Potato, Leek, Swiss Chard and Feta Frittata

There's not much left in the garden at this time of year.  There are some leeks, which I grew for the first time ever, and some swiss chard that withstood some light frost.

Sunday breakfast called for something more than cereal so we had a nice frittata with potato, leek, Swiss chard and feta. (Of course, mushrooms and other good things can be added as well).

I had Leon dice up a potato while ran out in my bathrobe to dig up a few leeks and pick a handful of chard.

Get the potatoes going in a skillet with a bit of olive oil.  Add some salt and pepper.  Wash and chop the white and light green part of the leeks and add to the skillet.  Let saute until the potatoes are tender.  Wash and drain the chard thoroughly, then squeeze to get most of the water out of the handful of chard, then chop into rather fine strands.  Add to the skillet and cook until wilted.

Pour five or six beaten eggs over the veggies, add salt and pepper and some crumbled feta cheese (or any other cheese you like) and cook until eggs are almost set.  Fold over and let the set.  Serve with toast or crusty bread.

Easy Carrot Cake

If you watch cooking shows or bake at all, you've all heard that baking is an exact science.  You must follow recipes exactly and measure precisely.  Yeah, right.

Well, being the rebel that I am, I never follow anything exactly.  The food scientists will probably balk at my Carrot Cake recipe.  It's pretty simple, just takes a little more pep than something out of a box.  This will make a large 9" x 13" cake and a small 4" x 8" loaf to freeze for another time.  Or pour the whole batter into the large cake pan and make a thicker cake.  Or divide it up between whatever size cake pans you have - square, round, whatever.  Of course the bake time will have to be adjusted.

Prep ahead: Amounts are approximate:
4 cups grated of carrots
2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
Spray the baking tins with spray oil or use Crisco to grease them
Preheat the oven to 350 - 375 (My oven is a Sears Dent-and-Scratch Store propane gas and the door is slightly off so 375 is what I set my oven to get a good 350.  Adjust accordingly.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl: (amounts are approximate, but don't go wild)
4 cups all purpose flour (plus reserve an additional 1/2 cup in case batter is too wet))
2 scant cups of sugar (scant so I think its fewer calories)
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
oh a dash more of cinnamon, won't hurt

Combine wet ingredients, separately: (amounts are pretty much as listed)
1 cup vegetable oil (canola or whatever)
4 large eggs (You may need a little more flour if the eggs are very large or jumbo).
1 cup orange juice
2 tsp orange extract

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a wooden spoon or whatever just until evenly moist. The batter should be heavy and thick, but not dry; if too moist because you have jumbo eggs, add up to 1/2 cup more flour.
Add the carrots, nuts and raisins and mix just until evenly distributed.  Scoop the batter into the cake pans (or loaf pans or muffin tins) and bake in a preheated oven at 375.  Ovens can vary in temperature so be sure to adjust: 30 to 35 minutes for large muffins and up to 55 to 60 minutes for a large cake.  Test with a dry knife after 35 or 40 minutes - if the batter sticks to the knife give it another 10 minutes - test again, it may need 5 more minutes.

Simple cream cheese frosting:  2 packages room temperature cream cheese or Neufchatel.  1 1/2 cups sugar (plus or minus) - you need not use confectioner's sugar- granulated is just fine.  1 tsp or more of lemon extract.  Beat with electric mixer or by hand.  Taste test - if you like it sweeter, add more sugar.  Add food coloring if you like.

Cut a big slice and enjoy!

Chicken alla Cacciatore

CHICKEN ALLA CACCIATORE - HUNTER STYLE CHICKEN
(Not too many hunters shoot chickens so I think this dish was originally made with rabbit or maybe some other bird)

We are expecting a frost this weekend and I figured today was a good day to harvest the remaining green peppers.  Actually they are Cubanelle peppers, otherwise called Italian Frying Peppers; they are mild, not hot.  They were quite prolific this year, given I only had six plants.  Everything else - tomatoes, broccoli, eggplant - quit early;  beans are long gone; have only peppers and swiss chard now.

I've had my eye on the peppers and planned to put them into a Chicken Cacciatore.  It is basically chicken parts with peppers and onions with a light tomato sauce.  You want the veggies in big pieces because the long cooking time will pretty much make them virtually dissolve.  This is a bit time consuming, but its a nice fall or winter dish.

