DF13: "Unstuffed" Shells, Modena Mountain Bread, and Antipasto salad

Today I tried out a new vegan cheese dish, "Unstuffed Shells" from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook. It simplifies the typical "stuffed" shells dish by simply tossing the pasta with the vegan ricotta cheese mixture, and then topping everything with a tomato sauce.

Not knowing how successful this attempt at cheesy shells would be, I decided to create a hearty salad to go along with them, sort of like an antipasto platter in a salad bowl. I had some wonderful Fra Mani salumi in the freezer, not enough to make more than 1 sandwich from, so this was a great way for everyone to enjoy the mortadella and salame rosa and not let them go to waste.

I have been wanting to make some homemade bread for the longest time, and this seemed like a great opportunity. If the shells turned out awful, we'd have salad and bread to fall back on! I chose the Modena Mountain Bread from Lynn Rosetto Kasper's marvelous The Splendid Table. It's very rustic, and includes potato and wheat berries in the dough.

First, the shells recipe. I used Pipe Rigate a sort of half-round pasta, instead of the shells. Owing to a "new" orthodontic device (Herbst appliance), DS is prone to choking. I was a little worried he might inhale a shell!

"Unstuffed Shells" from the Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook.

1 lb. firm regular tofu
1/3 to 1/2 c. vegan mayonnaise
2-3 T minced fresh parsley
2 t. dried basil
2 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt
2 c. (1 16 oz. can) tomato sauce* see below
4 c. medium shell pasta

Break tofu into large chunks. Place in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Drain well and mash fine.

Combine tofu, mayonnaise, and seasonings in a large bowl. Mix well and set aside

Heat the tomato sauce and keep warm. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain well and combine with reserved tofu mixture, tossing until evenly distributed.

Divide among 4 dinner plates, and top each with some of the tomato sauce.

I made the following adjustments to this recipe: I used Hellmann's mayonnaise, to taste. About 1/3 c. After cooking and draining the tofu, I used the food processor to combine it with the other ingredients. Mashing fine didn't work for me, it left all kinds of icky lumps. Using the food processor yielded a texture more like ricotta cheese.

A note about seasonings: I dislike using onion and garlic powders, but concede it is sometimes necessary when a concentrated flavor is needed without adding the bulk or moisture of the real thing. Actually, fresh garlic probably would work fine here in place of the garlic powder. The powders taste "off" to me, and worse, tend to linger on the palate for several hours after dinner.

My ratings for the Tofu Ricotta Cheese:
Color: 3 stars. It looked like ricotta with herbs mixed in.
Texture: 3 stars. It pretty much had the texture of ricotta cheese.
Cheese Flavor: 1.5 stars: while it was reminiscent of cheese, a raw, beany flavor from the tofu still predominated when the cheese was cold. However, when warmed by the hot pasta ans sauce, this was much less pronounced, and the finished dish was fairly tasty.
Taste: 2 stars: Good; but not by itself. In the dish, the flavor was not unpleasant, just a bit different. With pasta and tomato sauce, the beaniness was much reduced. If you like tofu, this probably won't be an issue for you. I wonder if cooking the tofu a little longer would help with the raw taste.
Overall: 2 stars: Good. I would eat this again, but I would not serve it to guests. Actually, I will not serve it to DS again, as he just couldn't handle the vegan cheese. I will add, however, that he does not like dairy ricotta or lasagna.
DC-O-Meter: "Tastes fine with the tomato sauce on it. I would eat it again."

I made my own quick tomato sauce by sauteeing half and onion and 2 cloves of garlic in a little olive oil and the dressing from a jar of marinated artichoke hearts. I added about half a jar of ready-made pasta sauce, 1/4 c. red wine, and the artichoke hearts and cooked until everything was heated through.

This added a really delicious touch to the dish. With plain tomato sauce, I doubt this pasta would be palatable to most people. With my doctored-up jarred version, it was both quick to prepare and tasty. I really liked the pipe rigate in this dish, too. They are a bit smaller than shells, and less "hefty."

