Vegetable and Meat Casserole

 

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It was a typical Saturday. I was at work and Victor was lounging in front of the TV eating Bon-Bons. His thumb was getting sore from channel-surfing when he landed on the Saturday PBS cooking shows. Back in those thrilling days of yesteryear when I also had a Monday-Friday job, we'd always have the PBS cooking shows on in the background as we did our weekend puttering around the house. It's good that one of us can keep up the tradition.

Food Network may have 24/7 cooking, but the PBS shows are quality. It's a perfect example of less is more. Quality vs quantity.  I've gotten many more recipes from PBS cooking shows than any other TV station and we've bought a few cook books because of them, as well. 

So... today Lidia comes on and before the hour is over, Victor is at the grocery store buying zucchini. Zucchini. The vegetable I pretty much never buy because Victor doesn't like it. That zucchini.

She was making a zucchini and potato casserole that had his mouth watering. Zucchini. Go figure.

I came walking into the house and was immediately greeted with the most fabulous aroma wafting from the oven. My mouth started watering and I didn't even know what it was! Now, I generally have a smile on my face when I walk into the house, but it turned into a huge grin, immediately!

It was an even bigger grin when we sat down to eat.

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Nonna complimented me on how good the dinner was. I had to let her know that it was actually her son who made it and she turned to Victor and said "Really? You made this?" She sometimes forgets he used to own his own restaurant and knows his way around a kitchen just a bit. Meals can be quite amusing around here...

Lidia's original recipe called for ground turkey - or any other ground meat - so Victor made it with a beef/veal/pork blend similar to a meatball or meatloaf mix.

Zucchini and Meat Casserole

adapted from Lidia's Commonsense Italian Cooking

  • 6 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 small onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 lb zucchini, diced
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 lbs ground beef/veal/pork blend
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 cups white wine
  • 2 fresh bay leaves
  • 1 3/4 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced , (¼ inch thick or less)
  • 8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
  • 1 cup grated Grana Padano or -Parmigiano--Reggiano
  • 2 tbsps unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, and cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook until the zucchini is tender, then remove vegetables to a plate with a slotted spoon. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the skillet. When the oil is hot, add the ground meat. Cook and stir until it is crumbled and browned, about 4 minutes. Then clear a space in the pan and add the tomato paste. Let it toast for a minute, then stir it into the meat mixture. Add the wine and bay leaves, bring to a simmer, and cook until the wine is reduced and saucy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the onions and zucchini.

Toss the potato slices with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the remaining teaspoon of salt. In a medium bowl, toss together the two cheeses.

To assemble, butter a large 4-quart baking dish. Layer the potatoes in the bottom, and sprinkle with a third of the cheese. Layer all of the meat mixture, then all of the remaining grated cheese. Cover with foil and bake on the bottom rack until bubbly around the edges, about 20 minutes. Uncover, and bake until the top is browned and crusty, about 15 minutes more.

It really was great. I went back for seconds.

And I now have a standing order for Bon-Bons to be delivered every Saturday Morning!


Beef Pot Pie

It was cold this morning. Not cold enough to force me into long pants and shoes, but cold, nonetheless. I headed out in t-shirt and shorts to the local hardware store for electrical supplies - I had to replace a socket on a lamp and change out a light switch - and thought that it wasn't going to be long before I had to start putting on shoes when I left the house. Quelle horreur!! I am so not looking forward to that!

But while it was still semi-warm enough to leave the house in my summer finery, it was cold enough to get me thinking about beef stew and puff pastry. Not that I need a lot of encouragement to break out the puff pastry sheets, but I can milk a situation if need be...

I've been looking forward to the cooler weather and the heartier foods. I'm a soup and stew person at heart. As much as I really love all sorts of foods, feed me gravy and I'll follow you anywhere. Real gravy, that is - nothing out of a can, jar, or packet. I do have my standards, low as they may be, at times.

I've never quite grasped the concept of packaged or canned gravy. I mean... Gravy is one of the easiest things in the world to make. It's practically free food and can be made in minutes.

