Gâteau de Pêche dans le modèle de ma Tante Ceil - 7/31/11

That's Peach Cake in the style of my Aunt Ceil.  I have no idea if it is good French grammar, as the last time I studied French was in fourth grade.  I can count up to fifteen, and tell you what my name is, and that the dog's name is Fifi.  If there is an error in the title, please blame it on Babel Fish and not my fourth grade teacher. 

Aunt Ceil with granddaughter Lisa

My Aunt Ceil was my maternal grandmother's sister, and I loved her dearly.  Of course, I didn't have to live with her. I did have to live with my grandmother, and we all know how that turned out. Apparently she and my grandmother had more in common than their maiden name.  But throughout my life, she was a constant positive presence, as we spent most Saturdays with her and my cousin Cary.  Those Saturdays were a chance to drive out to "the country" - which from Brooklyn meant traveling along the Southern State Parkway to Bellmore - and to have dinner out, and then to return to my Aunt's house to spend the afternoon playing with my younger brother and my cousin while the adults chatted or played cards.  We three kids were inseparable back then, and those were good times.

Cary, Elliot, and I, in front of Aunt Ceil's house in Bellmore

My Aunt Ceil, like my grandmother, always set out a nice table.  Food was paramount, and it was important that there was plenty of it, and that it was good.  Aunt Ceil was a fine cook, hostess, and all-around balaboosteh (there's that Yiddish again), but she was one thing my grandmother wasn't, and that was a baker.  My grandmother never baked, except twice I remember her baking Moon Cookies, a very plain, poppy seed cookie which I love but everyone else says "eh."  At least it's not "feh".  Aunt Ceil baked cheesecake to die for, and an apple cake that was both very Jewish in it's use of oil instead of butter, it's lack of icing, it's reliance on fruit, and very delicious.

I have taken that recipe and changed it to accommodate the peaches I picked up in Georgia last weekend.  It actually struck me as rather elegant, so I ran the title through Babel Fish and here we are.

Gâteau de Pêche dans le modèle de ma Tante Ceil

4-5 Elberta peaches, halved, pitted, and sliced (leave the skin on)

2 tablespoons butter

juice from 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup of Sun-Maid brand Fruit Bits (raisins, golden raisins, dried apricots, dried apples, dried peaches, dried plums, dried cherries), softened in hot water for 5-10 minutes, then well-drained

1 1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup peach cider

Melt the butter in a large nonstick frying pan.  Add the peaches and saute till lightly browned.  Add the lemon juice.  Add the 2 tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon, and the drained fruit bits.  Let cook together briefly then take off the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray or lightly grease a square or round baking dish in the 8-9 inch range.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and 3/4 cup sugar.  Add the eggs, oil, vanilla, and peach cider.  Beat well with a mixer.  Pour about half of the batter into the prepared pan.  Cover that with half of the peaches.  Pour about half the remaining batter over the peaches; don't worry if it doesn't cover everything.  Repeat with the remaining peaches and batter, and place the baking dish on the middle rack of the oven.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Let cool until close to room temperature, and then serve with some whipped cream

Hungarian Rhapsody - Csirke Paprikas - 7/31/11

So I'm thinking about chicken paprikas and a chopped salad, but first, a trip to my twin food meccas, Publix and BJ's warehouse.  In a perfect world, I could go shopping at the Farmer's Market near Decatur, Georgia, but this is anything but a perfect world.  Hey, I just thought about those peaches I picked up at Lane Orchard.  Peach cake.  Wait for it ...

Having placed some tasty leftovers in the freezer, it occurred to me that it is time for a "Clear the Freezer" party.  A quick inventory revealed Brunswick Stew, Meatballs, Baked Ziti, Burritos, Mousstitsio, Baked Chicken, Fried Chicken, uncooked but perpetually marinating barbecue chicken, Chicken Ratatouille, Barbecue Cups, Little Calzones, and a number of UFOs (unidentified frozen objects) which I believe to be two or three different soups.

