Gluten-Free Gidget's Stuffed Squash

Admittedly, I like the cold. I like snow and I like dark. But I was dismayed this morning when it was windy, 32 degrees and there were snow flurries. Fortunately for me it was a Monday, which is the beginning of my weekend. I almost always spend Monday's tidying up around the house, doing laundry and cooking. It felt like a perfect day to roast a chicken. Besides, I needed one more carcass to set up a pot of broth tomorrow. Then I remembered Katrina's stuffed acorn squash she posted on last week. A perfect combination, roasted chicken, spinach gratin  and stuffed squash for such a cold and dreary day. I quickly invited my brother-in-law, made my grocery list and I was off and running.

 A while back Katrina send me a package of unusual spices, mostly things I did not have in my lavish stash. Lucky for me I needed to dip into several of the spices including nutritional yeast flakes, something I have never had before. I was glad to finally have a need for both the yeast flakes and the chinese five spice powder she had sent. Katrina always puts together great combinations and the maple syrup and curry powder in this filling won't disappoint. I tweaked a few things, not something I usually do with The Gluten-Free Gidgit's recipes but since I am serving spinach gratin with this I didn't want more spinach. So, I added a few more beans and made some with acorn squash and some with butternut. I am a sucker for butternut squash. I had enough filling to to enjoy a bowl full for lunch and honestly, it is a stellar ragu like stew. The squash is a lovely vessel for serving but quite frankly the filling can stand on its own. I also added a splash of white wine to the mushrooms as I was cooking them. Otherwise I stayed close to the original recipe. If I were to do it again, I would stick with the spinach as I think it would add a nice pop of color.

You can find the recipe here: http://glutenfreegidget.wordpress.com/2012/04/15/vegan-stuffed-acorn-squash/ and while your there check out Katrina's other recipes!

Tina's Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

I had a rough weekend at work. I don't want to go into the details but it was one of those weekends where I came home completely spent and unable to muster up any energy for anything. I was very grateful for my wonderful wife who took care of the evening details of our weekend, making sure I got refueled to face the next day. On Saturday she organized a dinner with friends at one of my favorite spots and gave me a little massage before going to bed so my body would quit twitching from 8 hours of X box activity. As I slept soundly she snuck out to the grocery store to get what she needed for a surprise snack the next day. I woke up to a large bottle of Frank's hot sauce in the kitchen which struck me as very weird. Tina is not a hot sauce kind of girl. When I came home Sunday the kitchen was filled with a savory aroma. I couldn't imagine what she was up to but I knew it involved that hot sauce.

Giddy with excitement she presented a plate of Buffalo Chicken Meatballs, a savory treat that literally melted in my mouth adorned with creamy ranch dip. These little nuggets are out of this world. I ate about 20 of them in one sitting, called that dinner (And then woke up this morning and polished off the rest.) I want more!  Tina sat patiently for my review and then took me on a ride on the Silver Bullet, her new scooter. It was the best tonic for my worn down state of existence.

Since I was not involved in the execution of this little treat I can not speak to what is involved but Tina describes them as labor intensive. They do require a meat grinder which not too many people probably have. I would imagine a butcher would grind the meat for you if you asked nicely.

Tina's Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce

4 tablespoons butter

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, ground

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup minced onion, divided

1/2 stalk celery, minced

1 large egg

1/2 cup breadcrumbs (she used orgran gluten-free rice crumbs and actually used 3/4 a cup and we both agreed, 1/2 a cup might be better)

Ranch dip

Some unknown measurement of sour cream and part of an envelope of ranch dip, mix portions to your taste or use ranch dressing in a bottle or if you want a more traditional blue cheese something.

Garnish with celery sticks

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 9 X 12 pan with vegetable oil. In a saucepan combine the hot sauce, butter and a tablespoon of minced onion. Whisk over low heat until combined. Cool.

In a bowl mix remaining ingredients by hand. Then add 1/3 cup of the hot sauce mixture, reserve the remaining hot sauce for later. Make about 40 3/4 inch meatballs, slightly smaller than ping pong balls and larger than marbles. Place snugly in greased pan. Meatballs should touch each other. Bake for 20 minutes. The put the meatballs under the broiler for 5-10 minutes, till crispy. Remove from oven and baste with the remaining hot sauce mixture. Serve with the ranch dip and celery. Enjoy!

Crisp Chicken Flautas

I am honing in on my Mexican culinary skills. After such tremendous success with the Crab Quesadillas I decided to tackle flautas, a fried rolled taco, a messy little snack I might add.  I surprised Tina with these when she came home this afternoon and they got a big thumbs up. I loved them and will be adding them to the party menu!

The original recipe called for a drizzle of Crema and green salsa. I decided to make more of my oh so very popular roasted red pepper aioli which was fantastic. I bedded the flautas on some green salsa and made a roasted corn and red pepper salsa to garnish it. Next time  I would skip the green salsa as it didn't add much and would try the Crema.

I am gearing up for a Mexican party. Soon. Very soon. Who wants in?

