Turkey Soup

This soup was so delicious that my husband suggested I make a batch for our Virginia trip and pack it in the cooler with the other food I'm taking there.  This recipe makes good use of leftover turkey from your holiday meal.  It is hearty and a very delicious meal for a New England fall dinner. 

Ingredients:

2 cups of leftover turkey meat
1 large onion
1/2 bunch of celery, chopped
4 large carrots, chopped
several sprigs of thyme
freshly chopped parsley
6 bay leaves
32 ounces of chicken stock
1 10 ounce package of frozen spinach, thawed with water removed
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of Bell's seasoning

In a very large stockpot, put in all ingredients.  Simmer over low heat for several hours to allow all the flavors to develop. 

Compound Butter

 

Compound butter is quite simply butter (at room temperature) mixed with savor ingredients to enhance the flavor of anything you are cooking.  This butter is simply softened salted butter with thyme, garlic, parsley and rosemary.  Make the butter ahead of time so that the flavors can blend well.  

My Master Chef Adventure

One of the greatest adventures was auditioning for Master Chef in New York.  Although I do not fit the profile of a Master Chef contestant (too old ), nor do I expect to get a call from them, this was a great positive nod to the abilities I have as a cook (especially with no culinary training). 

Because one of my nephews lives in Brooklyn, I asked him if I could stay overnight with him and brought my brownies to Brooklyn (via the Chinese bus in Boston).  The bus got in very late so I had to finish the brownies once I got to his apartment (I made the ganache there). 

Saturday morning, my nephew drove me to Broadway (how appropriate) where I got in line with 300 other hopefuls....Joe Bastianich was there in Times Square and the producers had us parading around him shouting Master Chef (I personally thought this was very dumb but participated anyway).

We were brought into a waiting room at the Doubletree on Broadway and as I chatted with the other hopefuls, I saw out of 100 or so folks I was the only person who brought a dessert.  Go figure...nobody brought a dessert.  There were several lamb, veal, turkey, duck and so forth recipes but I had the only chocolate recipe. 

There was a woman who checked everybody in  (Cassie) who had not eaten.  When she called me up to sign me in, I asked her if she wanted to see the brownies...she actually almost swooned when she smelled them. 

You all know that my brownies recipes are on this blog but I went all out with the one for Master Chef using five or six types of chocolate, Madagascar vanilla, etc.  And Kahlua...

We were told in the waiting room that plates and silverware would be available but when I got to the audition room, there was nothing. I had been carrying around the brownies and fresh raspberries for about 24 hours via the Chinese bus and now I had nothing to plate with.  The girl next to me gave me a napkin and I cut out a brownie, looked at my mashed raspberries and put a few on the napkin with one that amazingly survived on top. 

The tasting judge came over to our table and said to me "you have the only dessert so I'm coming back to you later".  She then spent several minutes with the two people next to me who each made chicken dishes.

After she had circulated the room, she came back to me.  One of the criteria for judging is plating and I said to her "In the history of Master Chef, this is probably the worst plating you've ever seen". .....
She said, "I have to agree with that". 

She asked me to describe the brownies.  I told her they would appeal to her on all five sense levels.  (The cayenne pepper was a godsend).  She tasted the brownies and to my surprise said "Is there Starbucks coffee in this recipe".....      Normally, I think I might be stunned by that remark but I quickly said yes.  She asked me how complicated the recipe was and I honestly told her that anybody could make this and it was already on my blog.

She surprised me again by asking me to tell her about a complicated recipe and I responded by describing my cheesecake recipe (it takes three days to make because the components need refrigeration before assembly.  I mentioned that I developed a cheesecake recipe for Master Chef with the same flavor profile that I can whip up in under an hour.  She also asked me to describe my savory dishes.

The experience was very enjoyable and the judge spent a considerable amount of time with each of the people who brought food to be sampled. 

After the audition, I just walked around Broadway for a while and then went back to my nephew's home because it was very tiring.

Shortbread Cookies

Shortbread cookies are easy to make and require little babysitting.  Allow 30 minutes for the dough to chill in the fridge.  The toughest part of this recipe is waiting for the cookies to cool down.

Traditionally, shortbread dough is poked with a fork to make little holes all over them.  I'm not sure what the purpose of that is but it doesn't matter if you do that.

Preheat the oven to 350F

Ingredients:
1 lb. of butter at room temperature
3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 nip of Amaretto (Italian liquer)
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 cup of superfine sugar

I use my Kitchenaid Mixer with a dough hook to make these cookies.  If the batter seems a little too thick, you can add a little heavy cream to the mixture but usually that is not necessary.  The ganache recipe is already on my blog.  The little sprinkles are just because I made these cookies for a Guy Fawkes Party.  Use whatever you like to decorate them.  Traditionally, the shortbread bakes in the oven until the edges are golden brown and you then open the door of the oven to let them dry out.  I don't bother with that step.  I simply remove the tray from the oven and put it on a drying rack.  Allow the cookies to cool down for around an hour before frosting.  Then, allow the cookies to set for a little bit before cutting into cookies.