First and foremost, the chicken.  The Hungarian name for this recipe is Csirke Paprikas (cheer-ke pah-pree-kahsh), and it is not a dish my mother ever prepared.  Hungarian food in general was a mystery to me until I met my husband, who is Hungarian on his mother's side.  My mother in law is 100% Hungarian, as was her mother, and their cooking reflected that background.  Happily I have garnered a number of their recipes, such as kraut sveckle and kale kraut, and got into the habit of using only Hungarian sweet paprika in my cooking.  Robert remembers his Grandma taking him to Paprikas Weiss on the Upper East Side, when he was a very young child.  As a young married couple we went there as well, stocking up on paprika, kasha, tarhonya, and other Hungarian delicacies.  After we moved from New York we continued to mail order, until one day, Paprikas Weiss closed it's doors.  This left me bereft of paprika, except for a small amount my mother in law brought me back from Hungary, which I have been hording.  Having found Nirvana near Atlanta, I picked up a nice quantity of Hungarian paprika at the Farmer's Market just last week, which has left me with Csirke Paprikas on My Mind.  Maybe I can get Willie Nelson to sing the lyrics, as Elvis has not only left the building, but this plane of existence.  Rest in peace, King.

Here's the funny part, though ... Mom (my mother in law Jeanne) never made the csirke paprikas either.  My introduction to this dish came from a cookbook Robert bought me when we were first married, The Hungarian Cookbook by Susan Derecskey.  Although I have slightly altered the cooking method over the years, it still remains as she described it, "the ultimate Hungarian chicken dish."  Mrs. Derecskey strongly recommends serving this dish with galuska (soft dumplings) and a cucumber salad.  Galuska are not difficult to make, although you may end up feeling like Chef Anne Burrell making fresh pasta during an episode of "Iron Chef", but it is time-consuming.  If you serve this with egg noodles or packaged gnocchi or even mashed potatoes, I promise not to snitch on you.  My preference is to make buttered egg noodles mixed with green peas and poppy seeds.  I plan on making a chopped salad to go with this, and it will have some cucumber, radish, onion, and a sharp vinaigrette to cut through the richness of the dish.

Csirke Paprikas (Hungarian Chicken Paprikash)

6-8 pieces bone-in chicken pieces (I prefer the thighs for this)

Salt and pepper, and some Emeril's Essence

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika or more to taste

1 cup chicken stock

1 green bell pepper (or equivalent amount of mixed colors), cut into strips

1 can stewed tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper and set aside.  Heat the oil and butter together in a large deep frying pan.  Lightly brown the chicken on both sides, and then remove and set aside.  Add the onions to the pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a pinch of white or brown sugar, if you like.  Cook the onions until translucent, then use a large metal spoon to remove the excess oil in the pan. Sprinkle the cooked onions with the paprika and cook until the paprika loses it's "raw" smell.  Do not let the paprika burn or darken too much or it will become bitter.  Pour in the chicken stock and stir, scraping up the tasty bits on the bottom of the pan.  Taste the sauce and season if needed.  Place the chicken, cooked side up, into the pan, and pour back any accumulated juices   Place the green pepper strips and tomatoes on top of the chicken, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir the sauce and turn the chicken over; cover and simmer another 15 minutes, or until the chicken is done.  Remove from the heat and let cool. 

Temper the sour cream by stirring in several tablespoons of the warm cooking sauce.   Slowly pour the sour cream mixture into the pan and stir to incorporate into the sauce.  Just before serving, reheat the csirke paprikas very carefully over low heat.  If the sauce is thin,  remove about a half a cup of the sauce and mix with some Wondra flour to make a loose paste consistency.  Pour this back into the simmering sauce and stir until sauce thickens a bit.

Little Calzones - 7/21/11

This is an update of a recipe I got from my friend Vicki over 35 years ago.  It was called "bambini" a two-bite calzone made with refrigerated biscuits, pepperoni, and ricotta cheese.  I have no idea what possessed me to make these tonight, as I had just run into Publix for matzoh and mayonnaise, but when inspiration hits, all I can do is run with it.  First, a handful of Advil.  Then we run with it.

