dinner Archives - Fresh From Oregon

What to do with all the Green Tomatoes … Fried Green Tomatoes

November 8, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

What to do with some of the green tomatoes you picked at the end of season that might still be hanging around your house? Coated with a crispy cornmeal and panko crumb mix these fried green tomatoes are the perfect treat to serve as a side dish or topped on a burger.

Fried Green Tomatoes
3 fresh green tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch slices
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1/4 teaspoon paprika
oil for frying

Liberally season green tomato slices with salt and pepper on both sides. Place flour and egg mixture into two separate small bowls. Combine cornmeal, panko crumbs and paprika into another small bowl and whisk together. Begin by dipping each seasoned tomato slice into flour coating on both sides. Next add floured tomato slice to eggs coating on both sides. Lastly dip into cornmeal and crumb mixture and set aside finished slice on baking sheet. Repeat dredging process, starting with flour, until all slices are coated. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium high heat. Fry tomato slices on both sides until golden brown and drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

Recipe from ~ Grandbaby cakes

Melt in your Mouth Reuben Sandwich

March 13, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

Corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing sandwiched between two pieces of grilled rye bread = one of the most amazing sandwich. The Reuben sandwich first gained local fame when the Blackstone’s Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska added it to the lunch menu, and its fame spread when a former employee of the hotel won a national contest with the recipe. There has been much debate were the Reuben originated Omaha, Nebraska or New York, New York but right now this homemade Reuben sandwich is Fresh From Oregon. I roasted the corned beef, add my homemade sauerkraut and homemade thousand island dressing and served it with my homemade garlic dill pickles. Enjoy this melt in your mouth recipe.

Reuben Sandwich
8 slices rye bread
butter
1 pound roasted corned beef, sliced thin
1 to 1 1/2 cups sauerkraut, drained
8 slices Swiss cheese
Thousand Island dressing, recipe below
Dill Pickles

Butter one side of each piece of rye bread. To assemble sandwich place one piece of bread butter side down and spread a thin layer of thousand island dressing. Add one slice of Swiss cheese, 1/4 pound corned beef and 1/4 to 1/3 cup sauerkraut. Spread thousand island dressing on second piece of rye bread and place butter side up. Assemble the remaining three sandwiches. Heat a flat top grill or pan over medium heat. Grill sandwiches on one side until golden brown about 3-4 minutes. Flip over and grill other side until golden brown. Serve with a side of pickles and potato and enjoy!

Thousand Island Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2 teaspoons finely diced onion
1/4 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste

Add all ingredients to a small bowl and mix well. Taste and add additional salt if desired. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld. Serve. Can keep in refrigerate 4-5 days.

Sweet & Spicy Roasted Corned Beef

March 10, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

What is Corned Beef? Corned Beef is is a cut of meat, a brisket, that has been cured, or pickled, in a seasoned brine. Even though corned beef is associated with St. Patrick’s Day this is not an Irish dish. The connection with St. Patrick’s Day is a Irish-American tradition. In the late 19th century corned beef was used as a substitute for bacon by Irish-American immigrants. Traditional corned beef is simmered in water with spices for 3 to 5 hours until tender. I like my corned beef with a crusty outside and a little kick so this recipe for Sweet & Spicy Roasted Corned Beef is the perfect recipe. It comes out of the oven tender, juicy and delicious! Served with some roasted cabbage and carrots and you have the perfect dinner. I always make sure I have extra corned beef for a Reuben sandwich the next day and some corned beef hash!

