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Archive for the ‘Eileen’s Recipes’ Category

Eileen’s Simple Summer Salad and Dressing

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Eileen's Recipes, tagged , on September 6, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Simple Summer Salad by Eileen Goldfinger, Food Editor Blogfinger.net ©

 

Vinaigrette:

1 half-pint jar

½ tsp. Dijon mustard

½-1 tsp. anchovy paste (start with less and taste when completed to adjust flavor)

1 ½ tsp. mayonnaise

4 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 large garlic clove, minced

 

Add all ingredients in the jar and whisk

 

Salad:

Ingredients:

½ of a 6 oz. container of mixed greens

6 large romaine lettuce leaves, cut in thirds, rib removed

3 hard boiled eggs cut in half

15 cherry tomatoes (any color) cut in half

½ avocado diced

2 oz. creamy feta cheese crumbled

½ small red onion thinly sliced

6 endive leaves

a few grinds of black pepper

pinch of salt

 

Assembly:

In a large shallow bowl or platter place mixed greens and romaine lettuce

Drizzle 3-4 tablespoons of vinaigrette over greens and toss

On top of the greens, in attractive groupings, place the vegetables, eggs, and cheese

Drizzle 3-4 tablespoons of the vinaigrette over the salad

Sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper and salt on top

 

Serve as a side salad for two or with grilled chicken or fish for a main course.

 

BETTE MIDLER   From her album  It’s the Girls:  “Bei Mir Bist Du Schon”

 

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Eileen’s Recipes: Simple Tomato Basil Sauce

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Eileen's Recipes, tagged , on August 15, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Eileen’s simple tomato sauce. Blogfinger.net

 

Simple Tomato Basil Sauce

 

By Eileen Goldfinger, Food Editor@Blogfinger.net

 

½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved

4 San Marzano tomatoes from a can, crushed by hand

2 shallots, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup unsalted chicken broth

¼ cup dry white wine

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp butter

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

½ cup fresh basil

 

In a 5 quart Dutch oven heat olive oil until it shimmers; add butter and melt. Add shallots and cook until soft; add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes, San Marzano tomatoes, and sauté for 10 minutes.

Add white wine, chicken broth, pepper flakes, and half the basil.

Cook for 15 minutes or until the cherry tomatoes soften. Serve over pasta and use the remainder of the basil as dressing on the pasta and sauce.

Serves 2-4

It is delicious with a green salad, rustic bread and a glass of Italian wine.

 

Editor’s note:   We have found the most superb Italian breads  at “Jimmy Pecci’s Taste of Italy”  4060 Asbury Avenue, Tinton Falls.

 

JERRY VALE   “Summertime in Venice”

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Eileen’s recipe: meatballs and sauce

Posted in Eileen's Recipes, tagged on July 27, 2019| 1 Comment »

Eileen Goldfinger’s meatballs and sauce. Blogfinger photo. Ocean Grove. ©

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

 

Meatballs:

 

2 lbs ground meat (I used ½ beef and ½ turkey)

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp red pepper flakes

½ tsp dry oregano

¼ cup Eggbeaters (or 1 large egg, beaten)

¼ cup water

½ cup panko bread crumbs

4 tbsp grated parmesan reggiano cheese

2 tbsp vegetable oil

 

In a sauté pan heat oil until it starts to sizzle. Add onion and cook until onion begins to soften. Add garlic, and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Do NOT let garlic burn. Remove from heat.

 

In a large bowl place meat. If you are using more then one type of meat gently mix the meats together. Add onion and garlic to the meat. Add all the other ingredients to the meat and gently combine.  If you mix too vigorously the meatballs will be tough.

 

Roll the meat into golf ball sized balls and place on an aluminum lined baking tray.

Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

 

Sauce:

 

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp dry oregano

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4  tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth

1/4 cup dry red wine

1 28 oz jar Rao’s marinara sauce

1 28 oz can San Marzano whole tomatoes, crush with your hands

1 tsp sugar

½ cup fresh basil

½ cup fresh flat leaf Italian parlsey, chopped

 

In a 5 quart Dutch oven heat oil until it simmers. Add onion and cook until onion wilts. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add Rao’s marinara and San Marzano tomatoes, stir and cook until tomatoes begin to simmer. Add broth and wine, stir together and simmer for 15 minutes. Add all the other ingredients, except the parsley and basil. Stir together and cook for 30 minutes. Add the cooked meatballs to the sauce with the parsley and basil and simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve over pasta of your choice.

 

This recipe makes approximately 30 meatballs.

 

 

DISNEY STUDIO CHORUS.   From Lady and the Tramp  “Bella Notte.”

