Community Kitchens Northwest

Cooking skills focus: Sautéing, boiling, balancing flavors

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From Pat Barger

Adapted from Eating Well, February/March 2006

Scrub, trim if necessary, and stab 12 medium russet potatoes. Bake either in a 400 degree oven for an hour until soft or in a microwave.

When cool enough to handle, slice off the top 1/4 of the potato. Carefully remove the potato flesh, leaving a 1/4 inch thick shell. Remove the flesh from the top slices and discard the skin.

Cut broccoli florets in small pieces to make 4 1/2 c. Cook in 2 c boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water and drain again.

Mash the flesh. Mix in the broccoli, 2 1/4 c shredded reduced fat cheddar, 1 1/2 c reduced fat sour cream, 1 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t pepper and 9 thinly sliced scallions.

Divid the filling into the potato shells-  it will be mounded up– and top with  1 1/2 c shredded cheddar.

To freeze, cool, wrap each potato in plastic wrap, freeze on a tray, then bag in a ziplock bag. To serve, thaw in the frig overnight and cook unwrapped but covered with plastic wrap in a small dish in the MW until hot and bubbly.

Makes 12 main dish servings.

From Pat Barger:

Toast 3 c brown rice in a dry pot. Set aside.

In the same pot, heat  6 T canola oil. Add 9 cloves crushed garlic and cook 1 minute. Add 3 c slivered almonds (or pine nuts) and cook 4 minutes until lightly browned. (Stir often and be very careful to not burn the garlic and nuts. Burned garlic is very bitter.) Add three chopped leeks (white and light green part only) and cook 1 minute.

Add the rice,7 1/2 c chicken or vegetable broth ,1 T salt and 1 1/2 t pepper. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

Fluff. Serve immediately or cool and package 1 c individual servings for the freezer. If frozen, thaw in frig and heat gently in the MW, sprinkling 1 T of water over it. Fluff and serve.

Serves 12

From Pat Barger:

Perfect Brown Rice

To make perfect brown rice, which is good freshly cooked, refrigerated or frozen:

In a dry sauce pan, toast the rice as if you were popping pop corn. Shake the pan to swirl it around over medium heat until it starts to pop and brown slightly. Be careful to not burn it.

Add very hot liquid, be careful because it will sort of geyser up when it hits the hot pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a strong simmer, cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed– usually about 30 minutes.

One cup of rice with 2 cups of liquid will make about 3 cups of cooked rice.  You can use any liquid of your choice– I generally use water because I may not know how some of the rice will be used and can season it later.

To reheat  cold or frozen rice, sprinkle with a little water, cover and  MW until hot.

This method of cooking reduces the time it takes to cook brown rice and produces a grain which is not sticky and does not clump, even after freezing. Since brown rice is infinitely more nutritious than white or instant rice, I strongly recommend it.

From Pat Barger’s Queen Anne CK:

Green Beans Parmesan

Adapted from Dream Dinners by Allen and Kuna

In a bowl combine 1/4 c olive oil, 2T minced garlic,
2 scallions, thinly sliced, 2 red peppers, very finely diced, 2 t dried basil, 2 t salt and 1 t black pepper.

Stir well. Divide into 12 pack, 3 T of garnish per packet.

Make 12 small packets with 2 t Parmesan in each.

Divide 40 oz frozen cut green beans into 12 ziploc bags (3+ oz per bag). Add garnish packet and parmesan packet to each bag and seal. Freeze.

12 servings

To serve,do not thaw.  Heat a medium sized skillet and saute the garnish mixture for 5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the green beans and 1/4 c water. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until the beans are tender crisp and still bright green.

Place in serving dish and top with parmesan. Serve immediately.

From Pat Barger’s Queen Anne CK:

Duchess Potatoes

Adapted from Helen Quat’s The Wonderful World of Freezer Cooking.

Cook  12 peeled chunked potatoes in boiling water until tender. Drain and mash with a potato masher.

Heat 6 T butter in 1 c milk. Beat into potatoes with
1 T salt, 1/2 t pepper, 3 eggs, 1/2 c chopped chives and 3 T poppy seeds.

Shape using a spoon or decorating tube. Place on top of casserole or freeze. If you are making a fancy shape, freeze on a tray before bagging.

To serve, partially thaw in frig and bake until heated thru and a little browned.

Makes 12 servings.

From Pat Barger at Queen Anne Community Kitchen:

Cheddar Cornmeal Biscuits with Chives

Adapted from Eating Well, 2008

Combine 1 1/2 c all purpose flour, 1/2 c cornmeal,
1 T baking powder, 1/2 t baking soda, 1/2  t salt and
1/4 t pepper in a food processor. Pulse to mix .

Add 1/2 c shredded extra sharp cheddar and 2 T cold butter cut in 1/2” cubes. Pulse until mixture is pebbly and has small lumps. Transfer to a bowl.

Add 3/4 c reduced fat sour cream, 1/4 c snipped fresh chives and 1 T honey and stir until combined.

Add 3 T milk and stir until the dough just comes together. Add a litle extra milk if needed. Don’t overmix.

On floured surface, pat dough into a rectangle about 9 x 5 inches, about a half inch thick. Divide the dough evenly into 12 squares. Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees until lightly browned– 14 to 16 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6, 2 biscuits per serving.

Do not double this recipe; a regular home food processsor can  not handle a double batch. Make separate batches if you need more.

To freeze, let cool before packaging. To serve, thaw at room temperature. Do not thaw in MW– makes them tough and limp.

From Pat Barger at Queen Anne CK

Orange Ginger Carrots

Adapted from Reader’s Digest Quick Thrifty Cooking

Peel 3 lb carrots. Slice on the diagonal into 1” thick pieces.

Boil lightly salted water in a pan. Add carrots, cook covered 10-15 minutes, tender crisp. Drain.

Combine 3Tsugar, 1 Tcornstarch, 3/4 t salt,
3/4 t ground ginger, 3/4 c  orange juice.

Pour over carrots and cook over low heat 3 minutes.

Remove from heat, add 1/2 stick of butter and toss.

Serves 12

To freeze, divide into 12 ziploc bags. To serve, thaw in frig or MW and heat very gently.