Bolognase for you and 20 of your closest friends.

In the spirit of Purim, where one tradition is to give 2 different ready-to-go foods to 2 or more people, I decided to make two of my team members some food. (I haven't made the hamentashen cookies, and I may not get to it. Coworkers may get store bread instead. Shared food does not need to be homemade.)

Influenced by an article in a magazine, I decided I would make bolognase. I love bolognase, and Sunday is a great day to make bolognase.
Bolognase is also a good dish to have going while you clean the house. It takes some time, but then you let it simmer forever.

This bolognase was made with the thought of feeding many people without going broke. If you are making bolognase for a smaller crowd, are looking for a more traditional recipe, or want to treat your guests to a dish equally impressive as it is expensive, you can use my authentic recipe, and double it to feed however many people you need.

Bolognase is a Tuscan dish, best for hungry people on a chilly night. It is heavy and serious, and delicious.

As I made it, this recipe has filled my 9 qt. Le Creuset. It will feed at least 12 hungry people when put over pasta. That is, if I don't eat it all first.

Save time by chopping veggies in a food processor. I did not put the onions into my food processor, but I was being silly.

You will need:

1 stick unsalted butter
1 medium and 1 large onion, fine chopped
5 carrots, fine chopped
1 small head or 1/2 large bunch celery, fine chopped
EVOO
5lbs ground beef (I recommend not using anything above 90/10. The fat adds flavor, and can be removed later. Because our store was out of family pack meats and 90/10, I did 3 lbs 85/15 and a pack of 93/7.)
1.5 lbs HOT Italian sausage, removed from casing
3 cups WHOLE milk (don't try to save yourself now...)
12 oz. tomato paste
3 cups of a dry white wine... this leaves just enough in the bottle for you to have a glass.
salt and pepper

Melt butter in a large, heavy dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add veggies and allow them to sweat, but not brown (about 10 minutes). While they are doing their thing, decase the sausage. Add all meat and raise the heat to high, breaking the meat up as it cooks. If you need, add some EVOO to keep from burning stuff to the bottom. (I needed about 2 TBS)

Once meat is mostly cooked (little bits of pink are okay), add wine, milk (stir this in slowly, so that it does not curdle), and then work in tomato paste. I sometimes add some heavy cream if I have it, just to make it that much better for our arteries.
Add in salt. Use disgression, and remember you can correct later. Seasoning will depend heavily on your sausage. I started with 1/2 TBS. I added a pinch more later. Remember, you aren't supposed to be able to taste salty when you eat this, but if you don't taste the tomatoes, the meats, the veggies, then salt will help bring their flavor out.
Allow mixture to come to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 1.5 hours more, or until sauce has thickened up. I stir this about every 30 mintues, and take sauce out to skim each time, letting it settle and then returning it to the pot.
After about an hour of cooking, taste, add pepper, correct salt, and allow to thicken a little longer.

Serve over a thick pasta (either something short, like rigatoni or rotini, or something like fusili bicate (long fusili, which are very fun to eat, if you ask me) or pappardelle, an egg-based noodle from Tuscany, intended to be eaten with hearty, gamey* ragu or bolognase.

Top with fresh Pecorino. I like to serve this with bread. What better to soak up the goodness?

* Outside the big cities of Italy are small towns, where Nonas still cook with whatever meat happen to be caught that day. For a Tuscan treat, you can cook this bolognase version or the smaller one mentioned in the beginning substituting the beef for wild boar, venison, or hare meat.

Fancy pants egg cups that take about 2 minutes to make.

My workplace will occasionally have a breakfast or salad bar to which staff contribute various foods. This is always a fun event. Although I frequently am the one to show up with a jar of artichoke hearts, when I do remember to sign up for something I like to go big or go home.

When the sign up sheet came around at a recent meeting and the only thing left was casserole, I put my name on the line.

Then I remembered that breakfast casseroles and I have a very hairy track record, and my failures outnumber my successes. It is frequently the simple things that take me out at the knees.

Using my Google-fu, I came across this idea on Rachael Ray's website. The concept is a quick and impressive looking breakfast in one neat little package.

The idea is this:

Get a muffin tin. Put meat in each tin. Add a veggie and an egg, and bake for 15 ish minutes, or until the egg is done to your liking, at 375 degrees.

Tip: I used an oversized muffin tin - the kind with 6 big pots. In Rachael Ray's recipe she counts 2 normal sized egg muffin things per person. I served these up as 1 per person, a little larger, but it wasn't the only thing people were eating for breakfast. That said, when I made them for Dan and myself, I only made 2, and that included 2 pieces of bacon, 2-3 TBS of spinach, and 1.5 eggs each. It was enough, and is a good way to control portion size, if that is something you are going for.

The first time around (for the staff breakfast), I used deli ham, sauteed spinach and onions, and topped with an egg, untouched, as it came out in Benedict fashion. Once baked, I removed each from the tin and placed atop an uncooked English muffin half. Had I been serving these immediately, I would have toasted the English muffin. I refrigerated these overnight, and in the morning, popped them in the oven (which I had set much higher), covered, for 15 minutes. The eggs turned out a little more done than I'd like, but it worked out rather well. The muffins became slightly toasted, and the whole thing was a quick, individual breakfast.

The second time I made these, Saturday morning, I took into account that I was out of deli ham and that Dan does not eat sunny side up eggs. Instead, I used bacon, which I cut down to size, and in retrospect, would have kept longer, as bacon shrinks when it cooks. I placed some spinach in the bacon cups and baked those while I scrambled up some eggs on the stovetop. I left the eggs slightly runny, pulled out the bacon in the muffin tin from the oven, drained the fat from the tins, put egg on top of the spinach, and returned the bacon cups filled with stuff to the oven. I topped this all with cheese, and baked until the cheese was melted.
Baking the bacon first gave me a chance to drain the fat, and the bacon turned out a little more crispy.

You could do this with any combination of meat, eggs, and veggie. I recommend not salting the ingredients, as the salt in the meat will season the rest of the dish fairly well.

Rachael Ray makes hers with procutto, which I love, but feel it would be entirely too salty, and a waste in this dish.

I think fire roasted peppers (buy a jar at Trader's) would be wonderful in this dish. Also, I am curious to try and make the cup out of a potato base, such as latkes would be. It may take a little more work to keep it all together, but it would be delicious.

If you use spinach, make sure it is well drained before using. I used frozen spinach (2 - 10 oz packages) which I thawed, drained, squeezed, then sauteed.


I didn't take a picture of the first ones, sadly, but the picture above is version 2, which was delicious.

What I do with leftover meatloaf

03/13/08

Easy Peasy Shepherd's Pie

This dish is especially easy if you have left over meat loaf and left over mashed potatoes.

If you do not have meat loaf, just used browned, well-seasoned, ground beef. This has the added benefit of making the dish gluten free.

You need:

meat loaf
mashed potatoes
frozen peas
frozen corn
sliced carrots, fresh or frozen (if fresh, steam in the microwave for 3 min. with a little water, to soften them up)

You can use canned veggies... I prefer frozen.

Break up the left over meat loaf, and put in the bottom of a glass casserole. (Maybe you could do it right in the meat loaf pan?)
Layer the veggies on top.
Pile the mashed potatoes on.
Top with cheese.

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
Turn it up to 425 for 10 minutes at the end, for that nice golden melty cheesy potato top.

A dinner for the guys

03/19/08

I made this complete meal for Dan and Ben, one of my brother-in-laws. It was tasty good.

Cornish Hen and stuffing

You will need (for 4 servings):

2 Cornish Game Hens, thawed (I always have to ask for them at the grocer... they keep them in back, frozen)
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix, 1 egg and 1/3 c. milk
1 apple - I have used granny smith and McIntosh. They both were great. Whatever you have will work.
1/2 onion, chopped
rosemary
salt and pepper
EVOO
lemon zest (just a little... like the side of the lemon?)

Thaw the hens overnight in the refrigerator. I find that they take an overnight and then a while in warm water or on the counter to completely thaw in the middle. Silly hens.

Prepare the corn muffin mix, either as muffins or Johnny Cakes. You will need about 3/4 of the finished product, so make it the night before, eat some for breakfast, and leave the rest out on the counter to stiffen up a bit. Cut into cube-ish shapes and put in a bowl.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Sautee the onion. Mix with the cornbread. Peel and dice the apple, and toss 3/4 into the bowl as well.

Here is where you can get creative. I used a little dried rosemary the first time I did this, with salt, pepper, and a little chicken stock. Tonight I used fresh rosemary (the whole sprig, shoved into the chicken) and salt, pepper, and a little EVOO. I thought some tasty alternatives would be some craisins or cranberries, sausage, walnuts, or maybe some mandarin oranges. Just balance the sweet and the savory, and you can't go wrong... it's cornbread!

Rinse the chickens out and pat dry (inside and out) with a paper towel. I let them drain for a minute or two.
Stuff them full of stuffing. Place the remainder of the stuffing in a glass baking dish. Set aside.

