Meatloaf

Meatloaf is the ultimate comfort food...it can be made with any variety of meat or made with tofu as a vegetarian dish.  It is not so much what is put into it that matters...more importantly, it is how the ingredients are added that is important.  The best meatloaf is made well ahead of baking time (six to eight hours) and refrigerated to allow all the flavors in the mixture to meld together.  Be bold and creative...there is no real way to mess up meatloaf unless you cook it too long in the oven.  (This results in a very dry, not so tasty, dinner).   Anything goes well with meatloaf.  My husband likes ketchup but I prefer gravy.  Potatoes, pasta, or a compatible starch works and a great green vegetable. Add a little wine, some candlelight, and you turn a plain meal into a special one.

Ingredients:

1 lb. of ground meat

1 egg

breadcrumbs (flavored are good...sometimes I grind up Stouffer's stuffing mix as my breadcrumbs)

1 tsp. of soy sauce

sauteed mushrooms

a little bit of liquid (chicken stock; heavy cream, etc)

Mix all ingredients and cover bowl with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for six or more hours.

Preheat oven to 350F

Place meat mixture in loaf pan.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until you see the juices bubbling.

Delicious!!!

Apple Pie

 Preheat oven to 400F

My mother-in-law, Elizabeth Marshall,  made a terrific apple pie.  She got Northern Spy apples whenever they were available, and otherwise, chose a very tart apple.  The key to this pie is allowing the apples to macerate for at least an hour, more if possible.  Don't overcook the pie.

2 pie crusts

8 very tart apples (Granny Smith)

1/2 cup of sugar (turbinado)

½ cup of dark molasses

½ cup of melted butter flavored Crisco

Juice of one half of a lemon

2 tsps. of corn starch

Peel and core apples and slice into pieces.  Put all the apples in a deep bowl and place all the other ingredients in the bowl.  Allow this mixture to sit at room temperature for at least an hour. 

Before you put the apples in the crust, sift the corn starch into the mixture and toss well with a fork until well blended.

Put the first crust in the pie pan and add  the apple mixture.  I usually put a few pats of butter on the apple filling before adding the second crust.   Cut the crust in a few places with a sharp knife to allow steam to evaporate.

Bake for at least 45 minutes  or until a knife inserted  in the apples shows the apples are soft and cooked.

A Tour of Virginia --- Charlottesville

A Tour of Virginia --- Charlottesville

Charlottesville has a lot to offer and one of the more enjoyable forms of entertainment is a walking, food tasting tour of the city.  This adventure features stops at area restaurants, local establishments and sweet delicacies.

We began our tour at Shebeen's, enjoying the Durban Spiced Chicken with delicate flavors of African spice, lemon and complementary sauces, served over a bed of delicious grits.  Our guide, Deborah, was delightfully informative of the history of Charlottesville and each location we visited.

The West Main Diner is located in a historic building and serves up delicious food.  We enjoyed the four-cheese Macaroni and Cheese Dinner.  

The next two stops were at Feast and The Organic Butcher, both located in the same area, and both fascinating.  Feast offers a unique blend of local and exquisite foods that add a splash of pizzazz to any table.  The Organic Butcher is a meat lover's heaven...an old-fashioned butcher shop that cuts your favorite meat any way you like it.  

When I first got to Charlottesville, I looked up all the diners.  I love diner food and was delighted to learn that one of the stops on this tour was The Blue Moon Diner.  I was not happy to learn that the food item we would be tasting was golden beets.  Since I despise beets, I still embraced the chance to learn about the diner.  We were warmly received by the owners and promptly served the beet dish.  I have to say that this dish was the most surprising food dish I have ever eaten and easily one of the best.  This dish was worthy of the price we paid for the tour.

We capped off our day with a trip to Pearl's Bake Shoppe where we promptly bought a box of cupcakes for my daughter, Kim, and her husband, Christopher, who had gifted us with this tour.  

We finished our adventure at Gearharts Fine Chocolates where we were treated to some fine, hand-crafted chocolates created by chocolatier, Tim Gearhart.  Although by the time of day we arrived at the shop, the chocolates were fast disappearing, we were able to choose delightful concoctions that not only were visibly quite fascinating but equally pleasing to the palate.