For the filling

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeño, more if you want
3 cloves garlic minced
2 medium tomatoes, core, cut into 1/2 inch dice with seeds and liquid
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons chipotle adobe puree
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound shredded cooked chicken (I roasted one chicken thigh and some boneless, skinless breast)

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the jalapeño and garlic and cook another minute. Add the tomatoes with liquid. Add seasonings salt, bay leaves, chipotle puree, sugar, oregano and thyme. Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the shredded chicken. The filling should be moist but not wet; if necessary, increase the heat to high and cook off excess liquid. Remove from heat and cool to room temp. Discard the bay leaves.

Assembling

You will need 8 six inch corn tortillas

Wrap the tortillas in a clean towel or paper towels and microwave for about a minute, let stand a minute.

Place two tablespoons or so in the center of the tortilla. Fold one edge of the tortilla over the filling and with your fingers pull the edge of the tortilla folded over the filling away from the center, making a neat compact shape. Roll up the tortilla into a tight roll. Fill and roll another flauta. Then place two flautas side by side with their loose edges touching the center. Pass two toothpicks through the center of the flautas to hold them together and keep them from coming undone during frying. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling. the flautas can be formed up to several house before cooking. Refrigerate them in a covered container until ready to cook.

Cooking the Flautas:

If you want to keep the first round hot while you cook the rest keep them in a 250 degree oven. Heat 1/4 a cup of vegetable oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat until it reached 350 degrees. Carefully lay 2 pairs of the flautas in the oil and cook until the underside is lightly browned and crisp, about 3 minutes, maybe longer, check after three minutes. Turn and cook the other side for another 3-4 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined bowl to drain. The oil can seep into the center of the flautas, draining them on an angle in a shallow bowl line with paper towels will help get rid of excess oil. Repeat with the remaining flautas.

Plating the Flautas:

To serve line plates with shredded lettuce if you like. Top with two flautas and remove the tooth picks. Spoon what ever you want on the top. I made a salsa with roasted corn, red onion, red pepper, cilantro a little lime juice and teaspoon of adobe puree. Drizzle liberally with Crema in a zigzag pattern and sprinkle with cheese if you want.

Sometimes a girl just needs a few croutons in her salad

I eat a lot of salads. I love salads of just about any kind. In the winter I particularly enjoy a salad with roasted vegetables. My favorite is a grilled chicken Caesar salad and I do miss a Caesar studded with croutons. But croutons aren't just for salads. Oh no, besides eating them by the handful as is, they are a great garnish for soup! Often times I have so much going on in the kitchen that I don't take the time to make my own. Recently I discovered a new gluten-free bread product that I really like called Against the Grain. I had my first taste of this delightful bread at the Ritz in Naples, a wonderful tuna salad sandwich. I couldn't wait to get home and track down a supplier. Whole Foods carries the rolls I like and I found the traditional baguettes at Tailor Make Nutrition, an out of the way speciality store loaded with GF products in Woodbury. I stocked up. I have missed a good baguette which lends itself to any number tasty treats. I make a darn good winter bruschetta. When ripe tomatoes disappear in the late fall I turn to "Winter White Bruschetta" a savory little nugget made with truffle oil, good Parmesan cheese and slices of garlic toasted baguette. I can't wait to try that with Against The Grains baguette. But today I tackled homemade croutons because we are having soup and salad for dinner. Double the reason for having some good croutons on hand.

We are having company for dinner, someone who loves Split Pea Soup as much as I do. I know, it isn't popular and Tina will be having something else but I love Split Pea Soup. I had a few ham hocks in the freezer and homemade chicken stock that was begging to be used. I have not made this soup in over a year as we are on a soup night sabbatical. It makes a huge pot but it has potatoes in it which means it does not freeze very well so I need an audience. Hard to come by I admit.

Anyway, I made the soup yesterday, it gets better with a day of sitting and this morning I roasted my vegetables for the salad. The croutons just came out of the oven and all I can say is I hope there are some left for dinner. I should have made more but I am rationing the baguette for other purposes.

These are simple to make, so simple that I really should make them more often and I am sure they will store well in an air tight container. I simply minced some garlic and drizzled the garlic with some good olive oil. I cut the bread into one inch chunks, tossed them them with  the garlic infused olive oil and then sprinkled with kosher salt and pepper. I cooked them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, tossing to brown evening, nibbling with every toss. Even Tashi Losar got in on the action and is stalking the croutons that are cooling on the oven. If they make it through the day they are going to be great tossed in the roasted vegetable salad and garnishing my Split Pea Soup. Now, onto a flourless chocolate something!

Homemade Marshmallow's

We are headed to Beaver Creek for a week of skiing! Well, actually I am going along as the condo chef. Until a week ago it had been over 30 years since I took to the slopes. So Tina took me to a local ski hill to see if I could get down a bunny hill. I grew up skiing, every single Saturday and Sunday from the time I was five until I headed to college. For years, all though grade school and junior high I took Otto Hollaus ski lessons, a rigorous training that focused on fundamentals. I never imagined how well that training would serve me and took to the hills like I'd been at it all these years. I am not nearly as good anymore. Back in the day I had a nice slalom and picture perfect parallel legs and ski. Today I can't keep the skis together as well but I can still get down any hill. I have my father to thank for my skiing abilities and for the record, at 80 he is still hitting the hills out west. This will be my first trip to real mountains as I also grew up in a sort of twisted sexist home and ski trips out west were "only for the boys".