Antipasto Salad by DomesticMuse
This is really more of an idea than a recipe. It's good for using up little odds and ends of things. Artichoke hearts would be delicious here, but since I had put them in the pasta sauce, I didn't add them. Here's what I put in the salad:

Romaine salad mix
3 slices Fra Mani salame rosa, julienned
3 slices Fra Mani mortadella, jullienned
9 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 roasted red pepper, chopped into large dice
1/2 pkg. button mushrooms, quartered, blanched and marinated
1/4 cauliflower head, broken into tiny florets, blanched and marinated

Divide ingredients among 3 salad bowls, adding as much or as little salad mix as you like.



For both the marinade and the dressing, I used an heirloom family recipe, my Aunt Edith's Italian Dressing. DS loves it, it's his absolute favorite. It's really more of a light vinaigrette than what most people would consider Italian dressing.

Aunt Edith's Italian Dressing

1 c. corn or other mild vegetable oil
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
2 heaping t. Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, sliced fine
2 t. salt
4 t. sugar

Mix all ingredients except the corn oil in a blender or food processor. With the motor running, add the oil in a slow steady stream until it's incorporated and the dressing is emulsified.


The bread is one of my favorites, one that I haven't made for a long time. I always start it the night before, to give the sponge time to preferment. I usually prep the wheat berries and potato the night before as well, and zap gingerly in the microwave, stirring well to prevent hot spots, to bring it to room temp before adding to the dough.

Modena Mountain Bread from The Splendid Table

Sponge:
2 T. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t. granulated yeast (I always cheat and just use the whole little packet)
1/4 c. warm (110F) water
2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 c. warm water (110F)

Dough:
5-6 oz. red skinned potato
1/2 c. (3 oz.) wheat berries
1 c. (4 oz.) whole wheat flour
2 1/4 t. salt
4 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 T. flour (for sprinkling loaves)

Sponge: Make the sponge 16-22 hrs. before you plan to bake the bread.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the 2T flour, the yeast, the 1/4 c. warm water. Let the mixture stand 5 minutes, or until the yeast is bubbly.

Add the 2 c. flour and 1 c. warm water and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for 12-18 hrs.


Dough:
To prepare the potato, boil the unpeeled potato in water to cover 30 minutes, or until very tender.

Drain, reserving 10 T of the cooking liquid. Cool and peel. Puree the potato with the reserved cooking liquid. Cook the wheat berries in fiercely boiling water to cover for 10 minutes,
or until tender

Drain and cool. Crush lightly in a food processor, blender, or mortar and pestle. Set the potato and wheat berries aside at room temp. If working ahead, cover and refrigerate, and bring to room temp before adding to the dough.



Combine the sponge, potato puree, wheat berries, whole wheat flour, salt, and 2 c. of the unbleached flour. Beat with the paddle attachment at medium speed for 2 minutes. Beat in another 1/2 c. of flour and switch to the dough hook. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to make a sticky dough. The dough will be soft but holding its shape around the dough hook while it cleans the bottom and sides of the bowl. If it puddles at the bottom, add a few T of flour. The dough should be very elastic, soft, and a little sticky. Knead about 10 minutes in the mixer.

Lightly oil a large bowl. Add the dough, turn to coat with oil, and cover with plastic wrap.

Set aside to rise at room temp 2-3 hrs., or until the dough is 21/2 to 3 times its original size. It will look blistered and soft. No harm will come to the bread if you let the dough sit as long as 8 hrs.

Lightly oil a cookie sheet with olive oil. Place a jelly roll pan on the floor of a gas oven or the lowest rack of an electric oven.

Punch down the dough and knead it about 5 minutes. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a ball, tucking the dough under itself until you have a taught sphere.

Set the two pieces of dough on the oiled cookie sheet. Sprinkle the dough with the 1 T flour. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise at room temp 1 1/2 hrs., or until doubled.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Make sure the rack is in the center of the oven. Place the cookie sheet with the two loaves on it in the oven. Pour 3 c. boiling water into the jelly roll pan, and close the door to capture the burst of steam. Bake 40 min. Turn the loaves over and bake another 10 minutes, or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove the bread from the oven and place the loaves on a rack to cool. Allow to cool 1 1/2-2 hrs. before cutting.


And here is DC's plate:



!Buen provecho!

