kateq's Reviews
558 recipes reviewed. Showing 401 to 450Sort by: Book Title 
| Date | Rating | Recipe Title
Nick Stellino's Passione: Pasta, Pizza, and Panini
By Nick Stellino
Putnam Adult - 2000
This is a review of the meat filling which is absolutely outstanding. The prep is time-consuming in that the celery, carrot and onion are not really to be diced but to be minced very finely. Otherwise, the filling will have inappropriately large bits of veg. For the breadcrumbs, I use the recipe but do not toast in the extra olive oil. I also use less oil than is listed and drain off a bit of the fat that is rendered from the veal and prosciutto before adding the wine. The resulting filling is wonderful in tortellini, ravioli or any other stuffed pasta.
useful (0)
Really good, really standard recipe for for fresh pasta sheets. Easy enough to do with the crank pasta machine, but my, how much easier with the Kitchen Aid attachment. We made the large batch and ended up with about 6 dozen nice sized ravioli.
useful (0)
The Olive and the Caper: Adventures in Greek Cooking
By Susanna Hoffman
Workman Publishing Company - 2004
I loved these! And I made them with dried oregano. I look forward to the summer when I'll have Greek oregano growing on the deck and can pick fresh leaves for cooking. I used a half sheet pan and a silpat and stirred the potatoes with a spatula as directed. I had no sticking problems, though I agree that the very crispy bits at the edges were delicious.
useful (1)
I made mine in the food processor exactly as directed, only skipping the salt, as it was to be used in a salad which was already quite salty. It came together perfectly and had a lovely consistency, thinner than store-bought mayonnaise but thick enough to nicely coat the salad vegetables.
useful (0)
This very easy and very healthy pilaf is wonderful! I followed the recipe exactly, using arborio rice and roma tomatoes (the only decent tomatoes available at this time of year). The combination of fresh herbs and lemon makes this remarkably fresh tasting -- adding them at the end is brilliant. I love the idea of adding a protein -- some shrimp or crab -- and making this a true main dish.
useful (1)
Okay--so I didn't peel the chickpeas...otherwise, I did as I was told. sort of. So far in cooking form this book, with every recipe containing olive oil, I use much less. And I made my chickpeas in my crock pot. When I finished making the soup, I used the immersion blender to puree the soup, skins and all. I also used, per her suggestion, other fresh herbs as I had no fresh tarragon. At first taste, I was unimpressed with this soup. Then, because plans changed, I packed the soup into a couple of containers and froze it. The other day I defrosted the soup and reheated it and what a happy surprise! It was delicious, much more flavorful and complex than one would think, given the simplicity of the ingredients and preparation. And the texture was lovely. I look forward to trying it garnished with fresh tarragon (if spring ever comes...)
useful (1)
First, let me say I can't imagine eating this dish as written.With the amount of olive oil, combined with the fat contained in a chicken (cut up, skin on), I think this would be much too oily/fatty/greasy for me. Second, I have had a hard time deciding how to rate this. The dish results in a great-looking sauce and presents beautifully, but the level of piquancy is rather high. I used a good quality balsamic but I think the combination of vinegar and capers is a bit much. On the other hand, the flavor is great. So, perhaps just toning down the vinegar would do it. As far as the chicken, I used skinless, boneless chicken breasts, which I browned with the shallots in a minimal amount of olive oil. I then removed the chicken and held it to the side until I added everything else and brought it to the boil. I then returned the chicken and its juices and completed the recipe. Ironically, after all my going on about oil, I think a bit of butter swirled in the sauce, off the heat, would smooth out the edges of the sauce beautifully.
useful (1)
This is a terrific salad. The flavors come together beautifully. The textures are crispy and smooth and soft; the flavors are sharp and mellow. My only criticism is the same one I have with most of the recipes in this book --too much dressing!
useful (4)
I think is a great quick version of bechamel. I did follow the method I learned for cream sauce which is to add cold milk to the pale roux and whisk till it just about reaches the boil. Then cook on low till the consistency of thin whipped cream. I would also suggest that if it is not to be used immediately, it should be covered with plastic wrap right on the surface of the sauce so a skin does not form. I used this in pastitsio and loved it.
useful (0)
A great sauce! I did use all beef and the leanest ground beef available (93%). I also had to make do with non-Greek tomato paste and I substituted Marsala for the Mavrodaphne wine. The resulting sauce is absolutely delicious. The cinnamon is very subtle and a brilliant addition to the taste. (Some years ago I was introduced by a Greek friend to cinnamon in a beef stew and loved it--but had forgotten). I used some of the sauce for pastitsio and am looking forward to using the balance in some other tasty dish.