 I used about 12 Italian Frying peppers, cored and cut in quarters, (Bell peppers will hold up better and not "dissolve" into the sauce),  2 onions, a 10 oz package of white mushrooms, sliced in half. (baby bellas would be good too), parsley, basil, garlic, oregano, olive oil, 1 can of whole, peeled tomatoes, 1 cup of tomato sauce, and of course some chicken legs and thighs - six (or eight) of each.  (I've been known to add Italian sausage and/or meatballs.)

Cubanelle or Frying Peppers

Mushrooms

Purple Basil and Parsley

Canned Tomatoes

Brown the chicken parts in a skillet - in two batches. Season with a little salt and pepper.

While the chicken parts are cooking, in a separate, large sauce pan saute some garlic in olive oil.  Add the cut up peppers and one onion, quartered.  Allow to saute and sweat, turning frequently.

Remove the chicken from the skillet, pour off excess fat leaving a little for sauteing the mushrooms.  Add the halved mushrooms to the skillet along with a diced onion and a cut up carrot (optional).  Saute the vegetables until heated through, not over cooked.  Add some wine to deglaze the pan.  Then add a can of peeled tomatoes.  Add chopped parsley and basil, a little oregano, salt and pepper.

Add the tomato/vegetable mixture to the peppers/onions and add the chickenparts along with 1 cup of tomato puree or prepared tomato sauce.   Place on low heat and simmer for at least two hours.  When thoroughly cooked, the chicken should easily fall off the bone.

You can leave the chicken on  the bone or, to be kind, remove all the bones and knuckles and return the chicken meat to the pot.

Brown the chicken parts

Chicken Thighs

Add Onions to the Skillet

Add the Mushrooms

Add a Carrot and Some Wine to Deglaze 

Add the Tomatoes

Cut up the Tomatoes into Large Chunks

Add Chopped Parsley and Basil

Add a Cup of Tomato Sauce or Puree

Allow to Simmer for Hours

After it is Cooked

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Serve with crusty Italian bread, or with pasta, rice, or potatoes.

If you are reheating this dish, be prepared for the peppers to disappear.   If you use Bell peppers, they will hold up better.

Vegetarian "Meatballs" or "Meatloaf"

Veggie "Meatballs"

Did not have the camera handy for the prep and cooking, but if I make these again, I'll take photos.

I am interested in vegetarian dishes, but for the most part find vegetarian is nice as a side dish, not so great as a main course.

I thought I'd make some "meatballs" and be sure they had as much flavor as my ground beef meatballs. I think they are as tasty, but I need to work on the consistency.

Here is what I did:

BROWN RICE:
Saute a finely diced clove of garlic with a finely diced onion and some finely diced celery - about 1/4 cup each of onion and celery, in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.  Add 1 cup of uncooked brown rice.  Stir to coat rice.  Add 1 and 1/3 cup water and a teaspoon of salt.  Cook about 30 minutes or until all water is absorbed.  Set aside.

EGGPLANT and BABY BELLAS:
Finely dice a clove of garlic or two, an onion and a small green Italian frying pepper.  Peel and slice a medium size eggplant, salt the slices and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Dab off the moisture that is exuded. Finely dice the eggplant.  Process about 8 oz. Baby Bella Mushrooms in a food processor.  Saute the garlic, onion and green pepper in four tablespoons of olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of a large skillet).  After the onion is cooked through, add the eggplant and the mushrooms.  Saute the mixture until the eggplant is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Add a little Marsala wine and a little salt and pepper.  Cook off the wine. Remove from heat.

CHICK PEAS (GARBANZO BEANS):
Open a can of garbanzo beans and process them in a food processor.

Put all of the above prepared ingredients into a large bowl.

Add: A small handful of fresh parsley chopped and a four or five leaves of fresh basil, chopped.  Add 3/4 cup prepared Italian breadcrumbs, one half cup grated parmesan or Romano cheese, two eggs. (I used 4 eggs and my mixture was too soft and the meatballs did not stay round- they're more like triangles.  I think 2 or 3 eggs at most should do). Mix everything together.

Heat several tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet.  Form the mixture into balls and fry in the oil, turning when brown on one side, until more or less evenly browned on all sides.  Makes about 32 meatballs.

Not Pretty - but Tasty

I was eating these as they came out of the frying pan.  I guess you can serve them with spaghetti, but I would not cook them in the tomato sauce because they will probably fall apart.

I think this would also make a nice "Meatloaf".

