Wintery Pasta & Cheesy Garlic Bread

Tonight was going to be salads with grilled chicken.  Slushy snow is falling from the sky.  We had pasta, instead.

It's been raining all day, we're under a flood watch,  it's cold, windy, and the aforementioned slush just made my day.   A lovely salad just wasn't going to work.

I took the chicken breasts I was going to grill and cut them up and sauteed them in a braising pan.  I added some chopped broccoli, orange cauliflower, zucchini, and garlic.  And salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.

Next was about 2 cups of chicken broth, then a cup of shredded Italian cheeses.

I then added about 6 ounces of cooked tri-color rotini pasta, some chopped parsley, and about 6 ounces of small fresh mozzarella balls.  I mixed it all up, thickened it with a bit of cornstarch, and popped it into the oven for 30 minutes.

And while it was baking, I made some cheesy garlic bread.

It's supposed to be in the mid-80s Friday and Saturday.


It's Cold Outside

It's been cold and raining the past few days.  Salads have gone on hiatus for a bit until I warm up, again.  I've also been busy doing other things and haven't been here to post dinners - so here are the past three!

Saturday was a beans-and-rice-cassoulet-ish dinner.

I browned half an onion with a chopped chicken breast and sliced kielbasa.  I added a half-cup of rice, a can of diced tomatoes in juice, 2 cans of beans, 2 cups of chicken stock, a pinch of herbs d'Provence, and a bit of salt and pepper.

I put thick slices of tomato on top, covered them with bread crumbs, and put it into a 325° oven for 45 minutes.

Sunday saw me lazy.

I browned two pork chops in a skillet and then popped them into a 400° oven for about 10 minutes.  heated up leftover rice and beans, added frozen green beans, and dinner was served.

Tonight I was not exactly ambitious, either.

Salisbury Steak, with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, and peas.  Winter-food on the 28th of March.  Brrrrrr.

I just mixed chopped onions and garlic with the beef and grilled it, then simmered it in the gravy until cooked through.

On another note...

I started picking up goodies for Sunday's Brunch for 18... I'm gonna make three types of mini-muffins and homemade brioche - with part of the dough turned into mini-cinnamon rolls on sticks!  (Love the no-knead website!)  and a whole slew of other fun things.

It's going to be festive!


Spring Salads

The thermometer outside may say Winter right now, but the calendar is saying Spring!  Spring means salads.  Besides, I had to pay another buck at work today.  I know I'm maintaining by the scale at home, but the one at work is giving me grief.  But...  It's the one we're all using, so as long as I know I'm really not gaining weight right now, I'll drop the buck into the kitty.

In the meantime, I do need to be a bit more serious about this.

And I really do like salads.

Grilled chicken, peppers, strawberries, blackberries, yellow tomatoes, hard-cooked eggs, a bit of cheese - and spring mix lettuce.

And fresh-baked homemade bread.

Yum.


Steaks with Strawberry BBQ Sauce

Whaddaya do when you have a 4-pound container of Strawberries?!?  Why...  ya make Strawberry BBQ Sauce, that's what ya do!

I came up with a recipe for Strawberry BBQ Sauce a while back (I did a Root Beer BBQ Sauce, too!)  and decided it was time to make it, again.  It's super easy.

Im think that this summer I'm going to experiment with different fruits.  I'll bet peaches would work really well with a different vinegar.

Strawberry BBQ Sauce

  • 2 pounds strawberries, hulled and roughly sliced
  • 1 small bell pepper, diced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 8oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup lingonberry vinegar
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 2 tsp liquid smoke
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp chipotle powder
  • salt and pepper

Add strawberries, onion,  and bell pepper to saucepan and cook until strawberries release theiur juices and peppers and onions soften.  Add spices and cook well.

Add  brown sugar and then lingonberry vinegar.  Add tomato sauce and remaining ingredients.

Bring to boil and then simmer.

Blend everything with an immersion blender until smooth.

Continue simmering until thickened.

And the no-knead bread dough makes great dinner rolls, too.

But while this was all yummy and good, I have a feeling I'm going to be paying another buck tomorrow.....

Time for some serious salads.


Pork Chops, Mexican-Style

Tonight's dinner was all about having some polenta.  But polenta is usually Italian, and I wasn't in the mood for Italian pork chops.  But corn meal and Mexico are an even more natural combination.  We went to Mexico!

The pork chops were simple.  I added cumin and garlic to bread crumbs, breaded the chops, browned them in a skillet, and then finished them off in a hot oven. 425° about 10 minutes.

The polenta was even more fun.

I sauteed half a small onion in a bit of olive oil.  I added chili powder and chipotle powder, a pinch of salt and pepper.  After cooking it up a bit, I added about a cup of frozen corn.  Then 2 cups of water, brought to a boil.