DF12: Ground Beef Minestrone

After the disaster wtih the chickpeas and the cauliflower, it was a relief to cook something I knew everyone would love: Ground Beef Minestrone. It is one of my old standbys. When I pulled the recipe out of my binder, I saw the date: this recipe came from the Oct. 1990 issue of Gourmet Magazine! I've made a few minor alterations over the years.

Last week, we made the "plain" version of bean soup, Minestra. Today, we're making the fancier "big" bean soup, Minestrone. It calls for prosciutto, and uses a mixture of celery, carrot and onion, along with red wine, to add a real punch of flavor to this quick-cooking soup.

An accompaniment of gremosalata is suggested for topping the soup, but both because I was in a hurry and also due to the Peccorino Romano in it, I didn't bother. However, it really does add a lot to the soup, with the grated lemon zest bringing out the best flavors in the parsley, cheese and soup.

We needed to pick up just a few things at the Teeter, and DC happened to be with me. So he got to pick out the bread to go with the soup. I pointed out some knot rolls, but DC had his eye on the "butterflake" rolls. They were nestled tenderly in their own little disposable muffin tin! They were amazingly good for supermarket bakery rolls-- they tasted like croissants in roll form. Soup and bread!! My favorite!

Ground Beef Minestrone

Extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. ground sirloin
2 oz. prosciutto, diced
1 lg. onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, chopped
2 celery stalks, with leaves, chopped
1/2 t. dried rosemary
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 20 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
4 c. beef broth
1 c. dry red wine
1/3 c. small pasta, such as orzo

Gremosalata:
1/3 c. freshly grated Romano cheese
1/2 c. minced Italian parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T grated lemon zest

Mix ingredients together in a small bowl, and top the soup with the mixture.

For the Soup:
1. Spray a large soup pot with non-stick spray and heat over medium heat. Add 2 T. extra virgin olive oil, and when the oil is hot, add the ground sirloin and the prosciutto. Cook until the beef is nicely browned and there is a nice brown glaze on the bottom of the pan.

Here is my prosciutto, diced and ready for the pan! I accidentally bought twice as much as I needed. (Oh well... )


2. Remove the browned beef and prosciutto from the pot with a slotted spoon, and set aside on a plate.

I like to brown the meat separately from the vegetables, because it never really gets a nice brown color duie to the moisture from the vegetables, if you saute them at the same time.


3. Add the mirepoix (onion, celery and carrot mixture) and crumble the rosemary into the pan, adding more oil as needed, and saute until the vegetables are tender, about 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.



4. Return the browned meat to the pan, and add the tomatoes, and the red wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Add beef broth, the drained and rinsed beans, and the pasta to the soup. Bring to a rolling boil, then simmer for an additional 10 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I don't know what is wrong with my brain lately, but I keep forgetting to take pictures before serving the food! I guess we were hungry and intent on eating rather than documenting, LOL! If you've seen one bowl of minestrone you've seen them all?

DF5: Soup, Glorious Soup!

Soup is one of the world's perfect foods. S0 delicious, so versatile, so comforting. Nothing says "Welcome home!" like a steaming hot bowl of soup on a snowy day. Nothing is so refreshing in the dog days of August like an icy bowl of white gazpacho, with tangy yogurt, crisp cucumber, and cool green grapes. Like Italian food, I could happily eat soup every day-- and did for years when I worked outside my home. Every Sunday I made a giant vat of the Soup de la Semaine, and took the leftovers to work with me for lunch every day that week. So dependable was this routine that once when I was in a hurry and grabbed a frozen entree for lunch instead, my whole department said, incredulously "You brought frozen food?!?" So soup is a wonderful and nourishing timesaver because it only gets better the longer it sits in the fridge. Up to a point, of course. ( I wouldn't advocated eating spoiled food!)

The recipe below is a BIG favorite of DS's and mine. It's my version of Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Minestra, the famous "beans and greens" Italian soup. You're probably more familiar with Minestrone, the no-holds-barred version of this soup. This soup is more your everyday kind of soup. It's very flexible and adaptable.