Tie the legs of the chicken together (if you have kitchen twine, kudos. I used the same cotton thread I crochet table cloths out of...) and, if you have some pins handy, pin down the wings. (Try not to puncture the meat, just the skin.)

Rub the chickens with EVOO, salt and pepper. Put a sprig of rosemary on top for added effect. It looks REALLY pretty.

Place on a rack or in a pan (I use my cake pan) breast side up. Wave to them as you shut the oven door.

These bad boys take about 80-90 minutes to cook, uncovered. The inside temperature should read 180F stuck in the thigh, not touching bone.

When there is about 20 minutes left, stick the remainder of the stuffing in. Drizzle some liquid (EVOO or chicken stock) over the stuffing for a little moisture and flavor. But the apples are fairly moist, so don't go crazy.

When the chicken is done, let it rest for about 10 minutes before cutting it. Take a thick knife and cut the chicken in half, right down the middle. Serve it stuffing side up.


Risotto takes about 25 minutes to make, minus heating up the broth.

You will need (to feed a hungry army):

2c. risotto rice
4 1/2 c. stock and 1 1/2 c. water, mixed (I used beef stock because of the pancetta. Chicken would work nicely, too.)
1/4 lb pancetta, diced
1/2 onion, finely chopped (food processor!)
about 10 fine strands of saffron
3/4c grated fresh parmesan. Don't use the jarred kind if you are going to go through the trouble of making risotto :o(
EVOO
S&P

Risotto is a labor of love. Don't make this for your next pot luck. Make it for people you really like.

Heat the stock to a simmer and maintain that temperature. No need to boil it, but don't let it get cold.

In a deep, large stock pot, add about 2TBS EVOO. Heat up, and add onions and pancetta.
In a mug on the side, put about 1 c. stock, and let saffron soak in said cup of broth.

When the onions are clear, add a ladle of broth and the rice. (Make sure the heat is about medium-high, not full blast!) Stir the rice quickly, paying extra attention to scrape all away from the sides and bottom. THIS STUFF STICKS FAST! Don't let it!
When the liquid has cooked off/into the rice, add 2 ladles more. Keep stirring and adding. After a few ladles (about 10 minutes), add in the saffron broth.
I discovered that if you give the rice a good, strong, Italian whip around the pot, add some broth, and stir again, you have enough time (about 45 seconds) to do something like start the beans or check the chicken. Or run into the living room where your guests have made you a cheese and cracker. But don't leave that pot for too long! BAAAAAD things happen!
After about 20 minutes, test the rice for doneness. Mine took about 25 minutes, and most of the broth. I think my right arm has doubled in size. Mad muscle, now.
When the risotto is done, add the cheese. Then add S&P to taste.

This was unusual risotto (as it was a beef broth), and I'm not sure it went awesome with the chicken, but it was SO GOOD. I love it. LOVE IT. Love it. I dare say Dan and Ben did as well.



Garlicy beans

Steam your beans so they are cooked, but crisp.
Chop some garlic and add to a pan of melted butter.
When the beans are done, cover with the butter. I strained the garlic out, but you don't have to.
These take about 3 minutes to make. I did it while the boys chopped the chicken, after I finished the silly risotto.

Chicken in Reisling

03/28/08

I made this for my in-laws (well before they were in-laws), and they loved it. It's pretty tasty.

You will need:

1 chicken, cut up French style, with the backbone discarded (I used one giant bone-in, skin-on chicken breast and 3 bone-in, skin-on thighs. I originally planned for one more breast and thigh, but they wouldn't fit in the pot. You could easily do this, though, if your dutch oven or casserole was big enough)

1 bunch of leeks (about 3 or 4) - fine chop the white and light green parts, discard the roots and dark green bits
(food processor, baby!)

2 TBS finely chopped shallots (I used 3. Went into the food processor with the leeks.)

1 cup Alsatian Riesling (Please note that you generally won't find an Alsatian Riesling this side of the pond for a cooking wine price. I used a nice, dry German Riesling recommended by the wine man at Trader Joe's, and it was fabulous. Though it was still $7, and I didn't enjoy drinking it so much, it was not the $17 I would have had to spend on an Alsatian. I am not sure about substituting other wines for this recipe. Ask someone if you can't find the German Riesling.)

4 - 5 carrots, peeled, and cut in half

about 6 small, red potatoes, peeled

3 TBS unsalted butter (I used about 1 1/2 TBS of good French butter, unsalted, and made up for the rest with EVOO)

Salt, Pepper, (EVOO or) veg. oil

1/2 c. cream (I used heavy whipping, but I think light would do just fine. But don't use milk.)

Parsley (optional)

about 1/4 lemon


Preheat oven to 350.
In your dutch oven or stove and oven proof casserole, heat and melt 1/3 the butter and some EVOO.
Pat the chicken dry. Salt and pepper all sides.
Brown the chicken in small batches, about 10 minutes each batch. Remove to a plate.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare your leeks and onion.
(Or, if you are a big cheater like I am, pop them in the food processor and get to work on the carrots and potatoes.)

Once all the chicken is cooked, drain the fat from the pot (but don't rinse it!). Add the leeks and onion to the pot with a teaspoon (or less, if you are me) of salt and remainder of the butter. Cook over medium heat, covered, for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are soft and golden (maybe... mine weren't).

Add the wine, chicken, any juices from the chicken plate, and carrots to the pot and let the wine cook down for about 5 minutes. Give the pot a good stir, to make sure that the leeks are not just burning to the bottom while the chicken hangs out on top.

Put the potatoes in the pot to cook with the rest of the food.

Cover your pot and stick it in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked. (I let mine go for about 30 minutes. It was just dandy.)

When the chicken is cooked through add the cream, a little pepper, and the juice from the lemon to the pot. Stir well, and add some fresh parsley on top.
(I put mine back on the burner for this part, letting the cream and wine cook down a little more, only for about 5 more minutes.)

Serve and enjoy!

Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold...

Recently, this recipe overtook pizza bread in requests for the recipe. It is seriously delicious.


for the broth:
A ham bone (from your last ham... mmmm) or 2-3 ham hocks
about 4 carrots, cut in 3 pieces (you don't need to peel them)
1/3 - 1/2 onion
a few bay leaves
6-10 juniper berries
10-ish sprigs of parsley, torn up
A few peppercorns
10c. water

Stick all the ingredients in a big pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 hours, uncovered.
Strain, reserving broth.
If you used a meaty bone, save the meat as well.


For the soup, you will need:


1 lb split peas - rinsed AND SOAKED! (You can do this overnight, or by bringing a 2Qt. pot of water to a boil, adding the peas, cooking for a few minutes, and then removing from the heat and letting sit for about an hour.)
And make sure you pick through them well... you don't want to make stone soup.

4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 leek (I used the green and dark green bits left over from what I didn't use last night)
ham... I used leftover ham from Easter ... about 2 cups (cubed) ... You could use a large ham steak, some bacon, or pork shoulder. I think this was so good, though, in part to the smoked cola goodness of the ham.
1 - 2 TBS unsalted butter
2 tsp. of spice mix* (see below)
a few bay leaves
Broth (above)
salt & pepper
2 TBS cream (optional)

In the pot you will cook the soup in, melt butter over medium heat.
Add carrots, leeks, and 3/4 of the ham to the pot, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes.
Add broth, peas, spices, cream, salt, and pepper to pot. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking over low heat for 45 - 60 min., until peas are mushy, stirring frequently (mushy peas will stick to the bottom quickly!).
Remove from the heat and let set for 20-30 minutes. The soup will thicken up a bit.
Before serving, return to heat and add the remainder of the ham to the pot. Heat through.

Serve with thick sliced French bread sprinkled with parmesan and toasted.


*Spice mix is equal parts of savory, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, dill weed, marjoram, sage, and tarragon.

Crock Pot Chicken BBQ

This is simple, fuss-less, and good served on buns with some coleslaw and a side of potato salad.

Put 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast per person in a crock pot. Cover with Jack Daniels BBQ sauce, a little Coke-Cola, and if you like heat, red chili pepper. Cook on low all day.

Shred chicken and return to pot. Keep on warm until ready to serve.

This works very well with Trader Joe's salsa verde as well... great taco filler.

Beef Purple... the new Beef Burgundy

05/10/08

This is what happens when you must must must clean out your freezer...

