Orzo and an Egg
Tonight's dinner is brought to you by the fact that I wanted something different.
We have really been in a rut - and the only way to get out of a rut is to just say no. Or something. The rut-ending started with the Sourdough bread. It took three days to get onto the table so I needed something that would compliment it. I was thinking a risotto and while that thought was formulating, I remembered a recipe I had seen about making risotto with orzo. A rut-free dinner was born!
The concept is pretty much identical to making risotto - and pretty much the same ratios of ingredients.
I used:
- 1 cup orzo
- 1 cup white wine
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 shallots, minced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 cup green beans, sliced small
- 1 cup cooked beef, diced
- 1/2 pkg Boursin cheese
- butter and olive oil
- 1 egg per person
Saute the vegetables in oil and butter until they begin to soften. Add the orzo and saute until lightly browned.
Add the wine and cook, stirring, until almost fully evaporated. Add the broth, one cup at a time, stirring as you would a risotto.
With the 4th and final cup of broth, add the coked beef and stir everything together.
Turn off heat and let sit about 5 minutes.
Stir in Boursin and check for seasoning.
Serve with a runny fried egg on top.
It really was a fun dinner. It was comforting and familiar, but just different enough to jump-start the rut-removal.
It's snowing outside and I have a lot more sourdough starter, so I think I may play with more bread tomorrow... maybe even a sourdough pizza...
Stay tuned...
Super Sunday
Well, that was fun. Nerve-wracking, nail-biting, blood-pressure-rising, screaming, yelling fun.
I really don't remember the last time I had that much fun watching a game - although the Niner's game against Dallas with Montana and Clark with "The Catch" does come to mind.
I actually watched the entire game - as in every moment, every play. Normally, at some point I have to leave the room for something. But not yesterday. I was there standing through it all. Okay... standing is my default position - I just find it a lot easier to stand when watching an exciting game. A nice, unobtrusive space with a good sight-line to the TV...
And yesterday's game was exciting. If the Eagles had just kept it to 38-33, I would have won a thousand dollars on a pool - but... I'll take my loss and their win. I'm magnanimous, that way...
It's fun how so few people can make so much noise - there were only 7 of us and 2 tykes. At one point, our 5 year old great-nephew was covering his ears with a look of shock on his face at the tumultuous roar in the family room.
What fun.
And, as promised, it was fun food, as well.
Braised short rib sandwiches with grilled onions on Amoroso rolls, homemade french fries, and a whole array of pickies and finger foods for the grabbing. And cookies.
The food never disappoints.
The game didn't disappoint, either.
So, as we bask in the glory of the first ever Super Bowl win by the Philadelphia Eagles, we pay homage to the City of Philadelphia. A city of contrasts, a city of haves and have-nots. A city that stretches its European history back to the 1600s and is firmly rooted in the past while stretching forward into the future. A city that is a mixture of people from all countries and all walks of life. And a city where people really do more-or-less get along.
A bit of Philly Attitude...
So, tonight's dinner is a play on that Philly Attitude. A dish of lots of different things that can all stand on their own, but are all the better for being combined - just like the folks in Philly.
Philly Attitude
- 1 strip steak, cut into pieces
- 1 andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper - with seeds, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 roasted red pepper, chopped
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 can black beans, drained
- S&P, to taste
Brown the steak cubes and andouille in a bit of olive oil. Set aside. Add the onion, peppers, garlic, and celery to pan and saute until wilted. Add the tomato paste and cook a bit until slightly browned.
Add the red wine and broth and stir until all is smooth - adding a bit more broth, if necessary.
Stir in the black beans and simmer, covered, about 20 minutes.
We served ours over hunks of cornbread, because... why not?!?
A fun dinner in a fun city with its very own Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Not bad...
Stuffed Peppers
I have been getting seriously spoiled. Victor has been on a cooking spree and I have been sitting back enjoying the fruits of his labor. He's had a hankerin' for a few things and I am not about to argue. My philosophy is, if you're cooking, I'm eating.
I've never been a fussy eater - even as a kid. I have my favorites and I have things I'm not crazy about, but I have no food restrictions. As I said - if you're cooking, I'm eating. I'm sure that a lot of it stems from being one of six kids raised in the '50s. My mother cooked one meal and we ate what was on the table. We didn't have unlimited snacking, so when we did sit down to dinner - as a family every night - we were actually hungry. What a concept, eh?!?