 

 

 

 

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Eileen’s Recipes: Watermelon Tomato Salad with Feta

Posted in Eileen's Recipes, Music: Jazz on Blogfinger, tagged , , , , , on July 19, 2019| 2 Comments »

Photo by Eileen Goldfinger. Ocean Grove, NJ. August, 2013

Photo by Eileen Goldfinger. Ocean Grove, NJ. August, 2013

 

By Eileen Goldfinger, Food and Garden Editor  @Blogfinger   Re-post.

2 cups seeded watermelon, 1 inch cubed (I used half red and half yellow watermelon)

1 large beefsteak tomato, 1 inch cubes

1 small red onion cut in half and sliced thinly on an angle from the side

3 ounces of baby arugula

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground garlic (dry not fresh)

2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar

4-5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Place watermelon, tomatoes, onion and arugula in a large bowl and stir.

Add salt, pepper and garlic to the salad.  Drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive

oil on salad and stir all ingredients together. Sprinkle feta cheese over the salad and serve.

Serves 2

Editors note: This salad was inspired in 2013 by Laurie Price at Laurie’s Farm Market **on Atkins Avenue in Neptune Township.

I purchased the yellow watermelon, tomatoes and arugula from her. All other ingredients were from Wegmans with the exception of the traditional barrel aged Italian balsamic vinegar which was purchased at Carter & Cavero in Sea Girt*.

* Carter and Cavero are at 2100 Rt. 35 in Sea Girt.   They also have a store in Red Bank.

** Lauri’s  Farm Market is no longer in business

 

GERRY MULLIGAN   “Home (When Shadows Fall’)    from his album Dream a Little Dream

 

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Eileen’s Recipes: Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

Posted in Eileen's Recipes, Music from the Broadway stage., tagged , on July 19, 2019| 1 Comment »

Internet photo

Internet photo.

By Eileen Goldfinger, Food Editor @Blogfinger.net

 

July is blueberry time in New Jersey. A favorite way to enjoy them is in pancakes.

You’ll need a nonstick griddle. Heat on medium.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and place two parchment lined cookie trays in the oven.

This will keep the cooked pancakes warm while you  cook the remainder of the batter.

 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs, lightly whisked

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted for the batter

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted for the griddle

3 cups fresh blueberries

pure maple syrup

 

Preheat griddle.

 

In a large bowl whisk together the first four ingredients.

In a medium size bowl whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and butter.

Gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and then fold in the blueberries.

Do not over mix the batter, leave it lumpy, or the pancakes will become tough.

Brush a thin layer of butter on the griddle. Drop a 1/3 of a cup of batter on the griddle.

Flip the pancakes when little bubbles begin to show on the top and the bottom begins to brown. Allow the second side to brown. Then transfer pancakes to the trays in the oven.

Add more butter to the griddle as needed. Continue making pancakes, keeping the finished ones warm in the oven.

Serve with real maple syrup.

Makes 12 pancakes.

 

Have a cup of Joe with your pancakes, and,  at the diner, be careful how you  say “I’d like a short stack ” to the waitress.

“COFFEE IN A CARDBOARD CUP.”   From the Broadway show  “70, Girls, 70” by Kander and Webb who wrote Cabaret.

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Eileen’s Recipes: Beef Stew* (a perfect dish for a blizzard)

Posted in Eileen's Recipes, tagged on March 3, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Eileen's Beef Stew. Ocean Grove, NJ. Paul Goldfinger photo ©

Eileen’s Beef Stew. Ocean Grove, NJ. Paul Goldfinger photo ©

By Eileen Goldfinger, Food Editor @Blogfinger

2 1/2 pounds chuck roast, trimmed of fat, cut into 2″ cubes

10 cipollini onions, peeled

4  carrots, peeled (2 diced, 2 cut into 2″ rounds)

2 russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2″ pieces

2 yellow onions. diced

1/2 pound green beans, trimmed

3 stalks celery, diced

1 cup fresh green peas (frozen can be substituted)

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 large mushrooms, thickly sliced

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dry thyme

1 cup Guinness stout

1 cup red burgundy wine

1 cup beef stock

1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus 2 tablespoons

2 tablespoons margarine

searing flour, as needed

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 plum tomatoes,  seeded and diced

In a 5 quart Dutch oven, heat 1/4 cup of oil on medium.  Remove moisture from meat with a paper towel and  lightly sprinkle cubes with searing flour;  place meat in oil and brown on all sides. Do  this in small batches and set meat aside as they brown.

Add diced carrots, celery and yellow onions to the Dutch oven and cook until they soften and brown, approximately 20 minutes. Add garlic and cook 3 minutes. Add wine, stout, beef broth, thyme, tomato paste, black pepper, salt and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil and stir.

Reduce heat to medium-low, add meat to pot and simmer covered for 1 hour.  Stir occasionally.