Sometimes I used dried beans and let them simmer for a couple of hours on the stove. Sometimes I use dried beans and cook them in the pressure cooker. And sometimes I used canned beans, if I'm tired and rushed. Same for the chicken stock. While its at its absolute zenith of deliciousity with homemade chicken stock, you can use prepared stock. I like either the Pacific or Imagine Brand of organic chicken stock. Whatever you use, it still tastes great! I'm going to give you the pressure cooker version below, even though this time I cheated and used canned beans.

DomesticMuse's 30 Minute Minestra

1 lb. dried white beans (Great Northern or Cannellini), washed well and picked over
2 qt. chicken stock
2 t. kosher salt
1 t. olive oil
2-3 T Extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 lb. pancetta, diced (I ask for one thick slice at the deli counter)
1 onion, diced
6-7 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t. fresh grated nutmeg
1 lb. bag of frozen chopped greens (fresh escarole is traditional, but you can use just about anything except spinach. Frozen greens are great because you don't have to wash and chop. I often use turnip greens or collards. The turnip greens are more peppery, but collards are a little sweeter Sometimes I use a mix of collards, turnip greens, mustard greens, and beet greens.)
salt and black pepper to taste

If you are using canned beans, you need two cans, rinsed and drained. Add them with the chicken stock in step 5. (Obviously skip the bean cooking steps in this case!)

Directions

You have a choice here. You can either cook the beans in the chicken stock (more flavorful) and use the whole she-bang in the soup, OR you can cook the beans in salted water and drain off the water before you add the beans to the soup. Pouring off the cooking liquid gets rid of some of the indigestible sugars in the beans that give them the name "the musical fruit."

1. Spray the pressure cooker with nonstick spray. Add the washed beans, the chicken stock or 2 qt water, 2 t. salt, and 1 t. olive oil. Lock the lid on, bring to a boil over high heat until maximum pressure is reached, then reduce the heat and simmer at maximum pressure for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the pressure release naturally while you prepare the rest of the soup.
2. Spray a large soup pot with nonstick spray and add the 2-3 T olive oil. Heat the oil over medium heat and add the pancetta.
3. Cook the pancetta over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it's nice and brown.

4. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until the onion is translucent and softened, about 5-6 minutes.

5. If you did not use the chicken stock to cook the beans, add it now to the soup pot. If you used water to cook the beans, the pressure should be released by now, so unlock the lid and test for tenderness. The beans should be just right, not too mushy, not too hard. If they are too hard, put them back on stove at high pressure for another 5 minutes, and then quick-release the pressure. Drain the beans if you used water. Add the beans to the soup pot with the chicken stock. If you used the chicken stock to cook the beans, unlock the lid and carefully pour the contents into the soup pot.
6. Add the chopped frozen greens and the nutmeg to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil and and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the greens are tender.

7. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you cooked the beans in the stock the Minestra will be thicker, so add water if you like it thinner.

This is delicious with a hunk of garlic bread or, surprisingly, brown bread muffins, which have a great affinity for bean soups of all kinds. Today I served some simple sandwiches on the side. I used toasted Prairie Bread from WF and layered Fra Mani Salame Rosa and Mortadella between the slices. I like one side spread with dijon and the other with mayo. You can dress these up or down with roasted red peppers and for the dairy eaters, cheese, if you like. We just had them plain. Don't you just love soup and sammie meals?





For those who do NOT have to eat dairy free, this soup is positively ambrosial topped with generous amounts of freshly grated Parmigano Reggiano. It's still delicious without the cheese, however. But like many things in life, EVEN BETTER if you add cheese!

DF2: Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce

Yesterday, I actually did eat SOME dairy. I had some fresh mozzarella that needed to be used up so I had it for a snack, drizzled with some balsamic vinegar and evoo. DC was kind enough to have bought me a container of the little water-packed boconccini last week when I was craving fresh mozzarella-- and I am here to tell you I ate the whole thing all by myself! (Not all at once, of course.)

So today is really my first day that I am trying to go completely dairy free. For breakfast, I had a bowl of Vive whole-grain Probiotic cereal and blueberries with almond milk, and an egg. Generally I have Silk soymilk on my cereal, but my acupuncture doc recommended I switch to Almond Breeze instead. The Almond Breeze is not bad. I wouldn't drink it straight, but then I wouldn't drink Silk straight either, except for the chai flavor. I love the Chai flavor. The egg is something else the dr. suggested, to be sure to have some protein if I'm having cereal.

