Scallop Pie

This recipe is absolutely fantastic, and may win over even people who don't care for scallops.

Scallop Pie

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

12 oz scallops

10 oz milk

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

8 oz mushrooms

4 tbsp white wine

1 lb mashed potatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Clean the scallops, remove the tough muscle from the center of the scallop if it is still intact. Cut them in falh, and simmer in the milk for fifteen minutes. Remove from heat, set aside the scallops and reserve the cooking liquid.

Make a white roux:

Melt the butter in a pan over very low heat, and mix in the flour. Cook very slowly, stirring constantly. There's an art to this, and it takes patience. If you burn it, throw it out and try again. Cook for one minute, and mix into the reserved cooking liquid from the scallops.

Cooking:

Season wit salt and pepper to taste, add the sliced mushrooms, and simmer for ten minutes.Add the wine and scallops, heat, and then transfer to an overproof dish and top with the mashed potatoes, being sure they cover the scallops completely. Dot with remaining 1 tbsp butter and bake for 20-30 minutes.

Beef Stroganoff

Do not underestimate this recipe. I realize putting ketchup in a recipe sounds terrifying, but the reaction at the dinner table was "What kind of wine did you use in this? It's wonderful."

Beef Stroganoff

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

2 lbs beef tenderloin, cut into strips

4 tbsp butter

6 oz sliced mushrooms

1 pint beef stock

1 onion, minced

1/4 cup tomato ketchup

1/3 cup flour

2 cups low-fat sour cream

10 oz noodles (egg noodles are best)

2 tbsp butter

Substitutions:

beef tenderloin - chuck, cut into strips and simmered in stock for 4 hours (kim the foam that rises), reuse the stock in the recipe (much cheaper option)

Cooking:

Melt 4 tbsp butter in a saucepan and sautee mushrooms and garlic for about 5 minutes. Set aside.

In the same butter, brown the tenderloin. Reserve 2/3 cup stock, and pour the rest in the stock in with the meat, adding the onion and ketchup. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.

Thicken with Flour:

In a small bowl, add the cold reserved stock into the flour slowly, thoroughly mixing with a fork until it has been absorbed. Once all the lumps have been beaten out, add some of the warm stock, just a spoonful at a time, mixing again until smooth, until it is thinned out substantially, and add it to the beef mixture.

This is actually trickier than making a roux, but also much better for you. However, if you mess up and don't bring it up to temperature slowly enough, you will end up with dumplings in your beef stroganoff.

Bring to a boil:

Add the mushrooms, and increase to a boil, and keep it there one minute.Stir in sour cream, bring uo tp heat, and then remove from heat.

Cook your noodles:

Cook the noodles according to their directions. Toss with 2 tbsp butter, and then mix with beef mixture. Serve.

Fruited Rice

This recipe, is pleasantly sweet, aromatic, and downright good for you.

Fruited Rice with Almonds

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 5-6

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice

1/2 cup dried apples, diced

1/2 cup dried apricots, diced

1/2 cup dried dates, chopped

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup prunes, pitted and chopped

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1 cup white button mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon powder

3 1/4 cup water (or as rice package recommends for two cups of rice)

Cooking:

You can do this on stove top, by adding al the ingredients, bringing it to a simmer, covering, and cooking for 40 minutes.

Or you can throw everything into a rice cooker, set it to white rice, and do nothing else until it's done. Fluff it, and then erve it.