Italian Night for Veggies & Carnivores

These two recipes are of the Italian ilk, involving a toss-together pasta dish in one case and a Giada-inspired pizza dish in the other, and it might be fun to pair dinner with a game of bocce out back.

Spaghetti with Ham, Caramelized Onions, and Asiago

1 lb. spaghetti, cooked

3 tsp. olive oil

1 ½ onions, thinly sliced

½ tsp. salt

½ c. chicken broth

8 oz. diced ham

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. thyme

4 oz. crumbled asiago (you can sub parmesan or even manchego…if you use manchego, it would be cool to sub Serrano or Iberico ham)

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onion and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, adding broth when the pan becomes dry. Cook and stir until the onion is soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add ham, garlic, and thyme. Cook about 3 minutes. Toss with pasta and serve with cheese. Serves 4-6.

Pizzette with Goat Cheese and Ricotta

4 oz. soft goat cheese

1/3 c. ricotta cheese

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. finely-chopped basil

1 tsp. fine lemon zest

Pizza dough (I like to pick up a ball of it at Whole Foods…you can make your own, if

you’re into that)

12 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved (If you can only find red, do that, but if you have a variety of colors, it’s a much more lush feast for the eyes)

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Mix cheeses, 1 tbsp. olive oil, basil, and lemon zest together well. Add salt & pepper, if you think it needs some. Roll dough out into a couple of smallish, rough ovals. I actually didn’t even roll mine, I just pulled it into shape and patted it out. Giada would likely be horrified. Her original recipe calls for cutting the dough into 30 2 ¼” rounds---do that, if you have the time and inclination. It would be great for a party! Place the dough on parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with olive oil, season with salt & pepper, and bake until golden, 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly before spreading with cheese and topping with tomatoes. Serves 2-4.

Both are good served with a green salad, fresh fruit, and a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.

Mango Madness

Friday night, we had an impromptu (okay, planned a week in advance, which counts as impromptu in my world) game night & potluck supper. It was a small crowd, but some delicious food and much hilarity during several rounds of Scattergories. Since I have a tendency to be rushing about like a crazy person minutes before guests arrive, trying to get food finished, so that I answer the door all sweaty and flushed and breathless, I decided it would be wise to do something in the slow cooker. Riffing on a Gooseberry Patch recipe, I popped a pork roast in the pot, poured a jar of Newman’s Own Medium salsa and a 4 oz. can of chopped green chiles over the top, and let it cook for 8 hours on low. Shredded, it made lovely little soft tacos. I thought we had sour cream, but we didn’t, so one of the guests offered a quick improvisation, handing me the goat cheese that went on his spinach & strawberry salad. It turned out to be a great accompaniment. We did have scads of tomatoes, but everyone wanted their tacos pretty plain.

Since I wasn’t sure if everyone would be up for spicy, and since Boot was in town, I made my chicken pot pie, too. It was always his favorite as a kid, his chosen dinner for more than one birthday, so I wanted to make it while he was back from college. I learned it from my friend, Teresa, who lives near Nashville. It’s incredibly simple:

Teresa’s Chicken Pot Pie

1 double-crusted pie shell (I never make my own)

1 can cream of chicken soup (reduced fat is perfectly fine)

1 can cream of mushroom soup (as above)

1 can Veg-All, well-drained (I expect you can use another brand of mixed veggies, but I never have)

About a pound of cooked chicken, cut in bite-size pieces (I am often lazy and just get a couple packages of the pre-cooked kind)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the bottom crust in a 9” pie plate. Mix the soups, veggies, and chicken together. Put in pie shell. Top with the other crust, seal, vent, and crimp. Bake until golden brown on top, about 45 minutes. Serves 6-8.

I also made my favorite Tuscan kale salad and picked up a cherry pie from the grocery. I think the biggest hit of the party, though, was Steve and Jeff’s Mango Madness cocktail. They first discovered it on a trip to Aruba and have tinkered with possibilities until they’ve come up with a swoony concoction of Daily’s Mango Mix, Captain Morgan Mango Rum, and Bacardi Coconut Rum, all blended with ice. Mmm!

Tomato Bounty

Today, our church office administrator stuck her head in my office to ask if I had quit blogging. My immediate response was a rather surprised no, but when she mentioned that she couldn't seem to access anything later than March, I realized that I kind of have quit blogging. I've been cooking, certainly, and have even been putting colorful little flags in all my cookbooks. The flags all say, "Blog!" and every time I place one, I think, "I really have got to sit down and catch up." It will happen. One of these days, you'll be sticking your head in to check for new recipes and there they will be! For now, a quick, delicious Italian dinner for the cooler August weather we've been having. 

