Emeril's Apple and Cranberry Crisp

If you read our other blog, you'll have seen that there were 20 people at my Mother's house for Thanksgiving this year. With so many people expected, the dinner turned into a kind of potluck and my job was to bring a dessert.

I've never been afraid of baking, but that's probably because I have fond memories of my Mom baking all fall so that she could offer her guests a wide assortment of things once Christmas came. I saw a comment on one of my other posts that one of my five faithful readers is a bit apprehensive about baking, which seems to be a common sentiment... I don't think Rachel Ray can make it through one of her shows without telling the audience that she can't bake. There's definitely some issues that you run into with baking that don't come up in cooking... you have to be a lot more exact with your measurements and the proportions of the ingredients, and it's a lot more difficult to fix something that went wrong after it's supposedly "done".

So in order to help out my faithful readers, I'm going to post some easy baking recipes that are popular in our house...

For the filling:

Butter for the baking dish
2 1/2 to 3 pounds apples, peeled, cored, and cut into a 1/2 inch dice (I used a combination of Granny Smith and Fuji)
12 ounces cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest, plus 1 tablespoon orange juice

For the Crisp Topping:

6 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup rolled oats (old-fashioned)
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter a 9-by-13 baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine apples, cranberries, sugar, flour, vanilla, and orange zest and juice. Set aside.

In another large bowl, combine butter cut into small pieces, flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Using an electric mixer, beat on low until coarse crumbs form.

Transfer filling to baking dish and cover with topping.

Bake until topping is browned and juices are thick and bubbling around edges, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Adapted from: Everday Food, October 2009

Coming Soon: Southwest Tuna Noodle Casserole

Raspberry Chocolate Cupcakes

Cooking for me is sometimes like those choose your own adventure books from back in the day... I never seem to end up quite where I thought I was going to. I had elaborate plans to fill these cupcakes with a raspberry chocolate ganache to make them extra fancy, but due to my son I didn't really have time for all that. So, instead, I topped them with a chocolate buttercream frosting and called them good... I didn't get any complaints.

Christie's sister Heidi was in town for her birthday to do some shopping with a friend, so I thought I'd make something easy instead of a regular cake... but those that know me, know that nothing I produce in my kitchen is ever "easy". Even if it's just mac and cheese or something of that nature, it always turns out to be some big production... mac and cheese is good, but mac and cheese with three different cheeses and some nice smoked bacon is better.

Anyhow, these cupcakes turned out nicely and could easily be passed off as a muffin if served without any frosting... but I'm always looking for a reason to add some more chocolate to my diet. I'll have to make them again sometime when I've got the time to make them as I had intended, but until then the recipe is as follows...

For the Cupcakes:

1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs separated (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup milk
1 15 Oz. can of raspberries in heavy syrup (such as Oregon Fruit brand) strained and juice reserved (approx. 2/3 cup juice).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line muffin tins. Recipe makes about 3 dozen cupcakes.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 4 or 5 minutes). Add two egg yolks and mix for an additional minute. Add remaining egg yolks and mix for an additional minute.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, combine milk, vanilla and raspberry juice. Alternate between adding dry ingredients and liquid ingredients to the butter mixture, a little bit at a time.

In small bowl, beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form. With a rubber spatula, add about 1/2 cup of the egg whites to the mixture and fold in gently, to separate and lighten the batter. Add remaining egg whites and fold in gently until no white streaks are present.

Fold in raspberries.

Fill baking cups 2/3 to 3/4 full and bake for approximately 18 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, finish cooling on a rack.

For the Frosting:

6 tbsp. butter
1 cup powered sugar
2 tsp. cocoa
2 to 3 tbsp. milk

1. Cream butter. 2. Combine sugar and cocoa. 3. Add sugar and cocoa mixture to butter 4. Add milk to and butter mixture. Start with 2 tbsp. of milk and if it's too thick add another tbsp. of milk.