Sweet & Spicy Roasted Corned Beef
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon horseradish
2 tablespoons honey
3 pound corned beef with spices*
2 tablespoons brown sugar

In small bowl, mix together the honey, mustard and horseradish. Remove corned beef from packaging and rinse in cool water. Pat dry. Place in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Smear the honey/mustard mixture over the corned beef being sure to coat the entire thing. Add spice mixture to bag and seal. Gently massage the corned beef for a few seconds to be sure the marinade is coating every surface possible. Place on plate and put in fridge to marinate for 3 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350. Place corned beef, fat side up, on top of a large square of aluminum foil. Pour a little of the excess marinade on top. Sprinkle 2 Tbs brown sugar over the corned beef. Bring up edges of foil and seal to make a loose packet around the meat. Place in a shallow roasting pan and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours. Remove from oven and carefully vent a corner to let steam escape. Turn oven to broil. Fold sides of foil down a bit to expose the corned beef. Pop back into oven and broil 1 -3 minutes until top is deep brown and sizzling. Remove to platter and slice against the grain, serve slices with a spoonful of the pan drippings for a sweet/spicy kick.

* If your corned beef does not come with spices you can use pickling spice or make you own. Just mix 1 teaspoon coarse salt, 1 teaspoon whole peppercorn, 1 cinnamon stick crushed, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed, 2 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon minced garlic and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers.

Recipe from ~ A Hen’s Nest

Roasted Turkey with Homemade Cracker Stuffing

November 12, 2014 · by Carrie Trax ·

The roasted golden bird, the Turkey is the center piece of any Thanksgiving table. But in my family the favorite dish is my family’s cracker stuffing passed down from my mom from my grandmother and great grandmother. For four generations and probably longer it has been a holiday tradition making cracker stuffing in my family. My great grandmother comes for the town of Vejvanov, West Bohemia, Czech Republic a small city south west of Prague. I wanted to learn more about the history of cracker stuffing and read several Bohemian cookbooks and searched the internet. I found that it is called (Nádivkou) or Bohemian Cracker Stuffing. Crackers seemed to be an easy substitute for stale bread or bread crumbs. All the recipes I found online seem to be just a little different than mine, with an extra ingredient or seasoning but we like our basic one made with the recipe below. It was even featured on the Food Network’s kitchen website when I entered the recipe in a Stuffing Cook-off contest.

Cracker Stuffing

Cracker, onions and celery in vintage bowl

4 sleeves saltine crackers
2 stalks celery
1 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk

12-14 pound Turkey
4 stalks celery
6 carrots, peeled
2 can chicken broth
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

To make my cracker stuffing I used my Ninja food processor attachment this year to crush my crackers and chop the celery, it made my crackers more consistent in size. In the bowl of the Ninja food processor place one sleeve of crackers and pulse three times. That’s all it takes to make the perfect size cracker for this recipe. Empty crackers from the Ninja into a large bowl and repeat with the remaining crackers. In the same food processor bowl add the celery and pulse 8 times then add the celery to the crackers in the bowl. If you do not have a Ninja (add it to your wish list) you can crush the crackers by hand. With the crackers still in their sleeves, crush them with your hands (easier to crush this way, and it keeps your hands cleaner) then empty the sleeves into a large bowl. Chop celery into small pieces and add to the crackers. In a frying pan, saute the butter, onion and black pepper until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes. No need to add salt since you are using saltine crackers. Add cooked onions to the crackers and mix well. Add eggs and mix well. Add milk a little at a time (you might not use all of the milk), until the cracker mix is moistened. Cracker mix should form a ball which you can hold in your hand. When stuffing a turkey with cracker stuffing it does not expand, so you want to pack it in tight. With traditional bread stuffing you would pack it in the turkey loosely. When the turkey is ready, you pull out the cracker stuffing in one big chunk and slice it. Also great on a turkey sandwich the next day!

To prepare the turkey remove from packaging. Remove the neck (Do not worry it has been already cut off and is inside the turkey cavity). On the back end of the turkey there will be a bag of giblets including the heart, gizzard and liver. It may not sound good but do NOT throw away the neck and the giblets it will make a great turkey stock so just place all together in a bag and refrigerate. I will share in a later post the best turkey stock recipe using these parts and the carcass of the turkey after you have carved off all the meat. Rinse turkey under cold water and pat dry with paper towel. In your roasting pan add 4 stalks of celery and 6 carrots that have been cut up and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. They will also be used later in making the turkey stock.

