Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy

I never had biscuits growing up.  And I certainly never had chocolate gravy.  But that's just the difference between the north and the south...score one for the south!  (We did have fried dough- and that's hard to beat!)  L was a little dubious at first, but she quickly jumped right in.  The "gravy" is a simple stovetop chocolate sauce, not really fudgy, but with a rich flavor.  It's great paired with the touch of grace biscuits- or a pillsbury biscuit!

Chocolate Gravy

Adapted from Paula Deen

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/6 cup cocoa

1 cups whole milk

Heat butter in a skillet over low heat. Mix in sugar, flour and cocoa. Slowly pour 1 cup of milk into the skillet and whisk well to remove lumps. Whisk in remaining milk, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick, being careful not to scorch. Serve hot over biscuits.

Roasted Carrots

I made a critical error when I made these.  I only made one pound of carrots.  Big mistake!! Have I not learned that anything roasted becomes tantalizingly good?  What is wrong with me?  They become sweet, crisp, and popular with the whole family! They are a versatile side and are going to make it onto our table again and again.

Thyme Roasted Carrots with Goat Cheese

From Confessions of a Foodie Bride

2 lbs whole carrots

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme

Salt

Pepper

1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat oven to 400. Peel the carrots. If the carrots are large, half or quarter the pieces (aiming for uniform so the pieces will cook evenly). You can also cut them across into long (6 inch) pieces.  Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and the leaves stripped from the thyme sprigs. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through, until you see some caramelization. Crumble goat cheese over the warm carrots and serve.

Touch of Grace Biscuits

There are two kinds of biscuits, in my mind.  There are the flaky layer kind of biscuits, like Dorie Greenpan's wonderful ones, that require cold cold butter and a light hand.  Then, there are these.  These are soft, tender, not layered, but puffed up by steam and slightly sweet.  Perfect for chocolate gravy, I might add.  Or soup.  Or snack.

This was the first thing I made out of Bakewise.  Shirley Corriher is a mad scientist, but actually this recipe was reprinted in Rose Levy Berenbaum's The Pie and Pastry bible, which means I've had this under my nose for a decade and just now am discovering it.  The Bakewise edition has a charming story about how these were biscuit her grandma made, and young Shirley never got them right, as she left out "a touch of grace."  The "grace" turns out to be gently tossing them in flour and minimally shaping them.  But RLB makes them foolproof!

And as for the 2 types of biscuits? I can't decide which I like more, but it's a problem I'm glad to have.

Touch of Grace Biscuits
Adapted from the Pie and Pastry Bible, who initially adapted it from Bakewise
Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 cups Southern self-rising flour (7.5 oz), such as White Lily
OR substitute for the White Lily: 1 cup all purpose flour with 1/2 cup cake flour with 2 teaspoons baking powder and add an extra 3/4 teaspoon salt
½ tsp. salt
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cups well-shaken buttermilk or heavy cream
1 cup all-purpose flour (5 oz) for tossing
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted for TOPPING

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit, and spray an 8” round cake pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the self-rising flour, salt, and sugar and whisk to mix well. Add the shortening and, using your fingers, rub it into the flour mixture until there are no lumps bigger than a large pea.

Stir in the heavy cream or buttermilk.  Don't overmix, or gluten will form and make them tough. Let stand for 2-3 minutes to let moisture absorb. The dough will be very wet, resembling mashed potatoes.

Pour the all-purpose flour into a shallow bowl or pie plate. Rub your hands in the flour to dust them well. Using a ¼-cup measuring scoop or something of similar size, spoon a lump of wet dough into the flour, and sprinkle some flour over it to coat well. Gently pick it up and shape it into a soft round. I do this by cradling it in the cupped palm of one hand and gently shaking it, letting the excess flour fall through my fingers.  Place biscuit in pan and repeat with remaining dough, pushing biscuits tightly against one another so that they will rise up and not spread out.Brush with melted butter.

Raise the heat to 500 degrees at this point, bake for 5 minutes, then turn the heat down to 475 and bake for 10-15 more minutes.  Let cool for 2 minutes, then unmold and eat.

Makes 10-12 biscuits

Southwestern Black Bean Egg Rolls

 I have a thing for pretty food.  For my daughter's birthday party, I did some serious cooking.  I miscalculated these egg rolls, however, and in my zest to be organized I made them in advance and slipped them into a ziptop bag precooking.   Big mistake, as the thin egg roll dough melted, essentially, and resulted in some seriously ugly egg rolls.  With holes in them.  At my 2nd eldest sister's urging, I served them.  Those social workers, they can get you to do anything through first validating you...  She said something to the effect of "I agree, I hate ugly food too, and they are ugly, but everything else is so pretty, no one will notice."  What she should have said is "These are so yummy their ugliness will only offend you for a few minutes!"  I remade them recently for dinner at a friend's home, but I made sure to keep a little filling for us to have later in the week!