Adapted from: Tofu and Cupcakes, December 2008

Coming Soon: Emeril's Apple and Cranberry Crisp

Petit-chou

I had actually never made a cream puff before Christie had a french themed dinner party. It was easy enough to come up with a main course... french cuisine is quite varied, but when it came to think of a desert I was little intimidated. Difficult and time consuming were the two things that kept coming to mind when I thought of all the deserts I could make. Luckily my Mom had a solution for me... petit-chou, which she pronounces as one word rather quickly. I had no idea what was she was going on about, but when she showed me the recipe she had it all made sense. I never took french in high school (latin was so much more practical), so it would have been easier if she'd just called it a cream puff to begin with.

This recipe comes from a Swedish cookbook, so all the measurements are metric. Luckily I have a metric measuring set, so I didn't have to make any conversions. In case you don't, Bing (or Google) are your friends.

I was surprised how easy it was to make these... the hardest part is not opening the oven early to peek at them. As for filling, we went with something easy: chocolate pudding folded into whipped cream. Most anything sweet will do. As a note, the dough is not sweet at all so if I were to serve these again I think a liberal dusting of powdered sugar would top them nicely.

3 dl water
100 g margarine or butter
2 dl flour
3 eggs

Bake on baking paper or a greased pan.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bring the water and fat to a low boil in a medium saucepan. Stirring constantly, add the flour and let cook until the mixture releases from the bottom of the pan but not longer as the fat will cook out and the petit-chou's will not rise during baking.

Remove the pan from heat and let the mixture cool. Then add one egg at a time, stirring strongly.

Drop batter onto baking pan in small lumps and bake in oven around 25 minutes. Do not open oven while baking, the petit-chou are sensitive to the draft.

Let them cool completely before you fill them. (*Tip from my Mom, poke a couple holes in each with a toothpick to allow some of the steam to release)

Makes at least 12 petit-chou.

Adapted and translated (badly) from: Sju Sorters Kakor (Seven Types of Cookies)

Beef Bourguignon

There's certain comfort foods that really remind you that fall has come... one of those for me is beef stew. When it's cold and rainy out, there's nothing better than sitting down to a bowl of stew to warm you up.

This recipe may look overly complicated, but really the only difficulty that I had was finding enough time to prepare the meal. The beauty of stew is that all the work is done for you through the cooking process... all you have to do is throw everything together. The time that it sits on the stove bubbling away is what brings everything together.

The recipe calls for you to serve the stew simply over some crusty bread, but as you can see from the photo we served it over some egg noodles. Either way you'll end up with something tasty. As a note, the recipe specifies that this will yield 6 servings... but that may only be true if everyone at your table has an appetite like mine. We were able to get 8 to 10 servings out of the recipe.

1 tablespoon good olive oil
8 ounces dry cured center cut applewood smoked bacon, diced
2 1/2 pounds chuck beef cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 teaspoons chopped garlic (2 cloves)
1/2 cup Cognac
1 (750 ml.) bottle good dry red wine such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir
1 can (2 cups) beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 pound frozen whole onions
1 pound fresh mushrooms stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

For serving:
Country bread or Sour Dough, toasted or grilled and rubbed with garlic clove1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is lightly browned. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. Set aside.

Toss the carrots, and onions, 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the Cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. Put the meat and bacon back into the pot with the juices. Add the bottle of wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. Add the tomato paste and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 1 1/4 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.

Combine 2 tablespoons of butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. Add the frozen onions. Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

To serve, toast the bread in the toaster or oven. Rub each slice on 1 side with a cut clove of garlic. For each serving, spoon the stew over a slice of bread and sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 8 to 10

Adapted from Ina Garten, Food Network

Coming Soon: Petit-chou

Apple Oven Cake

Growing up, every Thursday we would have pancakes for dinner... to this day, my mom still makes pancakes once a week even though it's just her and my dad. 3 out of 4 weeks of the month it was Swedish pancakes (recipe coming someday)... once a year it was maybe American style pancakes... but usually if it wasn't Swedish pancakes, it was what most people here call a dutch pancake. Something baked in the oven.

My mom actually was the one to point out this recipe to me, she had made it earlier. I was pretty surprised by how easy it was to throw together, but pancakes aren't exactly complicated. One pot cooking never seems to really involve just one pot... at least for me, but this was great. All you need is a large cast iron skillet.