My version is a little bigger than the bambini, as I make it with Grands flaky biscuits, split in half horizontally.  It's so easy, it's embarrassing.  But very tasty, whether or not you decide to serve it with some marinara sauce for dipping.  I admit to showing off by finishing each calzone with a decorative edge, but you just really need to pinch the edges well, or use a fork's tines to press a pretty fluted look around the edge.  Once it bakes up, you're not going to really see the decoration. 

You can use this as an appetizer, or for lunch with a salad, or for dinner with a side of pasta with red sauce.  Me, I would just add it to a buffet with everything else.  Baked ziti with meatballs, sausages and peppers, linguine with white clam sauce, shrimp scampi on pasta shells, eggplant parmagiana ... you get the idea.  And that's just the Italian stuff.  I have my recipes organized by ethnic origin, in case I want to pursue a theme, or go all international.  I've done the international thing a number of times back in the day when I would invite 40 or 50 people over.  Jewish, Italian, Greek, French, Mexican, Chinese ... and the beat goes on.  A lot of food, a lot of fun.

Ingredients:
1 can of Grands flaky biscuits, split in half horizontally
1 cup of whole milk ricotta
1 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese
1 bag Jimmy Dean brand sausage crumbles
1 jar of Mancini brand fried peppers
1 egg, beaten lightly
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350.  Prepare a baking sheet with nonstick spray or use a silpat.  On each biscuit half, place a spoonful of ricotta, a sprinkle of pepper jack, a few pieces of the crumbled sausage, and one or two small pieces of the fried peppers.  Fold the biscuit over the filling to form a half moon calzone, and seal the edges by pinching and folding up a bit to keep the edge closed.  Place the little calzones on the prepared baking sheet.  Brush each calzone with a little of the egg, and sprinkle each with a little of the parmesan cheese.  Bake in the oven for 18 minutes or until the calzones are nicely browned on top and bottom.  Serve with hot marinara sauce for dipping.  Makes 16 little calzones.

Clearly you can swap out any cheese for the pepper jack and another chopped up sausage, like pepperoni or Genoa salami, for the sausage.  If you do that, consider seasoning the ricotta slightly.  I didn't need to because of the strong, spicy flavor from the pepper jack.  But you can be creative to suit your own personal taste, and venture outside the realm of Italian flavors. 

Whatever you do, please enjoy.

Mousstitsio - 7/17/11

As promised, I have developed a recipe which combines, to my mind, the best of the Greek dishes pastitsio (sometimes spelled pasticcio) and moussaka.  This is a big casserole dish, great for buffets and potlucks.  You can put everything except for the sour cream topping together ahead of time.  It is fussy and time-intensive, but if you enjoy cooking as I do, it is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

There are four layers to this dish, and it is easiest to work consecutively rather than concurrently (you know, like Casey Anthony's sentences for lying to law enforcement) to get everything done with a minimum of confusion.

Macaroni Layer:
2 cups of uncooked medium pasta shells
1 tablespoon EVOO
1 egg
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup crumbled feta (either the garlic and herb or tomato and basil flavor)

Cook the pasta according to directions, then drain and douse with cold water.  Drain very well, then pour over the EVOO and mix with your hand to coat the pasta.  When the pasta is completely cooled, place in a medium mixing bowl, crack the egg over the pasta, and with your hand mix the egg into the pasta, coating it well.  Sprinkle over the parmesan and feta, mix gently, and set aside.

