Swedish Chef's "Hamburger Help Me!"

 
You've just returned home from a long day at work.  There's a pound of ground beef in the refrigerator and the family is hungry.  With a few basic ingredients, you can have dinner on the table in under one hour.  This is my version of hamburger stroganoff... it's yummy!


Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
10.75 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
½ soup can water or milk
1 c. sour cream
2 T. tomato paste
3/4 c. dry red wine (optional)
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
½ c. chopped parsley
1 tsp. paprika
salt and pepper
16 oz. bag egg noodles, boiled and drained

Brown meat and onion in skillet and drain any excess grease.

 Add mushrooms and cook over medium heat until mushrooms are soft.

Pour soup and water (or milk) into meat mixture and blend thoroughly.  Add paprika.

Add tomato paste and wine.  If you choose not to use wine, you may add additional water or milk.

Add salt and pepper, to taste.  Simmer until liquid is reduced by one half.

Add sour cream and stir over low heat.

Sprinkle parsley over just before serving.

This can be served over noodles or rice.

Swedish Chef's Shrimp Scampi

What could be better than jumbo shrimp sauteed in garlic, fresh lemon juice, white wine and Romano cheese?  This entree is one of Swedish Chef's premier dishes.  Every time we make it, we absolutely love it.  I hope you will try it and let us know what you think.


Ingredients:

2 lbs. extra large shrimp (in this demonstration, we used frozen, pre-cooked; if using fresh, remove veins and shells first)
1 lemon
4 large cloves garlic
1½-3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
¼ t. salt
¼ t. white pepper
1/8 t. sugar
1 c. white wine
1 t. red pepper flakes
8 T. unsalted butter (one stick)
½ c. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
½-3/4 c. chopped parsley
1 lb. spaghetti, cooked and drained

 Remove tails from shrimp, if desired.  Some people prefer to keep them on.  In this demonstration, the tails were removed for easier dining.

In a large skillet, melt 6 T. unsalted butter and 3/4 c. olive oil.  Heat over medium to medium-high heat.

Mince four cloves of garlic.

Sprinkle salt, pepper, and sugar over shrimp; toss to coat.

 Once butter and oil are melted, add garlic and hot pepper flakes.  Sauté over medium heat.  Be careful not to burn the garlic.

 
Add shrimp and sauté on medium-low until shrimp are heated through.  If using fresh shrimp, sauté until the shrimp turn pink.

 

 
Add white wine, zest from one lemon, juice from one lemon, and the remaining 2 T. of butter.  Heat until butter is melted.

 

 
Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente; drain.  Add to the shrimp mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese and parsley; heat thoroughly.  Serve with additional cheese, as desired.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

 
I picked the first zucchini out of my garden yesterday.  At this time of year, they are abundant and it seems that everyday a new one is ready to be picked.  I am also overwhelmed sometimes, because people want to share their bounty with me, and I find myself trying to think of various ways to use these dark green garden favorites.  While I have various recipes in my file for the use of this garden vegetable, one of my favorites is this chocolate zucchini bread.  It is dense, chocolaty, and moist.  Also, this recipe can be converted into a chocolate cake.  The entire batch can be poured into a 9x13 pan.



Ingredients:

2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1 c. canola oil
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
2 squares unsweetened chocolate OR 6 T. cocoa powder with 2 T. butter
3 c. grated zucchini
3 c. flour
½ c. chopped nuts, optional

 

Cut the ends of the zucchini and discard.  Cut the remainder into quarters.  Remove the innermost part, with the seeds, and discard.  For convenience, use a food processor.  However, a hand grater can be used as well.

Beat the sugar and eggs together with a whisk.

 

To the sugar and egg mixture, add chocolate (and butter, if using the cocoa powder), oil, vanilla, baking soda, and cinnamon; mix well.  The mixture will become extremely thick and harder to mix.  Once the zucchini is added, however, the mixture will begin to thin.

 

Add flour and zucchini to the mixture, and mix well.  If desired, nuts may be added at this time.

 

Grease two loaf pans with butter, then coat lightly with flour.  Pour the mixture evenly into each loaf pan, as this recipe is designed to make two loaves.  Do not attempt to make one large loaf, as it will not bake evenly using this particular recipe.

Bake at 350º for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the midsection comes out clean.