3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 sweet apple, peeled and sliced (I used 3 small ones on my mom's advice)
3 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup each flour and milk
1 tsp fresh lemon juice (optional)
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in a 12-inch (my mom used a 10-inch) ovenproof frying pan over medium-high heat. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, swirling to combine. Add apples and cook just until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a blender, whirl together eggs, salt, flour, and milk. Poor egg mixture into pan and bake until puffed and brown, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice and dust with powdered sugar to serve.

Serves 6

Recipe Adapted from Sunset Magazine, October 2009

Coming Soon: Boeuf Bourguignon

2 Kid Friendly Meals

I have to admit that one of my least favorite things is a picky eater... of course this is coming from someone who will eat most anything, so I guess that has to be taken into account. I have a nephew, who will not be named, that refused to eat anything if it wasn't covered in ketchup when he was younger... to this day he will only eat a cheeseburger if it has nothing but patty, cheese and bun all with a healthy portion of ketchup. I will give him a little credit because there's probably more cheeseburger than ketchup now-a-days, but this is a recent development so I'm waiting to pass judgement.

Anyhow, I bring all this up because I was/am determined not to let Jonas get to this point. Thankfully this hasn't really been an issue at all, Jonas has surprised Christie and I with his willingness to try/eat things. The following two recipes we made for the whole family hoping that Jonas would be enticed to eat a healthy dinner, but he's been a bigger fan of some of the normal things I make for Christie and myself. It's been funny to see what he would rather eat... he's a big fan of the Chipotle Chicken and Rice I featured in an earlier post... even to the point that he wouldn't eat what we had prepared for him and ate part of Christie's portion.

We're suckers for advertising, these recipes come to you from the back of the boxes for 2 varieties of pasta that we bought recently. One box had Mickey Mouse and friends shapes and the other was shaped like the characters from Cars... both of which are some of Jonas' favorites. As a note I prepared the Chicken and Cars, and Christie made the Mic-a-Roni and Cheese.

Chicken and Cars

1 box Cars Pasta
1/4 stick butter
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup flour
1 quart low sodium chicken broth
1 large can cooked chicken

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, cover and set aside.

Place butter in small saucepan over medium heat. When butter is melted, add vegetables and cook until tender. Slowly add flour and stir until mixed well. Cook for 3 minutes and let cool for 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat chicken broth to a simmer. Place the diced chicken into the broth and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the broth and chicken slowly into the vegetable mixture and stir until slightly thickened.

Incorporate pasta to sauce and serve with parmesan if desired.

Mic-a-Roni and Cheese

1 box Mickey & Pals pasta
2 cups Skim Milk
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup of flour
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add flour to melted butter and cook for 2 minutes while stirring. Slowly add the milk to the butter mixture over medium heat until the milk begins to thicken. Add in the cheeses, salt and pepper, and stir until smooth and thick.

Add the hot pasta to the cheese sauce and stir until all the pasta is evenly coated. Serve immediately.

A note from the Chef: Christie added some frozen peas and cooked hotdog to make it a complete meal.

Coming Soon: Apple Pancakes

Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Sometimes somthing simple will be exactly what you're looking for. This is a great dish that I like to make during the summer... it's quick, easy, and simple. There's no real sauce, so your flavor is going to come from the few ingredients you're using. There's a great contrast between the sweet/spicy sausage and the bitterness of the greens.

In case you're wondering what broccoli rabe is, it's also known as rappini. If you're still wondering, it's like a cross between broccoli and chard. When you're cutting it the smell of raw broccoli will hit you, but the flavor is much more akin to chard or any other bitter green. If you're a little unsure of how this is all going to go together, I would recommend using a little less broccoli rabe than called for on your first attempt. This will obviously limit the potential bitterness of the dish.

As a final note, I would also like to point out that the pasta shape called for in this recipe is impossibly hard to find, and when you do it'll most likely cost you $6 to 10 a pound. Which is why I make this using a box of medium shells...

