My sister Kathryn was a big fan of the Garfield comic strip as a child. Garfield the cat loved lasagna, and one year Kathryn decided lasagna was her favorite food as well. Luckily she liked to make it too, and would toil for hours in the kitchen to make it for her birthday and on other special occasions.
As an adult, the image of my sister slaving away over a hot stove was enough to keep me from making lasagna too often. Plus, although it tastes good, it’s not exactly good for you, with the layers upon layers of ooey-gooey cheese.
Over the years I’ve learned a few tricks and acquired a few recipes that have dashed those old worries about time and health (to some extent). The first was my discovery of no-boil lasagna noodle. I’ve always thought the worst part about making lasagna was cooking those enormous noodles. They always seem to stick together in the pan, they’re awkward to handle, and they take a long time to cook.
Then some genius came up with noodles that don’t have to be boiled before they go into the lasagna. You simply lay them in the pan and add the rest of your ingredients. Although I’ve found they don’t cook up quite as nicely as the pre-boiled noodles, when I’m pinched for time I’m willing to make the sacrifice.
If you’re really in a hurry, forget lasagna noodles altogether and use frozen ravioli instead. The ravioli are easy to handle and, since they’re already stuffed with cheese (and other goodies depending on your preference) it cuts down on the time spent grating, slicing or stirring up cheese mixes. I’ve heard this dish referred to as “Shortcut” Lasagna and it really is a huge time-saver. Try buying whole grain ravioli, which will make the dish a little better for you.
Although I prefer to make my red sauce from scratch, using bottled pasta sauce can also save you a lot of time. My favorite trick to boost nutrition is to stir lots of fresh veggies into the sauce. I find that adults think they add flavor and kids hardly notice them. Spinach and red pepper are my favorites, but you can use whatever veggies you have on hand.
The last time I made lasagna, and was cutting up an entire pound of mozzarella cheese, I realized that simply putting less of the bad stuff in lasagna would also make it healthier. Just like that, Kathryn’s Lasagna got a quick makeover. I think it’s almost as good as the original – although, like so many dishes, somehow it always tastes better when my sister makes it.
Shortcut Lasagna
Makes 12 servings
1 25-ounce package frozen ravioli (whole wheat if desired)
1 lb. ground turkey
1 garlic clove, minced
1 zucchini, grated
1 bunch spinach, cut into 2” pieces
6-8 mushrooms, sliced
1 24-ounce jar pasta sauce
1 T. dried parsley
1 9-ounce bag mozzarella cheese
Cook ravioli according to package directions; drain.
In the meantime, in a large skillet, cook turkey and garlic until meat is no longer pink. Add zucchini, spinach, mushrooms, sauce and parsley and cook until vegetables are tender.
Pour 1/3 of sauce into a 9” x 13” pan. Layer with half the ravioli, 1/3 sauce mixture, and half the cheese. Repeat layers. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Kathryn’s Lasagna
Makes 12 servings
1 lb. ground pork sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
1 bunch spinach, cut into 2” pieces
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 T. dried basil
1 16-ounce container cottage cheese
¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. dried parsley
1 egg
½ t. pepper
8 no-boil lasagna noodles
½ lb. mozzarella cheese, sliced very thin
In a large skillet, cook sausage and garlic until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, spinach, bell pepper and basil. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, mix cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, egg and pepper in a large bowl.
Pour 1/3 of sauce into a 9” x 13” pan. Layer with half the noodles and cottage cheese mixture. Top with 1/3 sauce, lasagna noodles, mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/3 sauce. Repeat layers. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Cool Kitchen Gadget
This is what I got instead of an Easter basket. It even had a chocolate Easter bunny in it. How cool!
http://www.worldwidefred.com/equalmeasure.htm
http://www.worldwidefred.com/equalmeasure.htm
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Family Cooking Disasters
Most of my relatives on my mom’s side of the family belong to a Yahoo! Group so we can share updates and stories. The most recent conversation has been about cooking disasters, and it’s been quite entertaining. I thought I would share a few of my favorites. (Don’t miss the recipe at the bottom of the post)
From my Aunt Maria:
Last week Nick was coming to dinner and I set out to make his favorite: Chicken Pot Pie. In the morning, I lovingly baked some boneless, skinless chicken breasts, wrapped them in foil, and refrigerated them. About 5 pm I set out to make that CHICKEN Pot Pie.