Trying to think of a quick and easy meal while I was at WF picking up some odds and ends, my eye fell on a can of clams and I realized it has been YEARS since I made pasta with red clam sauce, and I do love it. As does DS. I'm not sure DC has ever had it, but he recently tried some Tuscan-style mussels and greatly enjoyed them. Since traditionally, pasta with seafood is not eaten with cheese, this seemed like a great time to re-invent my red clam sauce recipe.

Here is my quick and simple recipe. Although linguine is typically used, I had some spaghetti so that's what I used. If you are in a roaring hurry and have NO TIME, you can skip everything, and just add some bottled pasta sauce to some sauteed onions and toss in your clams and your parsley, if you have some. Not as tasty as the version below, but it still beats take-out!

Pasta with Red Clam Sauce
by DomesticMuse

1 lb. spaghetti, cooked al dente and kept warm
2-3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 t. red pepper flakes (more to taste)
1 lg. onion, diced
6-7 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. Italian herb mix
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes (I used one that had garlic, oregano, and basil added)
1 c. white wine
2 10 oz. cans clams, drained, with the juice of 1 can reserved
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. chopped fresh Italian parsley

1. Heat the evoo in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the red pepper flakes.
2. Meanwhile, force the large can of tomatoes through a food mill, and discard the solids. Reserve the strained tomatoes.
3. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and saute until tender and fragrant, 5-6 minutes.

Don't you just love the way it smells when the onion and garlic hits the hot olive oil?

4. Add the herb mix, and stir to combine. Add 1/2 t. salt and some fresh ground black pepper.
5. Add the strained tomatoes, the small can of tomatoes, the white wine and the reserved clam juice to the onion mixture.
6. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce to heat to medium-high and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes. This just depends on how thick you like the sauce. I like mine just a little thinner than regular spaghetti sauce. If you get it too thick, you can dilute it with a little of the pasta cooking water. (I always save some in case I need it, which is easy since my pasta pot has an insert that you can just lift out of the water to drain the pasta and leave the pot of water on the stove.)

7. Once the sauce is thickened to your liking, add the clams and stir well to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. My sauce wasn't as spicy as I would like, so I added some more red pepper flakes at this point.

8. Add the parsley to the sauce.
9. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the drained pasta to the skillet, and toss to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, to thoroughly coat the pasta with the sauce.



Serve with warm, crusty bread and a green salad.

I forgot to take a picture of this plated-- I guess we were so hungry I didn't think about it! Everyone really enjoyed the pasta, and we had plenty of leftovers, enough for another meal for DC and me.

DS is headed off to chaperone the Raleigh Boy Choir's annual week-long choir camp up in Asheville. I'm gonna miss him! But I am so proud of him-- he got himself completely ready for camp, even using a checklist! When he was a chorister, he attended camp as a camper for at least 5 years, and I always dreaded getting him ready to go. I thought we were done with choir camp once he graduated from the choir, but he's been invited to chaperone this year and last, which he really enjoys. He's very good with the younger boys, and everyone always has a great time at camp. I guess this will be DS's 7th trip to see the Biltmore House, LOL-- that is always the big treat for the week. I grew up in Asheville and he's seen it more times than I have! Amazingly, the facility where the camp is held is directly adjacent to the elementary school I attended for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. Back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth....

5 Easy Dishes for preserving your sanity

I've been AWOL from DomesticMuse. I have missed blogland-- reading the blogs that always brighten my day and posting to my own. Things around here have been, well, CRAZY. And look to stay that way for a while-- as I will be traveling for business this week AND next week. This week I'm going to Atlanta (work HQ) for the nostalgic occasion of the very last SOLINET Annual Membership Meeting. It's the last because on April 1 we merged with PALINET, another library consortium, to become Lyrasis. So SOLINET, the Southeastern Library Information Network, no longer actually exists. But our membership meeting has been scheduled for a year now, so SAMM09 it is. It should be a blast-- I really love getting to know our members. And I'll be getting to know my new colleagues as well. But it sure does make things so hectic at home!!