This Tour satisfies on many levels, combining a look at the history of Charlottesville with a great introduction to the food of Charlottesville, Virginia.  Sign Up!!!

https://www.tasteofvirginiafoodtours.com/

Party Potatoes

6 Yukon gold potatoes, boiled

1 stick of butter

1 tbl. of garlic powder

flavored pepper

1/2 cup of parmesan cheese

1 tbl. of chopped chives

a little heavy cream

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Salt to taste.

Apple Cobbler

Preheat oven to 350F

6 to 8 very tart apples

1 tbl. of molasses (heavy black)

1 tsp. of white vinegar

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp. of cinnamon

1/2 tsp. of nutmeg

Peel and slice apples, placing them in a deep bowl with these ingredients.  Let them macerate for at least two hours.

Topping:

1 cup of biscuit topping

1/4 cup of cinnamon sugar

1/2 stick of butter

1 egg, room temperature

In a large bowl, pour in biscuit topping and cinnamon sugar.  Cut in the butter.  Toss the egg in with a fork.

Place apples in a glass casserole dish.  Cover the apples with the topping. 

Bake for at least 30 minutes until the cobbler is bubbling and the topping is golden brown

Chinese Style Casserole

Chinese Style Casserole

The passionate cook, whether specifically trained in a certain cuisine or not, will constantly try to find new ways to add freshness to a true and tried recipe.  In this case, I have taken a recipe which I've been making for years and giving it a tweak by using oriental spices.  Served over a bed of buttered rice, it is comforting, quick to make and tasty.  It reheats well.  This sounds like a basket from Chopped

Chinese Style Casserole

1 lb. of ground beef

1 lb. of ground pork

1 tbl. of garlic powder

1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup

1 cup of chicken stock

1 inch of fresh ginger, minced

1/2 tsp. of nutmeg

soy sauce to taste

Brown the meat.  Add soup, stock, spices and soy sauce.  Simmer for ten minutes.

Serve over buttered rice

Pasta e Fagioli

My Grandmother's family was from Rome so I actually learned to make this traditional Italian soup two different ways because my Aunt Lucy Tocci, made it a little differently.  The most important part of this recipe is to soak the yellow eye beans for a minimum of twelve hours.  This is a perfect crock pot recipe.     You must allow this soup to simmer for a very long time (usually eight to ten hours) to allow the flavors to combine properly.   Traditionally, this soup is a vegetarian.  I will post the vegetarian version next week.

Also, it is very important to serve this soup with a really crusty Italian loaf of bread.  (When I go to the North End in Boston, I buy multiple loaves of bread and freeze it...       http://bovabakeryboston.com/  ).  Have a good chianti on hand and you have a perfect meal!!!!!

Ingredients:   

1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery (with leaves on) chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. of yellow eye beans soaked overnight
1 can of red kidney beans
1 can of cannelloni beans (white)
1 can of lentil beans
1 prosciutto shank or 3 large ham shanks (get leftover prosciutto shanks from the butcher..better for this soup)
32 ounces of chicken stock
1 can of beef consommé
3 to 4 cloves of garlic
2 bay leaves
1 32 ounce can of San Marzano crushed tomatoes
1 to 2 cans of San Marzano tomato paste
1/4 cup of freshly chopped parsley
1/2 cup of cooked elbow macaroni
1/2 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Have the crock pot handy....
Directions:

First step is to drain the yellow eye beans in cold water.  Just leave them in the colander until you are ready for them.

In a large skillet, prepare the soffritto.  Soffritto is the Italian term for the traditional combination of onion, carrot and celery preparation that begins many soups.  Put a little extra virgin olive oil in the skillet and simmer until the onion turns white.  It is important to use all of the celery, including the leaves.  Salt and pepper lightly.  Allow to cool.

Plug in the crock pot on the lowest heat setting.  Add all the ingredients except the canned beans and pasta.  I was taught to add the canned beans and pasta one half hour before serving time.  If you don't have the time to do that, just throw them in the crock pot with everything else. 

At serving time, have the bread ready, the wine popped and serve with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.