Cream the sugar, butter and flavorings.  Slowly add the flour.  Cream until well blended and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Put the prepared dough in a flat cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.  Cut the prepared cookies out when well cooled.

Stuffed Pork Chops

Stuffed Pork Chops

 

This is a simple recipe that has wonderful flavor.  You need fresh buttermilk (or make your own with buttermilk culture). 

 Preheat oven to 325°F

Marinade:

4 (four) thick pork chops

1 cup of fresh buttermilk
Garlic powder

Mix up the buttermilk.  Put in a large, shallow rectangular dish.  Cover with buttermilk and garlic powder.  Turn pork chops often.  Marinate for at least four hours.

Ingredients:

Beef suet (1/4 lb.)

Pancetta (3 to four ounces)
2 tbl. of butter
1 can of deviled ham
2 tbl. of mayo
Pancetta bits

Sauté the pancetta in a large frying pan with ¼ lb. of suet and butter.  Remove pancetta and drain on paper towels.  Shut heat off on frying pan while you stuff the pork chops.  Pour suet mixture in a baking dish for the oven.

Mix the deviled ham, mayo and pancetta.  Cut a deep slit in each pork chop.  Stuff with the ham mixture and secure the edges of the pork chops with toothpicks.  Brown the pork chops in the suet pan until golden on each side.   

Put the pork chops in the oven. 

Gravy:

Beef suet (1/4 lb.)

2 tbl. of butter
1 large shallot
Five cloves of garlic (minced)
1 lb. of fresh baby bella mushrooms
Salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg
Sauté mushrooms with all other ingredients.  Add heavy cream. 

Pork chops are done when internal temperature reaches 140F

 

 

Swedish Meatballs

Developing any recipe is a lot of fun and this was a good challenge.  To reduce the amount of fat in the recipe, I baked the meatballs before combining them with the remaining ingredients.  It is important to allow the ground meat to season for several hours before cooking the meatballs so the flavor profile is properly developed.  (If you are Swedish, this is not traditional because I put an Italian spin on it by adding garlic.) 

Ingredients:
1 lb. of ground beef (chuck)
1 lb. of ground pork
1 cup of freshly chopped parsley
four sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cup of Stouffer's chicken stuffing mix
2 eggs
1 cup of sour cream
1 cup of beef consommé
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 tbl. soy sauce
1 tbl. of garlic powder
1 tsp. of onion powder

Combine the ground meat, parsley, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper (a pinch of each).   Add the stuffing mix (I use this instead of fresh bread) and the two eggs.  Mix the ingredients well and allow to rest for several hours.

Shape the meatballs and put them in a baking dish.  Cook at 350F for about 30 minutes. 

Reduce oven heat to 300F. 

Take a large saucepan that can be used in your oven and put the sour cream, the beef consommé and the soy sauce.  Mix well.  When the meatballs come out of the oven, put them in the saucepan with the sour cream mixture.  Do not discard the pan juices.  Pour the heavy cream into the pan you baked the meatballs in, stirring well to loosen the stuff on the bottom of the pan.  Scrape until you get all that goodness from the bottom of the pan and then pour everything into the sour cream mixture.  Stir with a wooden spoon.  Put this pan in your oven to finish cooking for about an hour or so.  To thicken the gravy, add a can of cream of mushroom soup if necessary.  Serve the meatballs over freshly cooked pasta. 

This is a very tasty version of Swedish Meatballs and though it may not be traditional, it is good enough to serve to guests.  Enjoy!

 

 

Lamb and Beef Barley Soup

 

 

 

Easy to Make

 

 

 

This recipe is a combination of two that work well together.  If you can find lamb shanks at the supermarket, use lamb shanks.  Otherwise, any piece of lamb will do well after it is braised.  Marrow bones will give you an extra depth of flavor.  Use a very large slowcooker...

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Lamb shanks (several) or two pieces of lamb



1 lb. of ground beef

1 lb. of baby crimini mushrooms

2 marrow bones

64 ounces of chicken broth

1 ten ounce can of beef consommé

1 cup of uncooked slow barley or if you have no barley, cooked pasta

4 bay leaves

 

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 bunch of celery (with leaves) chopped

1 bunch of carrots, chopped

 

Saute the lamb in butter and extra virgin olive oil.  Put in empty crockpot when done but reserve cooking oil.  Saute the mushrooms and ground beef.  Put in the crockpot when done.

 

In a microwavable bowl, put the onion, celery and carrots with one cup of chicken broth.  Nuke for about 15 minutes until the onions are soft and tender.  Put this mixture in the crockpot.

 

Put remaining ingredients in crockpot.  Salt and pepper to taste after the soup has cooked for an hour.  After a couple of hours, you can cut up the lamb into pieces and remove marrow from marrow bones and put that in the crockpot.  I also defrosted 10 ounces of spinach and added that to the crockpot.

 

Serve with biscuits.