1 beef shoulder filet, which came marinated, and I cubed (you could use any cut of meat, cubed, or stew beef... about 1 lb?)
If you don't have marinated meat, put the meat in about 1/2 cup red wine, some balsamic, some salt and some pepper, natural juices, and a bay leaf for a few hours to overnight. Shake it around every once in a while

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 can Cream of Celery (would have used cream of mushroom, but Dan doesn't like mushrooms)

The remains of: one box of peas, one bag of pearl onions, and part of one giant bag of frozen green beans I'll be trying to rid of forever. Use whatever half bag of whatever you have.

about half a bottle of a sturdy Malbec we had a few weeks ago, left out for cooking. This wine was seriously purple, and turned our meal purple, too. Use whatever red you have open, or would like to open and drink a good portion of. (that's about 1.5 cups... maybe a bit more)

Salt, pepper, and a bit of bouquet garni I bought at Penzeys Spice Shop. It has basil, savory, rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, tarragon, and dill weed. You can make your own, or order it from this fabulous spice shop.




Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Brown meat in small batches over high heat in a cast-iron pot or dutch oven.
When meat is all browned, return to pot.
Add all ingredients, along with about 1/2 can of water. (1/2 cup) I also added the marinade from the package back in.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid slightly reduces (about 10 mintues)

Cover, and put in the oven for about 1 hr & 45min - 2 hrs, or until your meat is tender, and you can no longer stand the delicious smell.

Serve over egg noodles, rice, pasta, with bread, or just simply enjoy.

Orzo Salad

05/14/08

I have been looking for a fabulous Greek dressing for a while.

This is IT. The best. To die for. Seriously.
(Taken from Allrecipe.com, where many others had similar reactions.)

1/2 cup olive oil
1-1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
1-1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
1-1/4 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
2/3 cup red wine vinegar

The reason I was hell-bent on finding this was because my mother, on a fluke, once made the greatest orzo salad ever known to man and Greek gods, and it has to have the right dressing. Which is the above.

Orzo Salad:

(optional items are in parenthesis, but as it is a salad, put in or omit whatever you like)

Above dressing - enough to coat however much you make.

Cooked Orzo
Frozen corn - using whole corn cut off the cob makes it even more fabulous, but I'm not that patient.
(Frozen peas)
Fresh basil, chopped
beans (I love black beans in this salad, but I used red beans in a pinch and it wasn't bad)
cucumber, cut into pieces
kalamata olives
roasted red peppers, chopped
(roasted cherry tomatoes)
(red onion, which my mother swears is essential, but as I loathe raw onions with an unholy passion, I am saying it is optional, and the salad is better for it! HA!)
(extra pinch of salt if needed)
(artichoke hearts? never tested, but could be fabulous here.)

The make-up of the salad should be the orzo and corn, with the rest spattered throughout. So the more of the above you add, decrease the amount. Sometimes less is more!

Mix it all together, and chill.
It is better the next day, or made at least 6 hours in advance... though I can never resist eating a face-full right away.

It is a great picnic, summery, cool salad, or, if you are infatuated like me, a meal. Toss some shrimp or grilled chicken on top and I'm game!

Holy delicious unstuffed tamale, batman!

06/18/08

My original intention was to make timoles without the corn husks. This is just as good, and 100% easier.

Need:

Polenta log. (That creepy premade polenta you find near the fresh pasta. Get the "original" or "plain".)
1 lb low-fat beef (I used 90/10. I would not go any lower than that, because you won't be draining it.)
1 packet McCormick's Enchilada mix
about 1/3 c. water.
shredded sharp cheese
1/2 red pepper, 1/2 orange pepper, 1/2 yellow pepper, all chopped
1 small chili pepper (I couldn't find jalapenos)... regulate the heat by leaving in or removing seeds. I used 1/2 the seeds, and it has a little bite.

Turn oven on to 350 degrees.

Slice the polenta lenghtwise, about 1/3 inch thick. I had a GIANT log of polenta, so I sliced it in half, cut off the round end, and ended up with 6 rectangles, about 1- 1/2 inches by 4 inches, 2 that were round on one side.

heat a little bit of veg. oil in a pan that will fit your polenta pieces. Fry up the polenta (it will darken and soften) on both sides over med-high heat. Remove from pan. If there is oil still in the pan, drain it. Dump meat into hot pan. Pour the seasoning and water over the meat before stirring (so it can really soak in). The liquid should disappear quickly.

Cook the meat. Once the meat is cooked through, add the peppers. Once those are soft, move the meat to one side of the pan. Lay some of the polenta in the empty part of the pan, and sprinkle them with cheese. Put meat on top. Keep moving the meat around until you have the bottom of the pan covered in polenta with cheese, and the meat on top. Cover the meat with cheese, and stick it in the oven for a few minutes.
You have 10 minutes to occupy yourself while the cheese melts and bubbles.

Serve by scooping out one glorious polenta slice with goodness on top.

Variations: In the future, I might add some onion, cooking it with the meat. I may add some diced tomatoes, or better yet, salsa. (We had no salsa. Sad.)

ENJOY. (Really, you have no other choice with this one.)

Karla's Kick-Ass Veggie Soup

06/18/08

That is what my mother marketed it as at her deli.
I made this on a whim after being overwhelmed by a huge farm share haul.

It is seriously awesome.

Ingredients:

Box of chicken stock (or veggie for the vegetarian version)
12 oz can of diced tomatoes, with the liquid
1/2 box frozen peas
1 zucchini, cut into semi-circles
1 summer squash, cut the same
some broccoli flourets
2 bay leaves
1/2 c. barley
3 - 4 carrots, peeled and chunky diced
salt, pepper, and some bouquet garni

Throw it in the pot, and let simmer for as long as you see fit, with a min. of 40 minutes, for the barley.
If you make this with veggie stock, it would be nice and vegetarian.
A good second day change-up is to add some cooked sausage.
It was delicious both ways. I made this one day, and we ate it the next. And brought it for lunch the day after that. The barley sucked up all my liquid, and if this happens, just add a little water right before heating.
Parmesan is a tasty topper for this. As is some toasty dipping bread.

Quinoa salad

06/24/08

I'm not sure what kind of grain quinoa is. Whatever it may be, it is good and different.

1 cup of dry quinoa, prepared al dente (which makes about 1 qt? cooked)
1/2 can chickpeas. You can eat the rest.
handful of craisins
handful of white raisins
1 - 2 TBS EVOO (enough to moisten)
chopped fresh mint (about 3-4 sprigs)
coriander (maybe a good teaspoon?)
sliced or slivered almonds - raw (you could use toasted. I used slivered, but prefer the sliced)

Salt and pepper to taste. (fresh ground black pepper)
There was another "c" spice. I almost think it was cumin, and I put a pinch (about 1/6 tsp) in mine, and it tastes fine. If I remember, I'll tell you.

Mix them all together. Serve. Makes about 2.5 qt.

THE banana bread

This is a throwback to my nanny days. A tried and true recipe loved by my top 5 food critics, 4 of them being under the age of 7 currently.

06/25/08

You will need:

3/4 stick of butter
1/4 c. brown sugar, somewhat packed
4 ripe bananas (the spottier, the better), smashed into bits. I use a fork in a measuring cup. The kids are easily amused by this, for whatever reason. I usually give this task to children.
1 (3.5oz) container of Gerber Banana Baby Food (you can buy them in a 2 pack travel pack, not jar - double the recipe, or save some forever. The food has a shelf life of 39 years or so.)
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch (1/8 tsp.) of salt
2 eggs

you could add cinnamon. I didn't.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Melt the butter.
With a spoon or whisk (nothing fancy), mix the butter with the sugar until well blended.
Stir in the baby food, salt, and baking soda.
Add the flour, about 1/2 cup at a time.
When all the flour is mixed in, fold in the eggs, then the bananas.

Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for about 50 minutes. You can try inserting a toothpick, but given the banana content, it may come out a bit wet. Just watch it, and make sure it doesn't get too dry (the top should spring back when pushed on gently).

Makes one perfectly banana-y loaf.

Walnuts would be an A+ add to this. Due to lack of walnuts at work, I skipped out on those.

If this lasts longer than 24 hours, I would refrigerate it.


You can add in grated zucchini for an added health benefit. Replace equal parts banana with zucchini. The kids will never ever know.

Watercress Soup

10/10/08

As is, this is a vegetarian, Passover-friendly, gluten free dish. Most of that goes out the window if you top with croutons, though. And the croutons are a delicious addition.

1 large bunch watercress (about 6 ounces)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 onion, chopped
2 large parsley sprigs
2 large thyme sprigs
1 large garlic clove
1 bay leaf
2 cups low salt broth... veggie or chicken (I prefer chicken)
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

1 cup (or more) cream

In a heavy stock pot, saute onion. Once carmalized, add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
Add stock, butter, spices, and potatoes. When potatoes are near done, remove sprigs and leaves and wilt in watercress.

When potatoes are completely done, add half cream and blend. Add more cream to help reduce thickness of soup. Salt to taste.

You can use more broth in place of cream, making this dish parve (depending on your choice of butter/ margarine) and a bit healthier.

true bolognase

Many people believe that traditional bolognase is meat simmered in sauce with perhaps a touch of cream. That is partially accurate, and mostly not at all.

This dish is not difficult; just labor intensive.
Make it out of love, and eat it in good health. You will need it, given that bolognase isn't the healthiest dish ever. Obviously.

