Help Peter Cook

 This week’s challenge was to take:

I was contacted yesterday by the fine folks at The Mushroom Channel about this week’s recipe challenge, which includes Portobella Mushrooms.  If the recipe goes well they will be featuring it as next week’s Recipe Of The Week!

On top of that, they informed me on Twitter today of a contest from Taste Of Home with a chance to win $2000!  I will enter your mushroom recipe for you if you like and you keep all the cash.  After all, it’s your recipe.

If you’re ready for mushroom fame and fortune, here is this week’s challenge, but you better hurry, you have until 5PM PDT today (March 10th,2009) to enter!

Hello!   This week’s cooking challenge is all vegetarian!  While I am not normally a vegetarian, it never seems to hurt to slack off chicken and fish for a bit.  Plus it’s often more challenging.  So this week, along with the normal rules, I’m throwing in the challenge of keeping the recipe vegetarian.  This means no dairy or meat.  I realize there are about a hundred ways to interpret ‘vegetarian’ but for me, this works for the time being.

If you need a refresher on the rule, check out the How It Works tab above.  I don’t have the other kitchen staples listed yet, but olive oil is definitely on there.  And flour.  And red wine.

This week’s ingredients are:

• Portabello Mushrooms
• Red Potatoes
• White Onions
• Italian Squash

You have 24 hours to come up with a recipe that I will attempt to cook and make delicious.  Feel free to use any of the Spices & Herbs available in the kitchen.  Submit your recipe by 5pm, PDT on Tuesday.  By the way “salad” doesn’t count for this one.

Thanks! And Good Luck!

I live in a rental and am still getting used the the kitchen.  But I love it and it’s partially what inspired me to start this blog.  Cooking in it is easy and I’ve got all the space I need.  Heck, I even keep it clean!  Something normally unheard of from me.

My kitchen has a fold down drawer with a pull out cutting board.  I recently took the cutting board out to give it a good cleaning in the sink and noticed the backside was untouched by a blade and has the gutter you see at left.  I know there is some specific use for this side but I’m still baffled as to what it might be. 

Please, oh please, Masters Of All Things Cutlery And Wood, please release your hidden secret so I may rest tonight!!  In other words; what the heck is that for?

Without further ado, except pointing you to the recipe, here is Mike Rupp’s creation; Kofta with rice, mushrooms and spinach.

This week’s winning recipe was sent in by Mike Rupp who runs the Seattle Coffee Roast blog, reviewing the good and bad that Seattle has to offer.  Mike was also crowned the Expedition Exchange Iron Chef Showdown VI Champion. Mike added in butter and onions for a great sounding Kofta recipe.  I currently lack a grill so I will be broiling them as sausages.

Look for the video coming soon!  Thanks, Mike!

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Recipe: Kofta with rice, sauteed spinach, & mushrooms

In a large bowl place the ground lamb, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp ground pepper, 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley, and 1/2 grated and drained onion. Mix until the texture becomes sticky. If you have metal kebab skewers, wet hands and form the mixture around the skewer. If not, shape into a sausage. If you used skewers, grill on high 3-4 minutes per side. If not, broil on a lightly greased sheet of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet for 3-4 minutes per side.

Rice: cook according to the directions on the rice, but add in 1 tbl butter and 1 tsp salt (assuming that you are making a 2 person serving.

Mushrooms: thread on a skewer and grill along side the meat or broil drizzled with a little olive oil.

Spinach: saute in olive oil until wilted. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

Due to some scheduling changes and a request to bump things back, the deadline for this week’s challenge is moved back to 5pm, Pacific Time!

Also, I will be making a new page soon with other ingredients that are free to be used, much like the Spices and Herbs page.  It’s only fair to mention all the basics I have, like olive oil, flour and wine.  It’ll be in place before the next challenge to help level the playing field, I promise!

Building on the great success of the first two weeks challenges, it’s time for week #3′s challenge.  The fridge isn’t offering up a lot of different ingredients at the moment so I’m calling an audiable and going to the pantry.  Not that I have any hard, fast rule about only using produce, but I prefer fresh (and Organic!) ingredients.  With that in mind, this week’s challenge is to use the following ingredients and up to two of your own and come up with a recipe:

• Ground lamb (1lb)
• Baby Spinach
• White Rice
• White Mushrooms

If you need help in how this challenge thing works, check out How This Works.  Basically, take the ingredients listed above and up to two of your own, add in any of the spices and herbs I already have and come up with a recipe.  Feel free to list the recipe at your own site and link back to it, or just post the whole thing in the comments section below.  You have until 10am, Pacific Time (UTC-8) to list your recipe.  This site is all about trying new things while I learn to cook more and I can use your help!

Thanks! 

Peter

Week two’s Cheesy Turkey Nuggets recipe sent in from Jess Kohl was a splattering, goopy, delicious success!  A recap of the challenge can be found here.  And now the video! (PS, I might get daring next week and make an introduction including some music! Maybe)

The winning recipe for Challenge #2 comes from Jess Kohl, an awesome cookie and cake baker and also my sister-in-law. I’ll be cooking it up and posting the video soon!  The ingredients to start with were:

• Ground Turkey – 1lb
• Brussels Sprouts – lots
• Red Bell Pepper – 1
• Green Beans

Her recipe is as follows!

Cheesy Turkey Nuggets

1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
10 oz milk, simmered to reduce to 5 oz*
2 cups crushed cornflakes
2 oz firm cheese (I use sharp cheddar)

In a bowl, mix the turkey, 1/4 cup evaporated milk, the bell pepper and 2/3 cup cornflakes.

Cut the cheese into 12 small sticks.

Wet your hands with remaining milk and shape turkey mixture into 3 in ovals around the cheese piece.

Pour the remaining milk into a bowl, add the remaining cornflakes to a plate and dip each nugget into the milk, then coat with the cornflakes.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in your big skillet over medium heat and fry each nugget until browned, about 5 min per side. (If the cheese starts to ooze out, you’re good)

Serve with Green Beans.

*I know technically I’m adding 3 ingredients, but based on last weeks recipe, I know you have milk. Or you can just buy a 5 oz can of evaporated milk if you don’t want to simmer down your milk.

Enjoy!
Jess

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While her recipe leaves out the sprouts (how dare she! ) I’ll be steaming those up alongside.