Author: Robert Andrews

Sangria

CLICK HERE to see what we fixed while living in Spain.

Really Good Sangria

sangriaBefore we begin…
Everything should be cold, and then cut, and then placed in the freezer for 30 minutes before preparing and serving.  You can alternately freeze the ingredients, but this will tend to make your fruits mushy when they thaw.

Ingredients to feed 4 people

Ingredients to prepare and place in the freezer

    • 1 cup fresh raspberries
    • 1/2 C sliced strawberries
    • 1/2 C sliced peaches
    • 1/2 C pineapple pieces
    • 1 blood orange – medallions
    • 1 lemon – medallions
    • 1 lime – medallions
    • large pieces of lemon peel
    • Optional:  Mango, kiwi, etc.
    • Ingredients to measure and set aside
    • 1 pt red wine – Rioja from Spain
    • 1 pt white wine – Riesling (Rhine Wine) from Germany
    • 1/4 C rum
    • 1/4 C agave syrup
    • 2 C pineapple juice
    • 1/4 C orange liquor or triple-sec
    • 2 cinnamon sticks
    • 6 whole cloves
    • 1 liter ginger ale or champagne (Add just before serving)

Step by Step

  1. Prepare all ingredients in the left column and place on a plate (spread out) in the freezer for 30-60 minutes.  This will help keep the sangria cold without using ice.
  2. Refrigerate your pitcher.
  3. Gather the ingredients in the right column.
  4. Place your frozen ingredients in the cold pitcher.
  5. Add everything else except the ginger ale
  6. Ideally, let meld in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours
  7. Just before serving, pour in the ginger ale
  8. Serve with mint, basil and ice cubes

NOTE:  DO NOT put ice cubes into the pitcher, it will dilute your sangria.

Options:

White . Crisp White, Refreshing White, Chardonnay
Red . Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet, Malbec, Shiraz

Simple Sangria

  1. In a bowl combine 1/2 LB mixed berries
    blueberries, raspberries, strawberries (pieced), and so forth
  2. Toss with 2 TBL sugar
  3. Slice 1 lemon very thin (rind and all)
  4. Put into a pitcher with chilled rose wine
  5. Pour over ice

 

This is a recipe that has been created or modified by Robert (Grandpa) Andrews.
CLICK HERE for a free sample copies of Grandpa's Cookbooks. © 2016, 2017, 2018.

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

  • 4 C AP flour
  • 1 TBL baking soda
  • 1 TBL baking powder
  • 3/4 C sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 C raisins
  • scant salt
  • 1 TBL frozen and grated butter
  • 2 C buttermilk
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary – chopped
  • zest and juice from one lemon

Step by Step

  1. Preheat oven to 350º
  2. Whisk together all dry ingredients except sugar
  3. Mix raisins into dry ingredients
  4. Mix egg and sugar
  5. Put into Kitchen Aid and beat adding (a bit at a time) grated butter, then the egg, and finally the buttermilk.
  6. Add 2/3 of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl
  7. Stir to mostly incorporate
  8. Slowly add the other 1/3 of the dry ingredients
  9. Let mixture rest for 15 minutes in the mixing bowl
  10. Meanwhile, grease a 9 inch pie pan
  11. After batter has rested, pour batter into the pie pan and bake 40 minutes
  12. Open oven, cut an X in the top of the bread, rotate pan, and cook an additional 20-30 minutes

 

Mu Shu Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 inch piece of ginger – grated and juice squeezed into a bowl
  • 2 garlic cloves – minced
  • 4 scallions – sliced and minced
  • 1/2 onion – cut into thin strips
  • 1 hand of cilantro and parsley
  • 8 oz shitake mushrooms – sliced
  • 1 large red bell pepper – julienne strips
  • 1 medium bok choy
  • salt

STEP BY STEP

  1.  Heat grapeseed oil in hot skillet
  2. Cook two eggs – scramble into medium sized chunks
  3. Add scallions, shitake, garlic and ginger
  4. Stir until onion starts to become tender
  5. Add red bell strips and bok choy
  6. Let bok choy begin to wilt
  7. Add cilantro and parsley and other ingredients
  8. Add bean sprouts
  9. Add a bit of salt and remove from heat into bowl
  10. Toss eggs into the mixture
  11. Serve family style

