Gourmet Cookie Bouquets Recipe Blog

Archive for September, 2007

This recipe for easy weekday chili is definitely one that you could tuck into Southwestern food gift baskets.

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef (cooked)
• 2 tablespoons ground chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder, dried thyme leaves, salt and black ground pepper
• 3 peppers (different colors), sliced
• (796ml.) can diced tomatoes
• 19 ounce can kidney beans, cleaned
• 1/2 cup fresh basil

Lightly coat saucepan with the olive oil and heat on medium heat. Crumble in the ground beef. Sprinkle the beef with chili powder, garlic powder, dried thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Add the sliced peppers and diced tomatoes to the ground beef. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat to low and partially cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally until peppers are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in beans, and cook until hot. (About 2 minutes) Remove from heat and stir in basil.

If you enjoyed this recipe, you'll love this recipe for Stuffed Noodles In Stew.

This recipe calls for chapatti or ata flour, available at Indian groceries but bread flour (a high gluten flour available in most grocery stores) may be substituted. The bread dough must be quite soft, and the amount of water you use will depend on the type of flour and humidity in the air. Adjust the quantity of water suggested in the recipe as necessary. To "freshen up" the bread after it has gone cold or been removed from the freezer, sprinkle it with a little water on both sides and quickly warm it up under a hot broiler. Sia donna, or nigella seeds, have a nutty, peppery flavor, and are used in India and the Middle East to flavor vegetables, legumes, and bread. You can find them at Indian groceries.

Ingredients:

• 5 1/2 cups chapatti or ata flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) quick-rising yeast
• 4 to 5 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups warm water
• Sia donna (nigella seeds), poppy seeds, sesame seeds (optional)

1. Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl. Add the yeast, and mix to combine the dry ingredients. Mix in the oil, and rub in with the hands. Gradually add the warm water to flour mixture and mix with the hands until a smooth, round, soft dough is formed. Knead for another 7 to 10 minutes, until the dough is elastic and smooth, essentially the same as ordinary bread dough. Form into a ball, cover with a damp cloth, and let rest in a moderately warm place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in bulk.
2. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place in the oven to get hot.
3. When the dough has risen, punch down and divide into four equal size balls. Shape or roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into oval shapes of about 1/2 inch thickness. After shaping the dough, wet your hand and use your finger or thumb to form deep grooves down the center of each loaf. Sprinkle with the sia donna (or poppy or sesame seeds), if desired. Press the seeds lightly into the dough.
4. Remove the hot baking tray from the oven and place dough on it, leaving a couple of inches between the dough pieces. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown. The bread should be fairly crisp and hard on the outside. Repeat the process with the remaining balls of dough.
5. When removed from the oven, the bread should be wrapped in a clean tea towel or aluminum foil to prevent drying.

This recipe would be a great addition to an Italian gift basket along with more pasta recipes as well.

For wonderful pasta recipes, try:

• Stuffed Noodles In Stew
• Noodles with Honey and Poppy Seeds
• Noodles and Cheese

• Low-fat mayonnaise, and/or low-fat yogurt can be used.
• 2 apples, cored and peeled
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained, with 1-2 tablespoons juice reserved
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup raisins or chopped dates
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise or low-fat plain yogurt

1. In a medium bowl, combined the apples, pineapple, gourmet nuts, and raisins or dates.
2. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise or yogurt with the pineapple juice.
3. Pour the dressing over the fruit. Chill until ready to serve.

If you enjoyed this salad recipe, try this recipe for Summer Fruits Salad.