I was messing around in the kitchen the other day and decided to experiment. I had some canned artichoke hearts, so I decided to start there and came out with a pretty good dish.
Ingredients
1 can artichoke hearts drained rinsed and diced
2 cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup onion diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbs butter
2 tbs oil
1/4 cup white wine
parsley
parmesan cheese fresh grated
salt and pepper
Sautee the hearts, onions and garlic in the oil and butter until soft. Add the white wine and reduce. Once the wine is reduced, add the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook 5-10 minutes to thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot garnished with parsley and parmesan.
If you have any left over chicken, it would go well here. You can always spice it up with jalapenos.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Horseradish is our friend. Delicious too.
A Little Dab of Horseradish Could Help Resist Cancer
Published: Mar. 9, 2005
Source: Mosbah Kushad, 217-244-5691, kushad@uiuc.edu
URBANA - A new study from the University of Illinois shows that horseradish has substantial quantities of glucosinolates, compounds that has been shown to increase human resistance to cancer.
"Glucosinolates increase the liver's ability to detoxify carcinogens and they may actually suppress the growth of existing cancerous tumors," said Mosbah Kushad, U of I associate professor of food-crop systems. "And our analysis of various horseradish varieties shows they are a rich source of these compounds."
Kushad has also been involved in studies of broccoli, Brussels sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables known to contain glucosinolates. His work shows that horseradish has relatively higher levels.
"Horseradish contains more than 10-fold higher glucosinolates than broccoli, so you don?t need much horseradish to benefit. In fact, a little dab on your steak will go a long way to providing the same health benefits as broccoli."
An effective dose of broccoli may be as little as 10 grams a day, so an effective dose of horseradish could be as little as 1 gram or less than a teaspoon.
Kushad has tested more than 27 accessions of horseradish and detected eight different glucosinolates in both the root and leaf tissue. He noted that the health benefit of horseradish is improved by processing.
"Horseradish also contains an enzyme that breaks down glucosinolates into the compounds that produce the anti-cancer benefits. So processing horseradish actually helps. It releases this enzyme and, when it comes into contact with the glucosinolates, they break down into the compounds that are nutritionally beneficial," he said.
There are four popular, commercial varieties grown in Illinois. Two have about 50 percent more glucosinolates than the other two.
The most widely accepted hypothesis for the physiological function of glucosinolates in horseradish plants is that they somehow help the plant defend itself against several pests. So breeding studies that accentuate glucosinolate levels could enhance pest resistance as well as create human health benefits.
Horseradish is an important crop in Illinois. Sixty percent of all horseradish produced in the United States is grown in Illinois. Most of the crop is crushed and mixed into relishes and sauces.
The University of Illinois maintains a germplasm collection totaling 130 horseradish accessions with geographic origins from Eastern Europe and North America.
This research was published in the October, 2004 Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry and was funded, in part, by the Illinois Horseradish Grower's Association.
-30-
News writer: Gary Beaumont
phone: 217-333-9440; email: beaumont@uiuc.edu
Published: Mar. 9, 2005
Source: Mosbah Kushad, 217-244-5691, kushad@uiuc.edu
URBANA - A new study from the University of Illinois shows that horseradish has substantial quantities of glucosinolates, compounds that has been shown to increase human resistance to cancer.
"Glucosinolates increase the liver's ability to detoxify carcinogens and they may actually suppress the growth of existing cancerous tumors," said Mosbah Kushad, U of I associate professor of food-crop systems. "And our analysis of various horseradish varieties shows they are a rich source of these compounds."
Kushad has also been involved in studies of broccoli, Brussels sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables known to contain glucosinolates. His work shows that horseradish has relatively higher levels.
"Horseradish contains more than 10-fold higher glucosinolates than broccoli, so you don?t need much horseradish to benefit. In fact, a little dab on your steak will go a long way to providing the same health benefits as broccoli."
An effective dose of broccoli may be as little as 10 grams a day, so an effective dose of horseradish could be as little as 1 gram or less than a teaspoon.
Kushad has tested more than 27 accessions of horseradish and detected eight different glucosinolates in both the root and leaf tissue. He noted that the health benefit of horseradish is improved by processing.
"Horseradish also contains an enzyme that breaks down glucosinolates into the compounds that produce the anti-cancer benefits. So processing horseradish actually helps. It releases this enzyme and, when it comes into contact with the glucosinolates, they break down into the compounds that are nutritionally beneficial," he said.
There are four popular, commercial varieties grown in Illinois. Two have about 50 percent more glucosinolates than the other two.
The most widely accepted hypothesis for the physiological function of glucosinolates in horseradish plants is that they somehow help the plant defend itself against several pests. So breeding studies that accentuate glucosinolate levels could enhance pest resistance as well as create human health benefits.
Horseradish is an important crop in Illinois. Sixty percent of all horseradish produced in the United States is grown in Illinois. Most of the crop is crushed and mixed into relishes and sauces.
The University of Illinois maintains a germplasm collection totaling 130 horseradish accessions with geographic origins from Eastern Europe and North America.
This research was published in the October, 2004 Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry and was funded, in part, by the Illinois Horseradish Grower's Association.
-30-
News writer: Gary Beaumont
phone: 217-333-9440; email: beaumont@uiuc.edu
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Do you have a favorite wine?