I chopped up celery, carrots, broccoli florets, onions, etc; made the sauce, combined it all. Then I rolled out the pie crust. As I filled up the pie crust in the pie plate, I noticed that it seemed the 12-inch pie plate was too big for the job; the filling ingredients just did not fill up the crust like it should. Oh, well, I was in a hurry, and I went on and rolled out the top pie crust, lovingly placed it over the ingredients, fluted the edges. Beautiful.
An hour later or so later, the cooked CHICKEN pot pie sat on the counter about 10 minutes to cool a bit. We finished slurping our cups of homemade asparagus soup and I got up to slice the CHICKEN Pot pie.
As I sliced it, I looked at Nick who was looking at me as I sliced, and I must have had a stupid, duh! look on my face as I had a grim realization. He said, "What?"
"I forgot to put the (expletive deleted) chicken in this." (Unbelievable!!!)
Oh, that was okay with him; "We can have a vegetable pot pie."
Unwilling to do that I made a quick recovery. I yanked the foil-wrapped chicken from the fridge, unwrapped one & sliced it at warp speed, lifted up the top crust on the slices, and tucked some chopped chicken in. The filling was still very hot and everything was ok. Very yummy, CHICKEN pot pie, indeed.
From my Uncle Jim:
I had decided that instead of cooking the traditional turkey for dinner, I would barbeque a duck. I of course considered myself to be pretty good at this sort of thing. I put the duck, a big fat one, on the rotisserie, basted it with orange sauce, and started cooking. When I went to check on it, not knowing it was overloaded with grease, the thing had caught on fire, blown the glass out of the barbeque and pretty well destroyed the whole thing. The duck came into the house burned to a crisp. It was totally black from one end to the other.
From yours truly:
All the cooking disasters I've been privy to recently had to do with spice mix-ups - mostly because I'm not very good about labeling spices. A few months ago my mom volunteered to make curry for dinner. She accidentally put paprika in the dish instead of turmeric. When we realized what happened we added a little turmeric and it was just as good as usual.
Then I made paprika chicken at Chris's house and ran out of paprika. No problem, he said, he had more in the cupboard. We realized later that he'd given me cayenne pepper instead of paprika. Luckily it was edible but it was REALLY spicy! (the recipe for this – sans all the cayenne – is below)
The worst, though, was when I put a tablespoon of dried mint in lasagna instead of parsley. We ate it that night but I threw the rest of it away. Chris tried to make me feel better by saying, "Hey, usually when you eat lasagna you smell like garlic. With this one your breath is minty fresh!"
Chicken Paprikash
Makes 8 servings
3 T. flour
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1/2" strips
1 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
6 mushrooms, sliced
1¼ c. chicken stock
2 T. Hungarian sweet paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 c. sour cream
Cooked egg noodles for serving
Toss chicken in flour. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Brown chicken in oil, about 4 minutes. Add onion, red pepper, green pepper, garlic, celery and mushrooms and cook about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften. Add chicken stock, paprika, pepper, salt and pepper (make sure stock mostly covers chicken; if it doesn’t, add a little water). Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and let simmer for one hour or until chicken is very tender. Stir in sour cream and heat through (do not boil). Serve over cooked egg noodles.
From my Aunt Maria:
Last week Nick was coming to dinner and I set out to make his favorite: Chicken Pot Pie. In the morning, I lovingly baked some boneless, skinless chicken breasts, wrapped them in foil, and refrigerated them. About 5 pm I set out to make that CHICKEN Pot Pie.
I chopped up celery, carrots, broccoli florets, onions, etc; made the sauce, combined it all. Then I rolled out the pie crust. As I filled up the pie crust in the pie plate, I noticed that it seemed the 12-inch pie plate was too big for the job; the filling ingredients just did not fill up the crust like it should. Oh, well, I was in a hurry, and I went on and rolled out the top pie crust, lovingly placed it over the ingredients, fluted the edges. Beautiful.
