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. 

  

Bob’s Desert

 

1 pkg. of instant pudding (chocolate fudge)

A little heavy cream to mix the pudding (not much because the marscapone will add moisture and volume)

8 oz. of marscapone

1 tsp. of vanilla

 

Cool Whip

Raspberry coulis

Chocolate fudge sauce

Garnish:  fresh raspberry

 

Put instant pudding in a deep mixing bowl.  Using an electric mixer, pour in a scant amount of milk or heavy cream  (just to mix the pudding).  Add 8 ounces of marscapone and 1 tsp. of good vanilla.  Mix well

 

Assembly:

Take one beautiful champagne glass.  Put a dollop of the chocolate mixture in the bottom.  Add cool whip.  Cover cool whip with a generous spoonful of chocolate fudge sauce and the raspberry coulis.  Garnish with a fresh raspberry.

 

 

 

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

 

 

 

Preheat oven to 400F

 

Two pie crusts

 

3 stalks of rhubarb

10 to 12 oz. of frozen strawberries in sugar sauce

1/2 cup of white vinegar

juice of one lemon

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

freshly grated nutmeg

 

Have pie crusts at room temperature to roll out.  Roll out first crust and put on the bottom of a pie plate.

 

Put rhubarb, strawberries, vinegar, lemon, sugar and nutmeg in a microwavable bowl.  Nuke for 5 minutes.  Add two tbl. of sifted cornstarch and stir well with a fork.

 

Put rhubarb mixture in the prepared pie plate.  Dot with butter.  Cover with top crust.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes.

 

 

 



 

Oven Fried Chicken

Oven Fried Chicken

 

If I were marooned on a desert island and had the choice of one unlimited supply of protein, I would choose chicken thighs.  The flavor of chicken thighs marries so well with any ingredient that it can invariably be cooked hundreds of ways without being similar to other dishes.  Chicken thighs absorb flavor beautifully and whenever I make a braised chicken dish, I use the thighs because the dish comes out beautifully.  This technique is not the classic way that fried chicken is made but it comes out nicely.

 

 

Oven Fried Chicken

8 pieces of chicken thighs, bone in

2 cups of Italian flavored breadcrumbs
3 small eggs
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Preheat oven to 400F.  Put 1 cup of butter flavored Crisco in a baking dish big enough to hold the chicken and put in oven to warm up while you prepare the chicken.  The pan should stay in the oven for at least 20 minutes or until the oil is bubbling.

Put the breadcrumbs in a pie plate (without holes).  Put the eggs in a pie plate (without holes).  Mix the spices with the egg mixture.  Dredge the chicken first in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs.  Place on holding plate until the baking dish is ready.

Place the chicken skin side down in hot oil.  Salt lightly.  Place in oven and allow the first side to cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.  Remove pan from oven, (leave the oven door open to let out a little heat) turn chicken over and put back in oven but reduce the temperature of the oven to 350F for the remainder of cooking time (at least 30 minutes). 

Remove chicken from fat and allow to drain for 10 minutes on a rack covered with brown paper.  Serve hot.

Ossobucco

Ossobucco

Home chefs are sometimes concerned about trying classic dishes which sound more complicated than they are.  Ossobucco is a perfect example…it’s just a braised stew.    It is not difficult to make but you do need some very special ingredients for it to be authentic and taste fabulous.  Veal stock does not appear on the shelves of many supermarkets so I make a batch about once a month and freeze it.  You can substitute chicken stock but it’s not the same.  I have yet to find veal stock on the Internet but I’m sure it’s out there somewhere.  Classic ossobucco is a Milanese recipe that originated in Italy.

For this recipe, you want to have brown veal stock.  (I have included a recipe for brown veal stock below.  There are other types of veal stock but we’ll save that for another time.)

The other key ingredient to this recipe is pancetta.  Pancetta is Italian bacon and it has a unique flavor which lends itself beautifully to ossobucco.

Prep time for this recipe is at least 30 minutes but once assembled, it just simmers away.  You can simmer it in the oven, in a crockpot or on top of the stove.  Just allow for a minimum of two hours of cooking time and the flavors will be layered properly.  I serve this dish over buttered noodles.

Ossobucco

Ingredients:

6 to 8 Veal Shanks
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
½ lb. of pancetta, diced
Olive oil and butter
4 cups of brown veal stock
1 big head of elephant garlic, finely chopped (that’s about six or seven big garlic pieces)
Fresh chives, finely chopped
Fresh Rosemary
Fresh Italian parsley
Fresh Thyme
Dried mushrooms, reconstituted
Dry white wine (about two cups...I use a Pinot Grigio)
Salt, pepper and garlic

If using the oven, preheat the oven to 300F.   

