An "Italian" Moussaka Without a Lot of Details

I spent a good number of hours in the kitchen today (but that is my normal, not an exception) making my own "Italian" version of moussaka. It took a lot longer than anticipated.

Made some breaded eggplant but was low on breadcrumbs so after dipping the slices in egg and flour I covered the tops only with breadcrumbs flavored with oregano, black pepper, garlic powder and parmigiano. Baked them on a cookie sheet rather than fried.

The ground beef and tomato sauce (finely chopped onion, celery and carrots, garlic, diced garden tomatoes and canned tomatoes, basil and parsley) simmered for more than an hour.

Put some sauce, then a layer of eggplant, then most of the sauce, than a light layer of mozzarella, then another layer of eggplant and the remaining tomato sauce.

Topped the casserole with parmegiano-bechamel sauce and bread crumbs. 

Baked it at 350 for about 45 minutes. Served with a hot Italian sausage and a loaf of homemade bread.

Leon and I ate half the casserole...had to stop, but could have eaten more.

The photos don't do it justice.

Give Us Our Daily Bread

[This is a duplicate post from ReluctantRebel]

One thing about not being able to sleep past 2 AM is that I get to make dough.

Rather than lay in bed and contemplate the ceiling or try to rub my sore back (Am I too old to be shoveling snow?) I finally got up, got dressed and went to my office - the kitchen.

Leon had mentioned cinnamon rolls...actually a co-worker of his was asking, so I woke up thinking about cinnamon rolls.

One not so good thing about not having a "recipe" is that when something comes out exceptionally well, you have no way of replicating it exactly.

My cinnamon rolls this morning were quite exceptional. I think I used a teaspoon of yeast in 1/2 cup water and 1/3 cup sugar; let that set for a few minutes, added a teaspoon of salt and a cup of gently warmed milk (2%) a half stick to 2/3 stick of butter, softened and enough flour (?) to make a soft dough. Beat it up, kneaded it gently and let it rise for an hour.

Then I formed the rolls by making a "rope" about 6-8 inches long, dipped each in melted butter and dredged them in cinnamon sugar, formed a spiral and placed them on a baking sheet and into a 375 degree oven for 20+ minutes.

After they cooled just a bit I frosted them with a thick confectioner sugar/water/orange extract mix.

Exceptional!



Then it was on to the bread. Actually I started the bread dough while the cinnamon rolls were rising.

I will say I am getting better every time I make bread. This morning I used 3 1/2 large coffee mugs of water, 2 teaspoons of yeast, a little sugar, salt and I mixed in a cup of whole wheat pastry flour with the King Arthur all purpose.

Those bread snobs who weigh everything: the water, the yeast, the flour. And they calculate the percentages of water to flour to yeast and salt. I have a kitchen scale but I think I would break it if I weighed my ingredients.

Besides, I've watched old Italian women on YouTube make bread in a large trough which probably holds twenty-five pounds of flour.

I think they take turns making bread for the entire neighborhood in one huge wood-fired oven that is prepared ahead and heated to probably over 900 degrees. It holds maybe 30 or more loaves of bread.

I don't have a wood-fired oven, but I heat mine to 475 degrees and place a large roasting pan with about 1/2 inch of water on the bottom of the oven and allow that to heat to steam point.

I brush my loaves with water and sprinkle on sesame seeds (cuz I like the flavor they impart) before taking them to the oven. The bread is done in 20 to 25 minutes.

Exceptional! If I do say so.

Insomnia bread. I beats tossing and turning.

(Almost) Instant Mac and Cheese (and Healthier Too)

Baked cod, roasted tomatoes, asparagus and quick mac and cheese with cauliflower.

I came up with this side dish tonight to go with some baked cod (frozen cod from Costco) with roasted tomatoes, and asparagus.

I put the cod and the halved tomatoes in a casserole and drizzled all with olive oil, sprinkled the tomatoes with salt, pepper and oregano and the cod with black pepper and Italian style bread crumbs.