While the meat and sauce are simmering, heat margarine and 2 tablespoons of oil on medium in a large nonstick fry pan.  Add the 2″ pieces of carrot, potatoes, cipollini onions, tomatoes, and green beans; and sauté until the vegetables turn a little brown,  approximately 30  minutes.

Add the browned vegetables to the meat and sauce after the meat has cooked for 1 hour.

* For the best flavor prepare the stew to this point a day or two prior to serving.

Reheat the stew on medium-low until the sauce begins to simmer.  Add the green peas and mushrooms.  Stir and cook for 1 hour.   Taste to adjust for flavoring.

Serves 4

FATS WALLER:  “The Rump Steak Serenade”

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Eileen’s Recipes: Veal Stew. A hearty Italian dish for a cold day.

Posted in Eileen's Recipes, tagged , , , on January 20, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Eileen’s veal stew.  1/13/18. Blogfinger photo ©

By Eileen Goldfinger, Food editor @Blogfinger

1 pound veal cubes, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 cup searing flour

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 2 inch strips

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into small cubes

1 stalk celery, cut into small 1/4 inch pieces

5 ounces crimini or white button mushrooms,  cut mushrooms in half

1 cup frozen peas

2 russet potatoes

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

salt to taste

14 ounces canned plum or cherry tomatoes with puree

1 medium onion, cut into small cubes

2/3 cup unsalted chicken broth

1/2 cup red wine

6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Combine flour with black pepper and lightly coat veal with flour. Heat oil in a 5 quart Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Brown the veal in small batches. Remove from pot and set aside on a plate.

Add celery, carrots, onion and garlic to Dutch oven, lower the heat and cook until the vegetables wilt, approximately 10 minutes.

Stir tomatoes, wine, and broth in Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add veal and peppers to the pot. Simmer uncovered for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

At this point in the recipe, peel, dice into one inch cubes, and boil two russet potatoes in a separate pot until they are fork tender. Next pour off the water, take the pot off the heat, and leave the potatoes in the covered pot until ready to serve with the finished stew.

Cover the stew pot and cook for 3/4 hour.  Continue to stir occasionally. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning (more pepper and salt if necessary.)  Add mushrooms and peas, and cook another 15 minutes with the top back on  or until the veal is fork tender.

Add some additional chicken broth during the cooking process if the liquid begins to evaporate.

Serves 2-3 people

PUCCINI.  “O Mio Babbino Caro.”

*Editor’s notes:

Red wine is a must.  We had an Acrobat Pinot Noir  (2016)  from Eugene, Oregon—-Wegmans selection.  The bread is a Bastone, a crunchy-crusted Italian loaf from Mario’s in Fort Myers, Florida—by way of Sicily.

Substitute meats:  Skinless boneless chicken thighs cut into one inch pieces, or beef.

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Eileen’s Lobster Salad: A special treat for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Eileen's Recipes, tagged on November 19, 2018| Leave a Comment »

If you don’t like cooking live lobsters, the Weg Man will do the deed for you.  Click on word “Blogfinger” below.

Blogfinger

Eileen's Lobster Salad. Photo by Eileen Goldfinger © Eileen’s lobster salad. Photo by Eileen Goldfinger ©

By Eileen Goldfinger,  Food Editor @Blogfinger

Cooking the lobsters:

2 lobsters , approx 1 1/2 pounds each, steamed for 15 minutes and then cooled in an ice bath and set aside.

Ingredients:

Lobster Salad:

1 1/2 cups cooked lobster meat cut in 1/2″ pieces

3 scallions, minced

1/3 cup celery, minced

1/2 cup mayonnaise

4 drops Tabasco (hot sauce)

1/4 tsp. freshly grated black pepper

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

pinch of salt

Green Salad:

5 ounces mixed baby greens

2 small bell peppers, thinly sliced

2 radishes, thinly sliced

2 inches of a seedless cucumber, thinly sliced

2 Campari tomatoes, quartered

1 avocado, peeled and quartered

6 endive leaves

1/2 small lemon, juiced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Lobster salad preparation:

Mix lobster, celery and scallion together in a bowl.

In another bowl mix mayonnaise, lemon…

View original post 127 more words

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Be Saucy With Fresh Jersey Cranberries. Don’t forget this treat for Thanksgiving

Posted in Blogfinger Presents, Eileen's Recipes, Photograph by Paul Goldfinger, Photographic Gallery: New Jersey, tagged on October 18, 2018| 4 Comments »

October 2015. Design by Eileen Goldfinger. Blogfinger.net photo.

Ocean Grove. October 2015.  Design  by Eileen Goldfinger. Paul Goldfinger photo.  Fresh cranberries harvested  at Chatsworth, NJ.  Leaves from the Garden State Parkway.  Eileen’s homemade cranberry sauce is  in the center.  Click to enlarge.  © Blogfinger.net

 

Cranberry bog. nchip.uga.edu

Harvest time.  Cranberry bog. nchip.uga.edu

By Eileen Goldfinger, food editor @Blogfinger and Paul Goldfinger, official taster and photographer  @Blogfinger.

