Leftovers
We don't get a leftover backlog very often, because when we have them, Victor usually eats them for lunch. Alas, he's been looking to lose that elusive 10 pounds and has been eating a bit lighter... cottage cheese and fruit and that sort of fun summer stuff. Great for him, but hell on my dinner planning. I mean, there's just no way I can continue to make new stuff if there's old stuff backing up in the 'fridge.
So... those pork chops are on hold for one more night. Tonight was a revisit with the Mexican Spaghetti Pie and a nice salad. It's great to see those tupperware containers get emptied out.
Part of the salad was leftovers, also - the last of the Corn and Barley salad from Sunday. The rest of the salad was random odds and ends from the vegetable bin. It's getting a good clean-out, as well.
And really, this is what cooking is all about. Taking stock of what you have and making a good meal out of it. It's not that difficult to grab a recipe, go to the store and buy the exact ingredients you need, and come home and make it. It's also not that difficult to open the 'fridge and create something with the odds and ends already in the house. My thought process has always been the worst thing that can happen is I throw it all out and call for pizza.
Well... while I do admit there have been a few things I probably won't make again, I've never had to call for pizza.
And dessert is a bit of a leftover, as well. Fruit Cobbler Victor made last night.
It was great... Cinnamon biscuits atop peaches, pears, blueberries... a bit of a clean-out-the-'fridge-dessert to begin with!
Leftovers are my friend.
Yum.
Tuna on the Barbie
It is absolutely perfect weather here. Perfect. 72°, slight breeze, no humidity. Did I mention perfect?!? It's perfect.
Of course, perfect weather requires dinner cooked outdoors on the grill. And what better thing to grill than Asian-inspired tuna steaks?
I marinated the steaks in a bit of soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Onto the barbie they went.
Meanwhile, I made a bit of a spicy fruit compote for the top. I often make cold fruit salsas for seafood, pork, chicken, whatever, but rarely cook it. Tonight, I cooked it.
I sauteed a shallot in a bit of butter and added one diced peach, and one diced plum. I cooked them for a bit and then added some rice wine and cooked it down. I had about a third of a pint of raspberries, so they went in as well. Finally, I added some sambal oelek for kick. When the tuna was done, I spooned it on top.
I really like sweet and spicy combinations, and this one worked really well. And it played well against the slightly soy-salty tuna marinade and the crunchy toasted sesame seeds.
Very simple black japonica rice and cauliflower and broccoli steamed with a bit of soy sauce in the water finished off the plate.
Pork chops are definitely on the menu for tomorrow night. Grilled with grilled potatoes.
Thursday, I think I'm going to grill scallops. I need to think of what do do with them...
Mexican Spaghetti Pie
A while back I picked up a package of corn noodles at the Asian grocery store. I had no idea what I was going to do with them - corn noodles really aren't something I associate with the Far East - but I picked them up, anyway. I think they may have been 99¢. Inexpensive and different. Two of my favorite things. Into the shopping cart they went.
At home, they went into the cabinet. And stayed there, languishing amongst the other things I've picked up here and there but have yet to use.
Until today.
Last night, while taking inventory for my grocery shopping this morning, I saw them and took them down. I decided they were going to be a part of dinner tonight. I wasn't sure what, but they were going to be dinner.
As I said, corn noodles don't immediately shout out Asia to me, but corn screams Mexico. I was trying to envision some sort of Mexican spaghetti dish but all I was seeing was tamales. Then the idea of spaghetti pie hit me. It's like a tamale pie but with corn noodles instead of masa. How could it be bad?!?
The answer, of course, is "It wasn't!".
I dirtied several pots and pans making the "one-pot" dinner, but the end result was worth it. And I sliced it almost immediately after taking it out of the oven instead of waiting for it to set up a bit, so... no pictures of the plate. It wasn't exactly photo-quality. But it sure did taste good.
Mexican Spaghetti Pie
- 8 oz corn spaghetti noodles
- 4 oz cheddar cheese
- 4 oz quesso fresco or ricotta salada
- 1/2 cup ricotta, drained
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 jar Sofrito sauce
- 1 large tomato, sliced
- butter
- salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter 10" pie plate.
Cook corn noodles according to package instructions. Drain and cool. Mix 1 pat melted butter into noodles. Add two slightly beaten eggs and the shredded cheddar cheese.
Mix well and place in pie plate, working it up the sides to create a "crust".
Saute onion in a pat of butter or oil. Add cumin and chipotle powder and cook until fragrant. Add pork and cook completely.
Spread cooked pork mixture over noodles, staying within the noodle crust.
