Cuban Marinated Steak & Baked Sweet Plantains

So Justin loves plantains. A lot. Awhile ago I told him that I wanted to try to make them myself, but I hadn't been able to find them in our local grocery stores. Luckily, my mom was able to find some in the Bronx and got them for us! I let them ripen and tonight was the night! I paired them with a Cuban Marinated Steak. Delish!

Cuban Marinated Steak
Recipe adapted from this recipe.

Marinade:
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. soy sauce

Marinate steaks for 30+ minutes. Cook as desired - I cooked them in a saute pan over medium-high heat til cooked through.


Baked Sweet Plantains
Adapted from this recipe from recipezaar.com.

Ingredients:
2 ripe plantains (when the skin is yellow with spots of black they're perfect)
Cooking spray
Cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a nonstick cookie sheet with cooking spray. Cut the ends off of the plantains and peel. Cut each plantain on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices. Arrange in single layer and coat tops with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake, turning occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, until plantains are golden brown and very tender.

Chicken Makhani & Cauliflower, Potato, and Pea Curry

For the Oscars this year, I decided to cook a meal to honor Best Picture Nominee (and later Winner) Slumdog Millionaire I've never cooked Indian before so I was really excited to buy some Garam Masala and try it out! The Chicken Makhani was a huge winner, with Justin requesting it to be added in heavy dinner rotation. I picked the Cauliflower, Potato, and Pea Curry dish because we love Aloo Gobi, but something was a bit off there; not as flavorful as it should have been. I think I'll find another recipe next time I try it.

Chicken Makhani
Adapted from this recipe from Recipezaar.com

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon ginger powder
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup tomato puree
1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper
1 tablespoon oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Saute onion until soft and translucent. Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, 1 teaspoon garam masala, chili powder, and cumin. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in heavy whipping cream. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillt over medium heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat and season with 1 teaspoon garam masala and cayenne. Stir in about 1/3 of the sauce and simmer until liquid has reduced and chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Pour the rest of the sauce into the chicken. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.


Cauliflower, Potato, and Pea Curry
Adapted from this recipe from FoodandWine.com

Ingredients:
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes
1 medium head cauliflower (about 1 pound), cut into large florets (about 4 cups)
1 bag of small red potatoes, cut into quarters
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup frozen petite peas

Directions:
In a large deep frying pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the cumin, turmeric, and red-pepper flakes and stir. Add the cauliflower and potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, the water, and the salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cook, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the peas and cook, covered, until the peas are tender, about 2 minutes longer.

Gruyere Fondue with Carmelized Onions

From my wonderful Great Party Fondues cookbook!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced

3/4 tsp herbes de Provence

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds Gruyere cheese, shredded

1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

1 large garlic clove, crushed with the flat side of a knife

1 1/2 cups dry white wine

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

Dash of cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter in the oil over medium-low heat. Stir in the onions, herbes de Provence, 1/4 teaspoon sald and pepper to taste. Cover the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and golden brown, 35-45 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, toss the shredded Gruyere cheese with the cornstarch to coat.

3. Rub the inside of a medium saucepan with the garlic and discard. Add the wine, vinegar, and cayenne to the pan. Cook over medium heat until hot but not boiling. Reduce the heat to low and gradually stir in the cheese mixture, letting each addition melt before adding more. Add all but about 1/2 cup of the onions. Season with additional sald and pepper to taste.

4. Transfer to a fondue pot and scatter the remaining onions on top.

Dippers: Bread cubes, apple, broccoli, red potatoes.

Pear Raspberry Pie

I surprised J with this pie for Valentine's Day! Original recipe from Martha Stewart.

Ingredients:

2 frozen pie crusts

All-purpose flour, for surface
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 pounds (about 6) ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, core removed, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) raspberries
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon water, plus more for brushing
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:
On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to a 13-inch circle, 1/8 inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie dish, and trim edges, leaving a 1/4-inch overhang, and refrigerate. Reserve scraps. Roll out second disk to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 48 2-inch hearts, using scraps from bottom crust if necessary. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm.

Whisk together granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add pears, raspberries, and lemon juice, and toss to coat. Spoon mixture into pie shell, piling high in the center. Dot with butter. Tuck overhang under dough so edges are flush with rim. Brush lightly with water. Arrange 22 hearts around edge of pie: Press hearts gently on edge, alternating direction and overlapping slightly. (To help hearts stick, lightly brush each with water as needed.) Repeat, overlapping 16 hearts for the second circle. Repeat, overlapping 10 hearts, points in, for the final circle. (The hearts' points will create a star-shaped vent in the center, about 1 1/2 inches wide.) Whisk yolk and water in a small bowl. Lightly brush entire piecrust with egg wash, then sprinkle with sanding sugar.

To make the cut-out-heart pie: Following the directions in step one, leave the top crust whole and cut out hearts in center of dough using heart cutters in varying sizes. Transfer top crust to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm. Prepare the filling as in step 2, but do not tuck overhang under dough. Brush edge of shell lightly with water, then drape top crust over filling, centering design. Gently press dough around filling to fit, and trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Tuck overhang under bottom crust so edges are flush with rim, then crimp edges. Whisk yolk and water in a small bowl. Lightly brush entire piecrust with egg wash, then sprinkle with sanding sugar. Transfer pie to freezer until very firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack on the lowest third. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until crust turns light gold, 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake, rotating halfway through, until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Baked Shells with Winter Squash

Adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe.




Ingredients:
Butter, for baking dish
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 pound small pasta shells
1 (12 ounce) package frozen winter squash puree, thawed
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 slices crusty baguette, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions; season with salt and pepper. Cover; cook until onions are soft and release liquid, 15 minutes. Uncover; raise heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until onions are browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon rosemary.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water 2 minutes less than package instructions suggest. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups cooking water. Return pasta to pot.

Stir squash and reserved pasta water into onions; simmer 2 minutes. Toss squash mixture and 1/2 cup Parmesan with pasta. Transfer to prepared dish.

Combine bread cubes with remaining Parmesan, rosemary, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Top pasta with bread cubes; bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings

Moroccan Lamb Stew with Couscous

Here’s my recipe, adapted from the following two recipes I found online:
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/moroccan-lamb?autonomy_kw=lamb&rsc=header_28
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=554670

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/4 pounds boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 cups chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 3/4 cups chopped peppers
2 cups cubed butternut squash
1/2 cup dried apricots, halved
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) tomato puree
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
2 boxes couscous, for serving (we used one box garlic couscous, one box pine nut)

Directions:
In a 5-quart saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil over high heat. Swirl to coat bottom of pan. Season lamb with salt and pepper; cook until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 to 4 minutes. Add peppers, squash, apricots, prunes, tomato puree, and 3 cups water. Stir in lamb. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, partially covered, until sauce is thickened, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve lamb with couscous.