useful (1)
I ate this dish many years ago and remembered it as a heavy and not very tasty but very fattening meal. It was full of very thick cream sauce and meat that seemed to leave a layer of fat on one's lips. I looked at this recipe and thought, with some misgivings, I would give it a try. I'm so glad I did. The meat sauce is delicious on its own, but combined with the parmesan and the rather light version of bechamel it's really a very pleasing meal. All it needs is a salad, a glass of wine, and opa!
useful (2)
Like Zosia, I think this is fabulous. It is beautiful to look at and tastes wonderful. And the taste does improve--made yesterday, it's even better today.
useful (0)
I used extra lean ground beef and the walnut option. I ended up with 48 great little meatballs. Rather than sauteing them in oil, I placed them on a rack on a sheet pan and baked them in a 375 degree oven. They were perfectly done in about 10 minutes. They were gobbled up in less time than that.
useful (2)
I've made spanakopita many times over the years, usually using a combination of leek, red onion, scallion and spinach, along with the herbs and egg and cheese. I was afraid this might be a little dull, a little bitter. Nope--it's great! I loved the very fresh tasting spinach, enhanced but not overcome by the feta and scallion. I halved the recipe (using 2 eggs), used as little oil as possible for the dough. I loved the chopping of the spinach prior to wilting and the use of just one pan for the prep. Easy prep and great results.
useful (1)
Olives: The Life and Lore of a Noble Fruit
By Mort Rosenblum
North Point Press - 1996
This recipe is yet more evidence that really good ingredients stand on their own. I had beautiful shrimp, fresh garlic, good olive oil, flat leaf parsley just picked and a bit of the Chardonnay we were drinking. My only misgiving with this recipe is that I think the times suggested are too long, unless the shrimps or prawns are huge. The winey, garlicy sauce was fabulous mopped up with some good crusty bread
useful (0)
Oma and Bella: Das Kochbuch - The Cookbook
By Alexa Karolinski
- 2000
I made this as a component of the stuffed cabbage (in which it works like a dream) and knew from the aroma coming from the mortar that it would be delicious. I have since used in a spinach and feta filling for croissants with great success. A jar of this will have a permanent spot in my spice rack.
useful (0)
Most comfort food is comforting but fattening. Here's a pot full of comfort that's healthy and with hardly any fat at all. At first glance, this recipe looks like a lot of work and pots to clean, but it turned to be quite easily done. I cooked the rice while I chopped the vegetables and I sauteed the onions in the pot in which the final dish was made. Two anomalies in the recipe: first, it calls for 1/4 cup of oil and doesn't mention what to do with it. I guessed that that was meant for frying the onions. I used about one tablespoon of olive oil which was plenty. The second issue involves those onions. We are instructed to mix half of them with the rest of the stuffing. I didn't see where the other half went so I put all the onions into the stuffing. I used super lean ground sirloin--a little less than a pound as that was what I had on hand. It was plenty. The spice mix (a separate recipe) is absolutely terrific--just the right hint of heat, of sweetness, of herbiness. A great success!
useful (0)
Website: The Oregonian/Oregon Live
recipes.oregonlive.com/recipes
Not only is this delicious, but it is the easiest cheesecake I've ever made. We put together exactly as directed and it came out of the oven perfect--no crack or sinking. The texture is wonderfully smooth and creamy without being overly rich. The hazelnut flavoring is subtle and quite lovely.
useful (0)
Website: The Oregonian/Oregon Live
recipes.oregonlive.com/recipes
I have seen many recipes for Dutch Baby Pancakes over the years, but never made nor tasted one. This year, we decided it would be perfect for Christmas Breakfast. What a happy choice! We followed the very clear instructions, choosing to mix by hand with a whisk. We had no problem avoiding lumps. We put it in the oven, not really sure what to expect. When I peeked after it was about halfway baked, it had already reached such heights we needed to quickly pull out the topmost shelf in the oven--and this despite the fact that we were using a particularly deep cast iron skillet. The finished 'Baby' was gorgeous, and even tho it fell a bit (as predicted) it was still quite the puffed-up number. We had it with powdered sugar and strawberry jam and absolutely loved it. I think we'll be making this again and again. Lots of variations come to mind---apple filling, other jams, even savory versions.
useful (0)
Website: Ottolenghi
www.ottolenghi.co.uk/blog/category/recipes
Very simple to make--though a fair bit of chopping. Used legs, wings and breasts (breasts bond and skinned) in place of the 8 eggs called for in the recipe. Stirred it twice during its two hours in the oven; let it sit a bit as directed and then served out of the same dish it got mixed and baked in. We all loved it. There was a bit left over and it might have even been better the second day. One eater suggested cooking the potatoes separately so that they would not take on the dark purple color of the sauce. I thought a variation might be to skip the potatoes and make some polenta or couscous. We had some naan to sop up the lovely sauce.