All day long I hear mothers talking about how this kid won't eat this, this kid won't eat that, how she's cooking three different meals every night... I just shake my head. The reality is that kids don't create these scenarios - parents do. Life in 'burbia ... What can I say?!?
But that's not what I was thinking when I started this... I was thinking that if you're going to be gracious enough to cook for me, I'm going to be gracious enough to eat! And if you're cooking stuffed peppers, I'm really going to eat!
There are certain things that just don't have recipes - and stuffed peppers are one of those things. They're peppers. You stuff them.
And sometimes you really wing it as you're making the stuffing.
Victor started off with some cooked rice and some ground beef. Decided he didn't have enough stuffing, so he added a couple of Italian sausages. Then, since he had boiled them earlier, added hard boiled eggs. And onion, garlic, oregano, S&P... a pinch of chili flakes... breadcrumbs, grated cheese... a bit of tomato paste.
A little of this, a little of that - and into the oven until the peppers are soft.
And he even made garlic bread with the last of the last of the Potato Bread.
An absolutely delicious meal.
Since I didn't have to cook dinner, I made dessert - a Banana Clafouti. More on that, later...
[countdown date=2018/06/30-16:00:00]
[timer] to Retirement!
[/countdown]
Stuffed Cabbage
Victor and I share a pretty even like of different foods. It makes for cooking dinner pretty easy - we just know we'll like whatever the other is cooking. The only two places where we part ways is with cooked cabbage and curry. Victor is just not a fan.
Of course, it took 10 or more years to find this out. I found out fairly early on about the cabbage but it did take years to find out about the curry. Finally, one day, he had to confess that he really did hate both.
No big deal - there are a bazillion foods to cook. Dropping a couple off the rotation really doesn't stifle the creativity. But every now and again, I'll see a recipe and think that it would be fun to make, only to realize it would be fun to make but not really well received.
Oh well.
So... several years back, Victor decided to make me Stuffed Cabbage. I was thrilled. It's a childhood meal as well as something I've made absolutely forever. He found a recipe from Ina Garten - and he loved it! Score one for the Barefoot Contessa!
Since then, he's made it a few more times. I let him decide when the time is right and Monday, he added cabbage onto the shopping list. It was time.
Naturally, the grocery store was out of green cabbage - the weather has played havoc with deliveries and with crops - but there was red cabbage. I wasn't going to pass up an offer for stuffed cabbage, so red cabbage, it was!
The fun thing about red cabbage is when you blanch it, it colors the cooking water a glorious shade of purple - which then dyes everything it touches - like hands. It's wonderful - especially if it's someone else's hands...
And it's wonderful rolled around a beef and rice filling and baked in an agrodolce tomato sauce.
My stomach is smiling.
This is Ina's recipe. Victor plays with it a bit and tweaks it for the two of us. The sweet/vinegary sauce with raisins really makes the dish. I could go after a bowl of that with a loaf of bread and die happy.
Stuffed Cabbage
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons good olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
- 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes and their juice
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large head Savoy or green cabbage, including outer leaves
For the filling:
- 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck
- 3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onions
- 1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, and cook over medium-low heat for 8 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar, raisins, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Remove the entire core of the cabbage with a paring knife. Immerse the head of cabbage in the boiling water for a few minutes, peeling off each leaf with tongs as soon as it s flexible. Set the leaves aside. Depending on the size of each leaf, you will need at least 14 leaves.
For the filling, in a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, eggs, onion, breadcrumbs, rice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add 1 cup of the sauce to the meat mixture and mix lightly with a fork.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
To assemble, place 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a large Dutch oven. Remove the hard triangular rib from the base of each cabbage leaf with a small paring knife. Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup of filling in an oval shape near the rib edge of each leaf and roll up toward the outer edge, tucking the sides in as you roll. Place half the cabbage rolls, seam sides down, over the sauce. Add more sauce and more cabbage rolls alternately until you ve placed all the cabbage rolls in the pot. Pour the remaining sauce over the cabbage rolls. Cover the dish tightly with the lid and bake for 1 hour or until the meat is cooked and the rice is tender. Serve hot.
It's the perfect wintry dinner...