An hour later or so later, the cooked CHICKEN pot pie sat on the counter about 10 minutes to cool a bit. We finished slurping our cups of homemade asparagus soup and I got up to slice the CHICKEN Pot pie.
As I sliced it, I looked at Nick who was looking at me as I sliced, and I must have had a stupid, duh! look on my face as I had a grim realization. He said, "What?"
"I forgot to put the (expletive deleted) chicken in this." (Unbelievable!!!)
Oh, that was okay with him; "We can have a vegetable pot pie."
Unwilling to do that I made a quick recovery. I yanked the foil-wrapped chicken from the fridge, unwrapped one & sliced it at warp speed, lifted up the top crust on the slices, and tucked some chopped chicken in. The filling was still very hot and everything was ok. Very yummy, CHICKEN pot pie, indeed.
From my Uncle Jim:
I had decided that instead of cooking the traditional turkey for dinner, I would barbeque a duck. I of course considered myself to be pretty good at this sort of thing. I put the duck, a big fat one, on the rotisserie, basted it with orange sauce, and started cooking. When I went to check on it, not knowing it was overloaded with grease, the thing had caught on fire, blown the glass out of the barbeque and pretty well destroyed the whole thing. The duck came into the house burned to a crisp. It was totally black from one end to the other.
From yours truly:
All the cooking disasters I've been privy to recently had to do with spice mix-ups - mostly because I'm not very good about labeling spices. A few months ago my mom volunteered to make curry for dinner. She accidentally put paprika in the dish instead of turmeric. When we realized what happened we added a little turmeric and it was just as good as usual.
Then I made paprika chicken at Chris's house and ran out of paprika. No problem, he said, he had more in the cupboard. We realized later that he'd given me cayenne pepper instead of paprika. Luckily it was edible but it was REALLY spicy! (the recipe for this – sans all the cayenne – is below)
The worst, though, was when I put a tablespoon of dried mint in lasagna instead of parsley. We ate it that night but I threw the rest of it away. Chris tried to make me feel better by saying, "Hey, usually when you eat lasagna you smell like garlic. With this one your breath is minty fresh!"
Chicken Paprikash
Makes 8 servings
3 T. flour
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1/2" strips
1 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
6 mushrooms, sliced
1¼ c. chicken stock
2 T. Hungarian sweet paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 c. sour cream
Cooked egg noodles for serving
Toss chicken in flour. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Brown chicken in oil, about 4 minutes. Add onion, red pepper, green pepper, garlic, celery and mushrooms and cook about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften. Add chicken stock, paprika, pepper, salt and pepper (make sure stock mostly covers chicken; if it doesn’t, add a little water). Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and let simmer for one hour or until chicken is very tender. Stir in sour cream and heat through (do not boil). Serve over cooked egg noodles.
Monday, March 22, 2010
A Dinner Too Good Not To Share
When my favorite cooking magazine came in the mail over the weekend I was inspired by a salmon salad that promised to be light, springy, and packed with good-for-the-brain omega-3’s. Who can’t use some extra brain power on a Monday? Magazine in hand, I charged off to work this morning, planning a quick shopping trip for the ingredients.
Those of you who know me well won’t be surprised to hear I somehow lost the magazine over the course of the day. Luckily I could remember some of the ingredients, and the more I started thinking about it, the more I thought the salad needed something fruity to compliment its purported springy-ness.
Not all my last-minute dinner experiments turn out so well, so I had to share this one right away. The fruit dressing was a great compliment to the salmon, as was the fresh spinach salad. Walnuts added another dose of omega-3 fatty acid, and avocados provide a dose of “good” fat.
No salmon meal is complete without rice pilaf, in my opinion, so I’ve included my recipe for that as well. The complete meal also came together in about an hour. So in addition to all the health benefits, you can enjoy a time benefit with this delicious meal!
