Refurbished Lamb

 

 

Finding inventive ways to utilize that leftover lamb in your refrigerator can be a challenge.  This is an easy, open sandwich using two fresh ingredients with the rest coming from the fridge.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Fresh mushrooms sautéed in butter and fresh garlic

One piece of toast, buttered

Leftover lamb

Leftover gravy

Shaved domestic parmesan cheese

 

Saute the mushrooms in a large skillet with olive oil, butter and fresh garlic.  Add leftover lamb and gravy.  Leave this simmering while you make a piece of toast.

 

Butter the toast, add the lamb mixture and top with shaved cheese.  Quick and yummy!

 

 



 

Slow Cooker Meatball Stew

 

 

 

 

Nothing is more satisfying than coming home to a great hot meal after a long and busy day.  To accomplish this, you need only to set your slow cooker before you leave your home.  A hearty loaf of bread is all you need to complete this delicious dinner.

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 pkg. of frozen meatballs

10 baby Yukon potatoes, quartered

10 baby carrots, quartered

l large onion, peeled and halved

garlic powder, salt and pepper

3 bay leaves

4 to 6 cups of broth

 

Put all ingredients in slow cooker.  Simmer all day.  Serve hot after removing bay leaves.  (You can add a little hearty dry red wine but it is not necessary)





FRITTATA

 

 

A frittata is an Italian omelet.  It is different than a regular omelet because it is finished in the oven rather than on a stovetop.  Traditionally made in a cast iron skillet, today's version can be made with a regular skillet if the skillet is oven-worthy.  Italian chefs often make a frittata to utilize the leftovers in the fridge.  Vegetarian chefs can fill the frittata with fresh herbs, vegetables and cheese.  If you like meat, this is a perfect vehicle.

 

 

Preheat your oven to 300F. 

 

 

Ingredients:

fresh eggs

butter

grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

fresh herbs

Diced vegetables or meat

Bacon on pancetta

 

This is a creative exercise.  Place your skillet on the stovetop and warm up on a low temperature.  If using meat, start with butter and simply allow the meat to warm up.  If using vegetables, the same method works nicely. 

 

While this is warming up, place a number of eggs in a mixing bowl.  Add cheese and herbs for flavor.  Mix roughly with a fork.  Pour the egg mixture over the skillet mixture.  Allow this to simmer over low heat for a few minutes.  Place the skillet in your oven.  Allow the mixture to bake until the eggs are set and firm.

 

This is an inexpensive way to feed a large number of people.  Serve with toast. 

 

 



ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

 

 

Italian wedding soup is historically an American soup consisting of greens and broth.  There are many variations but most consistently, this soup is made with any stock, fresh vegetables and either a protein or a starch product.  This is the Wikipedia definition...

 

 "Wedding soup consists of green vegetables (usually endive and escarole or cabbage, lettuce, kale, and/or spinach) and meat (usually meatballs and/or sausage) in a clear chicken-based broth. Wedding soup sometimes contains pasta (usually cavatelli, acini di pepe, pastina, orzo, etc.), lentils, or grated parmesan cheese.

 

Depending upon your time schedule, you can make a five or ten minute version with ingredients from your pantry or a more elaborate version starting with your own chicken stock.  Each are featured here. 

 

Ingredients:

 

8 cups of chicken broth (or vegetarian broth)

 

1/4 cup of fresh parsley

 

1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese

 

Tiny meatballs from your favorite recipe

 

2 cups of fresh greens (escarole, spinach, etc.)

 

2 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped

 

1 tbl. of concentrated tomato paste

 

1 bay leaf

 

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.  Allow to cook all day.  Shortly before serving, add 1 cup of cooked pasta (hot).  Serve with garlic bread.

 

 

To make the quick version, use canned stock, frozen meatballs and leftover pasta.  Put in a microwave safe bowl and heat up for about five minutes.  Serve with grated cheese and garlic bread.

 







Perfect Shortbread Cookies

I don't like making cookies.  Too time consuming and the product doesn't seem worth all the effort unless the cookie is perfect.  This one is...

Preheat oven to 350° F

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter ---must be at room temperature

1 cup of sugar

2 tsps. of vanilla

3 cups of flour

1/2 tsp. of salt

In a Kitchenaid or good mixer with dough paddle inserted, put butter and sugar.  Cream the butter well on low speed.  If you don't have a Kitchenaid, a food processor works with the plastic dough hook but don't overprocess.  Add the vanilla...mix until incorporated.  Add the flour and salt.  Mix until a great dough forms.  Put the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Allow oven to preheat while the dough is in the fridge resting.

Take a 9 x 11 disposable aluminum baking pan and put dough in pan.  No need to do anything to the baking pan.  Press down until all dough fits. 

Bake 15 to 20 until the edges are slightly brown.

Remove the pan from the oven and place on a rack.  Cut the cookies into rectangular shapes while warm (I use my ravioli cutter so the edges look pretty).  Place on a rack to cool.

Technically, you now have perfect cookies.  However, many cooks like to finish these off by dipping in melted chocolate or topping with sprinkles. 

Chocolate topping:

Melt chocolate with a 1/4 cup of Nutella and a little butter in the microwave on low speed until melted.  Add some premade coffee (just enough to make a creamy melt).  Mix with a fork.  Dip one half of each cookie in the chocolate.  Place on rack to cool.  Add sprinkles or whatever.

Cookies will keep for a couple of weeks in fridge.

Saturday Soup

My grandmother, Lucy Piermarini, was a wonderful cook.  Because she was my caregiver when my mother worked, she taught me how to cook all the regional dishes of Tuscany and many great recipes from her Roman heritage.  Because she never wasted anything, she would make a large (18 quart) pot of soup on Saturday which would become the first course for our weekly Sunday dinner.  Soup is always comforting so this recipe can serve you well if you put it in a slow cooker and walk away.

In a slow cooker, pour in 64 ounces of chicken stock or beef stock.  Set the temperature on low.  Add 3 tbl.  of tomato paste, three bay leaves and six cloves of garlic, crushed.  This is the basic stock when you make this soup.  To enhance the flavor of the broth, you can add demi glace, a little wine, etc.  For really great flavor, add a rind of parmiagiano reggiano or any frozen rind of cheese (always freeze the rinds because they are a fabulous addition to soups and stews).  A ham hock works well too...be creative!

From the fridge, add all vegetables, meat products, beans and rice to the stock.  Let this simmer all day, with a dash of salt and pepper.  About 30 minutes before serving, add any leftover pasta.  Serve with a crusty loaf of Italian bread and grated imported Italian cheese.

Chicken Caesar Salad

This is a very quick, easy dinner to make on a very hot summer day.  Either buy one of those ready to mix kits that comes with everything but the chicken or use the recipe below.  You'll be happy with either one.

Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce, washed, dried and broken into bite sized pieces

1 hard boiled egg

Bacon bits (buy the packaged ones for quick assembly)

Croutons (buy a good package of garlic/butter croutons)

Chicken pieces (use either rotisserie chicken from the store or leftover chicken from another meal

Caesar dressing

Break the romaine lettuce into bite sized pieces and scatter in a platter.  Crumble a hard boiled egg and scatter two or three pieces of bacon over the lettuce.  Shred the chicken pieces into bite sized portions.  Sprinkle croutons.  Add dressing before serving.