Santas and Spicy Jambalaya
We started taking down Christmas, today. It was 2°F outside - absolutely no reason to step outside and do anything.
I have to admit that I just don't get the concept of always having to be out and about. I just can't think of anything worse than always being in the car, running into this store and that, standing in line for coffee, for mediocre service, hurrying here and there...
I think I'm getting old.
Because I think that once upon a time that was me. Now?!? I leave the house to go to work and go grocery shopping. I brew my own coffee and if I can't buy something online, I don't buy it. Life has gotten a lot less complex. And I love it.
Our big decision, today, was whether to take down the tree or leave it up for one more night and take it down tomorrow. We packed away everything else. The tree stayed.
We have a pretty good system. The linens all get collected to be washed, and then we start loading the table with Santas. Lots and lots of Santas.
The bins come back up from the basement and I start wrapping and packing while Victor disassembles the smaller trees, wreaths, and garlands, and brings things into the kitchen. It's a great system.
We stop for sustenance - today was coffee and Kolaches - and then carry on until we're done.
And then there's dinner.
Tonight, it was a jambalaya of sorts. Of sorts, because I didn't use any shrimp.
I did use chunks of chicken and andouille sausage - and thyme and hot pepper sauce - so it had a great kick. It just wasn't New Orleans authentic.
Jambalaya
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz andouille sausage, sliced
- 2 cups chicken, cubed
- 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 cup rice
- 3 cups broth
- 1 tsp thyme
- Tabasco sauce (I used our homemade hot sauce)
- Salt & pepper
Saute onion and pepper. Add garlic and saute. Add chicken and cook. Add andouille and brown.
Add rice, tomatoes, broth, thyme, a few healthy shots of Tabasco, and a pinch of S&P. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and let simmer about 15 minutes.
Stir everything well. Cover, again, and cook another 10 to 15 minutes or until rice is cooked.
Add a few more healthy shots of Tabasco and enjoy.
It's pretty no-brainer easy and it doesn't take a lot of watching. And on a freezing day, it warms the old body right up. I was going to make cornbread to go along with it, but completely forgot. We ended up watching a PBS/Broadway special of Holiday Inn after taking the last of the bins downstairs and it completely slipped my mind until we were sitting down to eat.
Oh well... we really didn't need it!
Chicken Pot Pie
When the weather gets rough, the formerly-tough get cooking.
We didn't get anything like the folks along the Atlantic, but it's been enough for me. I have ventured out in blizzards in my youth. Hell - the Tahoe years would find us driving down into Kings Beach in blinding snowstorms to hit the liquor department at Safeway. Or Kings Beach Liquors. We always tried to be prepared for catastrophes, but sometimes we consumed everything we had before the catastrophe was over. I've been through typhoons, tornadoes, earthquakes - and blinding snowstorms. As with many things, today, I can say I've been there and done that - no need to do it, again.
Nah... if it's snowing outside with winds gusting like hell, I'm more than happy to be indoors - and even happier to be in the kitchen where it's always warm. I am no longer compelled to go out and embrace Mother Nature at her fiercest. At some point, the wisdom of old age has to kick in. Besides, I want to be around long enough to start collecting my Social Security before those bastards in Washington figure out more ways to take it away. [countdown date=2018/06/30-16:00:00] Only [timer] until that first check![/countdown] But who's counting?!?
One thing I did this morning was organize the freezer. It's been a while since any attention was paid to it - and it showed. It's not all that big - which is good - because if I had more freezer space I would use more freezer space. And then I'd have even more stuff to try and organize. I knew I had a pie crust in there, and in my cleaning, I found another. That settled the dinner question - a double-crust Chicken Pot Pie! And there was a small Maple Walnut Cheesecake in there. Dessert is ready, too!
Looking back over past entries, it seems I always make a Chicken Pot Pie when it's snowing outside. It's pretty much the ultimate comfort food - and they're so easy to throw together.
I don't really use a recipe for a pot pie of any sorts, but our friend Ann sent hers down a while back, so here it is. I made a bit of a variation on this. I had turkey stock in the freezer, so I used it. And fresh carrots, celery, and peas in place of the frozen mixed.
Here is Ann’s recipe. It’s pretty classic.
Nursie’s Pot Pie
Nursie said she originally got this from a pie crust box.