 

Pasta Bolognese

 

 

This recipe is one I tweaked quite a bit before I was happy with it.  It's not particularly complicated to make but it does require prep time and you must allow several hours for the marriage of the sauce.  My grandmother always threw a chunk of Italian cheese in every sauce so that's what I do.  She also threw at least one turkey neck in every meat sauce (good luck finding one) so I do if I have one on hand.  I had no beef consommé in my pantry or I would have added a can of that too...this is really a taste and experiment kind of recipe.  If you have fresh herbs still growing in your garden, throw them in too...  Please note that this picture is of the sauce only...you will note how rich this is.  Normally, when I make this recipe, I do not serve it with bread because two starches are unnecessary.

 

 

Ingredients:

  

1 onion, finely chopped



3 stalks of celery or celery hearts, finely chopped

3 carrots, finely chopped

Pancetta

crimini, porcini or portabella mushrooms (dried and reconstituted in chicken broth...save the broth)

1 large can of San Marzano crushed tomatoes

2 cans of San Marzano tomato paste

1 lb. of ground pork

1 lb. of ground beef

2 cups of chicken broth

1 head of garlic (many cloves), chopped finely

1 large chunk of domestic parmesan with the skin on
fresh basil
1/2 cup of grated peccorini romano

 

I pick up a package of meatloaf seasoning and put that in the bowl with all the ground meat, plus fresh thyme and dried rosemary.  Mix these well with one egg and allow to sit for an hour or two to develop flavor....

 

In a large sauté pan, place 1 tbl. of butter and 1 tbl. of extra virgin olive oil.  Sweat the onion, celery and carrots for one half hour until soft.  Remove from heat.  Hold.

 

In a separate pan, sauté the pancetta (I used one half pound) and the reconstituted mushrooms with garlic powder, salt and pepper (same amount of butter and extra virgin olive oil) over very slow simmer.  This sauté is a slow simmer, so just wait about 30 minutes until the pancetta is golden brown.  Remove the pancetta and allow to cool. 

 

In the pancetta pan, put the ground meat.  This sauté is also slow.  Flavor with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Allow this to sauté over a simmer until meat is cooked.  Deglaze with one to two cups of a hearty red wine.  Shut off heat and allow this to cool down a little (it will reduce a little bit in its own liquid).

 

In a crockpot, put the tomatoes, tomato paste, the cooled onion mixture, the chunk of cheese, and then the remaining ingredients.  Allow the meat sauce to cook for several hours.  After two hours, taste it and season accordingly.  I added two cups of leftover beef gravy that I had in the fridge.  Then I added another 1/2 cup of pecorino romano cheese.

 

Serve over any cooked pasta that has ridges (under cook the pasta a tad if you are adding it to the sauce...otherwise cook to the al dente stage).  Serve this with freshly grated parmiagianno regianno

and a good bottle of hearty red chianti.

Antipasto

Antipasto

 

 

My grandmother was not a big fan of appetizers.  Occasionally, she would serve carrots and celery with extra virgin olive oil (salted and peppered).  Usually, salad was served after the main meal, not before dinner.  Only a few exceptions were made to these rules because my grandmother believed (and rightfully so) that if you spend hours making a dinner, validate the dinner by serving that great meal.  For special events, such as someone's birthday or anniversary, she would make an antipasto.  Her rule of thumb was everything had to be fresh.  She used imported Genoa salami, imported prosciutto, domestic provolone, calamata olives, etc.  It really is not important that you use similar ingredients, the dressing is what matters most.  Serve this on romaine lettuce, however.  I like making croutons out of Italian bread.  I also sprinkle the whole thing with extra cheese (grated parmigiano regiano)....   (I am sorry this picture did not come out too well but it matters not...you get the drift!!!)

 

 

Italian Dressing:

 

This is my grandmother's recipe which she never wrote down...I have done my best to capture the essence of her dressing.  (A good over-the-counter version is Ken's Steak House Italian Dressing)

 

 

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoons dried oregano
ground black pepper

salt

fresh thyme (I use several sprigs since I grow it in my garden)
fresh parsley (I use the Italian kind because I grow it in my garden)

fresh rosemary (you get the idea)

celery seeds (to taste)

poppy seeds (to taste)

good balsamic vinegar (to taste)

extra virgin olive oil (to taste)

 

Use a blender.....taste and add whatever...

 

Antipasto:

This changes every time I make it.  Start with romaine lettuce.  The rest is up to your imagination.

1/4 lb. of Italian Genoa salami

1/4 lb. of imported prosciutto

tiny peppers

tiny fresh tomatoes

Italian cheeses

home made croutons

 

I suggest that you go to the Italian section of your market, pick out six or seven things you like and marry them with everything else here.  This recipe is hardly engraved in stone.  However, allow the dressing to marinate over the antipasto for at least thirty minutes before serving.



Pasta y Fagioli

 

 

Pasta y fagioli

 

 

 

This recipe is a combination of two.  One is from my grandmother, Lucy Piermarini, and one is from my aunt, Lucy Tocci.  They are similar in nature but my grandmother was from Rome and my Aunt Lucy was from Sicily.  By combining both of their recipes, I came up with a unique twist that features the best of both worlds.  My grandmother always saved prosciutto ends for her recipe and my aunt always used smoked ham hocks.  If you can get a prosciutto end, use one and then add two smoked ham hocks.  This will give you wonderful flavor.

