It's Good Though…

Yield: 8 Bagels

Stella Parks / Serious Eats

Untested, but happening soon.
For the Yukone:

• 6oz cold water (¾ cup)
• 3½oz bread flour (about ¾ cup, spooned)

For the Dough:

• 12½oz bread flour (about 2 ¾ cups, spooned)
• ½oz sugar (1 TBS)
• 2½tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, (9g); for table salt, use half as much by volume or use the same weight
• 1tsp instant dry yeast, such as SAF (not RapidRise or active dry)
• 3½oz water (½ cup minus 1 TBS)

To Boil:

• 1oz barley malt syrup (4 tsp) or 2 TBS honey
  

For the Yukone: In a 10-inch skillet, whisk water and flour over medium heat until thick, like mashed potatoes, about 2 minutes. Scrape onto a plate, spread into a 1-inch layer, cover and cool until to about 75°F, around 30 minutes.

For the Dough: Pulse flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Once combined, add cooled yukone and water. Process until dough is silky smooth, and a small piece can be stretched into a sheet without tearing, about 90 seconds. The exact timing will vary with the power and capacity of a given machine. For smaller machines, the reduced capacity and power will necessitate dividing dough in half to process in stages.

To Shape: Turn dough onto a clean, non-floured surface, and divide into 8 roughly equal portions (3 ounces each) and cover with plastic. Cup a portion of dough beneath your palm and work in quick, circular motions to form a tight ball, with only a tiny seam along the bottom. If the seam is large or irregular, continue rounding until the bottom is nearly smooth. Keep the shaped dough covered in plastic and let rest 15 minutes.

To form the bagels, poke a hole into the center of each portion with a damp fingertip, then gently stretch into a 3 1/4-inch ring, wetting your hands in cold water as needed to prevent sticking. Arrange on a well-greased, parchment-lined half sheet pan, cover with plastic, and refrigerate 24 to 36 hours, depending on your schedule.

To Boil: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 425°F. Fill a stainless-steel pot with about 3 inches of water, stir in barley malt syrup or honey, and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet or cutting board with a thick layer of paper towels. Working two or three at a time, boil the bagels about 30 seconds per side. Drain on paper towels for two or three seconds, then transfer to a parchment-lined half sheet pan (if left on the paper towels too long, the bagels will stick; if this happens, quickly dip the bagel back into the hot water, and the wet paper towel will peel right off).

To Finish: Bake the bagels until blistered and golden brown all over, about 25 minutes. Cool at least 15 minutes. To serve, split horizontally with a serrated knife. Uncut, bagels can be stored up to 48 hours in a paper bag (or loosely wrapped in parchment), then sliced and briefly toasted to serve.

Notes

Bagels that are both chewy and flavorful do best with bread flour made from hard red wheat; for this recipe, my favorite is King Arthur. Other brands may include a portion of hard white wheat, a mellow variety that can leave bagels tasting flat.

Yield: 4 Servings

/ Simply Recipes

Sheet Pan test run.
For the homemade ranch mix:

• 2TBS dried parsley
• 1TBS dried chives
• 1TBS dried dill
• 1TBS granulated onion
• 1TBS granulated garlic
• 1TBS kosher salt
• 1tsp black pepper

For the sheet pan pork chops:

• 4pork chops (boneless or bone-in, 1 ½ to 2 lb total)
• 1cup buttermilk
• 4TBS ranch seasoning mix, divided
• 8oz cremini mushrooms, halved
• 4medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1lb new potatoes, halved
• 2TBS olive oil

Make the ranch mix: Stir together dried seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. The recipe won’t use the entire mix, so store leftover seasoning mix in an airtight container in the pantry for up to three months.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Prepare the pork chops: Stir 3 tablespoons of ranch seasoning mix with one cup of buttermilk. Add pork chops and allow to marinate for at least 20 minutes, but you could do it a day in advance as well.