SAUCE

  1. Combine 2 TBL sake, 1 TBL soy and 2 TBL hoisin and mix well.  Use to dress your pancake.

See Grandpa’s Recipe for Mu Shu Pancakes

 

Rollatini Chicken

Pallard chicken breast slices
Layer proschuito, cheese, parsley
Roll and secure with toothpick
Roll in flour and fry in EVOO to caramelize
Remove chicken
Add onion, garlic, salt, pepper flake, oil
When browned, put chicken back in
Deglaze with white wine
Add crushed tomatoes and salt
When boils, cover and reduce to simmer

Irish Reuben

  1. Pastrami or corned beef – 4-6 oz 
  2. Lay meat flat and grilled
  3. Top with sauerkraut and then provolone or Gruyere
  4. Splash a little Guiness next to it and cover with a deep lid till cheese melts (about 30 seconds)
  5. Prepare marbled rye slices. Buttered on outside
  6. Put bread onto your grill
  7. Top with meat, cheese and cabbage
  8. Spread with spicy mustard and thousand island dressing
  9. Grill like a grilled cheese sandwich
  10. Serve with a dill pickle spear

Double Jack Stew

(1) Skirt steak . Chunked
. Marinate 24 hours
Applejack, Jack Daniels, stout, mustard, agave syrup, garlic, salt, pepper

(2) Strain . Reserve liquid
Sear meat over high heat
Chopped onion to caramelize
Add a bit of flour
(4) Stir to combine and brown
Splash Jack Daniels to deglaze
Add oregano, bay leaf, thyme,
Add chicken stock to deglaze
Beef stock to bring up to stew level
Drop heat and simmer 60 minutes
(6) Add carrot, turnips, potatoes
Cover and Simmer 15 more minutes
(8) Add1/2 c of buttermilk mixed with 3 tbl flour

Boxty Cakes
(3) Separate pot . Heat to brown cauliflower
Pieces of cauliflower
Add chicken stock . Cook 20 minutes
(5) Potatoes . Peeled and cubed
Use strainer to remove after 10 minutes
Add a bit of cream cheese
Beat to blend

(7) Grate one potato and cover with milk
Add 1 beaten egg, thyme, garlic, baking powder, salt, pepper, flour
Create a dough
Mix in with cooked potatoes above
Add chicken stock if it is too dry
Almost like pancake batter
Flip like a pancake

(9) Top pancake with stew
Dollop with sour cream
Garnish with greens

Make your own Ricotta Cheese

Taste test on Am Test Kit shows BelGioioso Ricotta con Latte whole milk as the #1 winner, and Galbani Ricotta as the runner up.  Here are a few other recipes as well.

Ricotta should be velvety, luscious, and smooth and should NOT have curds in it like cottage cheese.  It should have a barely sweet taste.

Whole Milk Ricotta

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 quart whole milk . Organic is better . Homogenized and Pasteurized is OK . ULTRA Pasteurized is not OK
  • 1 pint heavy cream
  • 12± leaves of basil, thyme or cilantro – whole
    Separation Agents
  • 1/3 C lemon juice and 1/3 C vinegar  (or 1/2 C rennet)
  • After removed from heat:  1 tsp salt

STEP BY STEP

  1. Heat milk mixture on medium high until it simmers – about 150º
  2. Add 1 C heavy cream
  3. Lower heat and continue cooking until temperature hits 190º or higher.  Never ever more than 200º
  4. Add lemon and vinegar (or rennet) – preferably lemon
  5. Add whole basil leaves (not flakes) to the milk
  6. Stir to incorporate and simmer 3 more minutes
  7. Remove from heat
  8. Stir occasionally for the next 15 minutes.  This will precipitate out into milk solids
  9. Let rest for 5 – 10 minutes – Remove basil leaves
  10. Spoon into cheese cloth
  11. Use your best judgement: Let it drain until the whey has drained from the edge of the cheese, but the center is still very moist.  This will take AT LEAST 8 minutes.
  12. For a denser ricotta, let it drain until the center is also no longer wet (about 15 more minutes)
  13. (Alternate:  Refrigerate and drain 8-12 hours)
  14. Turn out into a bowl – a bit of residual whey is OK.
  15. Add salt and mix by hand – Add a touch of cream for a smoother consistency – Not too much though, you don’t want it to get runny.
  16. Let rest for at least 2 hours in the fridge before using
  17. Will keep for up to 7 days (covered) in the fridge
    • For a SWEET RICOTTA for desserts
  18. Mix in 1/2 C powdered sugar
  19. 1 tsp vanilla extract
  20. 2 tsp Cinna Sugar
    • To finish, and actually prepare your dessert . . .
  21. Heat up 1/4 C white sugar, 1/4 C brown sugar and 2-3 tsp lemon juice
  22. Bring up to a boil
  23. Add Strawberries and maple syrup
  24. Toss together and bring back to a simmer
  25. Remove from heat
  26. Put Sweet Ricotta onto brioche French toast
  27. and top with Strawberry mixture

