About Mastering and Enjoying Home Cooking. Drink, Cook, and Live Well!

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Molly’s Dog Food



Molly is an active 5-year old 50 pound boxer with a high metabolism.

7 Cups  chicken stock
4 Heaping cups rice
¼ Pound butter
¼ Cup dried parsley
1 1/2 Cup carrots, chopped
1 Cup chopped green beans
5 Pounds Chicken thighs
Chicken livers, sautéed and chopped
2 Large Sweet potato, peeled, chopped into smaller pieces
Oatmeal, 1 cup, cooked, the chopped
6 Hard boiled eggs, chopped







Additives
Yogurt
Cottage cheese
Pumpkin
Mashed banana
Apple sauce
Ricotta cheese
1/2 tablespoon of fish oil (Omega 3 Fatty Acid Fish Oil)

Cook chicken in 8 cups of water on low for two hours. Remove chicken and retain. When the chicken cools, bone it with your hands, and chop it coursely.

Bring remaining stock to a boil. (Should be about 7 cups) Add butter, parsley, green beans, rice, chopped sweet potato, stir briefly. Add lid, bring to a boil, place in a 310F oven for 60 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the oatmeal in water, microwave on high for two minutes. Set aside. Sauté chicken livers in butter. Set aside. Remove rice from oven then remove the lid. In15 minutes, fluff the rice with a fork. Chop the oatmeal, chicken, chicken livers, eggs, and add into a large bowl all these ingredients and combined with the cooled rice.

Separate cooked dog food into manageable plasticware with lids. Freeze some for later.

Top individual meals with one or more of:
Yogurt
Cottage cheese
Pumpkin
Mashed banana
Apple sauce

Monday, July 23, 2018

Monkfish Bisque



Pare this fine French Bisque with a Napa or California Central Coast buttery1 Chardonnay or a Viognier. This is an elegant starter for any meal especially a medley of seafood. Monkfish is called the poor man’s lobster” due to its sweet, firm white flesh. Do not infer that, somehow, that implies it’s a second class ingredient.

1 Pound Monkfish fillet cut into ½ cubes
3 Whites of leeks, washed, chopped
2 Medium Idaho baking potatoes, peeled, chopped
¾ Stick of unsalted butter
1 Teaspoon white pepper
½ Teaspoon each of tarragon and nutmeg
1 Cup heavy cream
2 Cups Free Range Chicken bone broth
Sea Salt to taste
Teaspoon of lime or lemon juice

Melt butter in a heavy sauce pan. Sauté leeks over medium until they start to clear. Add potatoes. Sauté and stir of five minutes. Add chicken stock and simmer covered until potato is done. Process to almost smooth with a post blender. Add white pepper, tarragon, and nutmeg. Add the cut up monkfish. Add cream, simmer covered for 5 minutes. Correct seasonings.  A touch of lemon brightens the flavor.

Note:
  1. These wines are put through a secondary fermentation process, called malolactic fermentation. This process softens the acidity and gives the wine the characteristic round, soft mouth feel and rich, buttery flavor
  2. Cutting the Monkfish into 1/2 inch cubes insures it cooks quickly, an important step.