Makes 4 Main Course Dishes

Salt
2 Bunches of Broccoli Rabe, Stalks trimmed and Quartered Crosswise
12 ounces Dried Orecchiete Pasta (or Medium Shells)
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 pound Italian Pork Sausage
3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
Pinch of Dried Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
Black Pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until crisp tender, about 1 minute. Strain the broccoli rabe, reserving all the cooking liquid. After setting the broccoli rabe aside, cook the orecchiete in the same pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain and reserve one cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until the sausage has browned and juices form, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli rabe and toss to coat. Add the pasta and enough of the reserved cooking liquid, about 1/4 cup at a time, to moisten. Stir in the parmesan and salt and pepper to taste into the pasta mixture.

Transfer to bowls and serve with additional parmesan as desired.

Adapted from Everyday Italian, by Giada de Laurentiis

Coming Soon: 2 Kid Friendly Meals

Eric's Pesto with Grilled Chicken

I think pesto is one of those things like risotto that people think is way more complicated to make than it actually is. Once I started to make my own, much like making your own marinara, it's difficult for me to go the store bought route any more.

I think the greatest thing about pesto is that there is no definitive way to make it. You can use spinach (or almost any leafy green) instead of basil... you can use toasted walnuts instead of pine nuts (which is how I prefer to make it)... I've even made it with a jalapeno thrown in to add a bit (or a lot) of spice. Endless possibilities, but this also adds to the perceived complexity... if you look up some recipes, I guarantee that they will all be different. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you're going to use only a few ingredients: olive oil, a leafy green/herb, cheese, and a handfull of nuts. The ratio to which you use all of these is subjective. Taste your pesto as you're combining everything and you'll come out with something you'll love.

Large Bunch of Fresh Basil
1/3 Cup Parmesan
1/4 Cup Walnuts (Pine nuts are used traditionally)
2 Garlic Cloves
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lbs Rotini Pasta
3/4 lbs Grilled Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut into Bite Size Pieces
Salt and Pepper

Boil pasta according the instructions on the box.

While the pasta is cooking, make the pesto. Toast walnuts over medium low heat in a skillet until they become fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes. Combine basil, parmesan, garlic, and toasted walnuts in a food processor (I use a 2 Cup mini food prep) and pulse briefly to combine. Slowly add olive oil while pulsing mixture until it reaches your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Toss pesto with cooked pasta and grilled chicken. Serve with additional parmesan.

Serves 6

(Everyone grills things a little differently, so I included the amount of chicken I usually prepare for this dish... I'll leave it to you all to figure that part out)

Coming Soon (For Real this Time): Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Farmor's Macaroner

Everyone has meals growing up that are etched into their minds... all it takes is one bite and you're instantly reminded of all the times you've eaten it in the past. This is one such dish for me... for the rest of you that are lacking a Swedish mother, this may sound very strange and/or unappealing. My mother cautioned me that very few people of the non-Swedish persuasion that she has served this to cared much for it, but I got lucky because both Christie and Jonas ate it at least. I'm still debating whether they like it as much as I do.

Literally translated, what I'm calling this dish is Grandma's macaroni (Farmor is Swedish for Father's Mother), since I got the recipe from her I thought that was appropriate. I'd actually never made this before, so it was a little embarrassing to have so many questions for so simple a recipe. I would liken it to Swedish risotto, except using elbow macaroni as opposed to arborio rice. The technique used to cook the dish is very similar.

As you can see from the photo below, I served it in the traditional Swedish manner... with ketchup and Spiderman... and with meatballs. If you were to have/order this in Sweden it would most likely be presented to you with meatballs in a nice brown gravy that would be applied to the noodles as well, but seeing as how I was trying to recreate some nostalgia for myself I went with what I remembered. That's Jonas' plate in case you were wondering.

1 lb. Small Elbow Macaroni
1 to 2 quarts 2 % Milk (Whole Milk works well too)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
2 Tablespoons Sugar

In a large heavy pot combine milk, macaroni, salt and pepper and bring to just a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and let pasta simmer until liquid is almost completely absorbed. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Serve immediately with meatballs or german type sausage... ketchup optional.