- 1/3 c butter
- 1/3 c flour
- 1 very small chopped onion (or to taste)
- 1/2 c chopped green pepper, leave this out if you want to
- 1 1/2 c broth, chicken for chicken pie, beef for beef pie, and I use veggie broth for pork pie
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 c frozen mixed veggies
Cook the onion and green pepper in the butter for a bit, whisk in the flour and add the liquids, cook until thickened. I season with salt, pepper, herbes de Provence, but you can use what ever sounds good. A little celery seed isn’t a bad addition, and with beef I use garlic and mushrooms instead of the green pepper. Add 2-3 cups chopped leftover roast whatever and the vegetables. Mix well and dump into the pie crust.
Bake in a two crust pie at 425 for 30-40 minutes and enjoy.
No shit, this is delicious. You can use whatever veggies you have around including leftovers. It is a great end of the week and I don’t want to cook sorta dish. But it is good enough for company! Anyone want to come to dinner?
Tomorrow is just going to be freezing cold and windy. No snow in the forecast. It's back to work and back to reality. And I should be able to drive right over the snow in the driveway.
Life is good!
Eggplant Timbale
Victor spent the day in the kitchen whilst I was at work, today...
We harvested another seven eggplants, so he set to work creating spectacular foods utilizing the garden bounty. It's rough being us...
First off was a vat of Little Gram's Eggplant Appetizer. It's our go-to for fabulous caponata.
Naturally, it came out perfect. It's great as a bruschetta, a pasta sauce, hot, cold, room temperature... It's eggplant perfection.
And then we had even more eggplant perfection in the form of a timbale. Victor really did spend the day in the kitchen!
A timbale is not difficult to make, but it does take a bit of time. There are lots of steps involved, starting with cutting and cooking - in this case - the eggplant.
Here's a basic recipe. Amounts will vary depending upon how big you make it. Victor baked off a 10" timbale. Your results may vary.
Eggplant Timbale
- eggplant
- pancetta
- peppers
- ground beef
- peas
- pasta sauce
- penne pasta
- shredded cheese
- olive oil
- bread crumbs
First step is to slice the eggplant and cook it. You can oven-bake, grill, or fry. Victor oven-baked it, today by brushing it with olive oil and cooking it in a 350°F oven for about 25 minutes.
Next, chop pancetta and peppers.
The peppers came out of the garden. they're not really hot but have good flavor.
Saute the pancetta...
Add the peppers...
And the ground beef...
And then the sauce and peas... Cook the penne and mix it all well...
Oil and liberally coat a springform pan with bread crumbs. The breadcrumbs help to release the timbale when it's cooked.
Line the pan with the cooked eggplant...
Add a layer of shredded cheese...
Next, a layer of the penne pasta mixture...
More cheese...
More pasta mixture...
More cheese and then fold the eggplant over the top, pressing down to compact and encasing everything.
A few crumbs on top...
And into a preheated 350°F oven for about an hour and 15 minutes. If you plan on inverting the timbale onto a serving platter, bake as-is. If you are not going to invert, add sauce and cheese to the top midway through.
Remove from the oven and let sit at least 20 minutes before serving or inverting onto a platter.
Cut into wedges, and enjoy!
This really is an awesome dish and one that anyone can make. Victor used just one eggplant for the entire dish, a half-pound of ground beef, maybe 2 oz of pancetta, a half bag of frozen peas, maybe 6oz of shredded cheese, 4 small peppers, a quart of sauce, and a pound of pasta.
It definitely needs to set for at least 20 minutes if not a bit longer, so plan accordingly.
If we were making it for company, we would have inverted it onto the platter and topped it with additional heated pasta sauce dripping down the sides for that dramatic effect. For the two of us, the springform pan liner was sufficient.
So get yourself an eggplant and get cooking!
Tourte Milanese
We were watching an old episode of Baking with Julia the other night and chef Michel Richard came on to make puff pastry. And one of the things he made with that puff pastry was a Tourte Milanese.
I have made more than my share of puff pastry in the past and when I found some decent stuff at the grocers, I pretty much put away my recipe and said hell with it. I don't take a lot of shortcuts, but spending the day in the kitchen rolling, folding, chilling, rolling, folding, chilling, just isn't as much fun as it used to be. I may make an exception the next time I make this - and there definitely will be a next time - but there is some really good store-bought out there made with decent ingredients if you take the time to look.