12/01/08

Here is a true bolognase... Feeds a million... or about 6

You will need:
1/2 lb ground lean beef (I used 93/7)
1/2 lb ground veal
A little less than 1/4 lb pricutto, ground (food processor)
1 lb of sweet or regular ground pork... I used sweet Italian sausages, but would have selected just butcher ground if I had that option
1 large carrot
1/3 of a celery bunch
1 small/medium sweet onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup white wine
1 cup (8oz) tomato paste
2 cups whole milk (yes, whole)
Parmesean-Regiano
Ricotta (optional)
basil, oregano, S&P, and nutmeg (optional - I did not.)

Heat some EVOO in a heavy dutch oven or sauce pan (about 2TBS to start)
Finely chop (I used a food processor) carrots, celery, garlic and onion
Saute these in oil until caramelized over med-high heat, about 10 minutes, adding EVOO to prevent burning
Combine meats and add to pan
As the meats start to brown and juice, add milk. Continue to cook over medium heat (should be boiling) until milk is nearly gone, about 15-20 minutes.
Add the wine, tomato paste, and seasonings to taste.
I added a few tablespoons of ricotta at this point.
Reduce heat to a simmer, low, for no less than 1 hour. (2 is ideal) Cover after about 45 minutes, or when the liquid is significantly reduced.

Serve over a dense, twirled or twisted pasta, cooked to al dente.

Butternut Squash Soup

04/06/2009

4 cups (one box) veggie stock
1/2 butternut squash - I get the prepeeled kind. About 1 lb squash w/o skin, regardless what you buy. Frozen works well, too.
1 (red) bell pepper. I like the red color in this soup. A variety of peppers would be nice, too.
1 med, onion
1/2 bunch celery
1 can diced tomatoes or a jar of salsa would work well and add some heat
1 can black beans
1.5 cups frozen corn
water
cumin
smoked paprika
ground red pepper

Saute onion and celery in soup pot
Add broth, squash, and tomatoes, cumin and paprika to taste (1.5 tsp each, about). Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes, or until squash is tender
Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Add water if needed, or soup becomes too thick.
Add beans, corn, and diced pepper. Add red pepper for spice. Simmer for another 15 minutes, or until corn is warmed up.

You can garnish this with parsley, sour cream, plain yogurt, cheese, corn chips... (we did cheese and chips), or add shredded chicken after pureeing if you like! Enjoy!

Roasted Corn Salsa

8/11/09

4 ears of corn
half of a sweet onion
lime (or lemon) infused olive oil
red or white wine vinegar (I actually used mirin by mistake. I intended to use white...)

Clean the corn. Throw on a grill and baste with citrus olive oil. If you are like me, you may forget about the corn and have one nearly black side. This is okay. Just get a nice cooked to almost charred color on the corn somewhere.
Cool corn down.

While the corn is cooling, dice up the onion and saute in a non-reactive pan until soft in citrus olive oil. Remove from heat and add about a teaspoon or two of vinegar (based on how fond of vinegar you are) to the onions and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Cut the corn off the cob. Yes, it is a pain in the arse, but it is worth it.
Mix the corn and onions (with pan juices) in a bowl.

Traditional Alsatian Choucrout Garni

Dan introduced me to this traditional Alsatian dish. I was challenged to make this dish, and rose to the challenge, even if it meant hunting down pork all over Boston.

This was a Valentine's gift I made for Dan, complete with Muller Alsatian wine. It was perfect.

Originally posted 02/18/08

You will need:

Sauerkraut (I used 3 large-ish jars... maybe 3lbs total?) A whole lot.
One large, yellow onion
butter
1 bottle of Alsatian Riesling wine or another dry Riesling
More pork than you will ever know what to do with. I used:
2 pork chops
2 smoked ham hocks
4 fresh pork sausages
2 fresh pork frankfurters
3 bratwurst (one was smoked)
2 smoked linguica
1 lb bacon, cut into 2 thick slabs

Juniper berries (I used about 2 TBS, WAY more than any recipe I found.)
1 bouquet garni with 4 bay leaves and 10 peppercorns. (I didn't have cheesecloth, so I emptied out an oversized tea bag and used that. If you don't have that, use 2 small ones. If you don't have that, you need to get some.)
Cloves. If you have whole cloves, put 5 in your bouquet. If you don't, sprinkle some powdered cloves over the top... maybe a teaspoon?
Red Potatoes (I used 10?)


You can, of course scale this down. Use one jar, a small onion, a little wine, and a lot less pork. But this way is so good.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
While that is heating, drain the sauerkraut. Separate and squeeze the sauerkraut. This stuff holds more liquid than I would have ever imagined. So annoying. Leave it to drain some more.

Put the onion in a blender. Get it as fine chopped as you can. I accidentally liquified some of mine, but that turned out to not be so bad.
Saute the onions in butter in your large, oven-safe dutch oven until they are soft, but not brown.
Turn off the heat on the stove.
Add half the sauerkraut (squeeze it again by the handful) to the pan.
Place any meats that are not fresh sausage into the pot. Remember to poke anything that has a casing with a fork a few times.
Add the bouquet and the berries, then top off with the remainder of the sauerkraut.
Pour the wine in and let it cook for at least 1.5 hours, stirring the sauerkraut every 30-45 minutes. Add water if the liquid is all absorbed and the kraut starts to brown or stick (just about 1/2 cup - 1 cup at a time).

30 min. - 1 hr before you want to eat, poke and cook up the remaining sausage, then add to the pot. Peel potatoes and add them as well.

I really love you beef stew.

This is done in steps over some time. It is one of the more intensive recipes, but worth it. Marinating the beef overnight makes the meat deliciously tender.

Originally posted 01/22/08

This is a long cooking, somewhat intensive recipe.
It is best for a day that you have some cleaning to do, or are just going to be around the house.

Ingredients:
3 lb. beef chuck/shoulder
48 oz beef stock
1/3 bottle red wine (approx.)
1 lb carrots
small bunch celery
1/2 bag pearl onions
3/4 bag frozen peas
8 oz diced tomatoes
about 5 slices bacon
3 medium sized white boiling potatoes

McCormick's Beef Stew Seasoning
sweet smoked paprika
salt & pepper
bay leaves
rosemary
thyme
flour
EVOO

The night before:
Trim and cube the beef (I find the pieces are always too big).
Marinade in red wine (1/2 c.?) with salt, pepper and a few bay leaves. (I meant to throw some garlic in this, but forgot. You can try it.)
Shake it up whenever you go past the refrigerator.

Remove the meat from the marinade, saving the marinade for later (remove bay leaves).
Heat some EVOO in your dutch oven so it is HOT.
Salt and pepper the meat.
Brown the meat on all sides, adding more EVOO as needed. This is best done in small batches, removing the beef to a pan or bowl.
Chop up the bacon and fry this up. (I did mine in a separate pan because I didn't want all that grease in my stew, but you could do it in the dutch oven.)
When all things are fried, lower the heat to low and add about 1/3 c. beef stock and marinade to the pan. Scrape the brown bits from the pan.
Add the braised meat, remainder of the stock, onions, (new) bay leaves, paprika, rosemary and thyme (I added roughly 1tsp of each seasoning), 1/3 pkt. of beef stew seasoning, pepper, salt, and diced tomatoes.

Toss this in the oven at 275 degrees (uncovered) for 2.5-3 hours (or longer, if you like), stirring occasionally. Cover after about 1.5 hours.

Add peeled and sliced carrots and celery. Cook for another hour.

When you have 30 minutes left in cooking time, add peeled and diced potatoes and peas.

If you want more of a stew (gravy-like) over a soup (clear broth), do the following about 30 minutes before eating:
(It's worth it to make this effort!)
Remove about 3 c. of broth.
Mix 7 TBS flour with 2/3c. warm water. Whisk until smooth. (Makes a simple rue.)
Pour the broth into a sauce pan. Whisk in rue, until well blended. (chances are this will be fairly thick)
Return gravy to the dutch oven and stir in.

Enjoy. Awesome with crusty French bread.

Steak tips and egg noodles

Guess I was on a kick back in '07. Here's another steak and carb dish.

Originally posted 12/16/07

As this is a delicious winter meal, it takes 90 minutes start to finish. Worry not, it is quite simple, and you will have lots of time to abandon the food and let it work its magic.
This dish feeds 6-8 people.

You will need:

about 4 slices of bacon, chopped
about 2 lbs sirloin or sirloin steak tip
EVOO
about 1 lb carrots
1 small bunch of celery
1 pk frozen pearl onions
1 container mushrooms, quartered
1/2 bottle red wine (pref. burgundy, or something like it. If you ask at the wine store, they will point you to something cheap, but drinkable)
1 (8-12oz) can beef stock
1 small can Campbell's condensed (double strength?) beef stock
Salt & pepper
orange zest... about 2 tsp
1 lb. wide egg noodles
butter
flour

Preheat oven to 375.