I'll be gone Wed.-Fri., back late Friday evening. And next week, I travel to the Johnson County Public Library (near Indianapolis) to begin working with staff there on redesigning some processes.

When I'm busy and stressed, cooking is very soothing, even though I don't have a lot of time. So I compromise by falling back on old (and new!) favorites--- that are easy to prepare and delicious and comforting to eat. That way, we don't have to be on what Kendra over at Homegrown Housewife so aptly calls the "all-fatty, all-nasty" chain restaurant diet. (Hers was the "all-fatty, all-nasty lunchables and peanut butter diet" that her poor family has been on due to illness.)

Here are my 5 EASY DISHES for when life is moving a little too fast:

• Reeni's Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Match-Made_in-Heaven Broccoli & Bacon Salad
• Vanilla Malted Milk Ice Cream
• Cherry-Almond Shortbread Crumble
• Butterscotch Finger Cakes

Several of these tried-and-true gems are from the cherished blogs of pan-pals. (Thanks, ladies! What did I DO before I met you?)

I. At the top of my list is Reeni's Spaghetti and Meatballs, from Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice. OMG, it is the stuff of the gods. I had to positively beat the guys away from the kitchen while it was cooking. They kept wandering over to say how good it smelled and ask when we would eat (in the middle of the afternoon!!). I call it "easy" because you can fix it and then let it simmer while you go about your very busy business.

I'm telling you, Reeni is an absolute genius. When we were growing up, my mother NEVER!!!! made meatballs. Never. Seriously. She told me it was because in our family "we" didn't like them. Having made them a few times myself over the years, I am now pretty sure that what "we" didn't like was not the meatballs, but the mess meatballs make in the kitchen. Reeni has solved that problem ingeniously by baking the meatballs. What an awesome idea! No muss, no fuss, and buh-bye, grease! Reeni's meatballs are fantastic! Spicy, flavorful, tender, juicy. Pretty much meatball heaven. You can find Reeni's recipe here.

First, soak some bread cubes in milk. Reeni says to take off the crust, but I cheated and didn't.


Then you combine all your meatball ingredients in a bowl, and form into golf-ball sized balls. (This is easier if with wet hands.) One thing I did was to add about 1 c. of water to make the meatballs fluffy and tender. Aren't they beautiful? They are about to go into the oven here. (Well, OK, some of them ARE litte conehead meatballs, but what's not to love?)

AND coming OUT of the oven!
Easy!!


While the meatballs are baking, you can make the sauce. First, saute the onion, garlic and peppers in olive oil.

Then add the rest of the sauce ingredients.

Add the meatballs and let it all simmer, Reeni says at least 35-45 minutes, but the longer the better. You should stir from time to time, but be careful, it does spatter! You can see it has just bubbled here.



I've added my meatballs to the sauce here.



Since my afternoon was going to be really busy, I started the sauce at about 2 and let it simmer several hours until dinner, while I dashed about doing stuff. Since there would be several hours for the flavors to blend, I added my own personal favorite "secret" ingredient for any Italian soup or sauce: some parmesan rind. When the cheese is too thin to grate anymore, I save the rinds, which are still 100% cheese, just for this purpose. (I keep 'em in the freezer, wrapped in waxed paper and inside a ziptop bag.)

It's easy to see the distinctive little dots on the cheese rind that tell you it's real Italian Parmigiano Reggiano. It gives a wonderful, wonderful flavor to anything it simmers in! Depending on how long you simmer it, it will either stay mostly in one piece or just meld into the sauce/soup. If it is still in one piece at serving time, you can remove it and dice it up in little bitty pieces and then return to the sauce so everyone can enjoy it. (Or just save it for a special treat for you, warm with some crusty bread!)

Serve the meatballs and sauce over real spaghetti with more real parmigiano.

It doesn't get much better than this!