That all went into the oven at 375, for about 20-25 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish) and I got a pot of water boiling and put the asparagus in a skillet with a little butter and white wine, ready to go on the fire.

I had about 1/3 box of quick-cook Ronzoni penne pasta (which cooks in 3 minutes) and when the cod was close to being done, I got the pasta into the pot to boil while the cauliflower (which was last night's leftover - roasted in the oven with olive oil and garlic, so I knew it would go good with pasta) was in the microwave to reheat - also 3 minutes.

When the pasta was done, I put the asparagus on to cook in the skillet on high heat for just a few minutes.

I drained the pasta, put in two heaping tablespoons (+/-) of plain non-fat yogurt and approximately 3 heaping tablespoons (+/-) of grated Romano cheese, added in the cauliflower with its garlicky sauce and tossed the whole thing together.

Easy and healthier mac and cheese

The fish was done and so was the asparagus. All in less than 30 minutes. Rachael Ray, eat your heart out.

Roasted Squash Soup and a BETO Sandwich

Zuppa di Zucca Arrostita

This is a hearty soup for a cold January day.  Except for the squash, the ingredients are flexible - depending on what you have on hand.  Roasting the veggies gives them a nice flavor and aroma - and makes a rather bland squash much tastier.

Many recipes add heavy cream or milk.  I find this totally unnecessary and way too heavy on the gut.

But don't be TOO creative!  Make sure the veggies and herbs you choose are compatible.  One thing I don't like is a soup made by an overly zealous cook who uses every spice on the spice rack and the philosophy that "more is better".  Too many out-of-tune instruments in the orchestra can spoil the music...

For this dish I had on hand, a butternut squash, two acorn squash, a half of a fennel (anise), an onion, some carrots, some rosemary from the sunroom and, from the garden a few sage leaves and parsley.  A bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg.  And the all natural, no msg, low fat chicken broth from Aldi's.

I was thrilled to find a few sprigs of parsley (which is a biennial and winter hardy) in the garden because I thought the critters had completely done it in by summer's end when I saw most of it disappear - eaten from underground by the roots.  Ah, the tribulations of a gardener!

Coarsely chop the veggies, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, a chopped sage leaf, a few whole sprigs of rosemary.  Toss and roast in a 375 to 400 degree oven.  (my oven is not exact, so I put it on 425) for about 45 minutes or a bit longer - until the squash is fork tender.  The onion and fennel should be nicely caramelized.

Remove the rosemary from the roasted veggies, then transfer the veggies to a pot.  Add a box of chicken stock (or veggie stock to keep it strictly vegetarian), add chopped fresh parsley and a dash of nutmeg.  Bring to a boil, then simmer over lower heat for ten to fifteen minutes or so.

I do not own a full-size food processor.  I don't have the storage space, don't have the counter space, and for the most part, prefer to "process" the food myself.  I have a small electric "chopper" and this puree thing - an immersible blender.  Just be careful not to remove it while its still spinning!

Puree the veggies.  It's OK if you miss a few chunks.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with some good bread.  Maybe a hunk of some nice cheese.  Can anyone suggest a cheese to go with this soup, other than cheddar. Maybe Gruyere or Asiago?  (Just a minute, I'll have to run to the store for that.)

Decided to go with a variation on a BLT for Dinner:  Bacon, Braised Escarole, Tomato, Onion

Fry the bacon, reserve some bacon drippings in the pan, add some chopped garlic, heat on high, add a handful of escarole leaves and braise until the escarole is wilted.  Layer the B,T,E, and O on some nice toasted bread.

 A few little slices of Gouda too.

Dinner's Ready!

First Apple Pie of the Season

I haven't been posting because the menu hasn't changed much around here, especially during the summer.  Now, even though late September is usually not very autumnal in these woods, the ground is covered with ugly brown and yellow leaves with large fungus spots.  The constant wet weather has wrecked havoc with the fall foliage, despite what the tourist spokespeople are saying.

