, cream and the reserved spinach cooking liquid, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. I like to use a whisk for this step.


Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thick, 3 to 5 minutes. When you pull the spatula through it, it should be thick enough not to run right back together immediately. 


Add the grated cheese, celery salt, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper and cayenne.


Cook, stirring frequently until the cheese is melted, about 2 to 3 minutes. 

Stir in the cooked spinach and set the mixture aside. (This is the original spinach Madeline now. It was eaten as is, or baked in a casserole dish.) 


When the potatoes are baked, cut them in half lengthwise. When they are cool enough to handle, scoop the insides out. 


Use a potato masher to mash the parts you scooped out. 


Add half of the mashed potatoes to the spinach mixture and mix well. (Save the rest of the potatoes for another dish like silver dollar potato pancakes or mashed potato muffins.) Taste and add salt as needed for your taste. 


Spoon the mixture into the potato skins and bake for 30 minutes to serve.

Food Lust People Love: A favorite in southern Louisiana, spinach Madeline is a cheesy casserole or one-pan side dish. For this version, I used it as a filling to make spinach Madeline stuffed potatoes. Y'all, it's so good!

Enjoy!

Food Lust People Love: A favorite in southern Louisiana, spinach Madeline is a cheesy casserole or one-pan side dish. For this version, I used it as a filling to make spinach Madeline stuffed potatoes. Y'all, it's so good!


It's Sunday FunDay and today my friends and I are sharing side dish recipes for your barbecue or cookout since that season is upon us! Check them out below: 
 
We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.


Pin these Spinach Madeline Stuffed Potatoes!

Food Lust People Love: A favorite in southern Louisiana, spinach Madeline is a cheesy casserole or one-pan side dish. For this version, I used it as a filling to make spinach Madeline stuffed potatoes. Y'all, it's so good!

 .

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Rosalynn Carter’s Baked Cheese Grits

Rosalynn Carter’s baked cheese grits are light, fluffy, almost souffle-like, with lots of extra sharp cheddar and crispy bacon. They are soooo good! 

Food Lust People Love: Rosalynn Carter’s baked cheese grits are light, fluffy, almost souffle-like, with lots of extra sharp cheddar and crispy bacon. They are soooo good!

In honor of Women’s History Month which begins on March 1st, my Sunday FunDay friends and I are sharing recipes from inspirational women. I am hosting so my instructions for the theme were simple: “Make and share a recipe from an important, significant woman in any field, not just cooking, and from any era. It can be something they were known to love OR actually cooked themselves. Please tell us how they are inspiring to you and perhaps others.”

As I researched various women of significance, hoping for a person that wasn’t a cook or chef yet had still shared at least one recipe of something we might actually like to eat, I came across several recipes purporting to be Rosalynn Carter’s cheese grits. Most of them had Vidalia onion and bacon so I was totally onboard, until I discovered that those were later additions by a fellow blogger and everyone else had just copied her. 

I also came across a grits recipe from the White House Cookbook which turned out to be the one the blogger had embellished. When I finally found Rosalynn Carter’s actual original recipe, shared on the back of an Equal Rights Amendment flyer, it was pretty basic so the recipe I am sharing here is a sort of combination of both. 


[“ERA Flyer Back,” National Organization for Women, Tallahassee Chapter Records, MSS 2008-033, Box 15, Folder 5, Florida State University Libraries Special Collections & Archives, Tallahassee, Florida.]

I chose Rosalynn Carter to honor because of her advocacy for better mental health care throughout her life, starting as first lady of Georgia in 1970. As she said in an interview when asked why she chose to focus on mental health: "For every person who needs mental health care to be able to receive it close to his home, and to remove the stigma from mental health care so people will be free to talk about it and seek help. It's been taboo for so long to admit you had a mental health problem." 

Carter was ahead of her time and I am certain her advocacy helped a lot of people get the care they needed. Truly an inspiration. 

Rosalynn Carter’s Baked Cheese Grits

The original recipe, as you can see, did not call for bacon or cayenne but I do believe that both are a great addition to this baked cheese grits recipe. In The White House Family Cookbook, by Henry Haller, the method of adding the eggs and their number was changed and chicken bouillon was used to cook the grits instead of plain water. 

Ingredients
3 slices of thick-cut bacon, chopped
4 cups or 946ml chicken bouillon
1 cup or 180g 5-minute quick grits
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, plus a sprinkle for topping
1/4 cup or 56g unsalted butter, plus extra for the greasing the pan
8 oz or 227g extra sharp cheddar, grated,
4 egg yolks
¼ or 60ml cold milk
4 egg whites, at room temperature

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a 2-quart casserole dish by greasing it. 