Yesterday was Jeannene's half-birthday. I love half-birthdays and always make sure to celebrate mine at least in some small way---a cupcake, a pedicure, looking at some favorite art or poetry. Jeannene hates them. Well, at least her own. But, she was happy last night to get to copse her own dinner. When she said she wanted to make chicken Alfredo (one of her favorites and always a hit with Boot, who is visiting), I excitedly insisted on finding the Alfredo recipe I tried and loved once when she was away. The Sandra Lee haters among you need to put aside your prejudice and give this a try. It's my favorite Alfredo sauce, hands-down, and it's her recipe. I have doubled it here, to serve 4 people, and have slightly adapted it.

16 oz. fettuccine, cooked and drained

1 & 1/2 c. butter, cut into small pieces

2 c. whole milk

2 c. grated Parmesan cheese (good quality, please, for the best results)

Salt, to taste

After draining, return noodles from pot and turn heat on low. Add butter and milk to noodles and toss until butter is melted. Add cheese, a little at a time, an stir just until melted with each addition. Adjust seasonings and serve hot.

I made a romaine salad and tomato bread inspired by the current issue of Martha Stewart Living to go with it. I sliced a loaf of cheese bread lengthwise, rubbed it with garlic, drizzled it with olive oil, and broiled it crisp and brown around the edges. I then topped it with yellowy-orange and red tomato slices and sprinkled it with Maldon sea salt. Deliciousness!

A Plateful of Spring

For years now, at least since the early '90s, I've been making the same dinner every year on the first day of spring. I do salmon patties, new potatoes boiled and slathered in butter before being sprinkled with snippets of fresh dill, and steamed asparagus stalks with lemon or lime juice mixed with melted butter for dipping. Jeannene says spring has not sprung in our house until I've made this dinner. This year on the first day of spring, I was enjoying a yummy chicken casserole at a Lenten dinner at work and Jeannene was in Michigan for her job. So, we were late celebrating. That's okay, the spring weather is late, too, with a big snowstorm on its way.

Springtime Salmon Patties

14 oz. can salmon, drained & flaked
1 sleeve of saltines, crushed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
A healthy splash of Worcestershire sauce
1/4-1/2 c. oil

Mix everything but the oil. Form into patties (it'll make 4-5). Heat oil in a skillet and fry patties until they are browned on both sides. I like mayonnaise or tartar sauce on mine, but ketchup or cocktail sauce would also be good, if you like those better.

Boeuf Bourguignon, Simplified

Our church has a lovely tradition called Dinners for 8, a collection of dinner parties scattered across the congregation, the purpose of which is for people to enjoy one another's company and get to know one another better. I love attending. It's one of my favorite things. However, given the 4 late nights I worked last week and the upcoming Holy Week, combined with an early Saturday work morning at Breakfast with the Bunny (we like to eat), I knew I would be too fried to stay in town all day. So, I made the wise decision to skip this dinner I'd so been looking forward to attending. However, I'd promised a parishioner that if she & her husband hosted, I would cook. I wasn't about to break that promise, so I made 2 pots of boeuf bourguignon Friday night. One was for Dinners for 8, one for our own Saturday supper. It turned out wonderfully! I served ours over mashed potatoes, while the church diners got noodles for theirs. My recipe is based upon one from Ina Garten's wonderful "Barefoot in Paris" cookbook. I may have posted this recipe before---It's my go-to recipe for entertaining and also one Jeannene likes for her birthday---so forgive me, if so. This serves 6-8 & is best the next day.