II. Broccoli Salad
This broccoli salad is perfect for rounding out a simple meal. It is colorful and super delicious. Even DC, never a big broccoli fan, loves this salad. It's so much tastier and fun than plain old steamed broccoli. I love steamed broccoli, but it's nice to get out of that rut sometimes. And the fact that it's a salad is particularly nice at this time of year when the weather is getting warmer. We had this for dinner on Saturday along with Kat and Matt's delicious Peanut Turkey Burgers and my beloved oven-baked sweet potato steak fries, both of which I blogged about here. The broccoli salad is nice for a potluck, too and very often is one of the first dishes to be emptied, I've noticed. It is a Shirley Corriher recipe which I have modifed a bit to suit my taste.

Mrs. Jellybelly, this is for you!! OK, let's be honest, is not everything in the world just better when you add THIS??

Yes, indeedy, here we have 8 crispy slices of WF's finest applewood smoked bacon, and one of the secrets to this salad's success. The other is the sweet-tart dressing, which I simply adore. I must caution you, however, from eating too much of salad at once, as it CAN be toot-producing.

Match-Made-in-Heaven Broccoli and Bacon Salad
serves 6-8

Ingredients:
3-4 c. broccoli florets, with about 1/2 in. of stem attached (save the remaining stems for another use)
8 slices bacon (your favorite kind)
1/3 c. dried currants OR raisins of choice (I was out of currants so I used golden raisins)
1 sweet white onion, peeled, halved lengthwise (through the north and south pole), thinly sliced cross-wise and separated into "rings"
1/2 c. mayonnaise (preferrably Hellmann's or homemade)
1/3 c. sugar
3 T. apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

First, get your bacon started. I like to bake mine-- first, you don't have to mess with it much, except to turn it once; and second, it cooks up flat and pretty and browns evenly. I put mine on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake in a PREHEATED 400F for 10 minutes, then turn and put it back in the oven. Check for doneness at 7 min. I like mine extra-crisp, so I often put it back in for a couple of minutes. Be careful not to leave it too long, because it can burn slap up on you faster than you would think. The kitchen timer is most definitely our friend here. When the bacon is browned to my taste, I let it drain on paper towels. The reason I say make sure the oven is already preheated is that I found, tragically, that stuff burns if you put it in the oven while it's preheating. (I could get away with this on my old stove.)

While the bacon is cooking, prep your broccoli. OK, let me just say it-- we are going to COOK the broccoli. I just can't handle raw broccoli, either taste-wise or otherwise. I think the reason many people do not care for broccoli is that it is either chronically undercooked, unchewable, and cabbagy-tasting, or over-cooked and bitter, or undersalted and bland.

My broccoli-wrangling method, developed over years of rigorous testing, is simple and fool-proof. Fill a 4-qt. saucepan 3/4 full of water, and add 1-2 t. salt. (Worry not, we will drain off the cooking water, and the salt will bring out the best of the broccoli.) Bring the water to a boil over hight heat. Add your broccoli florets and cook for EXACTLY 4 minutes from the time you drop them in the water. Meanwhile, prepare an ice-water bath by filling a large heat-proof bowl with half ice and half water, and set on the counter. Set a colander or mesh strainer in the sink. When the broccoli is done, dump hot broccoli into the strainer in the sink (sayonara, cooking water!) and then plunk the whole thing, strainer and all, into the ice bath to stop the broccoli from cooking any further. It should be perfect-- tender, flavorful, and digestible, but not overdone. When it's completely cool, remove the broccoli from the ice bath and drain.

I also have a trick for making raw onions more enjoyable. Slice them up, then soak in water and ice for 20 minutes.

Remove and drain well on paper towels. The ice water takes the edge off the raw onion flavor, and makes them incredibly crisp and juicy. I made the mistake of mentioning to confirmed onion-hater DS that I had added a sweet vidalia onion to the salad, and his response was "Onions??? I thought those were cucumbers!" whereupon he stopped eating them and began picking all of the onion slices out of his salad. GRRRRRRR!!!! Teenage boys!

In your serving bowl, combine the mayo and the sugar. Whisk well. Then add the cider vinegar, whisking well to get rid of any lumps.

When you are ready to serve the salad, add the broccoli, currants or raisins, onions, and toss thorougly with the dressing. Crumble the bacon and sprinkle on top.