useful (0)
Ottolenghi Simple: A Cookbook
By Yotam Ottolenghi
Ten Speed Press - 2018
This is a simple dish--a sauce made from anchovies, olive oil, garlic, lemon, parsley and wine. Pasta and (no samphire here) skinny asparagus are then tossed in the sauce. In addition to using asparagus, I did make some other changes. My parsley was too sad to be used. I was out of lemons so used some diced preserved lemon. But in the end, I think this very pleasing dish was in the Ottolenghi spirit. I love anchovies and asparagus and it turns out that the combo is very good indeed.
useful (0)
Pati's Mexican Table: The Secrets of Real Mexican Home Cooking
By Pati Jinich
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - 2013
Perfect proportion of masa to water. So easy and yielded about 18 smallish very delicious tortillas.
useful (0)
I've made rice in so many ways--in a rice cooker, in a Charleston Rice pot, sauteed in butter or oil then cooked in the water added. I forget where I first learned about rinsing rice and was delighted with the difference/improvement. Now this method---soak for five minutes in hot water then rinse and cook in boiling water---is the best yet. The grains of rice remained separate, they were perfectly cooked and clean-up was a snap.
useful (0)
I was interested to see (taste) how these compared to Rick Bayless's recipe, which uses beef and/or pork and has a slightly different cooking method. To my surprise and pleasure, I liked these even more than his. As usual, I went easy on the chipotles but went with the full tablespoon of adobo sauce. These go into the blender with either fresh tomatoes which have been blanched and peeled or with canned tomato puree. (I used the canned diced tomatoes I had on hand). This gets pureed along with onions and then goes into a skillet in which a bit of oil has been warmed. While the sauce cooks, ground turkey is combined with cooked rice, mint that's been chopped up with garlic, salt and pepper. When the sauce is simmering and darkening in color, shape the meatballs and drop them into the sauce to cook--20 minutes covered and then longer uncovered to thicken the sauce. I ended up with about 2 dozen medium sized meatballs and adequate sauce (can you ever have too much?). Very delicious, tender, moist meatballs and the sauce is a winner.
useful (0)
Patricia Wells at Home in Provence: Recipes Inspired By Her Farmhouse In France
By Patricia Wells, Robert Freson
Scribner - 1996
This is very simple to prepare and quite delicious. I warmed the vinaigrette in a small bowl in the microwave while the fish steamed over the rice I was making. In short order, a quite nice meal was ready, with very little clean up after.
useful (1)
Excellent rye bread. The dough takes a bit of time to come together, even tho I knead it in a large Kitchenaid. The instructions are quite good and the resulting bread has a good crust and slices beautifully. I like it best sliced very thin. Has good shelf life.
useful (0)
Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day
By Peter Reinhart
Ten Speed Press - 2009
This recipe results in a panettone with a truly lovely crumb, a very satisfying texture and softness. However, I do feel that it lacks just a bit in sweetness which in turn comes primarily from too little fruit (though I may up the honey just a bit in the future). I used the prescribed amount of fruit (one and a third cups of bourbon-soaked raisins) and the finely grated rind of an orange. Next time I will add at least two thirds of a cup more fruit -- candied rind, dried cherries or cranberries or apricots or a combination thereof.
My starter must be quite lively as the dough, after its 12 hour rise, went from filling a third of the pretty brown and gold paper mold to overflowing its top. I gently 'de-gassed' it a bit, made the traditional cross slashes on the top and baked it. The finished product looked super and smelled wonderful. I had to take it to a friend's home and packed it, still warm, right side up for the trip. It didn't seem any the worse for wear despite not being cooled upside down.
useful (1)
Joining the chorus! I used my stand mixer and found this very easy to do. I went with half ap flour and half bread flour. I also chose to egg wash my croissants. The instructions are lovely--I'm going for the fourth fold next time for sure.
useful (0)
Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie
By Ken Haedrich
Harvard Common Press - 2004
An excellent pie filling. I used my usual all butter pie crust and an 8 1/2" inch aluminum pie plate (I was transporting the pie and didn't want to worry about taking a pie plate back). This leads to my only complaint about this recipe: it was sufficient to fill that pie plate to the brim. Had I used the suggested larger, deep-dish pie plate, it would have been insufficient. Now to the good part: the custard was velvety and rich tasting without being overly sweet. (I did use unsweetened coconut.) And much of the coconut rose to the top during and baking and browned beautifully which gave the pie a lovely appearance. I did not use the suggested garnishes as we felt they were unnecessary--the pie was delicious on its own. I used the heavy cream and half and half and the optional coconut extract. This will definite be made again.