On Oct. 20 and 21, 2018,  (next weekend) is the 35th Chatsworth Cranberry Festival. It’s fun. Read about it at http://www.cranfest.info.

This is a very crowded event in the Pine Barrens, about an hour from here.  The best bet is to go on Sunday morning early and park along the side of the road.

New Jersey is one of the most important cranberry growing regions in the world with over 3,500 acres devoted to the crop.  In the US, we are second in size to Wisconsin and Massachusetts.  Cranberries are grown in bogs where the soil and water requirements are quite complicated. The harvest is usually complete by the end of October.

In New Jersey, most of the growing occurs in Burlington County, around Chatsworth, where the annual Cranberry Festival will be held this month.

 

Annual Cranberry Festival. Chatsworth, NJ. Oct. 19, 2013. Paul Goldfinger photo ©

Annual Cranberry Festival. Chatsworth, NJ. Oct. 19, 2013. Paul Goldfinger photo ©  Click left

We go to the Festival  to enjoy this unique cultural event—-Appalachia in Jersey.  Hear bluegrass music and  buy fresh picked cranberries.  Eileen purchases her usual 7 pound box.

In 2015 we were away for the Festival, so we drove to Tabernacle, NJ  ( BF search Tabernacle))  down the road from Chatsworth, one week later,  and visited Russo’s Farm Market where Eileen purchased her supply of cranberries.

She makes fresh cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving and freezes the rest of the berries in small Ziploc portions to use throughout the year.  Fresh cranberries can be purchased at Wegmans and Delicious Orchards.

Fresh cranberries from New Jersey. Photo design by Eileen Goldfinger. Background is a 1950's dish cloth. PG photo ©

2013  photo design by Eileen Goldfinger. Background is a 1950’s dish cloth. PG photo ©. Left click to enlarge.

Below is Eileen’s recipe for homemade cranberry sauce.   It’s a treat for your company on Thanksgiving, so don’t get bogged down with that gelatinous canned stuff.

EILEEN’S CRANBERRY SAUCE:

1 cup of water

1 cup sugar

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 orange, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon orange zest

1/8 cup Grand Marnier (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix sugar and water in a medium sauce pan.

Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar.

Add cranberries and bring to a boil; then reduce the heat and gently boil for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat.

Cool to room temperature.

Add diced orange and zest and Grand Marnier.

Refrigerate.

Makes approx. 2 cups of cranberry sauce. In general, if used as a condiment, it will serve about 4 people.

BETTE MIDLER   You can’t hurry cranberry sauce or love.

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Eileen’s Chicken Stew

Posted in Eileen's Recipes, tagged on August 14, 2018| 1 Comment »

Eileen’s chicken stew. Blogfinger photo ©.

 

By Eileen Goldfinger, Food editor @Blogfinger

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut into one inch pieces

1/4 cup searing flour

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 2 inch strips

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium carrots, peeled, cut into small cubes

1 stalk celery, cut into small 1/4 inch pieces

5 ounces crimini or white button mushrooms, 5 ounces, cut mushrooms in half

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

salt to taste

14 ounces canned plum or cherry tomatoes

1 medium onion, cut into small cubes

2/3 cup unsalted chicken broth

1/2 cup red wine

6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

16 ounce package of frozen peas

5 small red or butter potatoes cubed

 

Using a medium size sauce pan, fill three quarters with water and bring to a boil.  Add the potatoes and cook until they are fork tender. Then pour off water and place the potatoes aside.

Combine flour with black pepper and lightly coat chicken pieces with flour. Heat oil in a 5 quart Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Brown the chicken in small batches. Remove from pot and set aside on a plate.

Add celery, carrots, onion and garlic to Dutch oven, lower the heat and cook until the vegetables wilt, approximately 10 minutes.

Stir tomatoes, wine, and broth in Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add chicken and peppers to the pot. Simmer covered for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

After the one hour make sure the chicken is fork-tender. If not, cook until its is fork tender.

Taste sauce and adjust seasoning ( more pepper and salt if necessary.)  Add mushrooms, peas, and potatoes.  Cook another 15 minutes.

Add some additional chicken broth during the cooking process if the liquid begins to evaporate.

 

PUCCINI.  “O Mio Babbino Caro.”

Red wine is a must.  We had a Foris Pinot Noir  (2014)  from the Rogue Valley in Oregon—-Wegmans selection.  The bread is a Bastone, a crunchy-crusted Italian loaf from Mario’s in Fort Myers, Florida—by way of Sicily.

Serves 2-3 people

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