In a dutch oven or heavy oven-proof pot, heat EVOO (1 turn of the pan) and brown chopped bacon over medium heat.
While bacon is frying, start chopping the beef into bite-sized pieces. Salt and pepper beef pieces.
Remove bacon from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate.
Cook 1/3 beef in bacon drippings (HEALTHY!) while continuing to chop up the rest of the beef. Remove cooked beef from pot. This should take about 10 minutes per batch (if you throw too much in, it will only take longer), and pieces should be medium-rare when "done". Add more EVOO to the pan if needed.
When all the beef is cooked, pour the wine into the pot. Bring to a bubble (not a rolling boil) and let the wine reduce (about 5 minutes) while scraping up all the good brown deliciousness from the bottom of the pan.
Add the stock to the pot, return the bacon and beef, and cover. Place in the oven for 90 minutes.

Chop up the carrots and celery. When I chop celery, I just take off the ends and go straight down the bunch, and if I only need half, I stop chopping. The center stalks are often thrown away, which is a shame, because the leaves have a wonderful flavor. So just make your life easy, and your food tasty, and try this method out.

Once the pot has been cooking for an hour(ish), add the carrots and celery to the mix.

With 15 - 20 minutes left, start boiling water to cook the egg noodles. Quarter up the mushrooms (or chop into chunks), and saute in a pan with a little EVOO for 5 minutes. Add the pearl onions to the pan, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until onions are warmed through.

When the egg noodles are al dente, drain and add a few tsp of butter so they don't glue together.

Remove pot from oven after about 90 min. of cooking (or whenever the onions are done and the beef looks done) and place over medium-high heat on the stove.
Add the mushrooms, onions and orange zest to the pot.

In the pan that the mush/on were in, melt 1TBS butter over medium heat. Add enough flour to cover the butter and whisk together. Add about 3c. of broth from the beef to the pan, and whisk in more flour... this will create a roux, or gravy of sorts. The more of this you make, the thicker your stew broth stuff will be. So if you want it really gravy-like, add more flour, butter and liquid. If you loathe gravy and all things resembling gravy, skip this bit.
Add whatever amount of roux you made back to the pot. Ladle beef burgundy into bowls over the egg noodles.

Enjoy!

Goulash? Is that how you spell it?

Originally posted 10/31/07

This is a good steak and pasta recipe, a huge, delicious step up from the chef boyardee goulash.

8oz - 1lb sirloin steak, no bone (I used about 10 oz and we had leftovers. I also bought 5lbs of sirloin steaks at Costco. Keep an eye out for more steak recipes soon.)
small (8-12oz) can of beef stock
small bowl of flour (1/2 c.)
salt, pepper, smoked paprika
garlic, minced (fresh or jar)
1/2 - 1 small onion
leftover red wine
EVOO
leetle beet of sour cream (about a tablespoon?)... I used the light stuff.
1/2lb - 1lb wide (or extra wide) egg noodles
small jar or can of pimentos (6oz?)

Start your egg noodle water boiling. Salt the water.

Heat up your skillet (med-high heat) with a few turns of EVOO. (Rachael also adds butter, but I used red wine as a substitute... but you add this later.)
Stick the steak in the freezer for about 10 min. (cooling any meat like this makes it MUCH easier to cut raw)
Trim the steak and cut it, against the grain, into small strips. Cut these strips into bite-sized pieces.
Season the steak bits with salt and pepper, then dredge them in the flour.
Toss steak bits into the pan and stir. Add some red wine to the pan (whatever you want).

Cook your egg noodles while the steak cooks. Remember, egg noodles cook REALLY fast.

When the steak is almost done but still a little pink, add some garlic and grate some onion (on the wide slice side of the grater... otherwise, just chop it into thin strips) into the pan.
Add about 2/3 of a palmful of paprika. Toss the ingredients around to coat them well.
Drain the pimentos and toss those in.
Cook everything together for about 2 minutes, then add the beef stock and a little more wine if you care to.
Add the sour cream in to the broth. If you like your gravy thicker (as is, it makes it more of a soupy thing), clear a space in the center of your pan (as best you can) and whisk some flour into the broth. I added about 1/3c. of the left-over dredging flour, and it made a GREAT gravy. Mmm.
Let simmer for about 4-5 minutes. No need to cover, but you may want to reduce the heat.

Drain your egg noodles and add a little butter to keep them from clumping.
Do a kitchen dance.

Serve the meat over the noodles in bowls.

Smapplesauce

This is Dan's grandmother's recipe for applesauce, with very few modifications.

It is delicious and customizable... you can make it chunky, smooth, organic, all natural, flavored by adding other fruits or juice...

You will need:

about 2lbs (more is better) apples ... I used MacIntosh and Red Delicious... I wouldn't use anything much sweeter than this.
Juice from 1 lemon (put it over the apples while you cut them)
1/2 c. sugar (I used a little less and it still came out a bit too sweet for me, but the kids LOVE it. I may try half this next time.)
1/2 c. water
at least 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
(nutmeg, which the original recipe doesn't call for, but I love nutmeg, so I sprinkled some in.)

Peel, core and slice apples into chunks (I cut the medium sized apples into 8ths, and cut those in half).
Mix all ingredients in a medium sauce pan (3qt works well).
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Stir occasionally.
Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the apples start to break down.
Remove from heat and smash apples with a potato masher.
Enjoy!

Tortellini Soup - quick and easy

Originally posted 10/04/07

You will need:

(1) 26oz. can of tomato soup
(1) 12 oz. can diced tomatoes
(1) 12 oz. can chicken, veg., or beef stock, depending if you use turkey, vegetarian, or sausage soup, respectably.
1 lb. ground turkey or sausage (I used turkey.) ... you can also just omit this entirely.
1/2 large onion
a few green peppers (or spinach, if you want the vitamin K and great taste)
a few carrots
spices, garlic
dried or "fresh" tortellini

Brown up the meat, onion and some minced garlic in the pot you intend to cook the soup in.
Add in the broth/stock, tomatoes and tomato soup, and bring to a low boil - reduce to a simmer.
Chop up the veggies and toss those in.
Spice it up. I used a little salt, a good deal of pepper, some red pepper, thyme, oregano, and a little corrianer, however you spell that. I also stuck in a bay leaf. You could put some dried basil in now, but I have some fresh stuff I'll add in with the pasta.

Simmer for about 30 minutes (cover it if you think it's getting thick) if you aren't going to eat it until later.
I intend on sticking mine in the refrigerator... we'll have it for supper.

If you want to eat it right away, go ahead and cook it for a bit longer... or eat it. Just make sure your carrots are done.

Add the tortellini in and let them cook right before eating. If you bought the fresh kind, it will only take 2-5 minutes. You could also use gnocchi or just potatoes (which you will add in with the carrots).

This is super filling.

That's a spicy meatball!

My tried and true meatball recipe.

Originally posted 09/25/07

Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees (lower temp will cook slower, giving you a more 'well done' meatball over a jucier one)

1 lb. ground beef or meatball/ meatloaf mix. If using beef, use 90% or higher so that you don't make a hot mess out of your oven.
Bread crumbs (Italian seasoned if you like, or plain if you want to add a lot of your own spices. I use Italian, and a brand name... it's in a blue thing.)
1 egg (per lb. of meat)
grated Parmesean cheese
grated Romano cheese (both cheeses can be found in shaker jars near the sauce, but I prefer fresh. Whichever works.)

The following can be added or left out, whatever you fancy. Mix it up.
basil
garlic (finely chopped and sauteed, or garlic powder if you don't like chunks)
salt
pepper
finely chopped sauteed onion
*BBQ Dinosaur FOREPLAY rub* (I swear, it comes out sooo much better)
cumin (I really like cumin)
whatever else on your spice rack smells good. No, seriously, just sniff and see.

Wash your hands. You will want paper towels near by.
Put the meat in a bowl. Good.
Now add about 1/2 c. of bread crumbs and the egg.
Add the cheeses. I like about 1/3c. each. Maybe more.
Smash it all together with your hands. Like with hamburger, you don't want to overwork it. Just mixing it up is great for now.
If you feel that it is too runny (from the egg), add a half a palm-full of bread crumbs. The meat should be looser than play-doh, but roll into balls and stay that way, more or less.

Now add your onions, garlic, spices, and all that good stuff. It may look like you are WAY overseasoning it, but don't worry about that. Just go easy on the salt, since the Parmesean is pretty salty on it's own. So is Foreplay.

Roll the meat into golfball sized balls. (I usually only roll 5-7, then roll more while those brown.)

Heat a non-stick pan to medium-high heat. Preheat the oven to 375 and line a baking pan with tin foil.

Brown the meatballs in the pan, leaving plenty of room to turn. When brown on a few sides (but not cooked through), place on baking sheet. Once all meatballs are done, put in the oven and bake until done in the middle, maybe about 15-20 minutes? Just check them. Eat the ones you cut in half (once they are cooked).