 

 

Ingredients:



1 bag of yellow eye beans (dry)

1 large onion

half a bunch of celery, with leaves

3 or 4 fresh carrots

2 ham hocks and one prosciutto end or three smoked ham hocks

six Italian sausages

1 head of garlic, chopped finely

1 large can of San Marzano tomatoes (with basil)

2 cans of San Marzano tomato paste

1 can of been consommé

12 ounces of chicken broth

1 large can of cannelloni beans

1 large can of white kidney beans

1 cup of peccarino romano cheese

2 cups of cooked elbow macaroni

salt and pepper to taste

 

 

The night before you make this hearty soup, soak the yellow eye beans in cold water.  This will prepare them for the soup. 

 

Sweat these out by chopping and simmering over low heat for about 30 minutes.  Take off the heat.

 

Have a crock pot handy.  Put all the remaining ingredients (except for the canned beans and pasta) in the crockpot.  Simmer for 8 hours.  One hour before serving time, undercook the pasta by three minutes.  Add the canned beans (and their juices) and the pasta thirty minutes before serving.

 

Serve with a good loaf of Italian bread and plenty of freshly grated parmigianno regianno.

No Bake Cheesecake

 

 

No Bake Cheesecake with Herb Infused Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

This no-bake cheesecake is somewhat tricky to make but if you have all the ingredients at room temperature before  you start, assembly should be easy.   If you are making this recipe for vegans, substitute the gelatin with agar.  Start this recipe by making the herb-infused balsamic vinegar reduction because this needs to be cool for serving.  One of the best things about this cheesecake recipe is that it sets quickly.  This cheesecake serves four to six people.

Herb Infused Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

Allow for a minimum of thirty to forty-five minutes to reduce this sauce for optimal flavor.  You can do it in fifteen minutes and get a good flavor profile but it is very important to allow the final reduction to cool completely before refrigerating.

16 ounces of  frozen raspberries in sugar

1 sprig of fresh rosemary
2 to 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 ounce of lemon grass (comes in a tube at grocery store)
Juice of one whole lemon
Lemon wedges (from the squeezed lemon)
½ cup of really good balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt

In a really good saucepan, put all of the above ingredients.  After you squeeze the lemon juice out of the lemon, throw the lemons in the saucepan (not the seeds).  You can put the herbs in cheesecloth or just throw them in the saucepan and strain out the reduction later.  Cover the saucepan.  On medium heat, allow the mixture to come to a soft boil.  Reduce the heat to lowest simmer and cook for anywhere from fifteen to forty-five minutes.  Taste the reduction after fifteen minutes and adjust seasonings accordingly (if anything, you may need to add agave or sugar---whichever you prefer).  Remove from heat but keep the cover on.  Allow to cool thoroughly and then strain the mixture into a blender using a fine sieve.  Discard the herbs and lemon wedges but hold the sieve because you will need to strain this out again.  Using your blender on a low setting, simply pulse until you get a sauce.  Strain out the sauce over a deep bowl to remove the seeds from the raspberries.  If you like the consistency of the sauce, the sauce is done.  If you want to blend it further, throw it back in the blender (after wiping the sides of the blender for stray seeds).  Put the sauce in a plastic container and refrigerate until serving time.

Easy Cheesecake

My regular cheesecake takes three days from start to finish because each process must be refrigerated.  This recipe has a flavor profile similar to the complicated cheesecake dish but can be made by anybody with little effort.  Have all ingredients at room temperature.  I use Nilla wafers because I’m not a big chocolate person and my regular cheesecake starts with Nilla wafers.  If you like, you can use any prepared pie crust (graham cracker, chocolate, etc.) and make the recipe in a pie plate instead of a seven inch springform pan.  It will taste equally good but the shape will be different.  If using a springform pan, generously butter the bottom of the cheesecake pan and the sides.  Before buttering, I take the base of the springform pan out and trace a parchment circle which I cut out with scissors.  Put the springform pan together and after I butter, I place the parchment circle on top of the  bottom of the pan.  This will help keep your cheesecake from sticking.

Cheesecake Ingredients:

Crust:

Half a box of Nilla wafers, crushed
1 stick of butter at room temperature

Crush the Nilla wafers.  Mix the butter with the crumbs.  Press the crumb mixture onto the parchment paper in the springform pan.  The residual heat from your hands will help make this process smoothly.  Place the pan in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

Filling:

1 gelatin sheet, dissolved (vegans use agar)
16 ounces of marscapone cheese
4 ounces of cream cheese
Juice of one lemon (squeezed with seeds removed)
8 ounces of white chocolate, melted with 1 tablespoon of butter
Zest of one lemon, grated
1 cup of marshmallow Fluff (this eliminates the need for sugar) (vegans use ½ cup of superfine sugar instead of the Fluff)
2 ounces of lemon cello or lemon flavored vodka
1 teaspoon of good vanilla

Cut the gelatin sheet in half and put in a bowl of cold water to dissolve the gelatin sheets.  Strain out the gelatin sheets in a good strainer (gelatin sheets will soften after about ten minutes.)  Warm either the vodka or the lemon juice (room temperature or a tad warmer).  Put the softened gelatin in the warm liquid and using a whisk, blend until the gelatin totally dissolves.  (You must use this liquid right away to avoid gelatin lumps.)   Put all the ingredients in the mixing bowl and using a hand mixer, blend until there are no lumps and filling is smooth.