Mix the ricotta with the quesso fresco. Spread on top of the pork mixture, covering it completely.
Spoon one jar of Sofrito sauce on top, covering the cheese mixture completely.
Top with sliced tomato.
Bake at 350° for about an hour.
I suppose I should have let it set longer and tried to take out smaller slices.
It didn't look that great falling apart, but it had all the flavors I was looking for!
I can see a few different variations on this.
And who knows... maybe I'll even find a Vietnamese recipe for the corn noodles.
It could happen!
Burgers and Salads
This was one of those days where I felt like making stuff, but nothing seemed to go together - or, at least, what I had wasn't what I wanted. I made a black barley and corn salad earlier, Victor had made a huge fruit salad, and I had burger thawing. But I didn't want burgers. Or, I didn't want plain ol' burgers. For a brief moment I thought Salisbury Steak, but gravy didn't go with cold corn salad and fresh fruit.
I grabbed my new Lidia cook book for inspiration.
She had a recipe for a meatloaf - but I wasn't in the mood for meatloaf. But I did have all the ingredients. I decided to make the meatloaf into burgers! I mean... meatloaf is just a big hamburger with stuff in it, right?!?
So... dinner is burgers with stuff in them. Problem solved.
Needless to say, I cut the ingredients waaaaaay down - I pretty much quartered the recipe. And it came out real good! Here's her recipe. Try making the meatloaf. I'll bet it's good, too!
Polpettone di Manzo con Ricotta
Lidia Bastianich
Serves 8 or more
- 1 cup milk
- 3 cups day- old bread cubes, from a loaf of country bread
- 3 pounds ground beef (freshly ground preferred)
- 3 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
- 1 pound drained fresh ricotta (about 2 cups), plus more for the sauce if you like
- 1 bunch scallions,finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- ½ cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano- Reggiano
- ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ pound fresh mozzarella, cut in ½- inch cubes (about 2 cups)
- ¼ cup extra- virgin olive oil
- 4 to 5 cups tomato sauce
Recommended equipment: A sturdy roasting pan, 10 by 17 inches or larger
Preheat oven to 375º. Pour the milk over the bread cubes in a bowl, and let soak for a few minutes, until the bread is saturated.
Squeeze the soft bread a handful at a time, pressing out as much milk as you can (discard milk, or give it to a pet), then tear bread into small shreds and toss back into the bowl. Crumble the ground beef into the bowl, and add the eggs, ricotta, scallions, grated cheese, parsley, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Fold and toss everything together, and squeeze the mixture a few times between your fingers to distribute all the ingredients evenly. Scatter the mozzarella cubes on top, and fold and mush them throughout the loaf mix.
Brush the roasting pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Gather the meat mixture in the bowl, turn it into the pan, and shape it into a fat oval loaf. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover the pan with foil—tent it so it doesn’t touch the meat—and bake 45 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue to bake until the meatloaf is browned all over and completely cooked through, another 1 hour and 30 minutes or so. (If you check the loaf with a meat thermometer, it should reach a temperature of 160º.) Remove the roast from the oven, and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
Heat the tomato sauce to a simmer in a saucepan as the meat rests. Turn off the heat, and, if you like, stir ½ cup or so fresh ricotta into the sauce. Cut the loaf crosswise in the pan or on a cutting board, in slices as thick as you like. Serve on warm dinner plates, topped with a spoonful or two of sauce, and pass more sauce at the table (or, for family- style serving, arrange the slices on a warm platter, topped with some of the sauce). To accompany this meatloaf, I love braised broccoli rabe (broccoli di rape) or escarole, served on a separate plate or platter.
Note: If you love fresh ricotta, as I do, you can stir some into the tomato sauce, too, just before serving the meatloaf.
The Corn, Black Barley, and Bean Salad was a whim.
I had two ears of fresh corn I wanted to use for something other than corn on the cob. I opened the cabinet and the first thing I saw was the black barley. Hmmmmm... corn and black barley salad. Sounds good. I was thinking black beans would go well with it - but I didn't have any black beans in the cabinet! Pintos, great northern, and red kidney. The kidney won. They're better cold in a salad, anyway.
The dressing was a no-brainer. Ruth and I used to make a shrimp, corn, and pea salad with a lime and mayonnaise dressing. I had limes and I had mayonnaise. A salad was born.
Corn, Black Barley, and Bean Salad
- 2 ears fresh corn, cut from the cob and blanched (or about 1 1/2 cups frozen, thawed)
- 1/2 cup black barley, cooked, drained, and cooled (or grain of choice - rice, farro, wheat berries, wild rice, etc...)
