Great Taste

Relish late summer harvest with these recipes

'Tis the season for broccoli, berries and beans....

From Radish Magazine: http://rochester.radishmagazine.com/display.php?id=99

Charge up with diverse, creative recipes from Andrew Zimmern

                              And while we're on television topics: TV food show host and writer Andrew Zimmern has an amazing array of recipes on his Travel Channel website . 

Minnesota-based Zimmern offers inspired versions of American favorites such as Mac 'n' Cheese but also presents Mongolian Lamb Dumplings made with yogurt, Trinidad Salt Cod fritters, Brazilian Moqueca (a seafood dish), and much more.  

If you are a global foodie you may fall in love.

Violet passion

One of Great Taste's secret loves is the flavor of violet.  

The romance began in this writer's youth when she discovered Choward's Violet candies--with its long-lasting flowery taste and unforgettable aroma.

Now Great Taste is finding this fancy flavor more often. Violets seem to be popping up here, there, and everywhere--and not just because it's spring. 

Violets make an eye-catching addition to salads. They can be crystallized and served on cakes. Recently yours truly has been drinking violet tea, or, specifically, "The Violette" from Jardin d'Elen, France. 

Today Great Taste found a violet jelly recipe in a Post-Bulletin sister publication, Radish. This writer has come to realize that it's more than "okay" to love violet....She does not feel alone anymore. Do you love violet, too?    

One of the best Caesar salads ever

Great Taste was recently in Palm Springs, California, where she dined at the famous locally-owned spot for steak, LG's Prime Steakhouse. 

A visit to this classy place was not complete without tableside Caesar Salad presentation. Great Taste always loves the showmanship of the waiter-turned-food performer. But the tossed romaine result was among the tastiest of Caesar salads in which this writer ever plunged her fork.*

LG's "Classic Caesar Salad" recipe is offered in a brochure that staffers cheerfully hand out to patrons. Great Taste may beg to differ that LG's Caesar is a "classic" recipe, but its version is arguably good enough to make it a new standard by which others may be compared.

Here is LG's recipe. 

*Yours truly made her first Caesar--minus the anchovies--when she was quite green herself at age 11.

Family recipe for German potato salad

Looking for a delicious complement to holiday ham?

Give this potato salad a try. It's from mama, with a few subtle updates.  The recipe calls for raw eggs so you will need to prepare and eat the salad the same day. 

Five large, fresh red potatoes, halved
Six slices thick, quality bacon, chopped into one-inch pieces
One-half large or one small white onion, chopped
Two fresh eggs, beaten
One-half cup apple cider vinegar
Three tablespoons (or more) fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
One chopped green onion, for garnish

Cover potatoes in water and cook until fork tender but not too soft--15 to 20 minutes. Drain off water and allow potatoes to cool slightly. Meanwhile cook bacon in large pan on stovetop. After a few minutes add white onions. Continue to cook over medium to low flame until bacon is slightly crispy and onions are soft. While potatoes are still warm, peel and gently slice. Place sliced potatoes in pan with onions, bacon and fat. Pour over eggs and vinegar, and mix in parsley and seasonings. Carefully blend ingredients, taking care to not break up potatoes in the process. Let stand at least an hour. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped green onion. Serve with warm ham or cold cuts with rye bread, pumpernickel and/or vollkornbrot. Yield: About eight servings

Want something fluffy and yellow right now?

Check out this Lanesboro cook' s tempting recipe for lemon meringue pie--with plenty of photos to help it along.

http://cookoutofthebox.blogspot.com/

 

Minnesota home cook website to love

Visit Food for My Family

Here is that idiosyncratic Minnesota mom recipe site that has the elusive combination of writing, photography, and cultural cooking panache to make it the "one we've been longing for."

Check out Shaina Olmanson's recipe for her grandmother's kugelhopf.  And watch husband Ole's how-to video on smoking barbecued ribs!       

"Taste of Home" comes to Roch

Taste of Home Cooking School, which bills itself "America's leading cooking school program," will be in Rochester on March 23rd. PB story link here.

GG has never made it to a Taste of Home event, but she has watched a number of Taste of Home's online videos, including this one (http://videos.tasteofhome.com/video/How-to-Make-a-Pie-Crust-3;search:) for making a bottom pie crust. 

If you're starting to think about Easter activities Taste of Home has online instructions for making naturally dyed Easter eggs, among other holiday ideas.

In general GG can't get excited about Taste of Home. She views Taste of Home to be more on the order of Taste of Conventional and Convenient. But feel free to prove her wrong.

 

How to make roasted cauliflower

This is delicious, uber-healthy and a cinch to make. 

The roasting process brings out cauliflower's natural sugars, so even kids who frown on cauliflower may be asking for more.  Serve it as a side; on a cold winter's day it makes a fine snack. Chow down and get a nice supply of vitamins (it's very high in C), minerals, and protein.

Roasted Cauliflower

One head very fresh cauliflower, washed and cut into florets.

Two to three tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or olive oil

Couple pinches sea salt

Optional: One lemon, cut in wedges

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place florets in a bowl and mix throughly with oil and salt. Transfer florets to cookie sheet and place on center rack in oven.  Check florets every 10 or 15 minutes and turn them as needed so they roast evenly and do not burn. After about 30 minutes remove from oven, transfer to a bowl or plate and serve immediately with lemon wedges. Yield: Three to four side servings

Lose the January blues....Make sauerkraut!

Lanesboro blogger Peggy Hanson offers step-by-step instructions:

http://cookoutofthebox.blogspot.com/