Eggplant Layer:

1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick

1 cup all purpose flour, seasoned with salt, white pepper, and a pinch of cayenne (or use Slap Ya Mama blend)

canola oil for frying

Pour about an inch of canola oil into a nonstick fry pan and heat over medium high heat.  Cover your counter or the unused part of your stove top (if flat like mine) with aluminum foil, then place paper towels over the foil.  In a shallow dish, put the seasoned flour.  Once the oil is ready, dip each slice of eggplant into the flour, just so there is a light dusting on each side.  Working in batches, maybe three slices each batch, place the floured eggplant into the hot oil and brown on both sides until the eggplant is very tender.  Use a fork or slotted spatula to remove the cooked eggplant to the prepared paper towels.  Repeat until all the eggplant is fried.  Set aside.

Meat Sauce Layer:

First, gather your spices -

1 tablespoon dried oregano plus 1 teaspoon

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon

1 teaspoon cumin jplus 1 teaspoon

1 teaspoon garlic powder plus 1/2 teaspoon

2 teaspoons kosher salt plus 1 teaspoon

1 teaspoon coarse black pepper plus 1/2 teaspoon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg plus 1/4 teaspoon

1 teaspoon ground allspice plus 1/2 teaspoon

Now start the sauce -

2 medium onions, chopped

kosher salt, black pepper, light brown sugar

1 tablespoon EVOO

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck

1-6 oz. can tomato paste

3/4 cup water

1-28 oz. jar Bertolli pasta sauce, Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Cabernet Sauvignon

4 drops of Tabasco sauce (optional)

In a large sauce pan, heat the EVOO and add the onions.  Season them with the salt, pepper, and a pinch of brown sugar.  Saute until the onions are softened and lightly colored, then add the meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.  Brown the meat and then add the tomato paste.  Continue mixing and cooking the meat and tomato paste together until the tomato paste starts to caramelize (you will be able to smell it), but do not let it burn.  Add the water, stir, and then add the first first set of spices.  Add the pasta sauce, and the Tabasco, and bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Now combine the second set of spices in a little cup and set aside.  After about 10 minutes, check the sauce.  Taste and reseason with part of the spices in the little cup.  Re-cover the pan and finish simmering.  Taste the finished sauce, and use as much or as little of the remaining spices as you like.  Take the pan off the heat and let cool slightly.

You can construct the dish ahead of time, and then about an hour and a quarter before serving, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and prepare the sour cream sauce

Sour Cream Sauce Layer:

1-16 oz. container dairy sour cream

2 cups half and half

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 cup grated parmesan or romano or a combination plus additional for use when constructing the layers

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, half and half, nutmeg and 3/4 cup grated cheese, and whisk together until well combined.

Putting it all together:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a large deep casserole dish with some butter.  With a ladle, place a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom of the casserole.  Layer with half of the eggplant slices, then half of the macaroni.  Sprinkle about 1/4 cup grated parmesan over the macaroni.  Then spread one half of the remaining meat sauce over the macaroni.  Repeat with the remaining eggplant, macaroni, and meat sauce.  Set aside while you prepare the sour cream sauce.  Pour the sour cream sauce over the casserole, and carefully place in the preheated oven.  If you are using a disposable aluminum casserole dish, make sure you place it on a metal baking sheet for support.  Bake for one hour to one and a half hours, or until the top is lightly brown and looks firm. 

Remove from the oven and let the mousstitsio sit at least 15 minutes before trying to cut into it.  Once it has set, you can serve it.  Please enjoy!

Chicken and Peaches, and Heretical Kraut Sveckle - 7/10/11

First, the Chicken and Peaches, based on a recipe from Rachael Ray on Food Network


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter, for cooking the peaches 
• 5 peaches, pitted, thickly sliced (do not peel)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or more as needed 
• 6 pieces skinless chicken thighs
• Seasoning for the chicken:  salt, garlic, lemon pepper, sweet paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, grated
• 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, grated
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 3/4 cup peach preserves
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce (recommended: Lane Southern Orchard's Peach Hot Sauce)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• grated rind of half of a lemon
• 1 tablespoon butter, for finishing the sauce

Directions:

1. Heat a medium skillet with 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the peaches and the juice of 1/2 lemon, and cook until tender and lightly golden, 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
2. While the peaches cook, heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat.  Season both sides of the chicken with kosher salt, garlic, lemon pepper and sweet paprika. Cook in the hot oil until the chicken is browned on both sides and almost cooked through.  Place in a 9 x 13 baking dish, and then into a 350 degree oven until the chicken is done, about 30 more minutes.
3. Into the same pan in which the chicken was cooked, add the chopped shallot, the garlic, and the ginger, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the stock, the preserves, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon rind, and season with kosher salt and black pepper, to taste. You may also want to add more peach hot sauce or a few drops of Worcestershire or a few drops of lemon juice so that the taste of the sauce suits your palate.  Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes to thicken. Stir in the tablespoon of butter for a glossy rich finish to the sauce.  Remove the chicken from the oven and put a little bit of the sauce on each piece, then return to the oven for another five minutes until the chicken is glazed. 
4. Spoon the cooked peaches carefully around the chicken, then spoon the sauce mostly over the chicken, a little bit on the peaches.  Serve immediately.

Link to the original recipe can be found here.

And now, Heretical Kraut Sveckle:


1 1/2 sticks butter
1 bunch (5-7) green onions, sliced
2-16 oz. bags of regular cole slaw mix (cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots)
1-1 lb. bag of wide or extra wide egg noodles, cooked according to package directions (Mueller's brand is best)
Kosher salt and coarse black pepper

In a large, deep frying pan, heat the butter, and add the green onions, then the cole slaw mix.  Sprinkle with kosher salt, to taste.  Stir to coat all the vegetables with butter and then cook over medium heat, stirring often,  for a year  for an hour  for as long as it takes for the cabbage to wilt down to a deep brown.  Taste the cabbage to make sure it has a rich, caramelized taste to it.  Cook the noodles only when you are ready to serve; drain, do NOT rinse, and immediately add to the warm cooked cabbage.  Now stir carefully to distribute all the shreds of cooked cabbage evenly over the noodles.  Season to taste with more kosher salt and pepper (and this dish will take quite a bit of salt and pepper) and serve immediately.  You may have leftovers and then you may not.  You can serve this as a side dish for any kind of meat or chicken, or as a stand alone snack after everyone else is asleep.

Stuffing-Topped Pork Chops with Chorizo and Pepper Jack Cheese - 7/10/11

Ingredients:
6 pork loin or rib chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick
Seasoning for the pork:  Durkee's seasoning salt and Slap Ya Mama's White Pepper Blend

2 chorizo sausage (the dry type that do not need to be refrigerated until the package is open; I use Goya brand)
2 really large cloves of garlic, smashed
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing crumbs (I use the Stove Top brand that comes in a canister)
1-8 1/2 oz. can cream-style corn (just stick with me here, okay?)
2 shallots, or 1/2 sweet onion, sliced
Seasoning for the stuffing:  kosher salt, coarse black pepper, cayenne or Slap Ya Mama (optional), herbes de provence or Italian seasoning blend
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Season the pork chops on both sides and let sit at room temperature while you prepare the chorizo.  Remove the casing from the chorizo and small dice it.  Add to a heated nonstick pan with 2 tablespoons of EVOO.  As that gorgeous red fat renders from the chorizo, throw in the garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat until the chorizo begins to brown and there is a nice amount of fat rendered.

While the chorizo is cooking, place the stuffing crumbs into a mixing bowl.  Remove the chorizo and garlic from the pan with a slotted spoon and add to the crumbs.  Pour the cream-style corn over, and mix everything together.  If it seems a bit dry, add a tablespoon or two of stock, broth, or water.  Set aside.

Now, working in two batches, brown the pork chops in the rendered fat, and place them into a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Put the dish into the preheated oven and bake the chops, uncovered, for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

In the same pan, add a little more EVOO and saute the shallots or onions until sweet and tender.  Add to the mixing bowl with any remaining oil from the pan.  Season the stuffing mix and set aside to cool.  Once it is cool, add the pepper jack cheese and mix everything together.