Then a half-cup of polenta slowly stirred in.  (Basic polenta is 4 parts liquid to 1 part dry polenta.)  I simmered it the requisite 25 or so minutes, and then stirred in about 3 ounces of cream cheese.  OMG!  It was really good!  Spicy, creamy, and cheesy all in one!

It was a lot of fun.  And easy.


(Almost) Breakfast for Dinner

 

My last issue of Today's Diet and Nutrition magazine had several rice recipes.  As is my wont, I read the recipes and then pulled out the parts that interested me.  One that particularly struck me was a brown rice patty with a basted egg on top.  It just sounded right.

The premise was simple enough - cold (or at least not hot) brown rice mixed with grated parmesan cheese, formed into a patty, and lightly fried.  When it begins to brown a bit, crack an egg on top, put a cover on the pan, and cook until the egg is set.

And that is exactly what I did.  I added about a half-cup of lightly shredded parmesan cheese to one cup of cooked whole grain brown rice.  And a pinch of pepper.  That's it.

Two Italian sausages on a bed of sauteed spinach and mushrooms.  No big mystery there.  I sauteed the mushrooms in a pinch of olive oil, added the fresh spinach and let it wilt.  The bread was homemade beer bread from yesterday, toasted and buttered.

It was a really simple meal that had tons of flavors and textures.  But the star of the meal was definitely the rice and egg.

One cooking note is next time I make these I will do them individually in non-stick pans.  I made two of them in a calphalon braiser and it was just a tad awkward getting them out of the pan.  And make a nice indentation in the patty to hold the egg.  I made them, but one egg slid right off, anyway.  The kitchen gods were on my side, though, and I got it back on without a problem.

I see a lot of possibilities with this...


Crab Cakes

I saw some fresh (pasteurized) crab at the grocery today.  I thought crab-stuffed chicken breasts with a simple sauce veloute.  Rice pilaf of some sort, a lovely vegetable... I had the plate pictured in my mind.  It looked great.  I picked it up and continued wandering the store.

And when I got home, I decided to make crab cakes.  Being versatile is good.

Into the bowl went 1 pound of lump crab meat, 4 green onions, 4 chopped pequillo peppers, 2 hard-cooked eggs, a bit of garlic, zest and juice of 1 lemon, some parsley, a bit of mayo and an egg to bind.  Into the fridge it went.

An hour later I came back to actually make then and I had made it too soft.  It really didn't look like a lot of mayo.  But it was too much, evidently.  Or too much lemon.  Or the egg...  Whatever...  Regardless of why, it was a bit too loose to form into neat patties.

I just happened to have a bit of couple of days old bread, so I made fresh breadcrumbs and added them.  Then I made the cakes and put them in panko breadcrumbs.  It worked.

Into the skillet they went with grapeseed oil and a pat of butter.

They were crisp and delicate - just as a crab cake should be.

Victor made the tartar sauce; mayonnaise, chopped pickle (with a drizzle of pickle juice), capers, worcestershire sauce, and a pinch of pepper.

Perfect.

We each had two, two for Victor's lunch tomorrow, and I had enough to freeze 5 more.

Yum.


Lasagnette

The cover recipe of the June 2009 La Cucina Italiana was a dish called lasagnette di farina di farro con pomodori, burrata e pesto.  In English, little lasagnas of farro flour with tomato, burrata and pesto.  Definitely a mouthful in any language.

I kept looking at the cover, looking at the picture, looking at the recipe, and just knew that I wasn't going to go looking for farro flour to make pasta.  Wasn't going to happen.

But I just loved the picture and the concept sounded fun.  It looked really good.

I decided to improvise.

First thing I did was forget about making the pasta.  I bought some no-cook lasagna sheets and cooked them. (I'm a rebel.)  Immediately after getting them out of the boiling water, I put them into iced water.

I then made a really quick chunky tomato sauce.  I minced some onion and a garlic clove and sauteed them in olive oil.  Added a 6oz can of tomato paste and fried it a bit to freshen it and add a bit of flavor.  To that, I added about a half-cup of red wine.  Then a can of diced tomatoes in juice and some Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

I cooked it all for a few minutes and set it aside.

In a skillet, I sauteed a minced shallot in olive oil and then added 2 chopped portobello mushrooms.  I cooked it all down really well, and then added a pound of ground veal.  I cooked it all really well, added a cup of mushroom broth and reduced it all down.  Set aside.

In yet another skillet (I dirtied a lot of pans for this) I sauteed some very thinly-sliced zucchini in a dab of butter, garlic, salt and pepper.  Set aside.

The assembly:

I cut the rectangular sheets in half to form squares.  I laid half of them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

I topped each with the veal and mushroom mixture and then the second square of pasta.