Anyhow, Leon and I picked apples at the local orchard on the weekend and I should hate for them to go bad.

Here's a simple, basic apple pie:

Filling 6 large apples, mix of Cortland and MacIntosh (varieties that I consider the true New England Apple Flavor), lemon juice, cinnamon, half cup or more of sugar.  (add raisins or dried cranberries)

Crust: 1 cup Crisco, 2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 3 Tbsp cold water, 1 Tbsp vinegar.  Divide in two (one a bit larger) and roll each between wax paper.  Larger crust on bottom, fill with apples, place top crust and pinch, brush with milk.  Bake at 475 for 45 minutes.

We're having spaghetti tonight and I don't think apple pie goes well as a follow-up, but we'll suffer.  Dinner's Ready!

Vegetarian Onion Soup au Gratin

Start by listening to k.d. lang's rendition of Roy Orbison's "Crying" while peeling and slicing about 2 1/2 pounds of onions. (about 8 cups, sliced longitudinally). This makes 4 to 6 servings of onions soup au gratin, depending on the size of your soup bowls and how much bread in the bottom.

 

 

Saute the onions in two batches or use two skillets. Use 3 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of olive oil for each batch.  Saute over high heat for as long as it takes to caramelize the onions.  When they are a nice golden brown with a little bit of almost burnt color, combine all the onions in one skillet, add 1 1/2 cups of dry white wine and 2 teaspoons of salt and simmer for a few minutes.

 

Transfer the onions to a soup pot or large sauce pan and add about 4 cups of water. Let simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes to an hour, adding a little water to maintain about 6-7 cups of soup.

Meanwhile, grate some cheese or buy some pre-shredded - about 2 to 4 ounces of cheese per bowl. Sharp Cheddar, Muenster and Swiss make a great combination for this soup. Or try some Gouda, Asiago, Jarlsberg, or other cheese of choice.

Place a piece of crusty French or Italian bread on the bottoms of four oven-safe soup bowls. Ladle about a cup and a half of the soup in each bowl, distributing the onions and the broth evenly so no one gets cheated. Put a good heavy layer of cheeses on top and place the bowls on cookie sheets and into a 400 degree oven. Wait 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese melts and starts to brown on top.

Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes - they will be HOT and the cheese will burn your mouth if you are too impatient. But really, can anything with melted cheese be bad?

While the soup cools, listen to k.d. lang again, then holler: Dinner's Ready!

Serve with nice white wine like Pinot Grigio or Soave or an Apple Cider, hard or sweet. With a salad, it's a meal in itself.

Escarole, Beans, Ham Hocks, Italian Sausage

One of our favorite foods that grandma would send home with dad on a cold winter day was her scrumptious escarole with beans. 'Scarole she would call it (pronouncing it schkarole).  It is a simple peasant dish - I call it "Italian soul food."  It is one of those hearty soups that taste even better  the next day...but who can wait 'till tomorrow?

Ideally it is made with pigs feet or ham hocks.  (Why is it the feet belong to a pig, but the hocks belong to a ham?)  They should be FRESH as opposed to smoked.  Fresh frozen is OK.  NOT SMOKED*(see note below). During a shortage of hocks, like we happen to have tonight (it is like 19 degrees out, so I'm not venturing out to the supermarket) I use Italian sausage.  Sausage makes a tasty escarole and bean soup, but the ham hocks really give it a different dimension. I like to combine both - yum.

If using three or four hocks, boil them first for while and skim off the foam/protein (mom called it la schiuma skee-uma) that floats to the top; do this several times. Continue to boil the hocks until they are cooked through and the meat almost falls off the bone, about an hour or more.  If using sausage, fry up the sausage (preferably hot) in a skillet with a touch of olive oil.  If it is sweet sausage, add to the fry pan some red pepper flakes or one of those hot peppers from the garden that you dried or froze last October.

Wash and drain a couple of large heads of escarole - it is like a head of leaf lettuce, only heartier and crisper.  Chop very coarsely.