- 1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (or beans of choice)
- 2 tbsp assorted fresh herbs, minced
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 lime - zest and juice
- salt and pepper, to taste
Mix corn, beans, and barley. Add the mayonnaise, lime juice, and lime zest. Add minced herbs, salt and pepper.
Cover and chill.
These are some of the easiest and most basic salads one can make, and they're especially good and refreshing on a hot day. The lime brings a fresh taste that cannot be compared. And they're ready in the time it takes to cook the grain. If you have fresh herbs growing in the garden, just grab some and mince them up. It really doesn't matter which herbs you use. It's the freshness that comes through.
You can switch out the vegetable, the grain, the bean, add chicken, shrimp, tofu, or diced cooked pork tenderloin. The constant is the mayonnaise and the lime.
Yum.
The Italian Does Italian
We were sitting out in the back yard and Victor said "You didn't take anything out of the freezer this morning". I hadn't. There was a package of fresh tortellini in the 'fridge, and some veggies that needed using up. I told him I thought I'd cook the tortellini and do a bit of a veg sauce with it.
And it was at that point I heard those two words I just love to hear... "I'll cook".
There's just something about having dinner cooked for me now and again that just makes life grand.
I love to cook and would absolutely hate not being able to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but it is also just so wonderful to have dinner prepared for me once in a while. And Victor does know how to prepare a meal!
Where I was going to make one dish, Victor made two - eggplant parmesan and the tortellini melange.
The eggplant was excellent! He took a baby eggplant and sliced it and breaded it with seasoned panko breadcrumbs. He overlapped the breaded slices on a sheet pan, added a bit of sauce I had made a few days ago, fresh mozzarella, and a bit more sauce. Into a hot oven for about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, into a hot skillet went some olive oil, garlic, pancetta, yellow zucchini, green zucchini, broccoli and tomatoes. He cooked it all together and then added the cooked tortellini, some grated cheese, fresh from the garden herbs, and a sprinkling of pepper.
It is funny how the same ingredients can be imagined so differently. It's one of the reasons why we seldom have the same meal twice. We do have our favorites that we make now and again, but for the most part, if we're not making a specific recipe, meals are put together on a whim.
And we have lots of whim in our house!
Leafy Greens
We had our weigh-in at work today. I only dropped half a pound. But... considering how we've eaten this week - and that ice cream - I'll take not gaining anything as a positive step forward. We did do a bit of munching this week. Well... we do a bit of munching every week, but it seemed a bit heavier this week for this time of year.
Oh. And it's National Donut day today. I ate a peanut butter cream-filled donut whatever (that probably had every known ingredient I refuse to knowingly eat) that was divine. That's the nice thing about standards. They're totally changeable to reflect the situation.
So donut consumed, and a mere half-pound gone, I decided we needed salads, again.
I love salads. Victor loves salads. I just haven't been seeing that stellar produce. Stuff has been "okay". It hasn't been "OMG! Eat me right now!". But it's getting there... So it's back to those leafy green vegetables. And everything else under the sun.
Tonight's dinner started off with a bed of romaine. Not a lot. And then a few grapes. I love grapes. And then some of the hot peppers Victor fried up Monday. And some baby roma tomatoes.
I heated up a grill basket on the grill and played a bit of clean out the refrigerator. Yellow zucchini, green zucchini, bell pepper, broccoli, and asparagus. I drizzled a bit of olive oil on them, some salt and pepper, added some chopped fresh herbs from the garden and it all went into the basket with a piece of London Broil on the grill next to it.
Simplicity.
The dressing was fun. I had a couple of white peaches that were almost past their prime, so into the blender they went with a bit of white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and a pinch of herbs d'Provence. A drizzle of olive oil made a rich, creamy, and slightly sweet emulsion that worked really well with the beef and the roasted vegetables.
I've decided we need to be ever-so-slightly-good for dessert tonight, so I'm going to skip the chocolate ice cream and make a clafouti. I picked up some Rainier cherries, that, while not the traditional cherry one would generally use, will still totally rock.
Off to pit.....
Burgers and Peppers
Tonight's dinner is brought to you by the hot Italian peppers Victor fried up Monday.
We picked up some hot and some sweet peppers Monday with the intention of frying them in olive oil and garlic. They are one of the best condiments to have in the 'fridge - they go with so many things and have a shelf-life just short of plutonium. Not that we ever keep them around long, but they will last.
Did I mention hot?!?
They were so hot cooking that when I walked into the kitchen - with windows open and fan blowing - my eyes immediately started burning and I started coughing.
