Top NCT Dishes of 2009

Fisher's Mom

Mother Superior
Super Site Supporter
Thanks to a suggestion by a brilliant (and way too modest) member, we are having our first ever top NCT dishes of the year!

Here's the way it will work: choose what you consider to be the best dish you made this year and post the recipe, along with pics (hopefully) in this thread. After a week or two, to give everyone a chance to post, we will create a locked "NCT Best of 2009" thread in the reference section!

I think this will be so much fun and a wonderful resource. So start digging through your pics or your dishes you have posted previously and post your best here!!!
 

Fisher's Mom

Mother Superior
Super Site Supporter
Tomato Basil Soup

This is similar to the La Madeleine version. (I don't know if La Mad is all over the country or just here.) I based it on this recipe (but tweaked and doubled): http://www.dianaball.net/tomato_basil_soup.htm

20 tomatoes, cored and peeled
4 cups tomato juice
approx. 25 fresh basil leaves, washed and chopped fine
1/2 lb. unsalted butter
2 cups heavy cream
salt
cracked black pepper
fresh lemon juice

1. Chop coarsely the cored and peeled tomatoes. Combine the tomatoes with the tomato juice in a large stock pot and simmer for 1/2 hour.
2. Add the chopped basil to the stockpot and then puree right in the pot with a stick blender.
3. Add butter and stir over medium heat to melt and incorporate butter.
4. Add heavy cream and heat through.
5. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
6. Serve with a hearty bread.
 

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Cooksie

Well-known member
Site Supporter
French Onion Soup

I think this is probably my best contribution for 2009. We love this, and it comes out great every time.


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1/2 stick butter
2 T vegetable oil
4 large onions, 2 yellow and 2 white, sliced in rings about 1/8" thick
1/2 t sugar
1 T flour
2 cans Swanson's beef broth (14 oz)
1 can Swanson's chicken broth (14 oz)
salt
black pepper
2 T brandy
baguette slices, 1/2" thick, rubbed with a garlic clove, and lightly toasted
Gruyere, Swiss, or provolone cheese


Heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook down for about 30 minutes. When all of the onions are soft, raise the heat, sprinkle on the sugar, and cook until the onions caramelize. This usually takes me about 45 minutes to get good color on the onions.

Once the onions have good color, add the flour and continue to cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Add the broths and simmer very slowly for about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from heat, add pepper and salt if necessary. Stir in the brandy.

Ladle the soup into ovenproof bowls. Top with the baguette slices and then the cheese. Place under broiler to brown the tops.

Makes about 3 servings as an entree or about 6 appetizer servings.
 

lilbopeep

🌹🐰 Still trying to get it right.
Site Supporter
Peep's Spinach Pies

2 (10 oz) boxes or 1 (20 oz bag) Frozen spinach - thawed and squeezed dry
1 (8 oz) pkg. feta cheese - crumbled
1 Stick of butter
1 Medium Onion- chopped fine
1/2 cup Grated Romano cheese -or to taste
1/2 cup Grated parmesan cheese - or to taste
Lemon juice - to taste
Hot sauce - to taste
additional 1 stick of Butter - for brushing
1/2 of a 1 lb box of frozen Phyllo leaves (1 bag = 1/2 lb) - thawed according to box

Thaw and squeeze all the water out of the spinach. Place 1 stick of butter in a large skillet and add the onion. Just soften the onions no color. Add the feta cheese and about 1/4 lb. each of the Romano and parmesan cheeses to the pan and stir over medium heat to melt. Add enough lemon juice to give it a nice tang. Add hot sauce to taste. Slowly add the spinach to pan and combine thoroughly. Set aside to cool.

Cut Phyllo leaves in half across the width. Stack leaves and place between a "sandwich" of waxed paper. Then place the waxed paper sandwiched leaves in a sandwich of a damp towel and cover to prevent drying out. Remove leaves as needed and recover unused stack.

Melt additional 1 stick of butter and use to brush on each Phyllo leaf (if you don't do this the leaves become very brittle and hard to work with) before placing the filling on. Roll them in any shape you would like. I do triangles or pillows, be sure to close edges or filling will ooze out while browning. Repeat for each Phyllo leaf. Brush tops with a small amount of butter.

Bake in a preheated 450˚ oven for about 3 - 4 minutes or until browned then turn over and repeat. You may place under broiler to brown if you prefer.

You may freeze. To heat frozen pies: place frozen pies on baking sheet and follow the same directions as above; except add a little extra time.

Makes approx. 46

Pictures

Butter, onions, feta cheese, romano and parmasan cheeses, lemon juice and hot sauce in pan.

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Squeeze out spinach added to pan.

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Cut phyllo leaves in 1/2 across the width.
Sandwich between a sheet of waxed paper than a damp kitchen table.

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Assembled and ready for the broiler.

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Nicely browned under the broiler.

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QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Geez, following High Cheese is going from the sublime to the ridiculous (as my grandmother would say), but here goes:

My favorite cooking event of the year was the neighborhood backyard barbecue feast I hosted in September.

As part of that feast, I slow-roasted the pork rind I removed from two pork shoulders before I smoked them.

Those chicharrones were among the best things I ate all year long, and I daresay, my neighbors agreed!

Lee

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lilylove

Active member
Sorry No photos but my favorite of the year was a recipe that Dee posted.

German Corn!! We eat it all the time and LOVE every bite!
 

