Dinner 23: Washington

Menu

Porchetta Sandwiches
Walla Walla Sweet Onion Soup
Mariner's Garlic Fries
The Big Pink Cookie

Review

I chose Washington next. I don't know why. I think because it starts with a 'W' or maybe because it's far from us. Anyway, it was hard to find foods that didn't have any fish in it, but we chose a sandwich from a famous sandwich place, onion soup, fries from the baseball team and a big pink cookie! I thought the cookie looked awesome because it was big and covered in pink frosting!

The pork for the sandwiches had to cook for a long time. It smelled really good. Then Mommy had to make it into the sandwich filling by cutting it up with forks. They were really good sandwiches. I had more the next day at school! I liked the onion soup, too, and ate all of it. And the fries were really tasty, especially because they came with a bit of apple, which was pretty funny! My favorite part was the cookie - it was really pink! And really good! But it was so big I couldn't finish it all the first night.

Recipes

Porchetta Sandwiches

(original recipe from The Moonlit Kitchen)

For roast:
5 pound pork shoulder
2 bulbs fennel, topped and whole
2 large onions, peeled and whole
1 large carrot, peeled and quartered
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup fennel top, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
salt and pepper

For sandwich:
1 slice white sandwich bread, crust removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 green pepper, coarsely chopped
2 crusty baguettes

Preheat the oven to 300F.

Place fennel bulbs, onions, and carrots in the bottom of a large Dutch oven. Add the wine.

Generously salt and pepper the pork shoulder and place it on top of the vegetables. Top with diced fennel tops, garlic, parsley, thyme, and fennel seeds.

Place the roast in the oven to 5-6 hours.

Remove the carrots and break up the pork and remaining vegetables with a fork. Set aside.

While the roast is cooking, allow the bread slice to stale on the counter. Crumble into bread crumbs and combine with garlic, parsley, and olive oil. Set aside for 1 hour.

Sauté the onion and pepper with a small amount of olive oil. Set aside.

To assemble the sandwich, cut each baguette into 4 sections and slice to open. Spread some of the garlic spread on each side and top with generous servings of porchetta, peppers and onions.

Walla Walla Sweet Onion Soup

(original recipe from Cottage Grove House)

3 tablespoons soy margarine
6 cups sweet onions, thinly sliced and quartered
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup white wine
6 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup soy milk
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt margarine in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, uncovered, for another 5 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the white wine.

Add stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Stir in soy milk, season with salt and pepper and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes.

Mariner's Garlic Fries

(original recipe from Your Homebased Mom)

4 russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small wedges
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 apple, cored and cut into wedges.

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Toss potato wedges with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Roast potato wedges, turning occasionally, for 45 minutes, until tender and brown.

While potatoes are roasting, lightly sauté the garlic. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Mix with parsley and set aside.

When the fries are ready, toss with garlic and parsley mix. Serve with an apple slice or two.

The Big Pink Cookie

(original recipe from Baking the Goods)

For the cookies:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
3/4 cups soy margarine
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon maple extract
1/4 cup soy milk

For the frosting:
4 ounces soy cream cheese
1/4 cup soy margarine
2 cups confectioners' sugar
red food coloring

Sift together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt and cardamom in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together margarine, shortening and sugar for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in extracts and soy milk until combined.

Slowly add the dry ingredients, beating until smooth. The dough will be very soft and sticky.

Divide the dough in two and shape into discs about an inch thick. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and chill for several hours.

While the dough chills, prepare the frosting:

Cream together soy cream cheese and margarine. Slowly add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth. Add red food coloring, one drop at a time, until desired color is achieved. Set frosting in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Roll out the dough to a 1/2 inch thickness. Cut the dough into large circles and place on lined baking sheets an inch apart (6 to a sheet).

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges just start to brown. Transfer cookies to racks and allow to cool completely.

Generously frost with soy cream cheese frosting.