Rice Pilaf
Makes 4 servings
1 T. butter
¼ c. orzo
1 ½ c. wild rice
2 c. chicken stock
½ t. pepper
¼ t. salt
¼ t. dried thyme
¼ t. dried parsley
Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add orzo and cook, stirring occasionally, until orzo begins to brown. Add rice and stir well. Add chicken stock, 1 c. water, pepper, salt, thyme and parsley. Bring to a boil, then cook until liquid is absorbed, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile….
Salmon with Spinach Salad
Makes 4 servings
2 oranges
¼ c. blueberries
2 T. white wine vinegar
1 t. honey
½ t. Dijon mustard
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
¼ c. canola oil
1 t. poppy seeds
1 lb. salmon fillets
9 ounce bag baby spinach
¼ c. walnuts
1 avocado, cut into cubes
Supreme both oranges, reserving juice. Put orange juice, blueberries, vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper in a blender; pulse to combine. While blender is running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until well combined.
Brush 1 T. dressing over salmon fillets. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until salmon is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
Place spinach, oranges, walnuts and avocado in a bowl. Stir poppy seeds into remaining dressing. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss until spinach is well coated (you may not need all dressing).
Serve salmon with salad and rice pilaf.
Those of you who know me well won’t be surprised to hear I somehow lost the magazine over the course of the day. Luckily I could remember some of the ingredients, and the more I started thinking about it, the more I thought the salad needed something fruity to compliment its purported springy-ness.
Not all my last-minute dinner experiments turn out so well, so I had to share this one right away. The fruit dressing was a great compliment to the salmon, as was the fresh spinach salad. Walnuts added another dose of omega-3 fatty acid, and avocados provide a dose of “good” fat.
No salmon meal is complete without rice pilaf, in my opinion, so I’ve included my recipe for that as well. The complete meal also came together in about an hour. So in addition to all the health benefits, you can enjoy a time benefit with this delicious meal!
Rice Pilaf
Makes 4 servings
1 T. butter
¼ c. orzo
1 ½ c. wild rice
2 c. chicken stock
½ t. pepper
¼ t. salt
¼ t. dried thyme
¼ t. dried parsley
Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add orzo and cook, stirring occasionally, until orzo begins to brown. Add rice and stir well. Add chicken stock, 1 c. water, pepper, salt, thyme and parsley. Bring to a boil, then cook until liquid is absorbed, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile….
Salmon with Spinach Salad
Makes 4 servings
2 oranges
¼ c. blueberries
2 T. white wine vinegar
1 t. honey
½ t. Dijon mustard
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
¼ c. canola oil
1 t. poppy seeds
1 lb. salmon fillets
9 ounce bag baby spinach
¼ c. walnuts
1 avocado, cut into cubes
Supreme both oranges, reserving juice. Put orange juice, blueberries, vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper in a blender; pulse to combine. While blender is running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until well combined.
Brush 1 T. dressing over salmon fillets. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until salmon is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
Place spinach, oranges, walnuts and avocado in a bowl. Stir poppy seeds into remaining dressing. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss until spinach is well coated (you may not need all dressing).
Serve salmon with salad and rice pilaf.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Paella Lessons From A Master
Last Christmas my boyfriend received a paella pan from his brother’s partner, Alex Province. Even better, Alex gave him detailed instructions on how to make this traditional Spanish dish. Although Alex was raised in the United States, he was born in Madrid and went to graduate school in Spain. Today he is a manager for a wine company, owner of a Spanish wine import company, and a paella connoisseur.
“Paella (pah-EY-uh) is designed to be a peasant dish,” Alex explained to us. “It’s a philosophy and a cooking style more than a formula.” The basic idea is to combine rice, veggies, and meat or seafood in a shallow pan and cook it until it becomes major comfort food. The following are some tips for making great paella at home.
First is the pan. A paella pan, which is large and shallow, helps but is not absolutely necessary. A large frying pan is a decent stand-in. Alex recommends measuring out the volume your pan can hold by pouring water into it before you get started. You can measure how much the pan will comfortably hold and make adjustments to your recipe from there.