I knew we were onto something good!
I wanted some of them for dinner tonight and thought an open-faced burger was just the ticket. I toasted a couple of thick slices of Italian bread and spread it with mayo mixed with some mixed shredded cheese left from last night's dinner. On top of that went the peppers - and then the burger topped with more cheese.
The fresh fruit was perfect with the hothot peppers, and the leftover-from-Monday potato salad and baked beans added to the goodness (and helped clean out the 'fridge).
It's currently 85° outside with climbing humidity ((I will never get used to living in a place where it can actually get hotter when the sun goes down!) so we're having homemade ice cream for dessert tonight.
Really rich chocolate ice cream with mini peanut butter cups.
Stay tuned.
Corn Dogs and Chipotle Baked Beans
I've had a hankerin' for a corn dog for a while now, and decided a couple of weeks ago that I was going to make them today. I think the last time I had a real corn dog was at the Iowa State Fair in 1993. That's more than a few years ago.
They really are easy to make but not something that is on the normal meal rotation. Deep-frying anything is not on the normal meal rotation. I would absolutely love to have a commercial deep-fryer, but I'm not going to get a counter-top home version.
But I digress.....
I couldn't tell you the last time I made a corn dog, but I'm sure it was long before Iowa.
I don't have a deep-fryer, so I took a 9" braising pan and filled it halfway with oil - about 2" - and cooked them without sticks and added the stick after the fact. I more or less made up the batter recipe, but used Alton Brown's suggestion of rolling the dog in cornstarch to keep the batter on the dog. (His online recipe looked really good, but I was wanting something more traditional today...)
Perfectly crusty exterior, a soft cornbready interior, wrapped around one of my more favorite foods - a hot dog. How could it be bad?!?
Corn Dogs
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 2 tbsp buttermilk powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk (about)
- pinch salt
- 8 hot dogs
- 8 sticks (popsicle sticks would work just fine)
Heat oil in pan or deep fryer to 350°.
Mix dry ingredients together. Add eggs and enough milk to make a fairly thin batter.
Roll hot dogs in cornstarch and dip into batter. (You need to work it a bit - the cornstarch doesn't want to stick right away.)
Carefully add to hot oil. If using a pan, flip over after a minute or so.
Drain on apper towels and serve with mustard.
The baked bean recipe came from my sister, Phoebe. I've shared this recipe many times. I love 'em!
Phoebe's Baked Beans
The original recipe comes from Cooking Light magazine. Phoebe made these at their housewarming “Open House” and nary a bite was left!
These are now the only baked beans I make.
- 1/2 cup minced shallots
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup tomato puree (I use tomato paste – I never have puree in the house!)
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped
- 2 (28-ounce) cans baked beans
Preheat oven to 300°.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shallots; sauté 4 minutes or until golden. Add cumin and garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add tomato puree and oil, and cook for 2 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Add remaining ingredients (except beans.). Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine beans and shallot mixture in a 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 300° for 1 hour or until thick and bubbly.
The potato salad is like my mom used to make. It seems everyone I know has a potato salad recipe like their moms. This one is actually pretty simple... potatoes, onion, celery, carrots, pickles, hard-cooked eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, salt, pepper, garlic powder. There's a bazillion and one ways to make a potato salad, but this one is my favorite.
Chicken on the grill with Memphis BBQ sauce.
There's more Poppy Seed Cake for dessert later on this evening.
Right now, I'm ready for a nap.
Burgers on the Barbie
I was recently asked when I plan dinner. The answer, of course, is "It Depends".
There are no set rules. Sometimes it's a few days in advance, sometimes the night before, sometimes that morning, and sometimes an hour before we're going to eat.
I know folks who plan out their meals a week in advance and know exactly what they're going to have on Thursday of any given week. Not me. I just can't say on Monday what I'm going to be in the mood for on Thursday. Or what mood I'm going to be in to cook whatever it was I thought I was going to be in the mood for.
I usually prefer to wing it a bit.
This morning, however, I knew I wanted burgers on the barbie - even at 0-dark-thirty.
I thought about them all day long. Bacon and cheese and lettuce and tomatoes and avocados and pickles and mayo and mustard and catsup and potato chips and homemade hamburger buns. All day long.
I got home and made the buns right away. I used the no-knead dough that is almost a regular feature in our 'fridge. It was hot and muggy outside. A perfect proofing room. In a mere 30 minutes they were ready for the oven. 15 minutes later, they were cooling.
I added juuuuust a little bit of Memphis BBQ Sauce to the beef for a bit of added flavor. I mean, bacon, cheese, and all that other stuff was just crying out for more.