Preparation:

In a large dutch oven, put two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 2 pats of butter.  Over very slow heat, brown the pancetta.  I sometimes throw in pork fat too (never hurt anything) for extra flavor.  You want to cook this extremely slowly so it browns nicely but does not burn.  When the bacon is nicely golden brown, remove the dutch oven from the stovetop, fill a large glass bowl with a paper towel and spoon out the bacon.  (You are reserving the fat in the pan so do not discard this.) 

Put the dutch oven back on the stovetop.   Sauté the onion very slowly until translucent over slowest heat.   Remove the pan from the heat.  Spoon onions into a holding bowl.

While the onion simmers, take a piece of cheesecloth and make a spice garnish with the rosemary, any other fresh herbs you want to add.  Set aside.

There are many methods for preparing the shanks themselves.  Some chefs like to roast them at a high temperature in the oven.  That works very well and requires no attendance.  I prefer to braise the veal shanks in the dutch oven after the flavors have started to blend together.  You may need to add a tad more of the olive oil and butter.  Put the dutch oven back on the stovetop, and the heat should be around medium low.

To prepare the veal shanks, dry them.  Dredge them lightly in flour, salt and pepper them lightly. 

Slowly braise the veal shanks until they are golden brown.  Carefully remove them from the dutch oven and put them in a holding bowl.

Remove the reconstituted mushrooms from their liquid but reserve the liquid.  Slowly simmer the mushrooms and the chopped garlic over very low heat. 

When the mushrooms are golden brown, remove the dutch oven from the stovetop.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Put all the reserved ingredients back into the dutch oven.  Place the garnish in cheesecloth on top of the stew.  Finish the cooking process.

Some chefs like to add tomatoes to this dish but I like my version without tomatoes.  Some of the classic recipes also use celery but if you make the veal stock with celery, the flavor will be there and there is no reason to add celery.

Veal Stock

Veal stock is very simple to make.  For brown veal stock, I use a combination of beef consommé and chicken stock.  It is basically a stock used to make other dishes.  It freezes well so if you are taking the time to make this expensive stock, do a large version of it and freeze it.

Ingredients:

6 to 8 lbs. of veal bones (necks, shanks, etc.)
2 large yellow onions, chopped
2 fresh carrots, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
Four cloves of garlic, chopped
3 to 4 bay leaves
¼ cup of chopped Italian parsley (fresh)
3 to 4 sprigs of Rosemary
2      32 oz. cans of chicken broth
2 cans of beef consommé

Cut a piece of cheesecloth and put the bay leaves and rosemary in the center.  Tie the cheesecloth with twine and set aside.

 
In a large dutch oven, put 2 tbl. of extra virgin olive oil and 2 pats of butter. 
Prepare the veal bones exactly as we did in the above recipe.  Slowly simmer the veal bones until golden brown.  Add all the remaining ingredients.  Simmer for several hours.

Allow the stock to cool completely before freezing.  The little meat on the bones makes a great snack.

Caesar Salad

Perfect Caesar Salad

         

Caesar Salad is a perfect first course when made properly.  My recipe was developed simply because I loathe the main ingredient of Caesar Salad...anchovies.  In my version, you get a perfect dressing without the slimy fish.

It is attributed to Chef Caesar Cardini of Mexico and if you are a Julia Child fan, watch the episode where she talks about Caesar Salad.   It must have made a strong impression  on her if she carried that passion for it  throughout her lifetime.

 

This recipe is easy to make but technique is everything.  Eggs must be at room temperature.  Romaine lettuce must be fresh and crisp.  And buy parmigiano reggiano©.  If you have time for making fresh croutons, it is definitely worth the effort.  And, my preference is to make Caesar Salad dressing in one of my food processors because you don’t need to grandstand making salad at the table in your own kitchen.

Caesar  Salad

Dressing:

Fresh Romaine Lettuce

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (we will do an extensive lesson another time)
One lemon at room temperature
One egg at room temperature
2 inches of anchovy paste
1 large clove of garlic
1/3 cup of parmigiano reggiano©
A dash of Worcestershire (I use white) 
Croutons

Put everything but the olive oil in your food processor.  Process until blended.  Taste and add lemon and/or cheese accordingly.

Assembly:

Break up romaine lettuce by hand and place in a salad bowl.  Pour dressing over lettuce.  Add croutons.  Serve.