Tonight's stew was beef cubes simmered in broth and a bit of coffee - my mom's famous trick - with potatoes, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, and frozen mixed vegetables, and then thickened with a flour and water paste. I used two sheets of puff pastry and then put the corner pieces on top to make it even more flaky.

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It always looks prettier in the dish, but it was one tasty dinner! Even Nonna cleaned her plate.

And... there's enough left over for lunches tomorrow.

Life is good. A bit chilly, but good.

 


10 Minute* Keep Your New Year Resolution Casserole

*if you use frozen rice

  • 1 red bell pepper, cut in strips
  • 1/2 bunch scallions, sliced
  • 1 pgk organic chicken tenders
  • 1 pkg frozen spinach
  • 1 jar Thai Curry Sauce (Red, Yellow, or Green)
  • Cooked brown rice

Slice pepper and scallions. Cut chicken tenders to desired serving size (quartered is good!)

Heat 1 tsp oil in large skillet and add chicken, scallions, and peppers. Sauté on high heat until chicken is cooked through. Add spinach and Thai curry sauce of your choice and heat through.

Serve over brown rice.


Lobster Mac and Cheese

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Yesterday's impulse shopping of the day was two lobster tails - on sale for 50% off.  I looked into the case, saw lobster tails on sale and immediately knew we were going to have lobster mac & cheese for dinner tonight. They're just not something I buy often. In fact, the last time I did buy lobster was in January 2013 - when I made a Lobster Risotto.  Time flies when you're having fun!

That last time I was going to make a lobster mac and cheese - and changed my mind at the last minute. This time I stuck to it.

And I'm really glad I did. It was awesome!

Having lived in New England, lobster doesn't have the same allure for me as it does for many.  It is something to be enjoyed in a lobster roll or at a long table at Woodman's in Essex. It's not glamorous - hence, the perfect ingredient for macaroni and cheese.

Mac & Cheese is one of those dishes I make blindfolded. I have never - ever - bought a box of the stuff. Never, ever in my life. Ever. It is made from real cheese - usually the odds and ends I have lying about in the 'fridge. This time, however, I actually bought cheese specifically for the dish - the cheese bin in the 'fridge needs a bit of restocking. I went with Gruyere and Colby Jack. Both mild cheeses that wouldn't mask the mild lobster flavor.  they worked well.

And while I don't use a recipe for dishes like this, I did reference Ina Garten's because I've seen her make it on TV and it's pretty much a classic. Very basic - just as it should be.

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Lobster Mac & Cheese

  • 1 lb shells - or your favorite macaroni
  • 1 qt milk
  • 1 cube butter
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 6 cups grated cheese - gruyere, jack, cheddar - your choice
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 1/2 lbs lobster meat or lobster/langostino mix
  • 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
  • salt & pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375°.

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain well.

In a large pot, melt 6 tbsp of butter and add the flour. Cook over low heat. Slowly add milk and cook until thickened and smooth. Add the nutmeg and salt & pepper, as desired. Add the cheese and stir until melted and smooth.

Add the cooked macaroni and lobster and stir well. Place into casserole dish.

Melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter and mix with the bread crumbs. Sprinkle on top.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the crumbs are nicely browned.

It was rich, creamy, and oh, so satisfying. Every bite was a smile.

And, it made a goodly amount. Victor and Nonna will be having it for lunch, tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll have a bit as an afternoon snack.

Can't wait to see those lobster tails on sale, again!

 

 


Feed a Cold, Feed a Fever

03-02-14-chicken-and-dumplings

 

I've caught a cold.

Dealing with the great unwashed masses has its drawbacks. Germs being the number one. I do my best - I wash my hands constantly and try to avoid that hacking, slobbering person coughing into their hands and then grabbing the coffee pot and creamer - but a stray germ is bound to find its way to me, eventually.

I get two colds a year. One in Summer and one in Winter. I just do. I was beginning to think I was going to miss the winter cold this year, but it's now obvious I'm not.

Oh well...

I'm off for two days and a lovely snow storm has just started, so I can just sit back and relax, watch the Oscars, eat a piece of peach pie, and sleep until noon, if I want. Snow storms and days off are a good thing.