Feeds 4 to 6 Hungry Swedes

Some Tips:
-You want the pasta to cook fully without absorbing all the milk, add more if your pasta starts to dry out (Much like risotto)
-Stirring regularly is key, you don't want anything to stick to the pan (Again, like risotto)

Coming Soon: Eric's Pesto with Grilled Chicken

Blueberry Boy Bait

Moving is hard work, but when you're finally getting settled it's almost like Christmas... you start to find things that you didn't remember you had. Hopefully this will lead to some more interesting posts in the near future.

In case you're wondering why there haven't been too many posts lately, it's honestly because I haven't made anything interesting enough to blog about. We've eaten out more than I care to recall over the last few weeks due to various reasons, most of which revolve around moving, and I figured no one wants to hear about us going to McDonald's for third time in a week... although the new angus burgers are pretty good. Anyhow, now that we're getting more settled, I'm hoping to post more regularly.

Jonas has developed a love for fruit which has been cultivated by all the wonderful things that his grandparents grow in their yard. Knowing how much Jonas enjoys berries, and especially blueberries, his Farmor bought him a large flat of them this last week. This lead me to look around for something to do with all these blueberries, since we had quite a bit more than he was going to be able to eat.

I have a hard time following recipes to the letter, I prefer to look at a recipe as a rough outline of what I'm trying to make... this sometimes frustrates Christie. But this recipe was quite easy, I didn't make any changes and the source included a little story/background on the recipe so I've copied it verbatim below.

Like any recipe with a great name, this also has a great story, which was that in 1954, a 15-year-old girl stole the show (but only won second prize) in the junior division of an early Pillbury Bake-Off with a variation of this recipe, named, she said, after the effect it had on boys.

Cook’s Country magazine dusted this recipe off from the Pillsbury Bake-Off Dessert Cookbook and made a few tweaks to bring it more deliciously into the modern age: butter was swapped for shortening, the quantity of blueberries was doubled and some plain sugar was replaced with brown sugar. The result? Let’s just say you don’t need to be a boy to be lured in.

Serves 12, generously

2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not defrost first as it tends to muddle in the batter)

Topping
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cake:
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down bowl. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss blueberries with remaining one teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.

For the topping:
Scatter blueberries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter (topping side up). Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, July 2009

Coming Soon: Farmor's Macaroner

The Great Wall of Chocolate

On my birthday, Christie and I were lucky enough to go out to dinner with some friends at P.F. Changs. It's not somewhere we go often... one of our friends we dined with was actually surprised by my choice... but my main motivation for visiting was the dessert you can see in the picture below.

I'd read about it on the popular blog "eat this not that" that has spawned several books and other things. This was obviously in the "not that" category, but it was definitely worth it. Some of you know that I like cake and not frosting, and surprisingly this cake did not go overboard with the frosting. The sauce was a nice touch and more frosting probably would have taken away from that. In my own defense, I did not eat the whole thing myself. To see how bad it truely is, you can look at the following chart.

Emeril's Turkey Bolognese

We've been in the middle of packing up our apartment these last couple weeks, so I haven't found myself with a lot of time to throw new and exciting recipes onto the blog. Having gone for what I felt was too long without a post, I thought that I should find something to share even if it wasn't something that I had made recently.

Towards the end of May, Jen and George came up to wonderful Seattle for a visit. Always wanting to impress guests, I found this recipe that I would subject them to. I'm usually not a big fan of Emeril's recipes... don't get me wrong, the food always looks good on his show. But it's almost never anything that I tell myself that I have to try to make at home. Like a lot of chefs of his caliber, their ingredient list makes trying their recipes on a whim rather prohibitive. This one caught my eye for some reason, though and it's not overly complicated. It is however time consuming, so if you're going to give it a go remember to give yourself some time to work it all out. And best of all you won't be stuck with a lot of odds and ends in your pantry when you're finished.

The sauce was well received by our guests, by the way.