Then, in a large pot, drizzle plenty of olive oil - enough to coat the bottom of the pot - and saute some more garlic (3 or 4 cloves) and red pepper flakes to taste.  Toss in the wet escarole and it will make a nice skoosh when it hits the hot oil.  Stir it around until it begins to wilt.  Add three or four 15oz. cans of Cannellini beans (white kidney beans).

There are no rules: you like beans, you add more;  you like escarole, you add more.  You like potatoes, add some diced potatoes.  

Get out the black pepper grinder and pepper those beans with fresh ground black pepper.  Now there are food snobs that insist on certain kinds of pepper corns, imported from exotic places, that have exotic prices. Me, I get mine at Ocean State Job Lot where all their spices are, like 88 cents. Or at Costco for a bit more.

Add the sausage and/or ham hocks to the pot and let the soup simmer - if using hocks, add some or all of the broth the hocks cooked in and continue to simmer the soup until the meat falls off the bone with a little help.  If using only sausage, add two to four cups of water (or stock), depending on how soupy you prefer the final dish. You like soupy?  Adjust with water or ham hock broth.  With sausage, you need to only simmer for 30-45 minutes, if you are really hungry. Otherwise simmer for up to an hour.  Serve with crusty Italian bread or French baguettes.  Or serve over pasta.  

Tonight's sausage version needs more escarole, for my taste;  Leon likes the beans.

If you use hocks or pigs' feet, the leftover soup will gelatinize.  The gelatin will melt when you re-heat it. It is arguably better re-heated the next day.

This is a picture of escarole and bean soup with ham hocks and sausage from my archives:

Dinner's ready, Buon' Appetito!  

P.S. Now this dish is one that turned Leon into an Italian (his ancestry is Northern Irish - mixed American ancestry). And still gives me some power.  He is so grateful for this tasty dish, he's out doing the dishes as I type.

*Note: Grandma did not use smoked ham hocks, so that's what I'm going by....PLUS I personally have an aversion to smoked food of any kind, be it smoked meats, smoked cheese, smoke flavored chips, even smoke flavored dog treats (not that I eat dog treats, just the smell is unpleasant). 

 

Hell, I don't even like sitting around a campfire because then, when I go back to the RV, I have to leave my clothes outside and take a shower before going to bed. I just don't like the taste or smell of smoke!

Chicken Soup

Today we had homemade chicken soup for lunch.  Always good on a cold winter day.
Chicken soup with pastine, (little star shaped pasta).

Chicken soup is no big deal.  If you can boil water, you can make soup.  We're not talking Food Network here.  Keep it simple. 

Put a whole chicken or some equivalent chicken parts in a large pot with enough water for the chick to swim in.  Add good spoon of salt.  As the pot comes to a boil, the chicken scum (coagulated protein) will accumulate on the surface of the water.  Skim it off or else the soup will be cloudy.  

Then add a good helping each of carrots, onions and celery.  Parsley is very nice.  Let the whole thing boil/simmer until the chicken is cooked enough to fall off the bone with a little help.  Remove the chicken/parts and de-bone.  Return the meat to the pot.  

I like to add escarole and let that cook a little in the soup.  Taste and add salt if needed.  

Serve with separately cooked rice, pasta or noodles added to the soup.

Snow - Comfort Food - Shepherd's Pie

No barbecue tonight...

If shepherds made their pie with lamb, it would make sense, unless they were so fond of their sheep that they went for beef.  Shepherd's pie is a good comfort food.  Can anything with melted cheese  be bad?

This is one of Leon's favorites, and as such it has NO tomato sauce.  Saute ground beef with onion, season to taste.  Layer the Dutch oven with the meat, veggies (using frozen veggies here), mashed potatoes (not from a box - you all know how to make mashed potatoes) and cheese (cheddar, jack, whatever).  Pop it in the oven until the cheese melts and browns.

Photos here:

Dinner's Ready!
Plenty of leftovers.