Place turkey on top of carrots and celery. Stuff the cavity of the turkey with the cracker stuffing and remember to pack it in tight. Do not forgot there is room in the back of the turkey where the giblets were so pack some stuffing in there as well. There is no need to tie the legs together just let the stuffing flow out the cavity. Rub some olive oil on the turkey and sprinkle with salt and pepper. This will help give your turkey a nice golden brown color and add flavor to the skin. Add two cans of chicken stock to the pan and cover with a nice tall lid.* Place in a preheated 325 degree oven and since we stuffed the turkey it will take 4 to 4 1/2 hours to cook. The turkey is done when the thigh meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

* I have found over the years that if you have a tall lid on your turkey when it is cooking the air can circulate and your turkey will come out a golden brown without having to remove the lid the last 30 minutes to brown it. You may choose to bast the turkey once an hour with the juices from the bottom of the pan. I seem to get so busy I never remember and it bastes itself just fine with the tall roasting pan I use.

Do not forget after Thanksgiving dinner is over, save anything left in the pan, the turkey bones, pieces, carrots, celery, juice and bits left in the roasting pan. Place in a container and get ready to make some turkey broth to use in some other great dishes like turkey chili, turkey wild rice soup, turkey pot pie or in place of chicken broth in any of your favorite recipes.

French “Candy” Onion Soup

September 16, 2013 · by Carrie Trax ·

Why did I get so excited when I found these yellow onions last week? These are not just any yellow onions they are “Candy Onions” I got at the Beaverton farmer’s market here in Oregon. These onions are high in sugar content and caramelize into a rich brown color making them perfect for French onion soup. You can also cut them in 1/2″ slices, brush with some olive oil and place on medium-high heat on your grill. These onions will grill up beautifully and are a perfect topper for your next burger or pizza. I got these onions Fresh From Oregon but they are found all across the country. If you can get your hands on some gather them up and try some of these sweet onions for yourself.

French “Candy” Onion Soup
6 large “Candy” onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 Tablespoon flour
16 oz. chicken broth
16 oz. beef broth
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Loaf French bread
12 slices Swiss cheese

Saute onions in butter until caramelized. This is really important to get the best flavor. I saute for 45 minutes to a hour. Sprinkle flour over onions and stir until smooth. Gradually add the chicken and beef broth, water and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Slice bread in 1/2 inch slices and brush with olive oil and toast both sides. Once soup is ready ladle about 2 cups into a bowl and place 1 or 2 pieces of toast on top and then add 2 slices of Swiss cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese is brown and bubbly.

Oregon Dungeness Crab Alfredo

February 19, 2013 · by Carrie Trax ·

Slightly sweet and tender flesh are the only words to describe the taste of Oregon Dungeness Crab. The annual harvest of the Oregon Dungeness Crab begins on December 1st and ends on August 14th. The peak of the season is December through April and they can be found in large piles in your local seafood store. Now is the best time to get the lowest prices on Oregon Dungeness Crabs when the harvest is in full swing during the winter months.

Only the mature male crabs that measure at least 6 ¼ inches across the back of the shell are allowed to be harvested. All under sized male and females must be returned to the ocean where they continue the mating cycle for future harvesting.

I got about 1/2 pound of crab meat out of one crab. If you were serving just the crab meat you should plan on about 2 crabs per person, but if combining with other items like this Fresh From Oregon Crab Alfredo one crab will do the job.

With the Oregon Dungeness Crabs in peak season now I will be preparing more dishes to share with you.

Oregon Dungeness Crab Alfredo

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound Oregon Dungeness Crab meat
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 cups cooked hot linguine noodles (1/2 pound uncooked dry)
2 tablespoon fresh parsley

In large skillet over medium-high heat melt butter. Add green onions and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the crab meat and saute 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream, salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes or until heated through, stirring constantly. Gradually add both of the cheeses and cook until melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the hot linguine noodles. Add the fresh parsley and its ready to serve.