10 Slices Turkey Bacon, (6 Oz.), Finely Chopped
1 Large Onion, Finely Chopped
3 Carrots, Finely Chopped
2 Celery Stalks, Finely Chopped
Salt and Pepper
2 Lbs. Ground Turkey
¾ Cup Dry White Wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Can (6 Oz.) Tomato Paste
1 Can (14.5 Oz.) Reduced-Sodium Chicken Broth
½ Cup Half-and-Half
¼ Cup Chopped Parsley

In a large dutch oven or heavy pot, cook bacon over medium until crisp, around 10 minutes. Add onion, carrots, and celery, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, around another 10 minutes.

Add turkey and cook until no longer pink. Add wine and garlic, cooking until the wine has almost evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes. Add tomato paste, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.

Add broth and half-and-half, bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook until sauce is thick and creamy, about 30 minutes more.

Serve over pasta with parmesan and chopped parsley.

Makes around 6 cups

Recipe adapted from: Everyday Food, March 2009

Coming Soon (Hopefully): Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Grilled Lemon Chicken with Tabbouleh

I had a couple inspirations for making this dish. First, Christie is a big fan of eating things that seem to coincide with the season we're in. So during the summer she expects lighter fare. Second was the request of my one reader for ideas on side dishes that didn't involve pasta or mayo. I cheated a bit on my first attempt at finding a good side dish, but this one should definitely meet all the requirements set forth.

Christie really enjoyed this meal, although as a word of caution I found it was a little too lemony for my tastes. Which is a bit amusing, considering that with lemon in the title I guess I should have expected as much.

This would make a great picnic meal as well, because both the tabbouleh and the chicken would be great chilled.

½ Cup Bulgur
Salt and Pepper
1 ½ Cups Chopped Fresh Parsley
½ English Cucumber, Halved, Seeded and Chopped
1 Large Tomato, Chopped
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Small Garlic Clove, Minced
Boneless Skinless Chicken

Heat grill, while in a small saucepan bring ¾ cups water to a simmer. Add bulgur, season with salt and pepper, and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 10 minutes; then fluff bulgur with a fork. In a medium bowl, combine bulgur, parsley, cucumber, tomato, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon oil; toss tabbouleh to combine.

In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Season chicken with salt and pepper and then grill until cooked through. Brush chicken with lemon mixture and serve with the tabbouleh.

Serves 4

Adapted from Everyday Food, July/August 2009

Coming Soon: Orecchiette with Spicy Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Chipotle Chicken and Rice

Sometimes there's ingredients you buy and end up using only a few and then you're left to wonder what else you could use them in. This was my predicament when I made the smoky beef tacos for the first time. I bought the smallest can of chipotle chiles I could find, but was still left with 90% of them leftover. Since then, I've started to look for recipes that I can make closely together so I don't end up wasting too much of what I've bought.

I took the leftovers of this meal to work for lunch this week, and I have to say that I think it was almost better the second time. The flavors are pretty intense, so if you're concerned about the level of spiciness you may want to use less of the chiles.


2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
8 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
Salt and Pepper
1 Medium Red Onion, Thinly Sliced Lengthwise
3 Garlic Cloves, Coarsely Chopped
½ Teaspoon Ground Cumin
2 Canned Chipotle Chiles in Adobo, Minced
2 Large Tomatoes, Diced Large
1 Cup Long Grain White Rice
Chopped Cilantro Leaves, for Serving (Optional)

In a heavy pot, heat oil over medium high. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches if necessary, brown chicken on both sides. Then transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pot and saute until soft, around five minutes, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot.

Add garlic, cumin, and chiles, and cook until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Add tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices. Stir in 1 cup of water and return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook 25 minutes.

Remove several pieces of chicken and stir in rice, making sure it is completely submerged in liquid. Replace chicken, cover, and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes more. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves if desired once plated.

Serves 4

Adapted from Everyday Food, July/August 2009

Coming Soon: Lemon Chicken with Tabbouleh

Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

Nothing says summer to me like fresh fruit from the garden... lucky for me my parents are avid gardeners. My parents usually end up with more raspberries than they know what to do with, so when I stumbled upon this recipe I knew that I had to give it a go. It turned out better than I expected. The recipe calls for lemon zest as optional, but I think that was what really gave the cake something extra. Nice and moist from the buttermilk and little brightness from the lemon... this was a perfect dessert we enjoyed with some friends in their backyard on a warm summer night.