Take pie crust out of the refrigerator.  Put in the filling.  Tamp the springform pan gently to get a smooth texture.  Refrigerate the whole thing.    This cheesecake sets very quickly because of the combination of gelatin and marshmallow but the marshmallow can easily be eliminated.  If you eliminate the marshmallow, taste the filling and adjust with superfine sugar.  You can also allow for more lemon zest if you like the flavor profile to taste more lemony.  I prefer the combination of lemon and vanilla but this is a personal choice so feel free to experiment.  Refrigerate the cheesecake until you are ready to frost and decorate it.

Frosting

8 ounces of white chocolate
2 tbl. of butter
8 ounces of marscapone
Juice of half a lemon
Lemon cello to taste 
Pinch of salt

Melt the white chocolate with butter until it is smooth and has no lumps.  Place the mixture in a mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients.  Blend well with a hand mixer until the frosting is creamy and smooth.  Refrigerate until time to frost the cheesecake.

Assembly

 This works best if you can complete the entire operation quickly.  Have your serving plate ready and on hand.  Remove the frosting from the refrigerator to warm up a little bit while you plate the cheesecake.

Take a beautiful platter and put one tablespoon of the frosting mixture in the center of the plate.  This will hold the cheesecake on the platter and keep it from sliding all over the place while you frost the cheesecake.

Using another plate, put the plate on top of the cheesecake.  Open the springform pan and remove the bottom and the parchment paper.  Take the cake platter with the frosting dab on it and put it on the bottom of the cheesecake (crumb filling side).  Turn the plate over and it should have unmolded perfectly.

Take a good spatula and after giving the frosting a mix or two with a wooden spoon, frost the sides and the top of the cheesecake.  Decorate with fresh raspberries and drizzle the balsamic reduction around the edge of the cake.  Serve the cheesecake with the remainder of the balsamic reduction, fresh raspberries and whipped cream.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spinach Casserole

Spinach Casserole

 

 

This is a very simple vegetable dish that you can make in about ten minutes.  Allow 30 minutes for baking time.  This spinach dish really goes with anything.

 

Preheat oven to 375F

 

 

Ingredients:

 



1 pkg. of frozen spinach, thawed out with water squeezed out
1/2 cup of grated Parmiagiano Regiano
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 egg
1 stick of melted butter
1/2 cup of grated Stoufer's stuffing mix

Butter a baking dish and put one tablespoon of the grated stuffing mix in the bottom.  Shake the baking dish to distribute the breadcrumbs evenly.

In a large mixing bowl, toss all other ingredients with a fork.  Spoon into baking dish and bake until casserole puffs up.  Serve warm.

 

Blueberry Cobbler

 

 

Cobbler is an easy dessert to make since Bisquick came on the market.  It's a simple task to take any filling and create a nice dessert that can be served with freshly whipped cream or ice cream.  You can use a canned filling or create your own with fresh ingredients.  This is a very creative exercise that can be very rewarding. 

 

 

Bisquick Crust:

 

2 cups of Bisquick



1 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp. of cinnamon

1/2  tsp. of freshly grated nutmeg

1 stick of butter (room temperature)

 

Put Bisquick in a big mixing bowl.  Add the butter and cut with a fork.  Add remaining ingredients.  Set aside.

 

Preheat oven to 350F.

 

Filling:

 

2 cups of fresh blueberries

2 tbl. of juice (I use orange juice)

1 tbl. of cornstarch

1/2 cup of sugar (I use turbinado sugar in baking but you can use regular sugar)

 

Mix these ingredients and set aside for a bit to macerate.

 

Assembly:

 

Put the filling into a baking dish.  Cover with the crust.  Dot with butter and bake for 30 minutes.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

 

 

This is probably my husband's favorite pie.  Use fresh rhubarb (in Massachusetts, this is only available from about May through October).   Allow for 30 minutes of prep time because the filling has to cool down before you put it in the pastry or it might melt the pastry dough.  (If this should happen, you have to start over so always have a backup refrigerated crust in your fridge.  Good news is the filling can simply be poured back into the bowl while you pick the melted crust out of it.)

 

6 stalks of rhubarb



2 cups of frozen strawberries

1 cup of sugar (I like to use bar sugar or turbinado which is a finer sugar)

1 tbl. of lemon juice (just take a fresh lemon and squeeze the juice out of it)

Grated lemon zest (obviously, do this before you cut and squeeze the lemon)

1 tsp. of white vinegar

Freshly grated nutmeg (please don't used dried nutmeg for this recipe)

 

Cut the stalks of rhubarb into cubes.  Put all the ingredients in a large glass bowl and nuke in a microwave for about 7 minutes.  Allow this mixture to cool down.  Mix with a fork.  Set aside.

 

Preheat oven to 400F. 