And all of that savory goodness was screaming for sweet fresh fruit.
I obliged.
In the meantime, the temperature has dropped 20 degrees and were under a severe thunderstorm alert. The alert warns of the obligatory golf ball-sized hail and 75 mph winds.
Whatever.
I need to figure out dessert.
Chicken and Ham
It's the ham that keeps on giving!
Armed with my trusty FoodSaver, I finally dealt with that monstrosity of a ham in the refrigerator today. Two packages of sliced ham for future meals and the bone and lots of ham for a future soup went into the freezer. Another packet is sitting in the fridge to become fried ham on Sunday. And several slices for tonight's dinner...
Tonight's dinner. Yum.
I lightly browned two chicken breasts and placed them in an oven-proof pan. I then covered them with slices of ham. Then a layer of San Joaquin cheese, and then sliced tomatoes. I put them into a 350° oven for about 25 minutes.
Prior to starting that, though, I started the side dish - a multi-grain melange of mixed brown rices, black barley, spelt, French lentils, leeks, mushrooms, tomatoes and arugula. Oh yum.
Multi-Grain Melange
- 1/4 cup minced leek
- 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup assorted brown rice
- 1/4 cup black barley
- 1/4 cup spelt
- 1/4 cup French lentils
- 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 good handfuls arugula
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- S&P to taste
Saute leeks, mushrooms, and garlic until wilted and lightly browned.
Add grains, tomatoes, and broth bring to boil. Add arugula and stir in. Add spices.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45-55 minutes.
It came out great and would make a great base for a lot of other dishes. It could also be easily made vegetarian by using vegetable broth or water.
All-in-all, a successful use of just a little more ham.
Life is good.
BBQ Ribs
I've been thinking about ribs all day.
Messy, spicy, falling-off-the-bone ribs. And I got my wish.
I got a good deal on a whole slab of ribs and - for a moment - thought about cooking the whole thing. For two of us. Common sense prevailed and I cut it in half and froze the rest for another day. I sliced the ribs into individual bones and into a pot they went with garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. I simmered them on the stove for about 90 minutes and then started the grill. And broke out the Memphis BBQ Sauce. It was my weekly freebie from Wegmans and it had clean ingredients. Slightly sweet with a nice tang to it. One of the better bottled BBQ sauces I've had in a while.
I slathered it on, set the ribs off to the side of the grill and closed the lid.
Fall-off-the-bone-good!
I took some assorted fingerling potatoes and mixed in some garlic, smoked paprika, salt and pepper along with a bit of olive oil and coated them nicely. Into the grill-pan they went with the ribs.
And then I made some creamed corn.
I've been looking at fresh corn-on-the-cob and haven't seen anything I really want to bring home, yet. I'm fussy about my fresh corn. I want it fresh. And it ain't local corn season, yet.
So, I settled for frozen. I boiled up some nonfat milk, added the corn and let it simmer for a bit. I then added some S&P and just a little bit of Kasseri cheese. I thickened it with a bit of cornstarch, smashed a few kernels of corn with my spoon, and that was that.
And while all that was going on, I baked a loaf of bread.
It was a loaf of the infamous No-Knead Bread I've been making for the past few months, now. The recipe calls for 6 1/2 cups of flour. This batch I used 2 1/2 whole wheat and 4 white.
All-in-all, a successful dinner.
And there's still Buttermilk Cake.
Monday Ham
An 8.6 pound ham is a bit of a commitment for two people. Ham sandwiches last night, sliced ham tonight. I think tomorrow a good portion is going to be vacuum-packed and placed in the freezer. I want fried ham this Sunday. Besides veal cutlets and dirty potatoes, nothing can invoke my father more than fried ham. And french bread toast. It's just amazing how some foods can conjure up someone. Not that we ever has "spiral cut" hams growing up. Back in the dark ages, ham came in a funny-shaped can you opened with a metal key. (Coffee cans were opened the same way). Fond memories, indeed.
But back to the present...
I had sweet potatoes, I had carrots, I had mushrooms, I had asparagus, and I had fresh herbs. I had our side dish.
I peeled one sweet potato and one large carrot. Sliced both and nuked them for about 5 minutes. I then put them into a buttered casserole with the mushrooms and asparagus, chopped dill, rosemary, basil, and oregano, salt and pepper. That went into a 400º oven for about 15 minutes.
The fresh herbs from the garden were great. Veggies perfectly cooked.
And there's Buttermilk Cake for dessert tonight.
I can't wait for Sunday!