I've mentioned that I'm convinced my oven is too hot, and this cake is a perfect example of why. It browned a bit too much for my taste, so I dusted the top with some powdered sugar and dropped some more raspberries on there for good measure. It was mentioned where I found the recipe that this cake bakes extremely quickly, make sure to check it towards the lower end of the time estimate below.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
1 large egg
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a larger bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about two minutes, then beat in vanilla and zest, if using. Add egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in three batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until just combined. Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter raspberries evenly over top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm, 10 to 15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, May 2009

Smoky Beef Tacos

Sometimes when you start off with a recipe in mind, you have a lot of preconceived notions of how time consuming or difficult it's going to be. For some reason I thought that this would be overly complicated, which had prevented me from attempting to make something of the sort until now. I have to say... this was probably one of the easier things I've made in the last few months. Really all you have to do is mix together the cooking liquid, add the meat and throw it in the oven for a couple hours.

I'm convinced that my oven is overly hot, so I checked the meat after only2 hours. I've made this a few times now and the cooking time has probably varied between 2 to 2 1/2 hours. As with all cooking, your mileage may vary.

I wasn't able to find a picture that I had taken of this, so I found one of the pot that I used. I'm lucky enough to have a wife that enables my kitchen lust. She bought this pot for me a couple christmases ago. It's definitely an investment, but I highly recommend it. This is one of the few pots I wouldn't want to live without.


2 to 3 Tablespoons Chopped Canned Chipotle Chiles in Adobo
½ Cup Ketchup
8 Garlic Cloves, Chopped
2 Teaspoons Dried Oregano
Salt and Pepper
1 Boneless Beef Chuck Roast (About 3 Pounds)
Tortillas
Toppings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy pot with tight fitting lid, stir together chiles, ketchup, 1 cup water, garlic, oregano, 2 teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Cut beef into 4 equal pieces. Add to pot, and turn to coat. Cover, and bring to a boil, then transfer pot to oven. Bake, covered, until beef is fork tender, about 2 ½ hours.

Transfer beef to a bowl. With a large spoon, skim off and discard fat from cooking liquid. Shred beef with two forks, moistening with cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Server beef with tortillas and desired toppings.

Serves 8

Adapted from Everyday Food, March 2009

Coming Soon: Raspberry Buttermilk Cake

Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables

I had a request for a side dish that didn't involve pasta or mayonnaise, so this is what caught my eye while I was looking through some recipes. Christie often complains that I don't make things that are light and summery too often. I think we all get stuck in our habits with the things that we make, it's a lot easier to make the things you always do instead of constantly trying to come up with new and exciting recipes. Which is why I often make big heavy meals when it's 80 degrees outside.

I have to admit that I cheated a little with this request... gnocchi isn't too far removed from pasta. But if we're getting technical I think that I can safely say this will satisfy the two requirements set out for me.

This turned out to be quite tasty even though what I cooked isn't exactly what the recipe called for. I thought that I had some basil at home, but it turned out I didn't. So what Christie and I ate last night had some italian parsley in it instead. I think it turned out well though, so either way you'll probably be happy with the results.

I served this dish with some simple grilled chicken seasoned with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 Portions

Olive Oil
1 Zucchini and 1 Summer Squash, Quartered and Sliced
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
Salt and Pepper
1 Pint Grape Tomatoes, Halved
1 Package Gnocchi (15 to 16 Oz)
¼ Cup Fresh Basil, Chopped
2 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan
1 Tablespoon Butter

In a large skillet, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add squash and zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables start to show some color (about 4 minutes), then add the garlic and saute for another minute or two until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook stirring occasionally, until juicy, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, cook the gnocchi according to the package instructions. Reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid, drain gnocchi and transfer to the skillet. Toss gnocchi, adding enough cooking liquid to make a sauce. Remove from heat and stir in basil, cheese, and butter.