Roast the veggies: Add vegetables to a medium bowl. Drizzle them with olive oil and toss with 1 tablespoon of ranch seasoning mix. Spread the vegetables out on a sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

Add the pork chops: Remove sheet pan and stir veggies. Remove pork chops from the marinade and pat them dry. Then nestle pork chops into the veggies on the sheet pan. Try to make sure everything is in a single layer, but it’s okay if the veggies stack a bit.

Sprinkle the sheet pan with a little extra ranch seasoning mix, about 1 teaspoon.

Bake the pork chops: Bake pork chops with the veggies for 10 minutes, and then turn them and add another teaspoon of seasoning to the pork chops. Bake them for another 10 minutes and then check them with a meat thermometer. They should reach 145°F in the thickest part; keep in mind they will continue to cook after you remove them from the oven.

Serve: Let the sheet pan rest for five minutes before serving, then divide vegetables and pork chops between plates.

Leftovers: will store great in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. For best results, reheat in a 350°F oven until warm. You can also microwave in 30-second bursts.

Yield: 4 Servings

Scott Nowell

This is a simple roasted salmon. The photo above is from my granddaughter Lola, age 12, who cooked and served the salmon with roasted Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, white rice, and steamed green beans 😊

• 1-1½lb salmon
• salt & pepper
• 2TBS butter, cut into 4 pieces

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Cut salmon crosswise in 4 pieces.

Spray a foil lined baking sheet with cooking spray or oil lightly.

Season salmon with salt and pepper. Place salmon pieces, skin side down, on the foil lined baking sheet.

Bake until salmon is cooked through, about 14 to 18 minutes for medium-well, cooked through fish.

Remove from oven and top each with a piece of butter.
Serve with:

Yield: 6 Servings

Chef John / Food Wishes

A quick side combining instant couscous and vegetables.

• 2cups dry instant couscous (NOT pearl couscous)
• ½cup chopped green onions
• 2TBS olive oil
• ½tsp ground cumin
• 1pinch cayenne pepper
• 1pinch ground black pepper
• 2cups vegetable stock
• 1bunch thin asparagus, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1cup shelled fresh or thawed frozen peas
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine couscous, green onion, olive oil, cumin, cayenne pepper, and black pepper in a large bowl; stir until olive oil is completely incorporated.

Bring vegetable stock, asparagus, and peas to a boil in a saucepan over high heat.

Pour stock, asparagus, and peas over couscous mixture; shake bowl to settle couscous into liquid. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Fluff with a fork, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: 4 Servings

French Cooking Academy

For my first use of this recipe I used prosciutto which was too dry. Thin slices of deli ham would be better. Overall, a delicious main course. Especially with a Sauce Suprême.

Chicken:

• 2chicken breasts, sliced horizontally to make 4 filets
• 2oz Gruyere cheese, grated, or thinly sliced
• 4thin slices of ham
• 2TBS butter for cooking
• salt & pepper

Coating:

• 3TBS plain flour
• 1whole egg beaten
• ½cup bread crumbs

Pound chicken to flatten into thin cutlets, about 1/4 inch thick. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Layer thin slices of ham on chicken to cover in a single layer.

Top with grated, or thin slices, of cheese.

Start on the narrow end and roll the chicken, pressing down to keep tight. You can use a toothpick to hold it sealed if necessary. Repeat for the remaining cutlets. Refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes.

Roll each roulade in flour to coat, pat off any excess.

Put the roulade in the beaten egg, roll to cover and transfer to crumb plate. Roll to cover with crumbs.

Heat a TBS of butter and add a TBS of oil. Place the roulades in the pan with the flap on the bottom. Roll occasionally to brown on all sides. Add another TBS or two of butter and use a spoon to baste the roulades.

Place in an oven at 325°F for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and check temperature for 155°F in the center. Remove to paper towel lined plate and let sit for 5 minutes while you prepare sides.