I have had the Baking with Julia cookbook for 20 years and have made many things from it - but I had never really noticed the Torte Milanese until I saw the TV episode. I can't believe I have been missing out on this for 20 years! I am in the process of re-reading the entire cookbook, right now. Who knows what other treasures have been collecting dust. Such first world problems...
The recipe calls for an 8" springform pan. I have a 10 1/2" and a 6" but no 8" (actually, I'll have one on Saturday - I just ordered one on Amazon) so I used an 8" x 3" cake pan. It worked and I was able to get it out of the pan while it was warm, but I could use an 8" pan, anyway... what the hell.
The recipe takes a while to put together, but it's all easy stuff. It also needs some serious cooling time, if you want it to hold together, so making it early in the day for the evening would probably work better than my making it in the afternoon for dinner - in the wrong pan.
Tourte Milanese
Michel Richard Cooking With Julia
- 1 pound puff pastry, chilled
For the Eggs
- 10 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 teaspoons snipped fresh tarragon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Preparing the Pastry:
Generously butter an 8 1/2 inch springform pan. The butter will help the pastry stick to the sides of the pan. Cut off one quarter of the pastry, cover, and set aside. Roll out remaining puff pastry on a lightly floured board to a ¼ inch thick round. Carefully fit the pastry into the pan, pressing to get a smooth fit. Don't worry about perfection, but do leave a 1 inch overhang.
Roll out the smaller piece of pastry until it is ¼ inch thick. Cut out an 8-inch circle of dough for the top of the tourte and lift it onto a plate. Cover both the crust and the lid with plastic wrap and keep them refrigerated while you prepare the filling.
Making the Eggs:
The eggs are used to seal the tourte. Whisk eggs, herbs, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Melt the butter in a large skillet over low heat and pour in the eggs. Gently but constantly stir the eggs around in the pan. You want to cook them slowly and loosely since they will be cooked further in the tourte. Slide the eggs onto a plate, without mounding them, and cover immediately with plastic wrap. The eggs need to be cooled before assembling the tourte.
The Filling:
- 6 large red bell peppers
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1½ pounds spinach, trimmed and washed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
- 8 ounces Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces smoked ham, thinly sliced
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of salt
Roast the peppers:
Place whole and untrimmed, directly over the flame of a gas burner. As soon as one portion of the skin is charred, turn the pepper. When black and blistered all over, drop into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam for about 20 minutes. Use your fingers to rub off skin.
Cut each pepper once from top to bottom, cut away the stem, then open the peppers and lay them flat. Trim away the inside veins and discard the seeds; season peppers with salt and pepper and set aside, covered, until needed.
Cook the Spinach in a large quantity of boiling salted water for 1 minute to blanch it. Drain spinach in a colander, rinse with cold water, and squeeze to extract all of the excess moisture.
Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet. Add garlic and blanched spinach and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and add the heavy cream if using. Bring quickly to a boil and stir so it mixes with the spinach. Remove the spinach from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Assemble the Torte:
Remove the pastry-lined springform pan from the refrigerator and layer the filling ingredients in the following order: half the eggs, half the spinach, half the ham, half the cheese, all the roasted peppers, and then continue in reverse with the remaining half of the cheese, remaining half of ham, remaining half of spinach, and the remaining half of eggs.
Fold the excess crust in over the filling, and brush the rim of crust you've created with the egg wash. Center the rolled-out top crust over the torte and gently push the edge of the top crust down into the pan, pressing and sealing the top and bottom crusts along the sides.
Brush the top with the egg wash and cut a vent in the center of the crust. Use the point of the knife to etch a design in the top crust, taking care to cut only halfway into the dough.
Chill the fully loaded tourte for 30 minutes to 1 hour before baking.
Preheat oven to 350°F and place rack in lower third of oven.
Bake the Tourte:
Place the tourte on a jelly-roll pan, give it another coat of egg wash, and bake it for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until puffed and deeply golden. Remove from the oven and let rest on a rack until it is just warm or reaches room temperature. Run a blunt knife around the edges of the pan and release the sides.
Okay... It sounds like a lot of work and... well... it is. Kinda. It can all be done in stages and put together when you want to bake it. It can also be done a day or two in advance and served slightly chilled or at room temperature.