 

Prepare the pie crust or use a refrigerated piece of pie crust dough.  Put one rolled out crust in a pie plate.  Cover with the strawberry mixture.  Roll out the other piece of dough and cut into strips.  Make a simple lattice crust by twisting the strips and spacing out as shown above.  Bake for about 30 minutes.  Allow the pie to rest before refrigerating it.

White Lasagna

White Lasagna

 

 

When I teach folks how to make white lasagna, it is always surprising to them that you can create a terrific crowd pleaser using two sauces.  This is one of my staples for my daughter's family because they are vegetarians.  I will include both the vegetarian recipe and the meat recipe.

 

 

White Lasagna

 

Fresh pasta sheets undercooked by a couple of minutes (I don't like the boxed ones)

2 cups of béchamel sauce

2 cups of mornay sauce

6 to 8 eggs

32 ounces of ricotta cheese

1 cup of parmigiano reggiano

1 cup of peccarino romano

6 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced

salt and pepper to taste

Shredded mozzarella

 

Cook the pasta sheets for just a couple of minutes in salted boiling water.  Cool in a colander.

 

In a large mixing bowl, put in the ricotta.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon.  Add the parmigiano reggiano and peccarino romano.  Add a little salt and pepper (taste).  Add the garlic.  Refrigerate while you make the sauces. 

 

At this point, preheat the oven to 350F. 

 

Bechamel Sauce

 

2 tbl. of butter

1 tbl. of flour

2 cups of heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

 

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat and add flour to make a roux.  Add cream.  Add salt and pepper.  Allow the sauce to thicken and take it off heat.  Let it cool down.

 

Mornay Sauce

 

2 tbl. of butter

1 tbl. of flour

2 cups of heavy cream

1 cup of gruyere cheese

A little dry white wine

 

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat and add flour to make a roux.  Add cream.  Stirring constantly, add cheese and wine.  Allow the sauce to thicken and take it off heat.

 

Assembly

 

Put a layer of pasta sheets in a rectangular baking dish.  Add 1/3 of ricotta mixture.  Cover with 1/3 of Bechamel Sauce.  Repeat this twice more.  Cover with the Mornay Sauce.  Top with shredded mozzarella.

 

Bake for approximately one half hour until the lasagna is golden brown.

 

To make the meat lasagna, cook the pasta sheets in chicken broth.  Make a filling with Italian Sausage by cooking the Italian sausage over low heat and adding fresh mushrooms and one cut onion and six cloves of garlic.  Put the meat filling in the middle of the lasagna and otherwise, finish the lasagna as previously described .  Bake the same way.

 

Sponge Cake with Strawberries

KEEP IT SIMPLE

 

 

Every great cook I know always has something in the freezer to make if unexpected guests visit.  I usually have a sponge cake frozen that can be converted easily into a great dessert.  This dessert is also very low in calories and contains very little sugar.

 

 

Sponge Cake with Strawberries

 

1 container of frozen strawberries, thawed out

1 container of Cool Whip (Lite)

1 sponge cake

 

Divide the sponge cake by cutting it in half.  Cover the bottom layer with Cool Whip.  Spoon strawberries over the Cool Whip.  Place the top half of the sponge cake on the bottom half.  Frost the entire thing with the Cool Whip.  Cover with strawberries.



Chocolate Pudding Light

 

 

My father is diabetic so I'm always looking for a way to lighten a dessert for him.  This version of chocolate pudding has a very rich flavor but is low in calories and contains very little sugar. 

 

 

1 box of fat-free chocolate fudge instant pudding mix

 

1/2 cup of Nutella melted in 1/2 cup of chocolate syrup

 

2 oz. of freshly brewed strong coffee

 

1 cup of lowfat milk

 

1 cup of Cool Whip Lite

 

1 tsp. of vanilla

 

1/2 cup of fresh raspberries

 

strawberries to garnish pudding

 

In a deep mixing bowl, put in pudding mix.   Using a hand mixer, mix the pudding, coffee and milk.  Add the vanilla and set the mixture aside.  Fold the Cool Whip and fresh raspberries into the mixture with a wooden spoon.  Fill dessert dishes with the chocolate pudding mixture, garnish with Cool Whip and top with fresh berries.  Refrigerate until serving time.  Makes four (4) servings.



 

APPLE CRISP

When apples are harvested in Massachusetts, there are some lovely choices for traditional desserts.  Apple Crisp was my mother's favorite.  This is her recipe...

Ingredients:

5 to 6 tart apples
1/2 cup of dark molasses
1/2 cup of superfine sugar
1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
1/2 tsp. of nutmeg
juice of one lemon
1/2 stick of melted butter

1 1/2 cups of Bisquick
1/2 stick of butter at room temp
pinch of sugar and salt
1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
1/2 tsp. of nutmeg


Peel, core and slice apples.  Place in a deep bowl.  Add molasses, superfine sugar, cinammon, nutmeg, lemon juice and butter.  Let the fruit soak in the juices for about 30 minutes to develop flavor.

Butter and sugar an 8" x 8" square pan.  After soaking time, put apples in bottom of pan.

Preheat oven to 400F while preparing the covering.