I don't drink a lot of wine but like a good snort now and then. I am by no means a wine snob. I don't have the first clue about fancy wines or the like. We all remember thw wines of our youth, TJ Swann, Boone's Farms and of course Mad Dog 20/20. My dad made wine in his basement. Up until recently I had a bottle of his cherry wine from 1988. My favorite of his was blackberry. I think the one thing that set his homemade wines apart was the fact the he was rumored to put a shot of everclear in every bottle. I can't confirm that story.
I my go to wine has always been a dryer red wine like a Cabernet Sauvingnon in red and Pinot Grigio in white. During a recent trip to Sam's I was looking thru the wine section and came across a Spanish wine. It was a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from The Spanish Quarter. Having never had a Spanish wine I bought a bottle. This wine was a blend of 55% cabernet sauvignon and 45% Tampranillo. This was new to me but I loved it. It had the bold flavor of cabernet but less of a dryer bite. I really liked it so if you head that way I recommend you try it. It wasn't expensive either.
I my go to wine has always been a dryer red wine like a Cabernet Sauvingnon in red and Pinot Grigio in white. During a recent trip to Sam's I was looking thru the wine section and came across a Spanish wine. It was a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from The Spanish Quarter. Having never had a Spanish wine I bought a bottle. This wine was a blend of 55% cabernet sauvignon and 45% Tampranillo. This was new to me but I loved it. It had the bold flavor of cabernet but less of a dryer bite. I really liked it so if you head that way I recommend you try it. It wasn't expensive either.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Sometimes you just aren't sure what to do or what to cook.
I had been thinking ahead for quite a few days about cooking the brisket for the Moose Lodge. I had already lined out the marinade, rub and sauce. I decided the condiments to be pickled red onions, fresh horseradish and jalapenos. Seemed easy enough. Saturday morning I whipped up the red onions and horseradish. That morning I bought fresh jalapenos at Mac's. I sliced them into rings and put them in a plastic container. Everytime I looked at them I got the feeling that they needed to be prepared a different way than fresh. O'Griff's in Quincy adds sauteed jalapenos to some of their sandwiches. That got me thinking. I didn't want to use pickled or canned jalapenos. I know that camelization brings out the sugars in things. It adds a sweetness and a crispy bite. I decided to carmelize the peppers in canola oil and butter. I cooked them until they were brown and crispy. I was really happy with the result. You could get the crunch, the sweet and the real pepper flavor that is often masked by the heat. I took home probably half of the peppers that I made. For the next couple of days, I ate them with everything. They were best with sausage and eggs. Give it a try.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
3 Days of the Brisket
To me, brisket is a 3 day operation. What was once scraps left over for the servants is now haute cuisine among the barbeque scene. Brisket has become a noble treat via barbeque. Don't get me wrong, brisket is a fatty tough hunk of cow. To tame this beast, pitmaster go with the low and slow technique, low temp and long cook.
I start off day one by prepping the brisket. First I trim off the most of the fat. I cn't get rid of all of it because fat is flavor. I inject the brisket with my marinade, one injection per square inch, trying to not poke through the bottom of the brisket. I wrap the brisket in plastice wrap and store in the fridge.
Day 2. As soon as I drop the boys off at school, the brisket goes into the smoker. I try to keep the temp between 225 and 250 degrees. I use hickory chips for the smoke. I check on it quite often and use a probe thermometer to observe the internal temp in the thickest part of the meat. During the last hour, I baste with my barbeque sauce every 15 minutes. When it is done it goes straight into aluminum foil then into a zip top bag and into the fridge.
Day 3. I use a meat slicer to get the brisket as thin as possible and when the slicing is done, all the meat goes into the roasting oven at about 300 degrees. I add the meat juice from the zip top bags and usually some beff broth. The brisket then slow cooks all day until it is time to serve. Several times a day I use a ladle and baste the meat. I always mix well so that the meat on top gets down into the juices.
Service. I like to serve my brisket hot with the sauce on the side. For condiments I like pickled red onions, fresh horseradish and carmelized jalapenos.
I start off day one by prepping the brisket. First I trim off the most of the fat. I cn't get rid of all of it because fat is flavor. I inject the brisket with my marinade, one injection per square inch, trying to not poke through the bottom of the brisket. I wrap the brisket in plastice wrap and store in the fridge.
Day 2. As soon as I drop the boys off at school, the brisket goes into the smoker. I try to keep the temp between 225 and 250 degrees. I use hickory chips for the smoke. I check on it quite often and use a probe thermometer to observe the internal temp in the thickest part of the meat. During the last hour, I baste with my barbeque sauce every 15 minutes. When it is done it goes straight into aluminum foil then into a zip top bag and into the fridge.
Day 3. I use a meat slicer to get the brisket as thin as possible and when the slicing is done, all the meat goes into the roasting oven at about 300 degrees. I add the meat juice from the zip top bags and usually some beff broth. The brisket then slow cooks all day until it is time to serve. Several times a day I use a ladle and baste the meat. I always mix well so that the meat on top gets down into the juices.
Service. I like to serve my brisket hot with the sauce on the side. For condiments I like pickled red onions, fresh horseradish and carmelized jalapenos.
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