Tonight's dinner pretty much came out of the freezer. There were two containers of chicken stew in there from the chicken I made a couple of weeks ago. A simple biscuit topping and into a hot oven was all it took.

And then there was one...

Biscuit Topping

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup yogurt
  • pinch salt

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Rub butter into flour with fingers until evenly distributed. Lightly stir in buttermilk and yogurt.

Scoop onto hot stew. Bake at 425° about 20 minutes.

The stew does need to be hot. If you put it onto cold stew, the tops will burn before the bottom ever cooks and you'll end up with a doughy mess.

Ask me how I know this...

C'mon Red Carpet!

 

 


Roast Chicken and Chicken Pot Pie

A roast chicken is the meal that keeps on giving. I love that the day after there is always another meal waiting to be created - a soup, a stew, or, as we did last night, a chicken pot pie.

Roasting a chicken is pretty much the easiest thing in the world to do, yet... it is also often the first thing an aspiring French chef is asked to cook during an interview. Any roasted chicken is good - a perfectly roasted chicken is... well... perfect.

I tend to lean towards the any roasted chicken is good category. I don't fuss with them. I'll rub a bit of butter or olive oil on the outside, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and into the oven on a vertical roaster at 425° for however many minutes it takes for the juices to run clear - or 165° if I use a thermometer. A good chicken tastes great with minimal fuss and a mediocre chicken is going to be mediocre no matter what you do to it.

I started doing beer can chickens a while ago and when we received an actual vertical roaster as a gift, it pretty much cemented my like for them. The neck and innards boil down for broth and mix the drippings to make gravy.

Waste not, want not, and all that...

Victor is a huge crispy-skin fan - me, not so much - so the vertical roaster really delivers for him.

So... un-stuffed chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy with oven-roasted cauliflower on Saturday became Chicken Pot Pie on Sunday.

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I do a double crust because we all really like the crust and it's easier to clean the dish! I made my standard pie crust but I used half lard half butter and for the vodka, I used Absolute Peppar that has been in the bar cabinet for what seems like an eternity. No idea where it came from but I need to start using it - I'm tired of looking at the bottle.

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The filling consisted of onions, fresh carrots and celery, and lots of frozen mixed vegetables - along with the chicken meat that just slid off the bones from the long-simmering carcass.

The pot kept growing - as is typical when I'm making something like this - and I ended up with a huge pot pie - enough for dinner last night and lunch today - as well as TWO containers for the freezer! I have dinner for a couple of lazy winter nights...

Definitely the bird that keeps on giving...


Ann's Seafood Cottage Pie

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Our friend Ann sent Victor a recipe yesterday for her famous Fish Pie. One look at the recipe and I knew I was making it tonight!

It's a really simple concept and really simple to put together. I could have used a teensy-bit larger casserole... I really tried to keep it small, but... The secret, of course, is no matter what the size of the casserole - place it on a sheet pan.

Ann's recipe assumes you know how to make a basic white sauce and make mashed potatoes. Staightforward cooking at its finest!

Of course she doesn't have a recipe, but here are the basics:

Fish Pie

A couple pounds of fish, a variety. Try some white fish, a few shrimp, and that salmon that is way past its use by date, is in the freezer looking odder every moment.

Thaw fish and cut into nice hunks, layer in the bottom of a greased whatever. I use a corning ware casserole.

Make about a cup of medium white sauce, flavored with sauted onion, tarragon, or whatever fresh herbs you might have. Herbes de Provence is a good choice, or maybe some dill. salt and pepper to taste.

Oh, and a grating of nutmeg, just because I always put it in a white sauce .

Add a couple of cups of frozen veggies or whatever leftover cooked veggies you have in the fridge. I used mixed vegetables.

Now while all this was going on, you were boiling potatoes, however many it will take to cover the top. I mashed them with butter and milk. Maybe add a beaten egg.

Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes. Place under the broiler for a minute if the top isn't browned enough for you.

I used Alaskan cod and langostino tonight, along with a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. Herbes de Provence, and ppotatoes mashed with a bit of butter and sour cream.

It was awesome. Even Nonna cleaned her plate! And there's enough left over for Victor and Nonna to have for lunch!