Veggies and Breaded Fish Filets and Bean Salad

OK.  So this is not one of my better meals.  But the veggies were ready a couple of weeks ago and I cooked up a pot of Swiss Chard.  Oil, garlic, leeks, jalapenos, green and red chard. Lemon optional.  Black pepper.  Dice and saute the garlic, jalapenos and leeks in olive oil.  Wash the chard well and cut into large pieces.  Add to pot and allow to wilt.

I've been shopping at Aldi's - a national chain grocery that specializes in low-cost food items.  Some of their stuff is very good.  But the fish was not quite like the package promised.  $2.49 for 8 pieces.  This was Pollock.  Product of USA.  The other frozen fish at Aldi's were product of China, which really surprised me.  Aldi does seem to have mostly US made products.

I added some whole wheat pasta to the chard and the whole thing took on an unappetizing color - mostly from the red chard.  Green chard does not bleed out.  But it did taste good.

Bean and tomato salad.  I had three or four different bean varieties - Romano, yellow, green. Wash and steam the beans till just tender.  Cool.  Add tomatoes, fresh basil, salt, pepper, olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar.  Makes a nice healthy salad when the lettuce is past its prime.

Lenten Frittata

 Brown a couple of diced onions and a couple of small potatoes.  Saute your choice of veggies, here I'm doing asparagus and grape tomatoes.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in six beaten eggs.  A little cheese - mozzarella, parmigiano, or what ever you have.

 When the eggs have cooked a bit, turn the frittata in sections (you can try to turn the whole thing at once, but don't blame me if you make a mess).

Serve with bread or toast.

Ratatouille and Sausage with Pasta

Diced onion, peeled and diced eggplant, diced zucchini, diced mushrooms (optional) diced garlic.   This all goes into a hot skillet with olive oil, (in batches if making a lot).  Return everything to the skillet, add salt, pepper, parsley and basil.  Add canned tomatoes or tomato puree.

Serve with whole wheat pasta and fried Italian sausages.

Pasta With Bacon and Eggs? OR Linguine alla Carbonara con Funghi

I know I've done this one before, but it was almost a year ago and is worth repeating, I think.  At least it's worth having again.

This is called Carbonara (I won't explain the origin of the term, if you're interested, you can check Wikipedia HERE).  I first learned about this dish from the Romagnoli's Table, a Public TV Cooking Show in the early/mid seventies.

If you go to most any "Italian" restaurant today and order Spaghetti alla Carbonara, you will get a dish loaded with cream and very heavy.  The Romagnoli's recipe does not call for cream and all the flavors of the pancetta, black pepper, egg, and cheese create a delightfully salty-meaty-slightly sweet taste on the palette.

I have been known to tinker with a good thing, adding some other favored ingredient, like mushrooms.

So here is my Linguini alla Carbonara con Funghi: You will need Spaghetti or linguini, pancetta (Italian bacon, NOT smoked), olive oil, garlic, Crimini (Baby Bella) mushrooms, black pepper, eggs.  So  bacon and eggs are not just for breakfast anymore.

I'm trying to be more healthy, so I'm using whole grain pasta.  Whole wheat pasta used to be heavy and chewy, but now Barilla makes a good whole grain pasta that tastes and feels like white pasta.

Put your pot of salted water on to boil.

Cover the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil, saute some garlic in it.

Pancetta

Dice up five or six thick slices of pancetta and add to the skillet.  Saute until browned slightly, not really to a crisp.  Remove the pancetta from the skillet, leave the oil and drippings.

Cut up 8 oz of Crimini mushrooms (you can use white mushrooms, but the Baby Bellas have a nice meaty taste.  Add the mushrooms to the skillet and saute in the oil/pancetta fat left in the pan.  Add more olive oil if needed.  When the mushrooms are cooked through and tender, return the pancetta to the skillet.  Keep warm.

Now the water should be boiling so you can throw in a pound of pasta.  Set your timer for al dente.

Meanwhile crack 2 or 3 eggs in a large bowl and beat them well with a whisk.  Add fresh ground black pepper.  Add a little more pepper.  Whisk.

When the pasta is done, drain it in a colander and IMMEDIATELY toss it with the beaten egg mixture which will be cooked by the hot pasta.  Really, it's OK.  I'm not dead yet.

Add the mushrooms and pancetta and toss again.

Serve with grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese.

Benissimo!
AS GOOD AS THIS IS, IT IS NOT GOOD AS A LEFT-OVER!