These freeze really well. If warm, add to sauce at last minute. If chilled, add to sauce 15 minutes before you want to eat, or zap in the microwave. You don't want to let them sit in the sauce and cook too long, as they will just turn mushy.

Crock pot beef

Originally posted 5/22/07

This is a great beef and veggies dish, good for a cold night. You slice it when it is done, so it presents nicely, and makes its own gravy as it goes.

What you will need:

2.5-3lbs of chuck roast beef, whole and tied. It usually comes this way.
a few carrots, peeled and cut into discs
an onion, peeled and halved
a few Idaho potatoes, cut into chunks. I left the skin on.
a can of Campbell's cream of celery soup
4 oz. of Campbell's double-rich beef stock
some red wine
dried rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper
olive oil

If cooking on low heat, you will want to make your veggies chunkier, especailly the potatoes.

Pour the cream of celery soup, stock and one can of red wine (or you can use water, but wine adds a nice flavor) into the crock pot and whisk together. It may not blend well.

On a plate, mix a LITTLE bit of salt and some pepper, rosemary and thyme (you can be more generous with these).
Coat the sides of the chuck with the spice mixture.
In a heavy pan with a turn of olive oil, heated over a medium-high heat, sear each side of the chuck by placing it in the pan for 30-45 seconds.
Put the chuck in the pot.

Now. This is where it gets tricky.
If you have time and are preparing this 3-4 hours before the meal, do the following.
If not, skip this part and just stick it all in the pot to cook for 5-7 hours on low.

In a pan with some olive oil over medium heat (you can use the same searing pan) place the onion (cut side down) and and veggies in with some salt, pepper and rosemary (fresh is best). Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes, turning occasionally to prevent burning. They should resemble roasted veggies or home fries. When still firm, but browned slightly, add to the pot.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours.

I like to turn the meat once, and occasionally pour juices over the top.
Season the broth to taste 30 min. - 1 hour before you eat.
Remember, as it cooks it will get more salty.

I also serve this with bread.

If you want, you can substitute the cream of celery with cream of mushroom or another can of broth. Adding the cream soups will make the broth a gravy.

EASY ricotta pies

Originally posted 05/27/07

My mother sent me this recipe when I needed a quick dessert.

Little baby pies of DELICIOUSNESS
(because it didn't come with a name)

15oz Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese (Don't get anything but whole milk. It makes that much of a difference.)
4oz Philly Cream Cheese (I don't recommend anything that is not Philly's Original. Just do it right.)
Less than 2 TBS confectioner's sugar
6 pack of Keebler mini graham cracker pie crusts (you can probably make these, but they are so cheap, it would cost you more to buy the crackers needed)
1/2 bag of frozen berries (or fresh ones, sugared, if you have them)

Let the cream cheese come to room temp. (or at least soften a whooooole lot)
Fold the cream cheese and ricotta together (just stir them until they are well-blended. You can use a mixer, but it is a bit overkill for this.)
Stir in small bits of conf. sugar (about 1/2 tsp at a time) until sweetened to taste (should taste like a cannoli, not too sweet, but just a hint of sugar)
Fill pie crusts with cheese filling (duh)

Refrigerate pies until ready to serve (they'll keep for a few days, so this is a good done-in-advance dessert)

Defrost the berries in a bowl so the liquid from the berries is saved.
Spoon berries and juice over pies right before serving.

I recommend removing the pies from the tins. I hate the taste I get when the aluminum tin hits the fork. It hurts my teeth. It's probably just me being crazy, but they also look prettier when removed.

... a kid'll eat ivy too; wouldn't you?

I love London. As the days of my London residency dwindled, I tried to see the places, people, and things I would miss the most. This resulted in some extravagantly long Tube rides for (what some would deem as) trivial moments. Nearly every day of my last week I walked through Trafalgar Square (still my most favorite place in all of England), stopped for proper tea somewhere (complete with digestives!), and rode the Tube to London Bridge.
I didn't wish to see London Bridge.
(Thrilling, I know. PS - If this isn't what you imagined it to be, perhaps you were confusing London Bridge with Tower Bridge... it's a common mistake)


I went for the Tube food. Just outside the station there is a stand for West Cornwall Pasties.

I bought my first pasty (pronounced past-ie) on my way out home one evening. I had but a few pounds on me, and it was a cheap, easy looking lunch. We had been to a show, and didn't want to have to stop somewhere. My two friends and I each bought a different kind, and they were equally delicious. As Thanksgiving rolled around, they featured a pasty for the displaced Americans: turkey, gravy, stuffing, veggies, and cranberries. Delicious.

I could carry on about each pasty I tried and how delicious they were (and believe me, I remember each one...), but know that when Dan and I visited, this was what I wanted for my birthday. This, and proper tea.

When I made lamb and Guinness stew a few nights ago, all I could think about is how we don't tend to bring stew for lunch. BUT what if I thickened the stew into gravy, drained some, and made a basic dough...

...

...

PASTIES!

If you have any sort of left-overs that would be delicious wrapped in a flakey crust, please try this:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, chilled, cut into chunks
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup ICE water

Filling of choice.

In a food processor, pulse first 4 ingredients together to make a crumby dough.
Gradually add water until dough forms in large chunks.

Turn dough out on to plastic wrap. Flatten into a 1 inch thick square and refrigerate for 30 minutes - 1 day.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll dough out into a large rectangle on a floured surface. Cut dough into 4 rectangles or circles (depending on how fancy you want your pasties to be) and place filling on one side, leaving a 1/2 inch margin around the edges.
Fold dough in half, crimp edges with a fork, and cut 2 - 3 vent holes in the top.

Glaze with milk. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
(I was so excited, I forgot the glaze. They tasted fine, and I drank the milk I left out to glaze them with. All is good.)


Cheers!


(After such a dinner, have a nice cup of tea. Pasties also make great "grab and go" food.)

Check out the West Cornwall Pasty Company: http://www.westcornwallpasty.co.uk/

Oh, mares eat oats and goats eat oats, and little lambs eat ivy...

For the Irish, or Irish-at-heart, or purveyor of tasty foods for cold days, I bring you:

Lamb & Guinness Stew

You will need:

About a pound of lamb stew meat, cut into small pieces. (Why does stew meat never come in manageable sized bites?) ... You can use beef if you don't prefer lamb.
1 cup of Guinness Stout
1 medium onion, diced (always a default in my recipes)
about a pint of beef broth
5 carrots, sliced
4-5 russet potatoes (medium sized), cut into chunks similar in size to the lamb
4 crushed juniper berries
salt and pepper
EVOO

In a heavy stock pot, brown lamb in batches. (When browning, you only want to get some color on the outside... don't worry if it isn't cooked. It shouldn't be.) Remove from pot, and drain off any fat that may have accumulated.
Saute onions over medium heat until golden. Add Guinness, juniper berries, salt (about 1/2 tsp?), meat, and enough broth to cover meat. Let simmer for 1 hour, or until meat is fork tender. (This will depend on how large or small your chunks are...)

When meat is tender, add in potatoes and carrots. Taste broth and correct seasoning with salt and pepper. Let simmer until potatoes and carrots are done. So much depends on chunk size...!

Enjoy with some soda bread!


- In retrospect, I would have added peas, too. Perhaps in the leftovers...

More than you needed to know about juniper berries.

I use juniper berries like I use garlic, rosemary, or whole peppercorns... that is to say I use them often.

Juniper berries are from juniper bushes. Like most plants, there are many kinds of junipers. Some make you very sick, some are very bitter, and one kind is perfect for adding a certain je ne sais quoi to a dish.

You usually find juniper berries dried. They have tough skin, so they should be at least slightly crushed before adding to a dish. Their flavor is green, woodsy spice, like anise or rosemary. They have a slight figgy taste to them, but the spice is the strongest kick.

Traditional cookbooks suggest juniper berries for gamey meats, such as venison. It is true; they do a good job of balancing out the wild flavor of game. Alsatians use juniper in choucroute garni. They are also key to making gin. However, that is not all they are good for.

Try juniper berries with pork tenderloin, in lamb stew, saurkraut, beef dishes (like short ribs), or in sweet red wine reductions. If you are thinking that you need a little pepper, maybe some rosemary or anise, ... then try 5-10 crushed juniper berries.

Italian Wedding Soup

A little lesson on Americanized Italian:

You won't find Italian wedding soup in Italy. There, a similar called "minestra maritata", or "married soup", is typically served as a first course. The name refers to the relationship between the scarola (escarole) and meat in the pot.
Italian wedding soup is an Italian American creation, crafted by Italians making their minestra maritata from what they could find here in America.
Minestra maritata is believed to have originated in souther Italy, containing different meats and vegetables based on region. The popular pork meatballs are believed to come from Naples. Some versions include poached eggs instead of meatballs.