Next is the rice. It’s important to use Valencia rice, which is intended for paella. “Make sure you don’t put too much rice in the pan,” Alex advises. “You want a nice, thin layer.” No matter how much paella you cook you’ll want to stick to a ratio of two cups of hot stock per one cup of rice.
Your goal with paella is to make sure all the liquid has absorbed by the time the rice is tender. You’ll want to carefully monitor your paella while it’s on the stovetop to make sure it doesn’t burn, but don’t stir it while it’s cooking. It will make the rice mushy. Finishing the paella in the oven is possible if you can’t get even heat on the stovetop. If you think you might do that, make sure your pan is oven safe before you get started. Also, tenting your paella with foil at the end of the cooking process will help the rice suck up the extra liquid, so it’s okay for there to be some liquid in the pan when you take it off the stove.
Use high quality stock for paella. Saffron is one of the things that makes this dish special, and you’ll want to put the saffron in the stock before it’s added to the rice.
When Alex makes paella he makes sofrito first (although that’s not included in my recipe). Sofrito is basically tomatoes, onion, garlic and bell peppers cooked to a mushy paste. If you want to use sofrito you can make it in advance and store it in the fridge. Leftovers are delicious with eggs, beans, or on steak.
Once you have all the ingredients (and the pan) squared away you can start thinking about what kind of meat to put in your paella. Seafood is a classic. So is rabbit and bacon, or chicken and chorizo (a spicy Spanish sausage). Alex says a combination of seafood and meat is his favorite. That being said, this is an easy dish to make vegetarian.
The recipe for Basic Paella is the one my sweetie tried when we got home, but it’s just something to get you started. Please take the elements of paella described here and play with them until you have something that suits your family’s tastes.
And don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t turn out perfect the first time. “Paella takes practice,” Alex says. “As long as the rice is cooked right you’ll end up with an edible treat that will wow your friends.” Even the master confesses, “I’m still, to this day, trying to recreate paella as good as my mother’s.”
Basic Paella
Makes 8 servings
4 chicken thighs
4 t. smoked Spanish paprika
Salt and pepper
1 chorizo sausage, sliced
3 T. olive oil, divided
1 8-ounce can chopped tomatoes, drained
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. Valencia rice
1 c. white wine
4 c. chicken stock
Pinch saffron
1 c. frozen peas
Season chicken with paprika, salt and pepper. Cook in paella pan until chicken is browned and beginning to caramelize. Remove chicken and keep warm. Add chorizo to pan and cook through. Remove chorizo and keep warm.
Heat 1 T. oil in paella pan. Add tomatoes, onion, peppers and garlic and cook until very soft and mushy. Remove vegetables.
In the meantime, heat stock in a saucepan. When stock is simmering, add saffron. Cover and keep warm.
Heat remaining 2 T. oil in paella pan. Add rice and stir until well coated and transparent, about 2 minutes. Add wine and stir, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Return vegetables to pan and pour in stock. Stir gently to evenly distribute ingredients. Taste paella and add additional salt and/or pepper if necessary. Nestle chicken thighs and chorizo in rice.
Bring paella to a gentle boil and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until almost all the liquid has been absorbed. (If necessary, heat water in the same pan as the stock and add ½ cup at a time) Do not stir paella while it is cooking, and do not let the bottom scorch. Add peas about 5 minutes before the paella is done cooking.
To finish, tent with foil for 10 minutes.
NOTE: If liquid has not absorbed after 20 minutes, consider finishing the paella in the oven. Cook at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.
“Paella (pah-EY-uh) is designed to be a peasant dish,” Alex explained to us. “It’s a philosophy and a cooking style more than a formula.” The basic idea is to combine rice, veggies, and meat or seafood in a shallow pan and cook it until it becomes major comfort food. The following are some tips for making great paella at home.
First is the pan. A paella pan, which is large and shallow, helps but is not absolutely necessary. A large frying pan is a decent stand-in. Alex recommends measuring out the volume your pan can hold by pouring water into it before you get started. You can measure how much the pan will comfortably hold and make adjustments to your recipe from there.
