Sinfest

[tinkeringIdiot]

Pasta with caramelized onions, fennel, mushrooms and goat cheese. Modified from a recipe in Food and Wine magazine.

1 fennel bulb
1 smallish white onion
1 tsp sugar
0.5 lb tasty fresh mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 shot Ouzo
3 to 4 oz soft goat cheese
~3/4 lb pasta. I used linguine but ziti would probably be better
Squeeze of lemon juice.
Some herbage. I used a bit of dried basil and dried summer savory.
A few good grinds of black pepper

French the onion and the fennel bulb.
Quarter the mushrooms.
Crush and peel the garlic

Heat ~2oz of butter and ~1oz of olive oil in a chef's pan or other stainless sauce pan. When the smoking stops and the butter is on the verge of browning, add the pepper toss in the fennel and onion. Saute lightly for a min, then sprinkle on the sugar and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the mixture takes on a nice caramel color and makes your mouth water. Remove the goodies to a bowl and cover with foil.

There should be some good brown bits stuck to the pan (can't use a non-stick pan for this). Toss in the shot of ouzo and scrape up all the brown bits. With the brown bits dissolved, toss in the wine and the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the garlic, herbs, and mushrooms. By this time the pasta water should be boiling, so add the pasta.

Sit back and sip your wine until the mushrooms and pasta are done. Then drain the pasta and put everything you've cooked so far together in the sauce pan, or a big ol' bowl if the pan is small. Mix everything up real nice and add the goat cheese and the lemon juice. Mix until everything is coated in creamy goodness. Add water (reserved from the pasta pot) to thin out the tasty goo until it is the texture you desire.

I served this with a fennel and shallot salad that worked really well:

1/4 fennel bulb per person, sliced as thin as you can.
1 very small or 1/2 a normal sized shallot per person, minced as fine as you can.
Toss around with a bit of olive oil and champagne vinegar to coat.
Lil salt, lil pepper.
NOM

PS: The simmering liquid you cooked the mushrooms with should have reduced by about half by the time they're done. The more or less you reduce it is up to you as it only really affects the texture of the finished sauce (ie: how much water you have to add to get the right texture). Just remember that it's easier to add water than take it away.

[SlinkyKat]

Dandelion Wine

This recipe will make a 1 gallon batch.

6 cups dandelion petals

2 pounds sugar

1 pound light raisins

1 tablespoon acid blend

1 campden tablet

1 pack wine yeast

1 teaspoon yeast nutrient

1 1/2 cups orange juice

1 teaspoon pectin enzyme

Wash and prepare dandelion petals. Place them and sugar, raisins and acid blend into fermenter. Bring 1 gallon of water to a boil and pour it into the mixture. Add a campden tablet and let the mixture sit for 24 hours.

Add pectin enzyme and yeast and allow to ferment for 3 days. Then rack over and allow to finish fermenting. This should take about 3 months. Rack 1 more time and allow to clear. Then bottle.

Should be ready for sampling in about 6 months

[Yorick]

I haven't got that kind of patience.


that can't be a traditional recipie. Can you imagine going into town to the general store -- "Hey, Mr. Olson, I need some pectin enzyme"?
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88 NPH

[SlinkyKat]

No, its not super-traditional, but I have one of those if you want me to dig it up. I just posted the wine recipe because we have s huge profusion of dandelions in our backyard right now.

Dandelion Salad
PREP TIME 10 Min
READY IN 10 Min
INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1/2 pound torn dandelion greens
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, toss together dandelion greens, red onion, and tomatoes. Season with basil, salt, and pepper.

[Uncle Taylorbell]

No offense, SK, but that sounds absoloutely awful. I imagine eating it is a complete chore.

[SlinkyKat]

Oh, don't worry - none taken! I've never actually tried it, but it (dandelion salad) shows up in quite a few of my cookbooks, and, having dandelions on the brain (and lawn), I posted it up here after the dandelion wine recipe.

[Yorick]

oh, that's right, because you live where it's not FUCKING COLD.



FUCK. ING. COLD.
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88 NPH

[Uncle Taylorbell]

Hey, Yozzle, perhaps you can make a snow/wet post-autumnal debris salad?

TASTY.

[Yorick]

I'll garnish it with the 7 foot tree limb that missed my truck last night.
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88 NPH

[DeD CHiKn]

My grandfather used to use dandelion leaves occasionallyto cook with but would always yell (in italian so I had no idea what he was saying) at me for eating the ones on the lawn. I was so confused, they told me they were healthy.
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I have a face, with a mustache.

[sporko]

[mouse]

i used to get dandelion greens in my vegetable box (from the organic farm co-op), but i haven't for several years now. i wonder if that means there was a huge increase in the demand for dandelion greens from the local trendy restaurants, or if they just figured out an organic way to keep the weeds down. (i was so crushed when i discovered you had to have the flowers to make dandelion wine.)
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aka: neverscared!

[Lemontree]

MAKIN' CURRY TONIGHT! ITS GONNA BE DELICIOUS!!

(Is it sad that I had to come on here to find my own recipe?)

[Dr. Chef]

Curry's made from Satan's butt.

[Uncle Taylorbell]

That doesn't sound pleasant at all. Not one bit. Nor very hygienic, for that matter. Are you sure you're a qualified Doctor and Chef? I am beginning to doubt your credentials, sir. Please provide your bona fides.