NOTE: if you are not planning to eat all of this at one time, use and combine only as much dressing and other ingredients as you will eat at one sitting. Package all the leftover components separately, and combine them just before you plan to eat them. Otherwise, your broccoli will turn a very unattractive shade of gray-green and your bacon and raisins will get soggy. Ewwwwww! Not pleasant.


III. VANILLA MALTED MILK ICE CREAM (makes about 1 qt.)

I have shamelessly adapted this recipe slightly from Kat's heavenly-delicious Red Velvet Gelato Sandwiches. If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, I might well choose the sandwiches!! This ice cream has an amazing flavor-- rich and toasty, and sooooooooo much better than plain vanilla ice cream. It's fabulous all by itself, but is also a perfect foil for all kinds of baked goodies. I oomphed up the flavor with some vanilla powder (I love that stuff!) and extra malted milk powder. You must have an ice cream maker to prepare this, but it could hardly be simpler.

In a 4 c. glass measure, combine 2 c. whole milk and 1 c. heavy cream. Heat in the microwave until warm, about 2 minutes. Add 3/4 c. sugar, 3/4 c. malted milk powder, and 2 t. vanilla powder (or vanilla extract). Stir until ingredients are dissolved. Pour into a stainless steel bowl and immerse the bowl in an ice water bath.

Whisk until mixture is cold. Pour into your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions.

That's all there is to it! Store in an airtight container in the freezer.


IV. Cherry-Almond Shortbread Crumble

Looking for something to go with that ice cream?? This is the perfect accompaniment. DC is so totally a fruit pie man. I am so totally a cake and custard and chocolate nut. Can this happy home be saved?? Yes!!! Fruit dessert + creamy delicious accompaniment=relationship heaven. OK, just so you know, I am SO totally cheating here. I took Donna's Easiest Fruit Tart EVER recipe from My Tasty Treasures, made a few small changes, and gave it a new name. I admit I am positively unAmerican (or at least, as unAmerican as an American Indian can be), but I have never really cared for cherry (any fruit, really) pie. Don't like pie crust in general, and am not so crazy about uh, glueyness of pie filling. However, this "tart" crust tastes just like shortbread cookies to me, and it has made me a fruit tart fan. Plus, it's so easy, even I can't mess up the crust!

Preheat your oven to 350F. Now, for the secret ingredient: process 1/2 c. slivered almonds (toasted if you like) in the food processor until they are the consistency of coarse crumbs.

Next, combine 3 c. of flour and 1/2 c. of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add 2 sticks of butter, melted, and mix until dough is crumbly, but holds together when squeezed.

Pat 1/2 of the shortbread mixture into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a springform pan. (I need some new pans. The non-stick coating is starting to come off.)


Cover the bottom crust with the ground almonds, spreading them evenly. Now, open a can of cherry pie filling and pour a little into the pan on top of the almonds. Add 1 t. pure almond extract to the can and stir well. Then pour the rest of the filling into the crust, leaving about 1/4 "of crust around the sides. Now crumble the rest of the shortbread dough over the top of the cherries and almonds. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until golden.

EASY!!! YUMMY!!!! Serve warm with malted milk ice cream. It's like a trip to the soda fountain, but better!

Papa Bear plate


Baby Bear plate


Mama Bear plate


V. Butterscotch Finger Cakes

These incredibly scrumptious little treats are from Bunny's Warm Oven. They are just fabulous, they literally melt in your mouth. Bunny's turned out much prettier than mine, but they are very simple to make and fantastic to have on hand for afterschool snacks or to enjoy with afternoon tea! DS adores them.

The original recipe is from King Arthur Flour (my favorite!!!), who created them in memory of the long-departed and apparently deeply missed "Tasty Kake Butterscotch Krimpet." I never had the pleasure of tasting a Krimpet, but I cannot imagine it could be any more delicious than these wonderful finger cakes. Here is the recipe.


Bunny, you are a woman after my own heart!!

Well, these are 5 of my faves for when the going gets tough. I hope to be back soon with more exciting and original recipes, but lately, it's been back to basics at our house.

Hope everyone enjoyed Mother's Day yesterday! DS actually made breakfast in bed for DC and me. I was so proud of him! He is a real sweetie pie.

Me and DS (at my office in Chicago(