Anyway, I will ski while I am there, probably just one day. Otherwise I plan to spend my time in the kitchen and at the spa. I am totally intimidated by cooking in the altitude and was completely unwilling to tackle baking so I did all the baking ahead of time. Cinnamon Scones, Blueberry Muffins and Chocolate Chip Banana Bread are just a few of the treats I am taking along. I have worked really hard to create menus and snacks that scream winter ski lodge including these homemade Marshmallows.

I am so not a marshmallow fan but was a total convert after I had my first homemade marshmallow at the Ritz! I wondered why I had never tried to make them myself. Shortly after that my favorite blogger, Katrina who writes the blog Gluten Free Gidget (http://glutenfreegidget.blogspot.com/) posted a recipe for homemade marshmallows. That was it, I wanted to give a try. Of course I had to do a dry run before committing them to the Beaver Creek menu and it was successful.

We are mostly having fresh fruit for desert but a ski trip isn't complete without homemade hot chocolate and marshmallows and of course I have to have S'mores. I had a few extra so I made some marshmallow pops with chocolate and toasted coconut as an airplane treat.

Fireside S'mores

It isn't much of a secret. I love fire. Bonfires and a roaring fireplace fire, either work for me. I love nothing more than sitting out under a moon lit sky with a slight chill in the air surrounded by friends and family at a bonfire. I also love sitting next to a fireplace with a wood burning fire. Gas fireplace, forget it. I need the smoke and the crackle. Admittedly my favorite part is the smoke. I like getting up the next morning after a good long bonfire and putting on my dirty smoky clothes from the night before!

I also love s'mores! The combination of toasted marshmallow, chocolate and graham crackers is sublime in my opinion. I recently made home made marshmallows and I have to say, they are much much better than the jet puffed store bought kind, hands down worth the effort! Some of my fondest memories are of gatherings around a bonfire and making s'mores.

During a recent trip to the Ritz in Naples Florida Tina planned a special surprise for our 12th anniversary that involved my favorite desert. As always, the Ritz took the task of finding gluten-free graham crackers to heart. They were the very best I'd ever had and this post comes with a strong endorsement for The Grainless Baker! They make a number of gluten-free products including these delicious and fancy looking graham crackers that are the perfect size for a single marshmallow and three bites of a hershey chocolate bar, just the right size.

I was delighted to find them locally but you can order them as well as their other GF products off the website. Tonight I am making my very first stuffed roasted chicken with The Grainless Baker's idea of stovetop stuffing. You can imagine what my next post will be.

Utterly Sinful

This is a special occasion desert. Nothing short of sinful. Completely decadent. Rich beyond measure. Need I say more. I love the combination of chocolate and orange! This Chocolate Orange Mousse is perfect. It was a great deal of work, tedious and time consuming. All said and done, a half day, nothing short of that. I did take over an hour peeling and trimming the Mandarin oranges so that they were pristine. Was it worth it, yes! the Mandarin pieces were stunning! Tina was so impressed she now wants "these in her lunches".

Chocolate Orange Mousse

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup Grand Marnier liqueur

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

12 tablespoons butter, room temp

8 extra large eggs, separated and at room temp

1/4 plus 2 tablespoons sugar

pinch of kosher salt

1/2 cup cold cream, plus more for whipping to garnish

Mandarin oranges, peeled and trimmed for garnish

Combine the chocolate, Grand Marnier, 1/4 cup water and vanilla in a double boiler over simmering water, stir until the chocolate melts. Whisk in the orange zest and butter until combined. Cool completely.

Place egg yolks and 1/2 cup of sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on high for 4 minutes, or until thick and pale yellow. With the mixer on low, add the chocolate mixture. Transfer to a large bowl.

Place 1 cup of egg whites, the salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high until firm. Whisk half the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, the fold the rest in carefully with a rubber spatula.

Without cleaning the bowl or the whisk, whip the cream and remaining tablespoon of sugar until firm. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Pout eh mouse into individual dishes or an 8 cup serving bowl. Chill and garnish with additional whipped cream, orange zest and Mandarin Orange slices. Drizzle with blood orange syrup if you are lucky enough to have some.

Tips: I might skip the adding the orange zest directly into the mousse, it didn't add much and it interfered with the smooth texture of the mousse. I served 3/4 cup servings and it was way too much for people. While everyone ate most of their serving it was simply too much! You could get away with a scant half cup or even less. Next time I am going to try an cut the recipe in half. Eggs are easier to separate if they are cold. I have blood orange syrup from Olive Pond Vineyard in California but it would be easy to make with juice from a blood orange and sugar, a thick simple syrup.