We let it cool for about 45 minutes and the cheese was still warm and runny - and that's how I would recommend serving it, but your results may vary.
There's really no wrong way to do it - except not doing it at all.
The beauty of this is that every bite was different. Some would be more egg, another more pepper. Or a combination of crust and spinach. Or spinach and cheese and a bit of ham.
It really was excellent.
Thank you, Julia for making me pay attention to this book!
And, for grins and giggles... here's the PBS episode!
Zatarain's
I grew up with Rice-A-Roni. Never-ever bought Zatarain's rice. And an impulse-buy at the grocery store turned into dinner, tonight. I'm not sure I'll be stocking the larder with the stuff, but it made for an okay meal.
Okay, as in okay.
My main reason for not buying things like this in the first place is they're so easy to just make. I do whatever-and-rice dishes on the stove all the time. Usually they're of the clean-out-the-refrigerator variety and the herbs and spices are picked to match whatever it is I'm trying to get rid of - gourmet cooking at it's finest.
Tonight, it was green beans and a yellow pepper that needed eating. I had taken a pork tenderloin out of the freezer on Saturday, but Victor cooked the Bucatini with Clam Sauce and the Focaccia, so that wa on the list of things that needed using up, as well.
I read the ingredients - I'm not a purist-purist. There are a few things I just won't buy - ever - but I'll grab a box of something every now and again. I got down the list and found "whiskey solids (contains barley & rye gluten)." Do I really want to know what whisky solids" are?!?
Nah... I'll pass on that one. And since it's so far down the list - ingredients are listed by weight - I'll let my natural defenses filter it out of me...
I think my only real complaint about it was there wasn't a lot of flavor. It was okay, but I guess I was expecting more from the commercials I've seen. Not bad, just not great.
I have a box of another flavor in the cupboard. I'll give it a try one of these days...
Chicken and Dumplings
Victor decided to try his hand at a dish fairly foreign to his Italian heritage - Chicken and Dumplings.
This is something I remember well from my own childhood. My mom made drop dumplings all the time - and my grandmother made rolled dumplings that were like big, thick, pasta noodles. I can taste both of them right now...
But fast-forward 55 or so years, and here is Victor making his first attempt - and hopefully not his last. These were delicious!
I had cooked a whole chicken a couple of days ago, so the basics - broth and chicken - were in the 'fridge. It was the art of pulling it all together and making light as air dumplings that made it so extraordinary.
He did a lookup of ideas and found a Martha recipe that was promising. He adapted it to what he had already, but here's the Martha concept. Play with it.
Chicken and Dumplings
adapted from Martha Stewart
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 5 medium carrots, cut crosswise into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- S&P
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, or 3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup cream
- 2 cups frozen peas
In a Dutch oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat butter over medium. Add onion, carrots, and thyme. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup flour and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly; season with salt and pepper. Nestle chicken in pot; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make dumplings: In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 3/4 cup flour, dill, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. With a fork, gradually stir in 1/2 cup milk to form a moist and soft batter. It should be just a little thicker than pancake batter and should easily drop from the tip of a spoon. (Add additional 2 tablespoons milk if too thick.) Set aside.
Stir peas into pot. Drop batter in simmering liquid in 10 heaping tablespoonfuls, keeping them spaced apart (dumplings will swell as they cook). Cover, and simmer until chicken is tender and dumplings are firm, 20 minutes. Serve.
It was really, really good - even Nonna cleaned her plate - except for the peas. The dumplings really were light as feathers. Little clouds floating in a silken sauce. Outstanding!
It's a really great, comforting meal. Give it a try!
Tater Tot Casserole
Ya know... it's not all foie gras and Dom Perignon around our house. Once and awhile we channel our inner trailerpark and see what we can throw together. Tonight was one of those nights...
Even gastronomical geniuses become brain-dead after time, and have to fall back on dishes one imagines one had in their youth - although I rather doubt my mom stooped this low. With six kids to feed, she was Queen of Casseroles, but she had standards.
I've been trying to clean out the freezer since I tend to pack it out from time to time. I can't even imagine the damage I would do if we had another 'fridge or freezer downstairs. Finite freezer space forces me to use things - like the container of turkey stew that went in there awhile back. Waste not, want not, ya know?!?