Atop the second square, I placed a bit of the chunky sauce, the zucchini, and thick slices of burrata.

Into a 350° oven it went for about 10 minutes.  (Just enough time to get counters cleaned and a place ready to plate everything up!)

On the plate:

I put some of the chunky sauce on the plate, placed the lasagnette on top, and grated some Italian cheese on top of it all.

Served with a fresh loaf of beer bread made with a Belgian beer, garlic, and more of the Italian cheese.

It was excellent!

Here is my inspiration.  There is just no end of things one can do with this...

Lasagnette di farina di farro con pomodori, burrata e pesto

4 servings
Ingredients

PASTA

* 3/4 cup farro flour plus more for dusting
* 1 large egg
* 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil plus more for pasta water, baking sheet and lasagnette
* Fine sea salt

PESTO

* 2  cups packed fresh basil leaves plus more for garnish
* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 2  tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese plus more for lasagnette
* 2 walnut halves
* 1 teaspoon pine nuts
* 1 garlic clove, peeled
* 1 tablespoon club soda
* Fine sea salt
* Freshly ground black pepper

TOMATO SAUCE

* Coarse sea salt
* 4 vine-ripened tomatoes
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
* 1/3 cup finely chopped onion
* 1 garlic clove, peeled
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 teaspoon tomato paste, preferably double concentrated
* 8 fresh basil leaves

ASSEMBLY

* 8 ounces burrata cheese or fresh water-packed mozzarella,cut into 1-inch pieces (see note)
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

FOR PASTA: In a small bowl, mound flour and form a well in the center. Add egg, oil and pinch salt to the well. Using a fork, gently break up yolk and slowly incorporate flour from inside rim of well. Continue until liquid is absorbed, then transfer dough to a lightly dusted work surface and knead until dough forms a complete mass. Knead, dusting work surface with flour as necessary, for 2 minutes more. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.

FOR PESTO: Fill a small bowl with ice water. Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil; add basil leaves for 15 to 20 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer leaves to ice water. Let sit 1 minute, then drain and squeeze water from leaves.

In a blender, purée basil leaves, oil, cheese, walnuts, pine nuts, garlic, club soda and generous pinch salt and pepper until smooth. Transfer pesto to a small bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent discoloration. Chill for 1 hour.

FOR TOMATO SAUCE: Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil. Drop tomatoes into water and boil 20 seconds; drain, peel, seed and cut into 1-inch pieces.

Heat oil, butter, onion, garlic and generous pinch salt and pepper in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently for 3 minutes. Add tomato, tomato paste, basil leaves and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer and cook until sauce is thickened, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and adjust seasoning.

FOR ASSEMBLY: Cut pasta dough into 2 pieces; rewrap one. Flatten dough so that it will fit through the rollers of a hand-cranked pasta machine. Set rollers of pasta machine at the widest setting, then feed pasta through rollers 3 or 4 times, folding and turning pasta until it is smooth and the width of the machine.

Roll pasta through machine, decreasing the setting one notch at a time (do not fold or turn pasta), until sheet is about 16 x 5 inches (if dough feels wet, dust with flour). Cut pasta into 4 (4-inch) squares; discard scraps. Lay squares 1/2 inch apart on a dry baking sheet and cover with a clean dish towel. Repeat with remaining dough.

Heat oven to 450°.

Fill a medium bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add 1 teaspoon oil and 4 pasta squares; cook for 2 to 3 minutes after water returns to boil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pasta to ice water, then to a large plate. Repeat with remaining squares.

Pat pasta dry. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush with oil. Put 4 pasta squares onto baking sheet. Dollop half of tomato sauce onto squares. Dot with half of burrata. Dollop 1 teaspoon pesto on top of each square, then sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and pinch salt and pepper. Top with remaining pasta squares.

Drizzle lasagnette with melted butter and a touch of oil (you will have leftover ingredients) and bake until edges are lightly golden, about 7 minutes. Transfer to serving plates. Top with remaining tomato sauce, burrata and a drizzle of pesto (reserve leftover pesto for another use); garnish with basil leaves. Serve immediately.

June 2009


Strawberry Fields Forever

What do ya do when you have two people and two pounds of perfect strawberries?  You get creative and eat them.  That's what ya do!

And that's what I did tonight.

I bought the strawberries yesterday and they went on last nights salad.  They made a guest appearance tonight as well - along with a strawberry walnut (and garlic!) dressing.

The salad itself was mixed greens with a bit of grilled flank steak, a slice of triple cream brie, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and a hard-cooked egg.

Strawberry Walnut Dressing

  • 1 cup sliced strawberries
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup grapeseed (or other neutral) oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste

In blender, puree strawberries, walnuts, garlic clove, and balsamic vinegar.

With machine running, slowly add oil.  Blend until thick.