In a deep bowl, combine Bisquick, butter, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Mix with fork and spoon over the apples.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until crust is golden brown.  Serve with freshly whipped cream.

 



Savory Pot Pie

 

Savory pot pie can be a culinary challenge since the dough must be made properly to develop the layer of flavors necessary to raise the bar on pot pie.  To make the dough more tasty, I used beef suet instead of lard for this crust and made an infusion of rosemary and chicken broth for the dough liquid.  I allowed the dough to refrigerate overnight to get a little more flavor and made the pastry dough with a combination of butter and suet.  I used some of the leftover pot roast and threw in fresh corn.  The result was really good.

 

Pastry:

 3 ounces of suet

3 ounces of butter
2 cups of self-rising flour
Salt and pepper

A little combination of rosemary infused chicken broth (as needed)

Cut the fats into the flour.  Add salt and pepper and drizzle the broth in as your food processor churns the dough.  Turn the dough into a buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for at least eight hours.

Pie:

Warm the leftover pot roast to room temperature.  Preheat oven to 400F.

Roll out pastry dough and put on the bottom of a pie plate.  Cut pot roast into cubes.  Cover with corn.  Add dots of butter.  Cover with leftover gravy.  Roll out top crust and set over the pie plate.  Pinch edges of the dough.  Spray with butter flavored Pam.  Bake for 30 minutes or more until crust is golden brown.

Featherlight Biscuits

Featherlight Biscuits

 

 

Biscuits can be tricky.  Two important tips:  preheat the oven to 450F and don't work the dough more than necessary.  It is very important to remember that any dough you work with your hands is affected by the heat in your hands. 

 

 

Recipe:

 

2 cups of self-rising flour



1 stick of butter at room temperature

dash of salt

3/4 cup of buttermilk

1/2 cup of peccarino romano cheese (or any other cheese you like)

 

Cut butter into flour using two knives or a pastry cutter.  Add remaining ingredients (use a little more milk or cream if needed).  Turn dough onto surface, roll out and cut eight biscuits.  Place biscuits on an unbuttered baking sheet.  Bake for ten minutes or until golden brown.

Heavenly Biscuits

HEAVENLY BISCUITS

 

 

Preheat oven to 450F

 

2 cups of self-rising flour



1/2 cup of Butter Crisco

1/4 cup of domestic parmesan romano cheese

1 cup of buttermilk

2 to 3 tablespoons of soda water

Poppy Seeds (optional)

Blend butter Crisco into flour using two knives or a fork.  Add remaining ingredients.  Put a little flour on your work surface and cut out biscuits.  Bake for ten to fifteen minutes or until golden brown.

These are light, fluffy and delicious!

Beef Cacciatore

Beef Cacciatore

 

 

Beef cacciatore (just pick a protein) is nothing more than an Italian stew.   In Tuscany, where my grandfather was born, this would not be made with beef but instead, a simpler protein like chicken.  You throw a few things into a crock pot, or make it more traditionally in a heavy stew pot and throw it in the oven.  You add this and that, and it becomes a tender, lovely and inviting dinner.  You can serve it equally over pasta or rice.  I will give you the traditional way my grandmother, Lucy Piermarini, taught me how to make it and also offer you the crock pot version.  Either way, you end up with a delightfully flavored dish.

Ingredients:

2 to 3 lbs. beef

½ lb. of pork fat (cut into lardon shape)
½ lb. of pancetta
1 bitter onion, peeled and chopped
3 to 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 stalks of celery (with tops), chopped
1 head of garlic (throw in microwave for 20 seconds).  After garlic cools down, remove peels and crush all the softened garlic with a fork (reserve in a bowl).
3 bay leaves
3 cups of beef stock
1 can (8 oz.) of good tomato paste
1 tsp. of crushed black pepper
1 bottle of good red wine

In a very large stew pot (I use Le Creu

 

set), put a tbl. of extra virgin olive oil.  Over slowest possible heat, sauté the salt pork and the pancetta.  When browned, remove from the heat and place on paper towels to absorb fat.  Set aside the bacon and pork. 

In the same pan, over lowest heat, sauté the onions, carrots and celery until the onions turn translucent.    Remove the vegetables and set aside.  Turn the heat up slightly.  Add the wine and beef stock to deglaze the pan.   Stir for a few minutes until all the brown stuff at the bottom of the pan is now in the liquid. 

 

At this point, everything goes back into the pot and you can throw this in the oven at 200°F for several hours.  Alternatively, at this point, you could transfer everything into a crock pot.

For the crockpot version, simply sauté the pork fat and pancetta and the onion mixture and then throw everything into the crockpot.

To use other proteins, simply substitute chicken stock or white wine for a poultry or pork protein.  For dark meat, use the beef stock and red wine.

The most important thing to remember is that the longer it simmers, the better the flavor.  It also becomes much better if you freeze the remainder of the stew.  

 

My grandmother would have served this with polenta because polenta is less expensive than rice or pasta.  I also love to serve this with orzo.   

APPLE PIE

There is nothing more wonderful than the smell of apple pie when it is baking in the oven…the kitchen, perhaps the entire house, is filled with the overwhelming aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg and apples, inviting anyone and everyone to enjoy the finished pastry.