We will definitely be making this one, again!


Chicken Pot Pie

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Baby, it's cold outside.

Around here, that means it's time for something hot and comforting - and a double-crusted pot pie fills that bill, completely.

These are my favorite kind of meals... easy to make, flavorful, filling... and total comfort. My mom used to make a lot of casseroles and pot pies and the like when we were kids. Feeding six kids was a challenge on a fireman's salary and she knew how to stretch her shopping dollars. I still marvel at how she was able to do it and make it appear so effortless. Then, again, she ran the house - not us.

Meals like thbis are easy because there's no recipe involved - they're usually just clean out the refrigerator-type meals. Throw it all in a pot, thicken it up, pour it into a crust, and bake.

It doesn't get easier.

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This pot pie started off as a vertically roasted chicken. I boiled down the carcass and picked it clean. The meat went back into the broth with potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and frozen mixed vegetables. Frozen mixed veggies, by the way, are great to have in the freezer at all times.  They go into soups, stews, casseroles... A perfect add-in for so many things.

I thickened it with a bit of flour and butter, added some French herbs, and a bit of salt and pepper. It really is that easy.

And so is making the crust...

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I've been making pie crust for years and they always come out. I'm constantly disappointed when I break down and buy a pre-made crust and always swear I'll never do it again. I think I have finally learned my lesson.

This particular recipe really is good. I just tweaked it to add some vodka. It's better than ever.

And I really do believe that any homemade crust is better than any store-bought crust. Even a less than perfect or tough homemade crust is superior.

Really.

 

 

 


Creamed Chicken with Rice Cakes

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What to do when you have two disparate ideas for dinner? Why, make both of them, of course!

I wanted rice cakes and I wanted something creamy since the weather has turned winter-ish.  The logical conclusion really was to make both. Rice cakes and chicken stew. A perfect combination. I figured the rice cakes could take the place of potatoes or noodles. What the heck.

Rice cakes are tricky. You really need a sticky, glutinous rice or they tend to totally fall apart. Arborio or other short-grained rices work well. Brown rice and long grain rices, not as well. I have a jar of Thai sticky rice that I used. It was the perfect glutinous foundation.

I cooked one cup of rice according to package instructions and then let it cool a bit. I placed it in a bowl and added 1 egg, about a cup of shredded cheese, a bit of garlic powder, sage, salt and pepper. The sage was in honor of the chicken.

I formed them into patties and then put them in the 'fridge to chill completely - cold rice cakes have a better chance of staying together. Right before cooking, I rolled them in plain, unseasoned flour and fried them in grape seed oil until crispy-browned.

They had a nice, creamy interior and a slight crunch on the outside.

They came out well.

The chicken stew was chicken tenders cut up, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and frozen mixed vegetables. I added about a third of a cup of rice to thicken it. The rice pretty much broke down and made it creamy-good!

Nonna cleaned her plate.  Again.

That's always a good sign...

 

 


Spaghetti Squash

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Nonna said she didn't think she liked spaghetti squash.

In the almost 8 months she has been living with us, she has found out she really does like a lot of things she thought she didn't.  It's been kinda fun, actually, watching her skeptical look change to a smile.

Which brings us to spaghetti squash. I love it and Victor loves it. Time to make Nonna love it, too. Always up for a challenge, I decided I'd start by making something with flavors that were familiar to her. She loves pasta, tomato sauce, Italian sausage, and cheese, so a take on a baked pasta dish was my starting point.

I sliced in half lengthwise, seeded, and roasted the squash for about 20 minutes in a 375° oven. It was in a casserole dish with a bit of water - and covered in foil.

While that was cooking, I grilled Italian sausages and when they were cooked, sliced them into chunks.

When the squash was cooked, I mixed it with the sausage, about 3 cups of marinara sauce, and about 3 cups of shredded cheeses. I used fontina, mozzrella, provolone, and parmesan. It then went into a covered casserole dish and into a 350° for about 45 minutes.

Nonna ate every bite on her plate and then went back for a little spoonful more.

I'd call that a success!


White Beans and Roasted Tomatoes

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It's 70-something degrees outside on the last day of Summer.