Add S&P to taste, if desired.

And then we had to have dessert!

Zabaione with Strawberries!

I don't think I've made zabaione since I worked at Hugo's at the Hyatt Lake Tahoe.  That was circa 1977. The recipe hasn't changed in all those years.  Actually, the recipe hasn't changed for a few centuries.  It is traditionally made with marsala, but any sweet wine will do.  You can even make a whiskey zabaione.  I had one of those a few years back and it was pretty good.

Zabaione

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 cup marsala

Mix the egg yolks, sugar, and marsala in a heat-proof bowl.  Place the bowl over barely simmering water and whisk continually for 8 minutes.  You want to get at least triple volume.

Remove from heat and continue to whisk for another 30 seconds or so.

Serve warm over strawberries.

You need a good arm for this, but it is so worth the effort!


Friday Weigh-In

Well...  it was too good to last.  Two weeks of effortless (albeit small) weight-loss turned into reality this morning.  I gained a half-pound.

I saw it coming.  I'm actually surprised it was only a half-pound.  I was not a good boy this week.    I haven't been eating breakfast which starts the non-stop munching when I get to work.  Self-control is not in my vocabulary on days like that.

So...  it's a half-pound reality check. It cost me a buck, too.

The weather has turned warm and we're finally starting to see produce that's at least grown in the United States.  (I just refuse to buy out-of-season produce from New Zealand or wherever.)

So...  Here's to being a better boy this week!


Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

I've cooked more than my share of corned beef, cabbage, and Irish sausages for this year.  I decided that tonight we were going to have steaks.  Grilled on the barbie.  Irish-style.

The Irish-Style tonight was Goodall's Irish Steak Sauce! If you've never had, go out and get.  This ain't your typical A-1 Sauce.  This stuff has flavor (And no high-fructose corn syrup!)

Lots of broccoli and oven-roasted potatoes.  And lots of caramelized onions.

So... Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

And May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.


When Irish Eyes Are NOT Smiling

 

I planned on bringing a loaf of Irish bread to work today.

I have made this bread so many times I can do it blindfolded.  However... the basic laws of bread-making do not change just because one decides he's in a hurry.  I proved that last night.

I set out to make my absolute favorite yeasted fruit bread - a barmbrack.   As I said, I've made it for years and have never had an issue.  It has always come out perfect - until last night.

I knowingly made two very basic mistakes - and threw away the result.

I had soaked my fruit in the requisite Jameson's for two days.  I had all my ingredients together.  I heated the cup of milk in the microwave.  Mistake number one.  It was too hot to mix with the yeast.  I could have just put it on the counter (or even the refrigerator) and walked away for a few minutes, but I was impatient.  I decided just to add the dry yeast to the flour, et al, and add the too-hot milk to it.  It would be cool enough.  But it wasn't.

My liquid was too hot and my yeast may or may not have been good.  The end result was my impatience and failure to follow the very most basic bread-making steps ruined what should have been a magnificent loaf of bread.

Even more fun is that I talked it up at work for several days and now get to walk in empty-handed and explain that I totally screwed up.

I hate that.

Here's the recipe in case you want to give it a try.  It really is great - when you follow the instructions.

Barmbrack

Barmbrack is a traditional Irish spiced fruit bread.  It’s delicious sliced, toasted and buttered – or you can eat it on its own.   I found this recipe years ago and made it for my father’s cousins on St Paddy’s Day when they were visiting San Francisco.

Traditionally, the fruit is soaked overnight in 2 cups of strong Irish tea.  This recipe calls for the fruit to be soaked in 2 cups of Irish whisky overnight.  I’ve made it both ways and really prefer the whisky version the best!

Ingredients:

  • 3 ½ cups mixed dried fruit (raisins, golden raisins, sultanas, currants, candied peel)
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup butter (Kerrygold or Plugra European style butter!)
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 2 tsp mixed spices (allspice, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon…)

Soak the dried fruit in 2 cups of Irish whisky overnight.

Warm the milk slightly (no more than 110°.) Stir in the teaspoon of sugar and the yeast and let proof about 10 minutes.

Mix the flour, salt and brown sugar in a large bowl. Rub in the butter or margarine. Add the frothy yeast, the beaten egg and the spice. Drain any remaining liquid from the fruit and add the fruit to the mixture. Mix well to make a smooth dough (add more flour if the mixture is too wet).

Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead it thoroughly.  (I use my KitchenAid and mix about 6 minutes.) Place the dough in a well-greased 8”-9” springform pan, cover with a cloth, and leave in a warm place to rise for 45 – 60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Place the pan in a preheated 350° oven and bake for about 50 minutes. The loaf will be ready when it sounds hollow when you tap on it.

Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack before serving.

Hopefully it won't look like this.