Next is the rice. It’s important to use Valencia rice, which is intended for paella. “Make sure you don’t put too much rice in the pan,” Alex advises. “You want a nice, thin layer.” No matter how much paella you cook you’ll want to stick to a ratio of two cups of hot stock per one cup of rice.
Your goal with paella is to make sure all the liquid has absorbed by the time the rice is tender. You’ll want to carefully monitor your paella while it’s on the stovetop to make sure it doesn’t burn, but don’t stir it while it’s cooking. It will make the rice mushy. Finishing the paella in the oven is possible if you can’t get even heat on the stovetop. If you think you might do that, make sure your pan is oven safe before you get started. Also, tenting your paella with foil at the end of the cooking process will help the rice suck up the extra liquid, so it’s okay for there to be some liquid in the pan when you take it off the stove.
Use high quality stock for paella. Saffron is one of the things that makes this dish special, and you’ll want to put the saffron in the stock before it’s added to the rice.
When Alex makes paella he makes sofrito first (although that’s not included in my recipe). Sofrito is basically tomatoes, onion, garlic and bell peppers cooked to a mushy paste. If you want to use sofrito you can make it in advance and store it in the fridge. Leftovers are delicious with eggs, beans, or on steak.
Once you have all the ingredients (and the pan) squared away you can start thinking about what kind of meat to put in your paella. Seafood is a classic. So is rabbit and bacon, or chicken and chorizo (a spicy Spanish sausage). Alex says a combination of seafood and meat is his favorite. That being said, this is an easy dish to make vegetarian.
The recipe for Basic Paella is the one my sweetie tried when we got home, but it’s just something to get you started. Please take the elements of paella described here and play with them until you have something that suits your family’s tastes.
And don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t turn out perfect the first time. “Paella takes practice,” Alex says. “As long as the rice is cooked right you’ll end up with an edible treat that will wow your friends.” Even the master confesses, “I’m still, to this day, trying to recreate paella as good as my mother’s.”
Basic Paella
Makes 8 servings
4 chicken thighs
4 t. smoked Spanish paprika
Salt and pepper
1 chorizo sausage, sliced
3 T. olive oil, divided
1 8-ounce can chopped tomatoes, drained
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. Valencia rice
1 c. white wine
4 c. chicken stock
Pinch saffron
1 c. frozen peas
Season chicken with paprika, salt and pepper. Cook in paella pan until chicken is browned and beginning to caramelize. Remove chicken and keep warm. Add chorizo to pan and cook through. Remove chorizo and keep warm.
Heat 1 T. oil in paella pan. Add tomatoes, onion, peppers and garlic and cook until very soft and mushy. Remove vegetables.
In the meantime, heat stock in a saucepan. When stock is simmering, add saffron. Cover and keep warm.
Heat remaining 2 T. oil in paella pan. Add rice and stir until well coated and transparent, about 2 minutes. Add wine and stir, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Return vegetables to pan and pour in stock. Stir gently to evenly distribute ingredients. Taste paella and add additional salt and/or pepper if necessary. Nestle chicken thighs and chorizo in rice.
Bring paella to a gentle boil and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until almost all the liquid has been absorbed. (If necessary, heat water in the same pan as the stock and add ½ cup at a time) Do not stir paella while it is cooking, and do not let the bottom scorch. Add peas about 5 minutes before the paella is done cooking.
To finish, tent with foil for 10 minutes.
NOTE: If liquid has not absorbed after 20 minutes, consider finishing the paella in the oven. Cook at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Cheesecake for Valentine's Day... or any day
Cheesecake is a special treat anytime. I made one yesterday and we ate it today in honor of Super Bowl Sunday (I had to eat a second slice after my Colts blew it at the end). This recipe for rich Cherry Almond Cheesecake would make a great surprise for your Valentine too.
Cherries and almond are a terrific combination, but try as I might I could not find a recipe for a cherry almond cheesecake that sounded good. I experimented with one at Christmas, and it reaffirmed by belief that although almond extract is delicious, it doesn't take much before you have too much in a dish. This one turned out much better. Instead of buying canned pie filling, which is chock full of artificial coloring and corn syrup, I found canned Oregon pie cherries and followed the directions on the back to make pie filling (which was super easy).