I didn't have quite enough for a full dinner, so I cooked off some ground chicken and added a carton of cream of chicken soup. Yes. Cream of Chicken soup. It was organic. Low as they are, I have my standards, too.
The filling went into the casserole dish and tater tots went on top. Into a 350° oven for 45 minutes.
It was good. No. It was fantastic! Totally.
I highly recommend it.
Macaroni and Cheese
While delivering Christmas Cookies this year, our neighbors down the street gave us an unexpected and really unique gift in return - a can of cheese.
But not just any ol' can of cheese - a 30oz can of Cougar Gold Aged Cheddar Cheese from Washington State University! Can we say WOW! boys and girls?!?
Washington State is known for their cheese - they produce some 250,000 cans of the Cougar Gold every year - along with several other unique varieties.
The Washington State University website describes the cheese as: "Our most famous & popular cheese! Winner of several national and international awards. A rich, white cheddar with a smooth, firm texture. This unique cheddar has a depth and intensity that most people have never before experienced. Its creamy, lingering flavor will leave you wanting for more! Our current stock of Cougar Gold is just over one year in age. Buy 2 and store one for aging, as it becomes more sharp and crumbly with age, developing crystals throughout, which can give it kind of a crunch."
Our can is closer to 2 years old and made by Lorna in 2014 the day between my mom's and Victor's mom's birthdays!
I took that as a sign that I had to make at least one batch of Macaroni and Cheese. My mom was the ultimate Mac & Cheese maker back in the day. She loved cheese and would save up the odds and ends and bits and pieces and make her own unique Mac & Cheese on those Catholic Meatless Fridays when my dad was at the firehouse. Pop loathed cheese as much as mom loved it. Go figure.
I hadn't opened the can and didn't know quite what to expect, although I did figure it would be good. I didn't set my expectations high enough, though. The stuff is pretty awesome!
Almost 2 pounds of creamy sharp cheese with just the beginning of the crunchy crystals the blurb mentions. It's starting to take on that aged, crumbly texture, as well.
With a cheese like this, I knew I was going to have to up my Mac & Cheese game a bit. I didn't want to do lobster mac & cheese, again, and was tossing ideas around when I thought why not a carbonara?!? It's a classic - and befitting the richness of the cheese. Besides, I had bacon in the 'fridge...
The whole story of the Washington State University Creamery and how they began aging cheese in cans is pretty interesting. Did I mention that this cheese is really good? Lorna did one hellava good job on it! It's not often that you get to know the name of the person who made something you're eating. I may not know her personally, but it's nice to know there was a human being responsible for this - and it's nice to know that buying the cheese is supporting the University and the students. Methinks I shall be visiting the website, soon...
This is what Lorna's work turned out to be...
Yes. That is bacon mixed in with the breadcrumbs! There is a nice, thick bacony-breadcrumb-topping on this! The recipe itself is pretty straightforward with ingredients anyone would have easy access to - cheddar cheese notwithstanding (although it is available online...) I used regular elbow macaroni, although I did think about using mini shells and a couple other shapes. Tradition won out.
Mac & Cheese Carbonara
- 3/4 lb elbow macaroni
- 3/4 lb bacon, chopped
- 3 cups breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp flour
- 6 cups milk
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 1/2 lbs good quality cheddar cheese, shredded
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
Cook macaroni according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
While pasta is cooking, cook bacon in a large saucepan until crisp. Mix bacon, bacon grease, breadcrumbs, half the chopped parsley, and a handful of the shredded cheddar in a bowl and set aside.
In bacon pot, saute garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil until fragrant - 2-3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook a moment. Slowly add milk and then add egg yolks, whisking well.
Cook until sauce has thickened.
Stir in shredded cheese. Next add macaroni and the rest of the parsley.
Pour into a buttered 9x13 casserole dish and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes at 350°. Top with breadcrumb mixture and return to the oven for another 30 minutes - or until crumbs are nicely browned and crisp.
Enjoy!
Rich, creamy, and cheddary - but not overly-so. It really did have a great balance of flavor. The milk and eggs toned down the sharpness and created a smooth and silky sauce.
This came out lighter than my normal go-to mac and cheese, so I may have to rethink my everyday recipe. It was that good!
Thank you, Marie and Kay!