Shortly before serving, top each pork chop with an equal amount of the stuffing, then return to the 350 degree oven and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.  Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce.

Italian Sausage and Vegetable Soup - 7/9/11

This is really delicious, and pretty easy.  There is no pasta in it, and you won't miss it at all.  I made a batch of Grand's biscuits to go with it, brushing the top of each biscuit with melted butter mixed with granulated garlic.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. bulk Italian pork sausage
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 2 ½ cups beef stock
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, or more to taste 
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into ¼ inch slices, or one-half bag frozen Italian vegetable mix 
• 1-14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1-15-oz. can garbanzo beans, drained, or 1/2 can garbanzos plus 1/2 can dark red kidney beans 
• 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese, if desired

Publix frozen Italian vegetable mix has zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, Italian green beans, and baby limas, and works really well in this soup.

Directions:

1. Cook the sausage with a little olive oil  in a Dutch oven, over medium heat, until some fat renders.  Add the onion, garlic, some kosher salt, black pepper, a pinch of light brown sugar, and the Italian seasoning.  Continue to cook until the sausage is no longer pink and the vegetables are soft.  Stir in remaining ingredients, breaking up any large tomato pieces. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until the zucchini is tender, about 10 minutes or to your taste.
2. Sprinkle each serving with the Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Spinach-Shrimp Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing - 7/6/11

Ingredients:

• 4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 shallots, sliced
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
• 4 cups lightly packed bite-size pieces spinach leaves
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (3 ounces)
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese (4 ounces)
• 1/2 pound cooked peeled deveined medium shrimp

Directions:

1. Cook bacon in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally; when fat had rendered, add the shallots and mushrooms and continue to cook until bacon is crisp. Stir in vinegar, sugar and mustard; continue stirring until sugar is dissolved.
2. Toss spinach, cheese and shrimp in large bowl. Drizzle hot bacon dressing over spinach mixture; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Seafood Manicotti with a Smoked Salmon Alfredo Sauce - 7/4/11

Lox and manicotti???  Who woulda thunk it?

My niece Mara asked me about an alfredo sauce, and I came across something I used as the prototype for this recipe.  It is not a traditional alfredo sauce in any sense of the word, but it is delicious.  The seafood manicotti was the result of my search for alternate fillings plus a cooking method that did not require me to boil the manicotti shells first.  Because everytime I do, they all break in half.  I know that there are recipes in which the uncooked shells are stuffed and then topped with a lot of red sauce, covered tightly and baked until the shells are tender.  I wanted to try this with a sauce that wasn't tomato based, and I think this worked pretty well.   This takes a full quart of heavy whipping cream, so you may want to be judicious with your portions.  That tomato garnish is not optional, by the way.  It really makes the dish.

Recipe: Seafood Manicotti

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

• 18 uncooked manicotti shells
• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 of an 8 oz. tub of soft chive and onion cream cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon horseradish
• 2 drops Tabasco
• Leaves from 2 thyme sprigs
• 6 oz. cooked medium shrimp, tails removed and shrimp cut in half crosswise 
• 1 (6-oz.) can lump crabmeat, drained
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• kosher salt
• white pepper
• 1 recipe of Smoked Salmon Alfredo Sauce (recipe below)

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small skillet, melt the butter and sauté the onions and garlic until softened, and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese and cream cheese; mix well. Add the egg and mix with a wooden spoon until completely incorporated. Add the contents of the small skillet. Stir in all remaining ingredients except for the sauce, taking care to be gentle with the shrimp and crabmeat.

Refrigerate for about an hour before filling the manicotti shells.

Using a small spoon, fill each uncooked manicotti shell, but do not overfill. Spread enough sauce to cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 aluminum baking dish. Arrange the filled manicottis in the pan, then pour the remaining sauce over the filled shells.

Cover the pan tightly and bake for one and one-half hours until the shells are cooked through. Sprinkle some of the chopped tomato pieces on top of each serving.