Hope you enjoy this recipe... on Valentine's Day or any day.
Cherry Almond Cheesecake
12 servings
Crust:
1-1/4 c. raw almonds
1-1/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
2 T. powdered sugar
6 T. butter, melted
1/4 t. almond extract
Filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 8-ounce packages reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 15-ounce can cherry pie filling (if possible, buy pie cherries and make your own pie filling)
Topping:
1 c. sour cream
2 T. sugar
1 t. vanilla
Toast almonds and let cool. Place almonds and graham crackers in a food processor and grind to fine crumbs. Pour into a medium-sized bowl and mix in powdered sugar. Combine butter and almond extract, then pour into crumb mixture. Stir until well combined. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up the sides of an 8-inch springform pan.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined. Mix in vanilla. Pour into springform pan. Carefully spoon pie filling on top of cream cheese mixture. Using a butter knife, cut through fillings to swirl.
Bake for 45 minutes or until middle is almost set. While cheesecake is cooking, combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl.
Remove cheesecake from oven and pour sour cream mixture on top. Spread over cheesecake so it is completely covered. Return cheesecake to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Cool cheesecake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around cheesecake to loosen from pan. Cool an additional hour on wire rack. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
Cherries and almond are a terrific combination, but try as I might I could not find a recipe for a cherry almond cheesecake that sounded good. I experimented with one at Christmas, and it reaffirmed by belief that although almond extract is delicious, it doesn't take much before you have too much in a dish. This one turned out much better. Instead of buying canned pie filling, which is chock full of artificial coloring and corn syrup, I found canned Oregon pie cherries and followed the directions on the back to make pie filling (which was super easy).
Hope you enjoy this recipe... on Valentine's Day or any day.
Cherry Almond Cheesecake
12 servings
Crust:
1-1/4 c. raw almonds
1-1/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
2 T. powdered sugar
6 T. butter, melted
1/4 t. almond extract
Filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 8-ounce packages reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 15-ounce can cherry pie filling (if possible, buy pie cherries and make your own pie filling)
Topping:
1 c. sour cream
2 T. sugar
1 t. vanilla
Toast almonds and let cool. Place almonds and graham crackers in a food processor and grind to fine crumbs. Pour into a medium-sized bowl and mix in powdered sugar. Combine butter and almond extract, then pour into crumb mixture. Stir until well combined. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up the sides of an 8-inch springform pan.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined. Mix in vanilla. Pour into springform pan. Carefully spoon pie filling on top of cream cheese mixture. Using a butter knife, cut through fillings to swirl.
Bake for 45 minutes or until middle is almost set. While cheesecake is cooking, combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl.
Remove cheesecake from oven and pour sour cream mixture on top. Spread over cheesecake so it is completely covered. Return cheesecake to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Cool cheesecake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around cheesecake to loosen from pan. Cool an additional hour on wire rack. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
Soups Help Ward Off The Cold
One of the best things about winter is eating soup. Soups are comforting and warming on cold days. Many of them freeze well, meaning they’re easy to store and pull out when I need a quick lunch or dinner.
Here’s my one piece of advice about soup: if it’s a broth-based delicacy, make your own stock. It’s miles better than anything you can find in a can or box, and usually lower in sodium. Here are some tips to make cooking your own stock easy and affordable:
**Make stock in a slow cooker. You can turn it on and leave it on the counter all day.
**If you want to make vegetable stock, toss your veggie scraps (carrot peelings, celery leaves, tomatoes cores, etc.) in a plastic bag and store them in the freezer until you’re ready to cook the stock.
**Many chicken stock recipes call for a whole chicken, which I never use. Instead, I buy a whole chicken; cut off the breasts, legs and thighs; and put the chicken carcass in the pot. If you don’t want to try cutting up a chicken, buy chicken wings or legs instead.
**Rather than skimming the fat off hot stocks made with meat, I pour the stock into a heat-proof bowl and put it in the refrigerator. Put a couple towels or hot pads underneath the bowl to protect the fridge, especially if you have glass shelves. The fat will solidify overnight, so it’s easy to skim off the top. Fat has a lot of flavor, so you might leave in a couple pieces.