useful (0)
The Pie and Pastry Bible
By Rose Levy Beranbaum
Scribner - 1998
This is outstanding pumpkin custard. I used it to fill two tarts which were eaten by quite a number of very happy people. The spicing is just right; the texture is absolutely lovely and it is really quite easy. Such a nice change from the evaporated milk/gelatin/tinned mix variations so often served at Thanksgiving. It should be noted that (in the US at least) cans of pumpkin puree are no longer 15 ounces. I use the large 28 ounce cans and always seem to have small bits left over in the freezer or the fridge.
useful (1)
The results are delicious but I find the instructions too fussy--I had fabulous results grating cold butter and cream cheese into the flour and mixing by hand. I added lemon juice instead of vinegar. I skipped the whole "kneading in a bag" deal and mixed the ice water by hand and spatula till it came together and then flattened it onto plastic wrap and chilled it. I found it very easy to roll out on cold, well floured marble. The dough held up beautifully during par baking and the crimping was easy and looked great at the finish. Similarly, the two-crust pie looked so pretty and tasted so good. I love this crust...
useful (0)
This is excellent--comes together in seconds in the food processor, rolls out with no trouble, bakes beautifully and tastes great. It's wonderful all-purpose crust.
useful (0)
I used a combination of raspberries, strawberries and blackberries, frozen, and found that 4 cups really wasn't enough to fill a 9" pie crust. I agree that it wasn't quite sweet enough--I added about 1/4 cup more sugar. I baked this with the basic butter crust and used her streusel topping. It was an excellent pie.
useful (0)
As with many of her recipes, this is not quite sweet enough--it needs just a tad more sugar. I've also found that a combination of white and brown sugar works very well. Also it pays to be a bit generous with the butter. The tip about chilling and then making ridge around the rim of the pie is very helpful.
useful (0)
This is very good and very easy, but needs a tad more sweetness. Part of the problem could be that I used an organic peanut butter without the additives contained in a spread like Jif (recommended in the recipe)--but I'd much prefer to add a but more sweetness and avoid the additives. The amount is just right to fill a nine inch tart or pie pan.
useful (0)
Piece of Cake: Home Baking Made Simple
By David Muniz, David Lesniak, Rachel Allen
Rizzoli - 2012
This bakes up into a pretty loaf and smells wonderful. The streusel is just a bit dry--I think a bit of soft butter added to it would make a big difference. I added some chopped pecans along with the streusel and it was a nice touch. I'm thinking that the one small criticism I have--that the loaf is a bit dry--would be resolved by the above-mentioned addition of a little butter and/or some chopped dried fruit (cherries?) or some apple. As with other loaves of this sort, I find it much simpler to line the pan with parchment rather than buttering it.
useful (0)
Pies & Pastries (Cooking at Glance) (Cooking at a Glance)
By Tori. Ritchie
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC - 1995
This recipe makes me so happy! I had beautiful puff pastry dough ready to use (chilling time included) in about an hour and a half. Great instructions, step by step photos, and so easy! So far, I've wrapped a wheel of brie, made some great little crunchy cheesy breadsticks, and have enough left to plan for some sweet pastries for the morning.
useful (1)
Pies & Tarts (Maida Heatter Classic Library)
By Maida Heatter
Andrews McMeel Publishing - 1997
This is very simple and results in an absolutely delicious, perfectly smooth pumpkin filling. I used the heavy cream/milk variation and warmed the cream in the microwave. I followed the recipe but for the pepper which I skipped (I don't object to the flavor--I just didn't want the black flecks of pepper in the custard). I used the cream cheese pastry from the Pie and Pastry Bible and filled one 7" tart shell and four 3" tarts.
useful (0)
This is a review of the filling only; I used the Cream Cheese Pastry recipe from the Pie and Pastry Bible (which has become my absolute go-to pie/tart pastry). I went with the recipe with just two exceptions--I brushed cream (instead of milk) on the top crust and sprinkled it with sanding sugar instead of granulated. I also really love the smell of freshly grated nutmeg and so might have used just a bit more than directed. I used a combination of tart and sweet apples. I could not have been happier with the results. While I used a different recipe for the crust, I did follow this recipe's baking instructions and they were perfect.