Originally posted to LJ: 3/20/2007

What you will need:

BIG pot
Laddle

2lbs. (roughly) chicken thighs (I prefer boneless/skinless)
2 large (48oz?) cans chicken stock/broth (I use a homemade stock or College Inn)
1 or 2 Bay Leaves
1 large onion, cut into 4ths or 6ths
6-7 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch disks (about)
6-7 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 small head of escarole
1 box Anci Di Pipi pasta or 1/2 box Rosa Maria pasta OR 1/2 box stellina (stars) pasta
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, romano

Optional -
1 can canelli beans
1 or 2 packets of Goya Sazon (the orange/coral ones)

Meatballs -
1 pound 85-90% ground beef OR meatball mix (a blend of veal, beef, and pork, sometimes called "meatloaf mix")
Grated Romano & Parmesean
Bread Crumbs
1 egg

Put the broth, chicken, onion and bay leaves in the pot. Bring to a boil & reduce to a simmer for about 1 hour.

While that is cooking, prepare your carrots and celery. If you are adding meatballs, now is a good time to make them.

Meatballs:
combine meat, egg, about 1 cup bread crumbs and about 1 cup of cheeses with your hands. I add a dash of salt, some pepper and some garlic powder to mine. If the mixture is still very liquidy/damp, add more bread crumbs.
Form 1/2 of this mixture into SMALL meatballs (about the size of small bouncy balls or quarters). Set aside.

Form remaining mixture into regular sized meatballs. Fry in a pan until golden on all sides (about 5 minutes on med/high heat, turning frequently) and bake in an oven @ 350 until cooked through. Go make yourself a meatball sandwich, or save for another day.

After 1 hr., break apart chicken thighs (this should not be difficult, they should practically fall apart) and add veggies and meatballs to broth. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, sazon and beans.
Simmer until meatballs are cooked and veggies are tender. Soup can stay on stove, simmering, well after the meat is cooked. Just don't let your carrots get TOO soggy.

1/2 hour before you are ready to eat, wash, cut and add escarole.
Test the broth and season to taste.
You may want to test a meatball, too.

10 minutes before you are ready to eat, add pasta. Once pasta is cooked, serve soup.

Top with fresh romano.

Best with Italian bread for dipping.

Welcome, new range!

In honor of receiving our new stove/oven range today (a full week after our old one broke), I went to Whole Foods in search of something special and delicious with which to welcome our new oven.

The short ribs looked exceptionally good and not horrifically marked up. Plus, they were local, grass-fed cows - I'm a fan of all natural, grass-fed beef. I bought just over 2 pounds. In retrospect, this was enough to feed 4 people, but I was hungry, and though it sufficient for two.

I served the short ribs over a bed of mashed potatoes (made by Dan) and rainbow chard.

Braised Beef Short Ribs (one of my many versions...)

These take 2 hours minimum to cook, but you can leave them in there for up to 3 hours. It is nice to have that flexibility.

You will need:

2-2.5 lbs short ribs
5-6 carrots, cut into 1 inch diagonals
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 cup (ish) red wine... merlot, malbec, or burgundy would work especially nice. Use whatever you have left over, though. Or, 2 buck Chuck.
1.5 cups chicken, beef, or veal stock
1.5 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp juniper berries
bouquet garni
salt
pepper
EVOO

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a 3-5 quart dutch oven or stove/oven crock, heat about 1 TBS EVOO over medium high heat until glistening.
Pat short ribs dry and salt and pepper meaty sides.
When oil is heated, brown short ribs, in small batches on wide sides, about 2 minutes per side. Do not crowd the pan; you want them to brown and develop a crust, not steam.
Once all short ribs are browned, remove short ribs and drain oil from pan. Lower heat to low - medium, and toss in the carrots, and onions. Carmalize onions, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add in juniper berries and peppercorns, and cook another minute.
Pour in wine. Bring to a boil (raise heat) and reduce slightly while scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Pour in stock, replace short ribs, cover, and cook for 2-3 hours in oven, until meat is pulling away from the bone.


Rainbow chard:

Melt some butter over low heat in a large sauce pan. Add some diced or crushed garlic and let gently saute until fragrant and golden. (Don't crank the heat up... garlic will burn and become bitter above medium heat!) Add chard in handfuls, allowing each batch to wilt slightly (covering helps) before stirring in a new handful.

I love chard. For those who haven't tried it, it is much like spinach, and being a dark, leafy green, is a very healthy food.

Broth

In Grandma Lois style, I've prepared (or at least started to prepare) my broth for matzo ball soup.

Passover begins March 30th.

I didn't have this crazy desire to be overly prepared way too early, I just happened to have the leftovers from last night's chicken. (Which, for the record, was fantastic.)

This is very similar to my last chicken broth recipe (which I haven't put up here yet, and may or may not...), only the bones have been cooked in the crock, and not roasted, since my oven remains very, very broken.

Whenever you have rotisserie chicken from the store, make a chicken, or have leftover roasted chicken you just don't think will be eaten up in time, put it in your freezer in a container. Save the backbones and necks. You *can* add giblets in here, but I prefer to use those for gravy, or a special treat for the kitties. Lately, the kitties lack of positive behavior has resulted in more gravy for us. Sadly, they know when it is fresh chicken night, and sit in the kitchen crying for giblets. What a hot mess. I digress.

You will need:

A large pot. I used a 7 qt I believe, but I've used giant pots before. Just get more bones.
A chicken carcass, skins, some necks, backs, pieces, or, if you don't have any (or really want a rich flavor) buy some bone-in skin-on chicken winglets or thighs. You can buy any of these from a butcher, and sometimes the grocery store. Sometimes they will even save it for you if you ask nicely. I try to get about 1 chicken worth of bones per 7 quarts of water.
Salt. Put 1/2 TBS in to start, then go from there once you near the end.
Other seasonings you like. I almost always use thyme and savory with chicken. I also like bay leaf, garlic, and/or rosemary. It all depends on what you are going for. If you have doubts, smell your spices and think "is this what I want it to taste like?"
Water. Lots of water.
An onion, quartered, skin on.
5-7 carrots, broken into 2-3 pieces, skin on
A bunch of celery (small bunch), roughly chopped. If you have a huge bunch, use the middle before the outside.
Cheesecloth

Yesterday, I used the leftover "roasted" (crocked) veggies instead of new ones.
I also started this stock using the drippings from the crock. This makes it wonderful.

Stick everything in a pot, fill with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and let it simmer for a few hours. The more it simmers, the more concentrated it will be. I personally like broth more concentrated. You can always add more water in later.

Once the broth has reached the concentrate you like, strain the chicken and herb bits out using the cheese cloth. (This is how you get very clear broth.)

Set broth in the refrigerator overnight. When you return in the morning, the fat will be settled on the top. Skim this off.
You can also use a fat skimmer thing to get this off if you are in a hurry. My fat skimmer thing only holds 2 cups of liquid, and I get quite impatient with it. Both methods achieve the same goal.


... and you have chicken broth! Now you can put in it what you want!

Foreplay Corn Bread

A little less than a bag of frozen corn. About 3/4 of a bag.
Dinosaur BBQ cajun foreplay spice mix
A little butter
A box of Jiffy cornbread mix.

First, make cajun corn. Heat the corn (I do this over the stove) with a little water. Drain water and put a little butter in the pan. (You don't need nearly as much as Dino calls for in their book. About as much as you put on toast.) Add Foreplay to taste. I think I used about 2 TBS. I like my Dinosaur.

Prepare cornbread mix as indicated on box. Mix in corn right before pouring into pan (make as a Johnny Cake) and bake.

BAM.

Even better is when you have it for breakfast the next day with some yummy honey from the mountains in NC.

Now get your head out of the gutter.

Amazing corn salsa

08/11/09

4 ears of corn
half of a sweet onion
lime (or lemon) infused olive oil
red or white wine vinegar (I actually used mirin by mistake. I intended to use white...)

Clean the corn. Throw on a grill and baste with citrus olive oil. If you are like me, you may forget about the corn and have one nearly black side. This is okay. Just get a nice cooked to almost charred color on the corn somewhere.
Cool corn down.

While the corn is cooling, dice up the onion and saute in a non-reactive pan until soft in citrus olive oil. Remove from heat and add about a teaspoon or two of vinegar (based on how fond of vinegar you are) to the onions and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Cut the corn off the cob. Yes, it is a pain in the arse, but it is worth it.
Mix the corn and onions (with pan juices) in a bowl.

I am serving this with our fajitas tonight. You can eat it however you like. I suspect it would be quite good mixed in some orzo and chilled*, or tossed with roasted tomatoes (diced) for more of the traditional salsa feel. I may also experiment with adding fresh cilantro or basil. I intended to add basil, but threw it all into the pesto before I realized the error of my ways. Alas.


Also on the fajita-topping menu for tonight:

Grilled guacamole. (Why have I never grilled avocado before?!?!)
Refried black beans via Gourmet. Finding avocado leaves proved to be less difficult than I had imagined.
Sauteed onions and peppers, of course.
Cheese.