Serve with:

Sauce Suprême

Yield: 2 Servings

Adapted from TheRecipeCritic

This Cube Steak is a tenderized beef steak seared in beef broth, onion and garlic powder then topped with Mushroom Gravy. A simple and delicious meal made in less than 30 minutes!

Steaks:

• ½cup flour
• ¼tsp pepper
• ½tsp salt
• ½tsp onion powder
• ½tsp garlic powder
• 2TBS olive oil
• 2cube steaks

Mushroom Gravy:

• 1TBS olive oil
• ½onion sliced
• 6oz mushrooms sliced
• 1cup beef broth (or 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon mixed with 1 cup water)
• 1package onion soup mix (see below)
• 1tsp cornstarch
• 1TBS water

Steak:

In a small wide bowl combine the flour, pepper, salt, onion powder and garlic powder. Add the cube steak and coat with the flour on each side.

In a medium sized skillet add the olive oil. Over medium high heat add the cube steak and cook for about 2-4 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Mushroom Gravy:

Add the olive oil and sliced onions. Sauté for 4-5 minutes then add in the mushrooms and sauté until they are golden. Add in the beef broth and onion soup mix and mix until dissolved. Whisk the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Add to the gravy and mix. Add the cube steaks back to the gravy and let simmer until sauce has started to thicken.

Onion Soup Mix Substitute

• ¼cup dried onion flakes
• 1TBS beef Better Than Bouillon or 2 TBS dry beef bouillon
• ¼tsp onion powder
• ¼tsp dried parsley flakes
• ⅛tsp celery seed
• ⅛tsp paprika
• ⅛tsp freshly ground black pepper

Serve with:

Yield: 4 Servings

ATK

We found that treating the ground beef with baking soda (so that it retained more moisture when cooked) and then breaking it down to a fine, uniform texture in the skillet delivered a tender, flavorful, and cohesive mixture that stayed put when placed on a bun. Limiting the aromatics to just onion (also treated with baking soda to soften it) made for a beefier-tasting mixture with a rich, luxurious texture. We made ketchup’s sweet-tangy flavor more complex by adding vinegar, red pepper flakes, and sugar and balanced it out with generous amounts of tomato paste, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Finally, we served it all up on soft hamburger buns.

• 2TBS water, divided
• ½tsp plus ⅛ tsp baking soda, divided
• 1lb 85 percent lean ground beef
• ½tsp plus ⅛ tsp table salt, divided
• 2tsp vegetable oil
• ½onion, chopped fine
• 2garlic cloves, minced
• 2tsp packed brown sugar, plus extra for seasoning
• 2tsp paprika
• ¼tsp red pepper flakes
• ¼cup tomato paste
• ⅓cup ketchup
• 1TBS red wine vinegar,
• plus extra for seasoning
• 1TBS Worcestershire sauce
• ½tsp cornstarch
• 4hamburger buns

Tossing the beef with baking soda in step 1 helps keep it tender and juicy; adding baking soda to the skillet with the onion in step 2 helps the onion break down. You may substitute 90 percent lean ground beef in this recipe, but the cooked mixture will be a bit less tender. Serve the Sloppy Joes with pickle chips, if desired.

Combine 1 TBS water and ½ tsp baking soda in small bowl. In large bowl, toss beef with baking soda mixture and ½ tsp salt until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and remaining ⅛ tsp baking soda and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in sugar,paprika, red pepper flakes, and remaining ⅛ tsp salt and cook, stirring constantly, until paprika is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until paste is rust-colored, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Mash beef with potato masher until fine-textured, about 1 minute. Add ketchup, vinegar, and Worcestershire and stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits.

Combine cornstarch and remaining 1 TBS water in small bowl, then pour cornstarch mixture over beef and stir to incorporate. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and coats beef, about 1 minute. Season with salt, extra sugar, and extra vinegar to taste. Spoon beef mixture onto buns and serve.