useful (0)
Website: The Pioneer Woman
I love these muffins--though I have made a number of changes. The original recipe calls for evaporated milk and optional raisins. I used cream (1/2 and 1/2) and lots of chopped sweet and tart apples. The second time I made them, I added some ground cloves as I felt the spice needing some spicing-up. As I was making very large (Texas-style) muffins, I tripled the recipe for a yield of about 14-15 muffins. I did not try the cream cheese icing; instead I used the sugar/cinnamon/nutmeg mixture on the top of the muffins. Delicious!! And really, really moist.
useful (2)
Please to the Table: The Russian Cookbook
By Anya von Bremzen, John Welchman
Workman Publishing Company - 1990
This may be Russian heresy, but I liked this better warm than cold. When I first made it, I was really hungry and couldn't wait--so I had some of the sauce sans chicken over rice--Delicious!! Like a Russian pesto--I thought it would be great with other things than chicken--broccoli, other veg. I did follow the recipe and have it properly chilled with chicken. It was good, but I really like it better warm.
useful (0)
The author says this is a treat to the eye and the palate and it is--it's quite pretty with the red and green of tomato and okra and it is one of those nice surprising recipes -- a dish that is more than the sum of its simple parts. I used frozen okra (no fresh here now) and had a pound bag so used it all. I wish I had used more tomato as well. I did not reduce the sauce as described in Step 9. My sauce was slightly viscous and I was happy to go with it as is. I also used bone-in, skin-on breasts and next time I'll leave off the skin which, once the dish was baked, lost any crispness. I froze some and can happily report that it was delicious thawed and heated in the microwave.
useful (0)
Plenty More: Vibrant Vegetable Cooking from London's Ottolenghi
By Yotam Ottolenghi
Ten Speed Press - 2014
A knockout! This recipe alone is worth the price of the book. I loved it and actually found it quite simple. It was delicious the first night and great as leftovers. I skipped the (apparently decorative) onion rings on the top and just chopped all the onion. I also skipped the seeds on the crust (again, more decorative than flavorful) as I didn't want that particular texture. It baked beautifully, slid right out of the spring-form pan, and looked great. I'm thinking of trying it in small muffins pans as a party food.
useful (0)
Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi
By Yotam Ottolenghi, Jonathan Lovekin
Chronicle Books - 2011
A delicious potato salad, helped greatly by the fact that all the herbs (parsley, basil and mint) were fresh-picked from my own plants. The mint gave the salad such a lovely brightness. I made two substitutions--a couple of chicken eggs instead of 15 quail eggs (not easily picked up at the neighborhood grocer) and walnuts instead of pine nuts.
useful (0)
Provence: the Beautiful Cookbook
By Richard Olney
Perennial - 1999
The classic bistro mussel preparation--so easy and delicious. It's also the beginning of more complex dishes, but I'm not sure that I don't like these the best. A bowl of mussels, a dish for shells, bread to sop up the sauce, and a nice wine to go with--heaven.
useful (0)
Another classic--Fabulous with the beautiful tomatoes of summer, but really quite wonderful with plum tomates or even cherry/grape tomatoes the rest of the year. The persillade makes all the difference...
Panko works well here.
useful (0)
This is one of those deceptively simple recipes. Chopped parsley and garlic with a little lemon --- but make it in a mini processor and it's a gummy mess. Here, Olney lays out the precise technique and the result is perfect. I use it to garnish soup, to finish sauces for fish, vegetables--actually the uses are endless.
useful (0)
This is another recipe that makes me grateful to Richard Olney. He lays out techniques in just enough specificity so that one can make it without feeling overwhelmed by the instructions. It does require a good sized mortar and pestle--or a bowl that can sub for the mortar while you use the pestle from your normal sized mortar. But the effort --all that pounding--is well worth it. The resulting sauce is simply wonderful. I use it in Bourride, as a dip for vegetables, on the side of pot roasts/brisket/etc. It's also great with fish.
useful (0)
Rao's Cookbook: Over 100 Years of Italian Home Cooking
By Frank Pellegrino, Stephen Hellerstein, Nicholas Pileggi
Random House - 1998
These are such good meatballs. To make them a bit healthier, I skip the olive oil and I roast the balls on a rack on a sheet pan in the oven and then finish cooking them in sauce. I have also made them with all beef (super lean) and with various combinations of meats. They have always been a success--especially a version using a portion of uncooked sausage in place of some of the ground meat.
useful (0)
Real Irish Food: 150 Classic Recipes from the Old Country
By David Bowers
Skyhorse Publishing - 2012
The bread was very dense and heavy. I made it for a friend's Irish-born mother who wanted the'real' thing. This wasn't it. The flavor wasn't bad but it was just too too heavy.
useful (0)