In a frying pan, fry the chopped bacon until lightly brown. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Bring the bouillon to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan; add grits gradually, stirring with a wire whisk so that they don’t form clumps. 


Reduce heat and continue cooking, stirring vigorously, until mixture thickens.

Cover and simmer for until all liquid is absorbed—about 5-7 minutes,


Remove from heat and add in the cayenne, Worcestershire sauce and butter. Stir till butter has melted. 


Add in the bacon and about 3/4 of cheese, reserving the last 1/4 for topping. 


Stir until well blended.

In a measuring cup, blend the egg yolks with the milk. Pour mixture into grits and mix thoroughly.


In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold one scoop of the grits into the egg whites. 


Then carefully fold all of the egg whites into the grits.


Pour the mixture into prepared baking dish. 


Sprinkle with the reserved cheese and a dash of cayenne.


Bake on middle shelf of preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until fluffy and golden. 

Food Lust People Love: Rosalynn Carter’s baked cheese grits are light, fluffy, almost souffle-like, with lots of extra sharp cheddar and crispy bacon. They are soooo good!

Enjoy! 

Food Lust People Love: Rosalynn Carter’s baked cheese grits are light, fluffy, almost souffle-like, with lots of extra sharp cheddar and crispy bacon. They are soooo good!


Check out the Sunday FunDay recipes and inspiring women we are sharing! 
 
We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join. 

Pin Rosalynn Carter's Baked Cheese Grits!

Food Lust People Love: Rosalynn Carter’s baked cheese grits a light, fluffy, almost souffle-like, with lots of extra sharp cheddar and crispy bacon. They are soooo good!

 .

Sunday, November 6, 2022

Buttery Herb Millet

This buttery herb millet is first toasted then cooked with broth for added flavor. It’s a great change from pasta or rice, a flavorful side dish!

Food Lust People Love: This buttery herb millet is first toasted then cooked with broth for added flavor. It’s a great change from pasta or rice, a flavorful side dish!

I just happened to have a pack of millet in the pantry when our Sunday FunDay host for today’s event chose millet for today’s theme. My plan was to grind it up to make millet flour for a completely different recipe. 

The problem was that I have searched and searched and I can’t seem to find that recipe online anymore. So the millet sat languishing unused. I was grateful for the nudge to find another recipe and just use it already. 

Millet is a really nice little grain with a subtle nutty flavor, enhanced by toasting it before cooking. I bought mine at an Indian supermarket but many Asian market sell it also or you can find it online. If you are bored with the potato-pasta-rice rotation, I think you are going to love this!

Buttery Herb Millet

Millet can be cooked with water or stock but I like the flavor the stock adds. If you choose to use just water, you’ll want to add a teaspoon of fine sea salt to the water as well.  

Ingredients
1 cup or 225g millet
2 cups or 480ml broth or stock (from a cube is fine) 
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 medium or 1 whole small yellow onion, chopped finely (Mine weighed 130g)
Small bunch mixed fresh herbs, hard stems removed, chopped finely - I used a combination of chives, parsley, basil and thyme, as shown below.


Method
Toast the millet in a large dry saucepan over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until it turns a lovely golden-brown color. 


This takes several minutes. Be careful not the let the millet burn. 


The photo above is it toasted but it's hard to see the darker toasted color in my pan so I put some untoasted and toasted in little bowls for you, where it becomes more obvious. You are welcome!


Transfer the toasted millet to a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add the broth to the pot and stir well. 


As the broth warms up, add one tablespoon of the butter and give it another stir.  Bring the broth to a boil.


Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes or until the liquid is almost all absorbed. 


Remove the pot from the heat and set it aside with the lid still on, to rest for a further 10 minutes.

While it rests, melt the rest of the butter over a medium heat in the pan you used to toast the millet. Add in the chopped onion and sauté until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.


Add the chopped herbs, reserving a little bit for garnish, and cook 1 minute more.


Fluff the millet with a fork. 


To make sure you don't leave any butter behind in the pan, use a rubber or silicone spatula to add the onions and herbs to the pot. Use the fork to lightly mix them through the millet.


Serve warm, garnished with the reserved chopped herbs. 

Food Lust People Love: This buttery herb millet is first toasted then cooked with broth for added flavor. It’s a great change from pasta or rice, a flavorful side dish!

Enjoy!

As I mentioned above, it’s Sunday FunDay and my friends are all sharing recipes using millet. Check out the links below. Many thanks to our host Renu of Cook with Renu

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin this buttery herb millet! 

Food Lust People Love: This buttery herb millet is first toasted then cooked with broth for added flavor. It’s a great change from pasta or rice, a flavorful side dish!

 .