Traditionally, the best apples for making apple pie are tart, firm and varieties that meld well with the flavors imparted during the maceration process (read on).  My mother-in-law, Elizabeth Marshall, insisted (and rightfully so) that the best apple for apple pie is the Northern Spy.  Unfortunately for me, this apple is only available for a short window of opportunity in the fall.  I get by with Granny Smith apples.

If you are going to make the effort to make an apple pie, do several at a time and freeze two or three (unbaked) after carefully wrapping in plastic wrap (or a freezer pie box).  This ensures that you have a beautiful dessert just waiting in the freezer for drop-in company.

This recipe is one I’ve developed over the years and includes a process which gives the apples ample time to take on the flavor of the spices used in the completed pie.  I also prefer (I know I sound like a broken record) Butter Crisco®

for both the pie crust and the filling.  (See previous blog entry to learn how to make pie dough).   For this particular pie, you need a minimum of twelve apples and two crusts (ready made crust is fine).

Preheat oven to 400° F

Filling:

You will need a large deep, ceramic bowl and a potato peeler.

 12 tart apples

1 lemon (at room temperature)
1 ½ tsp. of cinnamon
1 ½ tsp. of nutmeg plus freshly grated nutmeg (if you have it)
1 ½ tsp. of ginger
½ cup of melted Butter Crisco®
2 to 3 tbl. of black strap molasses

Peel, core and slice apples.  Put in bottom of the bowl with the juice of one lemon and the remainder of the ingredients.  Stir occasionally.  Allow the apples to set at room temperature for at least an hour or two.  The longer you allow the apple slices to steep in the liquid, the better the filling will taste (the process of steeping fruit in a liquid is called maceration).

Assembly:

Take prepared brust and roll out one to two inches more than the circumference of your pie plate.  Put the dough in the pie plate.  Add the filling.  Dot with butter.  Top with second pie crust and crimp edges of the pie.  Brush the top crust with a little warm water using a pastry brush and sprinkle with granulated sugar (I use turbanado or bar sugar).    Bake for one hour or until knife inserted in pie is clean.

Rustic Country Bread

Important Note:  if you do not have a temperature controlled kitchen, do not attempt to make bread on a humid or rainy day.  The bread dough will just not rise properly.

Preparation:

Get a big ceramic bowl and oil the sides and bottom with extra virgin olive oil.  Set aside and have a clean linen towel ready.

I suggest that you go down to Home Depot and buy six large ceramic tiles and put them on the bottom rack of your oven for bread making.  They are a lot cheaper purchased this way then buying a baking stone for bread and pizza.

Bread Dough

2 tbl. of active yeast

Measuring cup and ¼ of tepid water

3 cups of all purpose unbleached flour

1 tsp. of salt

1 tsp. of sugar

2 tbl. of heavy cream

1 pat of butter

¼ cup of water

You can cover the bread dough with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, etc. after the dough rises.  Just sprinkle a little on the counter and roll the finished loaf in the seeds.

Prove Yeast

Put yeast in dry measuring cup.  Add ¼ cup of tepid water.  Let sit for five minutes.  The water temperature is crucial to proving the yeast.  If your water is too hot, it will kill the yeast and your dough will not rise. 

Put dough hook in food processor.  Add flour, salt and sugar.  Pulse.  When yeast is ready (it will look milky and smell yeasty, add the yeast to the flour mixture and pulse for ten seconds.  Add cream, butter and a couple tablespoons of water (room temp).  Pulse.  Add water accordingly as the processor turns the flour into dough.  Stop adding water when the dough is coming off clean from the sides of the processor. 

Put dough in prepared ceramic bowl and cover with the linen towel.  Allow the dough to rise for one hour.  Punch the dough down after first rise.  Roughly knead the dough and turn it over for second rise.   The dough should have risen to fill the bowl halfway.  When you punch down the bread dough, turn the dough over a few times and smooth it into a nice round ball.  Second kneading will be more important.

Kneading the Dough

Spread out a large linen cloth on your counter (if you don’t have marble or granite).  You do not need this if you are working on marble or granite.  You will need several cups of flour.  Spread some flour on your counter or your cloth.  Put the dough in the middle and knead the dough with buttered hands.  Add flour sparingly as you do this, just to keep the dough consistency correct.  Knead for about five minutes, until you have a smooth round ball of dough.  The goal here is to remove any large air pockets.  You want to press and roll the dough out at the same time, allowing the large air pockets to fill in as you work the dough.  Let the dough rest for a couple of minutes after kneading.

Heat  Oven to 350F

Boil Water

This sounds a little strange but have several cups of boiling water ready before you put the bread dough in your oven.

If you have a bread peal, have it handy.  Put bread dough on the bread peal and place it on the heated oven stones.  Throw a cup of boiling hot water in the bottom of your oven and quickly shut the door of the oven. (This step is totally unnecessary if you have a brick oven.)

Bake your bread for about 45 minutes to an hour.  Bread is done when the crust is golden and when you tap it, you get a nice crisp sound.  Or, you can stick a toothpick in it and if it comes out clean, bread is done. 

Baking