I’m including a basic recipe for Chicken Stock. Try it out with this recipe for Minestrone, which I developed in college when I was trying to eat more vegetables.
Hopefully these soups will find a home among your favorites, and the stock can jazz up some of your old family recipes. The only problem with making your own stock? Once you taste the difference you may never go back to the stuff from the store.
Chicken Stock
Makes 5-9 cups
1 chicken carcass
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks with leaves, coarsely chopped
½ yellow onion, cut into quarters
2 bay leaves
3-4 sprigs parsley, rosemary or thyme
10 peppercorns
1 t. salt
Place all ingredients in a large slow cooker. Add enough water to cover ingredients (usually between 6 and 10 cups depending on size of cooker). Cook on low heat for 8-9 hours, or high heat for up to 5 hours. Remove solids and skim fat.
Spinach Minestrone
Makes 8 servings
1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 c. chicken or vegetable stock
1 16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 16-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
½ c. orzo (or other small pasta)
½ t. dried parsley
¼ t. salt
1 bunch spinach, stems removed and coarsely chopped
Shredded parmesan cheese and fresh cracked pepper, for serving (if desired)
Heat oil in a large stock pot. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add stock, beans, tomatoes, carrot, celery, orzo, parsley, oregano and salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover and cook until orzo is tender, about 15 minutes. Add spinach and return to a boil, then remove from heat. Serve with parmesan cheese and pepper if desired.
Here’s my one piece of advice about soup: if it’s a broth-based delicacy, make your own stock. It’s miles better than anything you can find in a can or box, and usually lower in sodium. Here are some tips to make cooking your own stock easy and affordable:
**Make stock in a slow cooker. You can turn it on and leave it on the counter all day.
**If you want to make vegetable stock, toss your veggie scraps (carrot peelings, celery leaves, tomatoes cores, etc.) in a plastic bag and store them in the freezer until you’re ready to cook the stock.
**Many chicken stock recipes call for a whole chicken, which I never use. Instead, I buy a whole chicken; cut off the breasts, legs and thighs; and put the chicken carcass in the pot. If you don’t want to try cutting up a chicken, buy chicken wings or legs instead.
**Rather than skimming the fat off hot stocks made with meat, I pour the stock into a heat-proof bowl and put it in the refrigerator. Put a couple towels or hot pads underneath the bowl to protect the fridge, especially if you have glass shelves. The fat will solidify overnight, so it’s easy to skim off the top. Fat has a lot of flavor, so you might leave in a couple pieces.
I’m including a basic recipe for Chicken Stock. Try it out with this recipe for Minestrone, which I developed in college when I was trying to eat more vegetables.
Hopefully these soups will find a home among your favorites, and the stock can jazz up some of your old family recipes. The only problem with making your own stock? Once you taste the difference you may never go back to the stuff from the store.
Chicken Stock
Makes 5-9 cups
1 chicken carcass
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks with leaves, coarsely chopped
½ yellow onion, cut into quarters
2 bay leaves
3-4 sprigs parsley, rosemary or thyme
10 peppercorns
1 t. salt
Place all ingredients in a large slow cooker. Add enough water to cover ingredients (usually between 6 and 10 cups depending on size of cooker). Cook on low heat for 8-9 hours, or high heat for up to 5 hours. Remove solids and skim fat.
Spinach Minestrone
Makes 8 servings
1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 c. chicken or vegetable stock
1 16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 16-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
½ c. orzo (or other small pasta)
½ t. dried parsley
¼ t. salt
1 bunch spinach, stems removed and coarsely chopped
Shredded parmesan cheese and fresh cracked pepper, for serving (if desired)
Heat oil in a large stock pot. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add stock, beans, tomatoes, carrot, celery, orzo, parsley, oregano and salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover and cook until orzo is tender, about 15 minutes. Add spinach and return to a boil, then remove from heat. Serve with parmesan cheese and pepper if desired.
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