Time to make some beans.

I was up in the cupboards last night rearranging and getting them a bit organized. I need to take inventory now and again to make sure those things that get pushed into the corners actually see the light of day and get used. I keep rice and beans in jars for the most part, but had a 1-pound bag of white beans that were just sitting there without a jar or a place to call home.

Into a bowl they went with lots of water to soak overnight.

I grew up in the Thou Shalt Not Salt Beans world. Seems things have changed. Now, not only can you salt the cooking water,  the big thing is brining beans - adding salt to the soaking liquid.

I'll pass. And salt my beans when they're tender. I get enough salt in my diet without soaking my beans in even more of the stuff. Besides, I still have that magnesium-calcium-sodium-cell-wall-molecular-structure-stuff playing in the YouTube of my mind. Old dog, new tricks. As I said... I'll pass.

***ten years later, I have changed my mind. I brine. Old dog learned new trick.

So... here I was with a pound of soaked white beans and only a vague idea of what I wanted to do. I had seen a recipe at La Cucina Italiana for beans with oven-roasted tomatoes. And I had seen another, recently, with beans and sausage. We had all of the above - fresh tomatoes right out of the garden, sausage in the freezer...

Time to improvise.

White Beans with Sausage and Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

  • 1 lb white beans, soaked overnight
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 3 ribs celery, chopped
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb Italian sausage, cut into chunks
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups - more or less - water
  • 1 tsp French herbs
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Sauté onion, celery, carrots, and garlic in a bit of olive oil. Add sausage and lightly brown.

Add drained beans and 2 cups of chicken broth. Add additional water to cover the beans by about an inch.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until beans are tender - 45 minutes or so.

Stir in seasoning and add salt and pepper, as desired.

While beans are cooking, roast tomatoes.

  • plum tomatoes
  • beefsteak tomatoes
  • salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350°.

Slice plum tomatoes in half lengthwise. Cut beefsteak tomatoes in large chunks. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place tomatoes cut-side up on paper. Sprinkle with S&P.

Roast in oven about 30 minutes.

To assemble:

Place beans and sausage in bowl. Top with chunks of roasted tomatoes. Add shaved parmesan, if desired.

It was a bit of a different take on an old standard and even Nonna finished her bowl! I can see something like this happening again, although I should probably roast the tomatoes now and freeze them rather than try and use the garbage tomatoes of winter. I rarely buy tomatoes after summer...

It can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the chicken broth and switching out the sausage for a meatless substitute.

Now all I need is for the weather to turn fall-like...

 


Beef and Mushroom Risotto

Beef and Mushroom Risotto Tim and Victor's Totally Joyous Recipes www.tjrecipes.com

 

It's about a million degrees outside with humidity to match. Time to make risotto.

I was going to make this yesterday while Victor was out of town, but Nonna was more interested in the stuffed shells I had made on Monday. She had leftover stuffed shells, I had a chili dog. We were both happy.

Today, I had the beef that I had already cubed, so it was pretty much a no-brainer to make it tonight with everyone home. Waste not want not and all that...

Risotto is like the ultimate comfort food. It's rich, creamy, and just bursting with flavor. I could eat it every day were it not for all the other foods that I could eat every day.

But I do seriously like it.

I had never made a beef risotto before.  I've done any number of risotto variations over the years - but not beef. I figured it was about time.

Beef and Mushhroom Risotto

  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup green pepper, chopped
  • 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 lb beef, cut into small cubes
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • 4 cups hot beef broth
  • 1 cup shredded pecorini romano cheese
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Saute beef in a bit of butter and olive oil. Add onion, garlic, mushrooms and pepper. Saute until vegetables are limp.  Add rice and cook about 1 minute.

Begin to add broth by the ladle, stirring continually.  Continue adding ladles of broth as the last one is absorbed, until rice is just tender.

At this point, stir in cheese.

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as desired.

I have to tell ya, it was pretty good stuff. It had all the great characteristics of risotto - that rich creamy goodness - with a great beefy-mushroom flavor. Even Nonna had a second spoonful!

I can't wait for the weather to turn to Fall.