Doc

Administrator
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Thanks so much for getting theTop Recipes of 2009 thread organized and kicked off Terry. Kudos to Cooksie, awesome idea my friend. This could be one of the most popular threads ever. Always good to see what is the favorite in your kitchen.
Thanks all for participating. my mouth is watering. ;D
 

Sass Muffin

Coffee Queen ☕
Gold Site Supporter
Almond Baked Flounder
2 large flounder fillets
1/4 t salt and pepper
juice of two limes
1 clove of garlic-crushed
1/8 c olive oil

1/4 c sliced almonds
1 T butter
chives

Preheat oven to 425.
Arrange fillets in shallow baking dish.
Season with salt and pepper.
Blend juice, garlic and oil, then brush over fish.
Bake 8-10 minutes,basting several times during cooking.
Saute almonds in butter til golden brown.
Sprinkle with chives and almonds before serving.
----

I was very impressed with the way this came out, great flavour and makes such a pretty meal and so easy to throw together.

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lilbopeep

🌹🐰 Still trying to get it right.
Site Supporter
Peep's Pork Chops and Sauerkraut

Pork chops - allow 1 or 2 per person or to appetite (bone in taste better)
Poultry seasoning
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Adobo seasoning (spice mix - not the Chile paste)
Accent (or MSG) - optional
Salt
Ground black pepper
Olive oil
Sauerkraut - bag - drained - save liquid/juice to deglaze pan
Potatoes - peeled and cut into medium thick slices
Onion - sliced into thin half moons
2 pkgs. Pork gravy mix
Fennel seeds
Caraway seeds
Splash of dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
ALL SPICES AND SEEDS TO TASTE

Season chops on both sides with the spices to taste and brown well on both sides in small amount of olive oil in heavy pan (NOT a non-stick pan). Remove chops from pan.
Deglaze pan with a splash of White wine and liquid/juice from the sauerkraut. Stir well to loosened and dissolve the fond on the pan.
Add potatoes and onions. Stir the potatoes and onions well so they are coated with the loosened fond from pan. Sprinkle the gravy mix packets over potatoes and onions. Add the water and stir well. Bring to boil then lower to simmer and thicken gravy slightly.
Add the drained sauerkraut, fennel seeds and caraway seeds and stir to combine.
Add chops to pan reduce heat to simmer and cover.
After first 15 minutes stir potatoes, turn chops then bury the chops under potatoes. Stir potatoes and turn chops
several times during simmering. Simmer till potatoes and chops are tender. Add water to pan if gravy gets to thick.

Pictures:

Season and brown chops on both sides in a heavy pot pan (not NON stick).

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After brown remove chops from pan.

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Deglaze pan with a splash of White wine and liquid/juice from the sauerkraut. Stri well to loosened and dissolve the fond on the pan.

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Add potatoes and onions. Stir the potatoes and onions well so they are coated with the loosened fond from pan. Sprinkle the gravy mix packets over potatoes and onions. Add the water and stir well. Bring to boil then lower to simmer and thicken gravy slightly.

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Add sauerkraut, caraway seeds, fenell seeds to the pan and stir well.

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Add chops to pan and cover.

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Dinner is served

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vyapti

New member
Here's my two favorite of the year. The first was from my second IC challenge, Battle Burgers. It's my favorite tempeh burger and one of my better photos. The second was a fusion idea that I wasn't sure about until I took my first bite. I made moong dosas (an Indian crepe), added a spicy tofu & spinach filling and served it with a roasted red pepper sauce. Everything about it was amazing.

BBQ Tempeh Burger:



Moong Dosa:
Spinach Filling & Red Pepper Sauce:

 
K

Kimchee

Guest
This was a winner for me....
Goat cheese and spinach stuffed pork loin, served with a duxelle
mushroom gravy.
 

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Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
This was a tough one. We went through the archives and checked everything we cooked this year. I actually forgot a few of the dishes I’ve posted! :lol:

In the end, we got down to three. They were all pretty, and very tasty.

So we had to narrow it down strictly on taste, and what we would eat more than once in a week.

Not only is this recipe economical to make, but the flavor is outstanding the night you make it, and it only gets better as it sits in the fridge. It’s a wonderful and somewhat elegant comfort food. Serve with garlic bread or Texas toast loaded with parmesan for a real treat.

Now that we have looked at this one again……guess what is on tomorrow night’s menu! :lol:

Potato Soup with Sausage!

http://www.netcookingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1916

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Y

YT2095

Guest
Nice!

49:20:6d:75:73:74:20:62:65:20:61:20:72:65:61:6c:20:47:65:65:6b:20:74:68:65:6e:20:4b:65:6c:74:69:6e:20:3b:29
 

lilbopeep

🌹🐰 Still trying to get it right.
Site Supporter
This was a tough one. We went through the archives and checked everything we cooked this year. I actually forgot a few of the dishes I’ve posted! :lol:

In the end, we got down to three. They were all pretty, and very tasty.

So we had to narrow it down strictly on taste, and what we would eat more than once in a week.

Not only is this recipe economical to make, but the flavor is outstanding the night you make it, and it only gets better as it sits in the fridge. It’s a wonderful and somewhat elegant comfort food. Serve with garlic bread or Texas toast loaded with parmesan for a real treat.

Now that we have looked at this one again……guess what is on tomorrow night’s menu! :lol:

Potato Soup with Sausage!

http://www.netcookingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1916

ztu74j.jpg
that was beautiful keltin!!

btw whats up with the string of numbers and colons?
 

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
So.......when the best of 2009 pics are done and finalized......will Doc update the NCT homepage (front page) with our new pics????? :yum:
 

Luckytrim

Grill Master
Gold Site Supporter
WOW !
I've had a pretty good year, and this was a really tuff chore, picking what I consider my "Best" for the year...........
That being said, I settled on the Stuffed Loin................
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and my IC Smothered Eggplant

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lilbopeep

🌹🐰 Still trying to get it right.
Site Supporter
YUMMY LUCKY!! did you post a recipe for the Stuffed Loin? do you have a link if so? that looks so good.
 
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