These are vegetarian, filling, and surprisingly good, especially coming from several pre-made or frozen ingredients.  Make them for your next party!

Southwestern Black Bean Egg Rolls
Adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (i do this in a few paper towels)
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 package egg roll wrappers- about 24

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers.  Mix well, making sure spinach is distributed- it clumps when so dry.  Lay an egg roll wrapper out on the counter so that one of the corners is pointing toward you and place ¼ cup of the filling in the center, making it somewhat log shaped.  Fold the tip closest to you up over the filling, roll a bit, then take the points pointing outward and fold them in toward the center.  Continue rolling into an egg roll shape until a small part of the remaining point is still free.  Dip a finger in water and lightly brush on the edges of the free corner. Press to seal closed.  Repeat.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet seam side down and spray the tops of the egg rolls with cooking spray.  Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking, if you must have them equally browned.  Serve warm but not piping hot, with salsa, sour cream, or guacamole.

Meatballs

Don't think you can manage to throw something together hodge-podge and beat this recipe.   Not possible.  These meatballs are really flavorful and tender.  These freeze perfectly, and are great for spaghetti and meatballs or a meatball sub.  The last time I made these I was out of fresh basil, and I subbed an equal amount of pesto- still lovely!  The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 lbs meatloaf mix, but my butcher only carries 1 1/4, but it works great anyway.   These are a sure thing!

Meatballs
Adapted from Once Upon a Chef

Ingredients
1 large egg
3 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped (plus more for serving)
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup water
1 1/4 pounds ground "meatloaf mix" (approximately equal parts ground beef, pork and veal)
¾ cup dried Italian Style bread crumbs
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (plus more for serving)


Directions
 Set rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together egg, basil, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper, garlic and water. Add meat, breadcrumbs and Parmesan and mix until just combined. Do not overdo it.

Using your hands, take about 2 tablespoons of meat mixture (about the size of a golf ball) at a time and gently roll into balls. Place meatballs on ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and use a metal spatula to turn meatballs, or shake vigorously to brown evenly. Put back in oven and cook another 10 minutes, until nicely browned.

When the meatballs are browned, transfer them to the pan with tomato sauce, leaving the fat behind. Cover loosely with foil and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes, until the flavors marry and the meatballs are cooked through. Keep warm until ready to toss with pasta.

Pomodoro (red) Sauce

So this recipe blurred past me on my  facebook feed.  I was attracted to it because it sounded like how I already make marinara sauce, but with a few refinements.  I loved my mom's sauce growing up- probably something to do with the sugar she put in- man, was it tasty!  She doesn't make it that way anymore, either.  My version is sugar-less, with lots of basil, and a great consistency.  The olive oil addition, combined with the immersion blending, basically makes a scrumptious tomato and olive oil emulsion- not a bad thing at all.

Pomodoro Sauce
Adapted from Bon Appetit May 2011

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 28 oz. can peeled tomatoes
Kosher salt
3 tbsp fresh basil
12 oz. bucatini or spaghetti
2 Tbsp. cubed unsalted butter, if desired
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino

Preparation
Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a 12" skillet over medium-low heat. Add minced onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about 12 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 2-4 minutes. Add crushed red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute more. Increase heat to medium, add  tomatoes, basil, and season lightly with kosher salt.  Blend with immersion blender (it's fine to puree tomatoes first).  Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly and the flavors meld, about 20 minutes.   Off heat, add butter and cheese; toss until cheese melts. Transfer to warm bowls; serve with more cheese, if desired.

Restaurant Style Salsa

Hail to P-dub.  PW sometimes is too non fat conscious for me, but this recipe is your best local mexican restaurant in your own kitchen.  Not chunky, a nice tang from the lime, and completely yum.  Better than any jarred version, and not complex in any way shape or form.  My husband B would insist that he didn't know how to cook- he just assembled.  This recipe is assembly.  It makes about 3/4 of a liter of salsa, too!!

     It's my go-to salsa recipe.  Make this one week when you are planning Benchiladas or Chicken Taquitos- something that needs salsa as an ingredient!

Restaurant Style Salsa
adapted from Pioneer Woman


Ingredients
1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
¼ cups Chopped red onion
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
¼ teaspoons Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
½ cups Cilantro
1 1/2 -2 tbsp Lime Juice

Directions
Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.
Refrigerate salsa until needed.