Recipe: Smoked Salmon Alfredo Sauce
(You can find the original recipe here.)

Servings: 8-10 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 pound smoked salmon, chopped
• 1 quart heavy whipping cream
• white pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Asiago cheese
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Saute the onions in the butter in a pan until clear. Season the onions with white pepper and a pinch of sugar, but do not add any salt as the salmon and cheeses are quite salty. Add the green onions and saute another minute. Add the salmon and saute at medium to low heat for approximately 2 more minutes. Very gradually, start to add the cream. Stir constantly until it starts to thicken. Add both cheeses and stir until melted. Sauce should be fairly thick once you have added all the cream and cheese, but still able to be poured over the manicotti. Top each serving with tomato and parsley.

Italian Pot Roast - 7/3/11

Ingredients:
2 - 2 1/2 pound boneless chuck roast (about 1 3/4 inch thick)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
6 large cloves fresh garlic, chopped
1-24 oz. jar good quality marinara sauce with wine and herbs (Classico, Bertolli, or Barilla brands work well)
1/2 cup of red wine (e.g. merlot, pinot noir, cabernet or burgundy) plus more as needed
A few sprigs of fresh thyme

Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat and add about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.  Season both sides of the meat with garlic salt, onion powder, coarse black pepper, and a Cajun white pepper seasoning blend like "Slap Ya Mama".  Brown the meat on both sides and remove to a dish while you cook the vegetables.

Add the onion, carrots, and garlic to the remaining oil in the Dutch oven, and season with kosher salt, coarse black pepper, and a pinch of brown sugar.  Saute the vegetables until the onions are translucent and the edges show some browning.  Deglaze the pan with the half cup of wine, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up all the brown bits into the sauce.  Put the meat back into the pan, and then pour the jar of sauce over it.  Use some more wine to swish out any remaining sauce in the jar and add to the pan.  Carefully stir the sauce and wine together around the meat.  Add the thyme springs, then cover the Dutch oven and place it into a preheated 325 degree oven for an hour.  Remove the pan, carefully turn the meat over, cover and cook another hour or until a fork can easily pierce the meat, but it still has a little resistance.  Let the meat cool to room temperature, then slice it against the grain into fairly thick slices, return the slices carefully to the pan with the sauce, cover and return to the oven for another half hour or until the meat is very tender.  Serve right away or refrigerate in a nonreactive casserole dish.  If you need to thin the sauce for reheating, you can use wine, water, or a combination of both.

Chicken Wings in Cola Sauce - 7/2/11

This must be a southern thing, as I also came across a recipe where turkey legs are cooked in lemon-lime soda before being grilled ... anyway, I happened across this recipe for Wings in Cola while doing a random search, and the rest is history.  Delicious history.  Of course I tweaked it.  So it is a little sweet with a little heat. 

5 pounds frozen chicken wingettes (Cooking Good brand at $2.39 a pound.  Buy fresh if you like, but do the math first.)
Garlic salt
Onion powder
"Slap Ya Mama" brand white pepper Cajun blend, or cayenne pepper, totally at your own discretion
1.25 liter bottle Coca-Cola (use the real stuff, please)
1 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco sauce, to taste (I used 2 glugs, which made it just a trifle spicy, which I liked)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the frozen wings in a single layer in an aluminum baking tray deep enough for the liquid.  Sprinkle liberally with the garlic salt and onion powder, and use a somewhat lighter hand in sprinkling over the Slap Ya Mama spice blend, or use a pinch of cayenne.  Combine the remaining ingredients, whisk together so that the sugar dissolves, and pour over the wings.  Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and place in the oven for two hours, turning the wings every thirty minutes.  Uncover the wings, and return to the oven for 3-4 additional hours, until the sauce is well reduced but not dried out and the wings are very tender and glazed.  During that time, continue turning the wings every thirty minutes.

Then eat them right away.  You can reheat them the next day and they are delicious, but like most recipes, these taste best right out of the oven.