The following two recipes are from CheeseMaking.com

Here are others:

Whey Ricotta

Ricotta is produced from a mixture of heat and acid. It can be made from whole or skim milk. Raw milk can be used when making Ricotta, since the heat treatment during curd formation more than meets heat requirements for pasteurization.

When made from a mixture of milk and whey it is called Ricotone.

Heat Whey & Add Salt

When making whey Ricotta, use leftover whey from a batch of cultured cheese. The fresher the whey the better.

Heat the whey, without agitating. Once it reaches 160°F, if desired, you can add 5-12% of fresh milk can be added to improve the richness and yield.

Continue heating to 170°F then add 1/2 tsp of salt for every gallon of whey, mix in quickly.

Continue heating without agitation to 185°F and hold at this temp until the ricotta rises.

Note: Some people heat to jsut below boiling (200F), this is not necessary, but it will not be a problem if the whey heats well into the 190’s.

Add Citric Adic

This step is optional

Mix 1/2 tsp. of citric acid per gallon of liquid. The citric acid should be dissolved in 1/2 cup water. Add quickly the pot and stir briskly for 5-10 seconds.

Watch the curd forming small flakes and gradually larger curd masses. Add a bit more more citric acid solution if necessary.

Note: If too much acid is added, the curds will sink to the bottom and the cheese will not be sweet. The correct amount of acid will produce a clear separation of white curds and bright green whey.

Gently Move Curd

As the curds rise, use a perforated ladle to gently move them from the sides to the center of the pot. These clumps of curd will begin to consolidate floating on top of the liquid.

Let the curds rest for 10-15 minutes. This is important because it is the point where the final Ricotta quality is assured.

Drain Ricotta

Ladle the curds gently into draining forms (No cheese cloth should be needed if you were patient in the previous step). Let the curds drain for 15 min up to several hours.

For a fresh light ricotta, drain it for a short while (until the free whey drainage slows) and chill to below 50F. For a rich, dense and buttery texture allow it to drain for an extended period of time (several hours). before chilling overnight

Move to a refrigerator or cold room. Consume within 10 days.

Another Whole Milk Ricotta

 

Prepare Citric Acid

Add 2 tsp of citric acid per gallon of milk used and dissolve this in 1 cup cool water.

Add 1/2 of the Citric Acid solution to one gallon of milk, save the rest of the citric acid.

Stir the milk briskly for 5-10 seconds.

 

 

Heat Milk

Add 1 tsp of salt to the milk then heat the milk slowly on low to med heat, stirring well to prevent scorching

 

Extra Citric Acid, if Needed

At 165-170F watch for small flakes forming in the milk and the separation into small flaky curds.

If after a few minutes you do not see the flakes forming, add more of the Citric acid until they form. Do this in 1 Tbsp increments, to avoid over acid milk.

At this point, when you see the curds, A slower stirring is essential to avoid breaking up the small bits of curd that have formed. Excess stirring will cause smaller and very granular curds to form. I tend to just roll the milk slowly with a bottom to top stirring motion.

Gently Move Curd

Continue heating to 190-195F then turn the heat off. The thermal mass of the whey will hold at this temp for quite some time. The higher temp is used here because of the additional proteins found in whole milk vs whey.

As the curds rise, use a perforated ladle to gently move them from the sides to the center of the pot. These clumps of curd will begin to consolidate floating on top of the liquid.