Boeuf Bourguignon, Simplified

1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. bacon, diced
2 1/2 lbs. sirloin steak, cut in 1" cubes
Salt & pepper
1 lb. baby carrots
2 onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. cognac or good brandy
1 bottle good dry red wine (I used a nice Malbec last night)
2-2 1/2 c. beef stock
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. or so fresh thyme
1/2 stick butter, room temp
3 tbsp. flour
1 lb. frozen pearl onions, thawed
1 lb. mushrooms, thickly sliced

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Heat oil in large Dutch oven (or oven-safe pot---I just treated myself to a Lodge cast iron Dutch oven and it's perfect). Add bacon and cook 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to plate. Pat beef cubes dry, then salt & pepper them. Sear, in single layers, in hot oil 3-5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove to plate with bacon. Cook carrots, onion slices, 1 tbsp. salt, 2 tsp. pepper in bacon grease and oil in pan, 10-12 minutes, until onions are brown. Add garlic & cook another minute. Add cognac, stand back (not kidding!), ignite, and allow flames to die down on their own. Return meat to pot. Add wine, plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Stir in tomato paste & thyme. Bring to boil, cover with tight-fitting lid, and bake about an hour & 15 minutes, until everything is very tender. Remove from oven. Mix 2 tbsp. butter with flour, then stir into stew. Add pearl onions. Sauté mushrooms with 2 tbsp. butter about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Add to stew. Bring to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, another 15 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve over mashed potatoes or noodles or in a bowl with garlic-rubbed toast.

February 2013 Menus

Here are some of the things I plan to cook this month. It will be a lower cooking month than usual, with Valentine's & Mardi Gras dinners out, a weekend retreat, and Jeannene's birthday dinner possibly out, as well.

-Porcupine meatballs, broccoli stir-fry, fruit
-Cream of zucchini soup, sourdough, fruit
-Sour cream & herb burgers, garlic-rosemary potato wedges, corn
-Jambalaya pasta, macque choux, salad
-Ants climbing a tree (Chinese New Year potluck contribution)
-Chicken cordon bleu, scallion mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole
-Roast turkey breast, roasted root veggies, dilly beans
-Halibut/Grouper/Tilapia/Red Snapper with coriander-pepita butter, Greek pan-crushed potatoes, farmer's salad
-Picadillo chili dogs, crinkle fries, salad
-Herb-rubbed steak with olives provençale, Tuscan kale with raisins, potatoes & artichoke hearts with wine & coriander
-Fettucine Alfredo, grilled veggies, bruschetta with tomato & basil
-Turkey pepperoni Reubens
-Pasta frittata
-Chocolate chip brickle bars
-Pumpkin bread
-Banana bread
-Lacy Susans
-Popcorn balls
-Chocolate rum balls
-Chile-spiked wedding cakes
-Marshmallows
-Gingerbread butter

Swoony Vodka Sauce & Heart-y Salad

Jeannene's favorite things to eat are steak and pasta. Last week, I wanted to make a special dinner for her, so I went with Rachael Ray's vodka cream sauce on pipe rigate, with a salad starring romaine, hearts of palm, and artichoke hearts, and a loaf of Italian bread. At first, I was distressed over how thin the sauce looked, thinking I was going to end up with bland pasta and a puddle of sauce at the bottom of the pan. However, once I tossed the pasta with the sauce, it was vividly flavorful. I will definitely be making this one again! I ate the leftovers for lunch and dinner and lunch again last week, too. I am still not tired of them. The recipes come from her 30-Minute Meals 2, which is a great collection of entire meals, including dessert, that you can make easily after work. Lots of terrific ideas, from family dinners to romantic special occasion meals. Here's my adaptation:

Vodka Cream Pasta

1 tbsp. olive oil 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand

1 tbsp. butter Salt and pepper, to taste

3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 c. heavy cream

1 small onion, finely chopped 16 oz. small, shaped pasta (penne, pipe rigate, shells)

1 c. vodka 20 leaves basil, torn into bits

1 c. chicken stock

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook garlic & onions in oil and butter about 3-5 minutes. Add vodka and cook about 3 minutes, to reduce by half. Add stock and tomatoes, with their juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer. Season with salt & pepper, then allow to cook gently. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente. While everything's cooking, make your salad. Then, stir the cream into the sauce and heat through. Drain pasta and toss with sauce and basil leaves. Serves 4-6.

Heart-y Salad

1 heart of romaine, sliced thin horizontally 14 oz. quartered artichoke hearts, drained

A generous handful of torn basil leaves 4 oz. shaved pecorino or asiago (I used shredded. Don't.)

14 oz. salad-cut hearts of palm, drained Balsamic vinegar & olive oil

1/4 lb. prosciutto, torn into narrow strips Salt & pepper

Toss romaine with basil. Wrap hearts of palm in prosciutto. Add to romaine, along with artichoke hearts. Scatter cheese on top and drizzle with oil & vinegar. Season with salt & pepper. Serves 4-6.