* I did this with leftover salsa. Fantastic.

Chicken for Dan

08/16/09

Apparently, Soba noodles don't exist in regular grocery stores here in Chapel Hill, NC. Not even Trader Joe's has them.

After attempting Trader's and leaving with some porto, sake, a bottle of German white wine, and some beer, I decided to travel across the street to the Food Lion. I wandered around the store amlessly (I blame the Trader's guy with the wine samples, as he knew nothing about the wine and I was identifying the grapes for him and telling customers what to pair it with. I should have been paid...) in search of anything that wasn't white pasta. I asked a nice sales clerk, and he showed me the Ramen noodles before informing me that we should check the Mexican section, because sometimes they get mixed up. The Mexican section had Manichevitz Egg Noodles (for Passover), and I had to inform the poor kid that those were neither Oriental or Mexican, but Israeli. He was very confused. As was I.

So I made do with what Food Lion had, and will save any serious Asian cooking for a day I have time to travel to a Whole Foods.

Here is what I did:

Marinated 2 bnls/sknls chicken breasts in minced garlic and ginger soy sauce for a few hours. It doesn't need to be all day, as the stuff really gets in there.

Boil some water for 3 packs of ramen. Don't use the horrid packets.

Once the water is boiling add the noodles and put the chicken on a grill. Steam some brocolli to al dente.
Drain tne noodles well, and put in a big bowl. Toss with peanut satay sauce. Take chicken off grill and let it sit for a minute or two, to firm up and suck in the juices. It makes me sad when people overcook bird because they don't let it sit and think it is raw, so they toss it back on the grill or never give it a chance.
Add the brocolli to the big bowl. Taste the noodles and see if they need more sauce. Ramen is a weird sponge.
Cut the chicken up and add to the bowl. Top with toasted sesame seeds or diced peanuts. Serve with peanut sauce on the side. (Dan couldn't get enough on his, it seemed.) Enjoy!

Glory, glory lemon trifle.

10/03/09

My coworkers birthdays are this week. I decided they both need cakes.
I made one traditional, yellow with chocolate frosting cake. 9x11, nothing fancy.

Then I made a lemon cake. I made both from mix (I should have used my cake recipe, which will share soon, as it is perfect), and intended the lemon cake to have a lemony confectioner's sugar frosting. I decided this would look best in bunt form.

I don't know why I keep trying to bake things in bunt pans. They don't like me. I don't like them. I have yet to make a successful bunt. I'm not sure it is really an ambition of mine anymore.

As I scraped bits out of the bunt and repaired what I could of the cake, Dan started eating scraps.

I decided that, for dessert, we would have trifle.

You will need:
cake bits
lemonade
sweetened condensed milk
whipping cream
vanilla
Something to layer it all in.
shaved chocolate and raspberries - optional

Mix the lemonade and sweetened condensed milk to taste.
Whip the cream. Add in a little vanilla. You may add in a little sugar, but with the milk, it really isn't necessary.
Layer cake, lemonade, whipped cream. Repeat until you run out.

Top with whip cream, shaved dark chocolate, and raspberries.

I feel like chicken tonight.

I bought a whole fryer on Thursday. It was .49 a pound, and Dan loves roasted chicken. I figured I'd roast it for Shabbat and we'd all be happy campers.

Friday was a southern Doomsday. A snow storm was coming! Run and hide!
I considered myself clever having shopped yesterday and having dinner planned. I would not be running to the store to stock up on bread, eggs, and milk.
Then Dan called and told me our oven was broke, and we needed food. Fortunately, they were handing out humble pie samples in the 25 minute grocery check-out line at Trader Joes.

The storm came. The new oven did not. The new oven was supposed to be here an hour ago. They called to inform us that carrying an oven in this weather (45 degrees, snow in some spots), regardless of how well Dan cleared the driveway, sidewalk, and stairs, is hazardous, and we would just have to wait until tomorrow.

It's Monday. I've had a raw chicken sitting in my refrigerator for a little too long now.

What to do...

My original plan was to hack the thing up and make coq au vin in a glorious Le Creuset pot on the stove. Seeing as I was up all night sick from eating myself silly at Acme (it was so, so good), I wasn't in the mood for rich, delicious, French food.

Instead I am making crock pot chicken.

Last time I made crock pot chicken, I liked the result. The chicken was moist and chicken-y. The skin was nowhere near crisp, which is probably for the better, since crispy skin is so good and so not healthy.

This time I decided to spice it up.

Here's what to do.

Peel and cut up some carrots, potatoes, an onion, and some celery. Season with thyme and savory, and put in the bottom of the crock.

In a small bowl mix one packet of Lipton onion mix (I love this stuff), thyme, savory, fennel seed, garlic salt (just a little), and rosemary.

Trim the butt fat off the chicken. Take out the neck and giblets. I use the fat and neck for stock (along with bones that I will get from the chicken, roast, and chop), and cook the bits for the kitties. I know how to buy their love.

Dry the chicken inside and out.

Using kitchen sheers or a sharp knife, loosen the skin from the meat. I do this by starting near the backbone and cutting the cartlidge on either side of the neck. I then loosen skin on the same side near the butt. Flip the chicken and repeat.

Gently (you don't want to tear the skin) shove the herb mix under the skin.
Once you have well-herbed the chicken, pour any leftover spices into the chicken. Put a little EVOO on the chicken. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken. Stick in the crock, breast side down.

I threw about 1/4 cup of prosecco in, for goood measure. I figure you can never go wrong with a little wine.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5-6. The chicken will be very tender when done.
With 1 hour left in cooking, you can drain the liquid (reserve for gravy or stock) and cook on high for crispier veggies and potentially crispier skin. (Some people say this works. Not for me.)

Enjoy!

*I haven't eaten this yet. If it fails horribly, this very well may disappear!

A lesson on cause and effect.

10/18/09
I love risotto. I love risotto so much, that I had to make some tonight. However, what I love more than risotto is arancini. As an effort to keep every morsel of leftover risotto for arancini, I refuse to put large chunks of food into my risotto. I took a risk this time and made my risotto as follows:

2 c. of uncooked risotto
a little butter
2 c. white wine for starting risotto
2.5 c. chicken broth (warmed) for remainder of cooking ... do not skip the warming bit!
1 c. pecorrino romano, grated (less if you don't want it so cheesy. I like cheesy.)
artichoke hearts, chopped

Cook as the box calls for, or by melting butter in a heavy pan, lightly toasting the risotto in that, adding the white wine, bringing to a simmer, and continue to stir and simmer until thickened. Slowly add more liquid, and stir until thick again. Continue until most liquid is gone and rice is barely al dente. Remove from heat, stir in cheese and artichoke hearts. Let sit for a few minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with a chicken dish. Grilled chicken is fantastic with this.

Phenomenal.

Cause: I made too much rice.
Effect: Make arancini. (Like that wasn't planned...)

You will need:

risotto, room temp or chilled (I used the leftovers from above, but any risotto will do.)
flour in a bowl
1-2 beaten eggs
bread crumbs in a bowl (mix in a little romano)
cubes of mozzarella
Oil, heated for frying (I use vegetable, heated to medium... you don't want it to brown too fast) - about 1 inch deep
a bowl of water

Dip your hands in the water. Don't ever miss this step, or you will be sad about it.
Scoop up some risotto (a small handful). Press a mozzarella cube into the middle.
Dredge in flour, egg, bread crumbs.
Gently drop into heated oil.
Repeat. When you drop in the next one, rotate any in the pan.
Remove from pan when golden on each side.
Remove to a plate lined with paper towel.

Serve with sauce.

However, I had a slight issue.

Cause: I cut up too much mozzarella, which I had touched with eggy hands.

Effect: I did the only logical thing - dredge, egg, and bread the cheese. Then fry. They may ooze a little.*

Oh. My. God.

We ate those mozzarella bites like it was our JOB. Sadly, there were only 7 of them. I may very well just need to make more. To hell with health. Use whole milk mozzarella. Super easy, super fast, and more than super delicious.

You should all make them. And if you are ambitious, make the risotto then arancini, too.

* I have since learned that if you place the dredged, battered cubes in the freezer for 10- 15 minutes THEN fry, they will not ooze. You can freeze a whole bunch of them and just take them out as needed. Great for game day.

Welcome to my cooking blog.

Dan believes I should be posting my recipes somewhere, accessible to the public. I have been posting them in my other blog, but being locked, only an exclusive group of people have access to my creations, good, bad, or indifferent. Solution: Create a blog that everyone can visit.


I have a lot of recipes back logged in my other journal, and will be transferring them over to here (I'll try and remember to date them) while updating with new recipes.

I tend to let the ball drop on random bloggers I create (remember "photo of the day" or "Samwise in London"?), but I'll at least give it a college try.

Thanks for reading, and happy eating!