Let the curds rest for 10-15 minutes. This is important because it is the point where the final Ricotta quality is assured.

Drain Ricotta

Ladle the curds gently into draining forms. No cheese cloth should be needed if you were patient in the previous step. Let the curds drain for 15 min up to several hours.

For a fresh light ricotta, drain it for a short while, until the free whey drainage slows, and chill to below 50F. For a rich, dense and buttery texture allow it to drain for an extended period of time (several hours). before chilling overnight

Move to a refrigerator or cold room. Consume within 10 days

Christopher Collins Sweet Ricotta

  1. 2 C heavy whipping cream
  2. 2 C whole milk
  3. Heat until it reaches 200º
  4. 1/4 white vinegar
  5. 1/4 lemon juice
  6. 1 tsp salt
  7. Heat until they start to separate
  8. Ladle through a fine strainer – Keep the solids and discard the whey
  9. Put into a fridge overnight to continue to drain (12 hours)
  10. Mix 1 C powdered sugar, 1 TBL vanilla, and 1 tsp nutmeg
    • In a separate pot
  11. Heat 1/2 C white sugar
  12. 1/2 C Brown sugar
  13. 2 TBL Lemon juice
  14. Bring to a boil and dissolve
  15. Add in 4 C pieced strawberries
  16. Add 1/4 C maple syrup
  17. Heat at a low simmer for 45 minutes
    • Plate the brioche
  18. Toast slices of brioche bread
  19. Put a large dollop of ricotta on the bread
  20. Top with Strawberry preserves

 

 

Quinoa and Kale Salad

You can modify this recipe however you would like. What is shown here is as follows:

Blanched kale julienne strips
Halved grapes – green or purple
Cooked quinoa
Red bell pepper – diced
Sunflower seeds
lemon zest
Parmesan Reggiano cheese . grated

Dressing:
Minced manchego cheese
Egg beaten with drizzled oil
Minced garlic
Vinegar

image

Irish Scones

sconeINGREDIENTS

  • 2 C AP flour
  • 1 TBL baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1/2 C sugar
  • 1 egg – separated
  • 1 C currants. cranberries or raisins
  • 6 TBL cold butter
  • 4 OZ (1/2 C) sour cream
  • 1/2 C buttermilk – room temp
  • Turbinado sugar for garnish

STEP BY STEP

  1. Grease a heavy baking sheet
  2. Sift dry ingredients together
  3. Cut in cold butter until crumbly
  4. In separate bowl, mix currants, egg yolk, sour cream and buttermilk
  5. Make well in the center of the dry mixture
  6. Mix slowly until wet and dry are combined
    Use a woooden spoon to mix
  7. Using your hands, form the ball into a circle
  8. Cut into eight wedges
  9. Brush flat surface with egg white
  10. Roll from the wide end to the pointy end
    Don’t compress, leave fairly loose
  11. Place onto cookie sheet
  12. Brush with egg white
  13. Garnish with Turbinado sugar
  14. Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown
  15. Serve warm

Bone-in Rib-eye Steak

A REVERSE SEAR can be used if your guests have different desires of cooking (eg) rare and well done.

INGREDIENTS

  • High quality 2-1/2 inch steaks with a good amount of marbling
  • Tie around perimeter with butcher twine
  • Dry with paper towels
  • Salt liberally
  • If time permits, see Steak: Tips about dry aging your steak overnight
  • Let come up to room temperature  Place on rack until internal temp is 55-60°
    . About an hour
  • Pat dry again
  • Rub with EVOO and other desired seasonings (see below)
  • Sear your meat well on all SIX sides – about 4 minutes per side @ 400º
  • Toss rosemary and thyme sprigs in melted butter and garlic
  • Place steak on top of spices
  • Bake in oven on a rack, at 250º for six hours or until internal temp is about 120º
  • With about an hour remaining, toss halved shallots in salt, balsamic vinegar and EVOO.
  • Place shallots flat size down in pan with the meat
  • Baste meat while you are in there
  • After one hour, remove from oven and set aside
  • Cover and rest 10 minutes to allow the juices to re-absorb
  • Cut into 1/2 inch strips against the grain
  • Top with coarse sea salt

Seasoning choices:

 

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