Recipe Adapted from Everyday Food, June 2009

Coming Soon: Smoky Beef Tacos

Meatball Grill Basket

One of the best things about cooking is all the fun stuff that you get to buy to help you prepare your creations. This brings us to today's post, in which I'm going to introduce a segment that I'm going to call Kitchen Lust where we can discuss the things that I'm wanting to add to my kitchen.

I felt that I had to share when I came across this, seeing as this blog was intended to chronicle my search for my favorite meatball. This contraption is obviously intended to allow its user to enjoy meatballs even when you're out grilling, which to me seems brilliant. I definitely need one of these...

These are available at Williams-Sonoma stores and through their catalog, where they have included a tasty recipe. You can all look forward to that coming up soon... not sure if I'll be using the "meatball grill basket" though.

Here's the info from the website: "Our ingenious grilling tool gives smoky open-fire flavor to homemade meatballs. The sturdy stainless-steel basket has 12 perforated wells to drain excess fat as meat is infused with flavor and browns perfectly. With the lid closed, the meatballs are held securely in place and out of the fire. The removable polypropylene handle makes the basket easy to turn – just flip it over for even cooking. The basket works with beef, lamb and poultry as well as vegetable mixtures. Hand-wash. 9 3/4" x 20 1/2" including handle. A Williams-Sonoma exclusive."

Lemon Cake

There are two things that I love to eat... pasta and cake. This blog will probably be dominated by recipes for both, but I don't think that will be too much of an issue since so many other people seem to enjoy them as well.

I do feel that I have to quantify that statement a little though... I love cake, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I love frosting as well. At weddings and birthdays you will usually see me with a large slice of cake on my plate, but once I'm done you'll see that most of the frosting is still sitting there. I bring this up because I was not really a fan of the frosting used in this recipe. The cake was fantastic... at least the little piece that I got to enjoy, the frosting not so much. (I made this cake for Christie to bring to work for a party that they were having). Not really being a fan of frosting might have swayed my vote a little though... Christie was not left with anything to bring home after the party. I am planning on making this cake again sometime though, so this will give me an opportunity to experiment with some other kinds of frosting that I might enjoy more.

For the Cake:

1 Cup (2 Sticks) Butter
2 ½ Cups all-purpose Flour
½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 ½ Cups Sugar
2 Large Eggs plus 3 Large Egg Yolks
1 Cup Buttermilk
3 Lemons (You'll use these for both cake and frosting)

For the Frosting:

3 Large Egg Whites
¾ Cup Sugar
A Pinch Salt
1/3 Cup Water

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour two 8-by-2-inch cake pans. In a medium bowl, whisk dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder and soda, and salt) as well as 1 Tablespoon lemon zest.

In a separate larger bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Mix in eggs and yolks one at a time. After measuring out the buttermilk, add 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice and whisk together. Once combined, alternately beat in dry ingredients and buttermilk until just combined. (Be careful not to over mix the batter, it will affect the texture of your cake once baked.)

Divide the batter between both pans, smooth tops with a spatula if necessary. Bake until cakes pull away from sides of pans, around 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing cakes from pans.

While the cakes are baking, bring ½ a cup of sugar and ½ a cup of water to boil in a saucepan. Add one thinly sliced lemon and simmer for 25 minutes or so. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lemon slices to a wax-paper-lined plate to cool. Stir ¼ cup fresh lemon juice into the syrup. Once the cakes have cooled and you're ready to begin frosting, poke holes in the cakes on the racks using a toothpick. Brush with the lemon syrup.

To prepare the frosting. In a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine 3 large egg whites, ¾ cup sugar, a pinch salt, and 1/3 cup water. Cook over medium , stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved, about 2 to 3 minutes. (I did this just by watching carefully, but if you would like to be extra sure the instructions say to bring the mixture to 150 degrees as read on a candy thermometer). Transfer to a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until glossy, stiff peaks form. (Be careful not to over-beat). This should take around 3 minutes. Once done, reduce speed to low, add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, and beat until just combined.

Recipe Adapted from Everyday Food, May 2009

Quick Marinara Sauce

This is a follow-up from last week, since the Polpetti and Spaghetti recipe calls for marinara sauce. Now it's perfectly okay to use store bought sauces under certain circumstances, but if you're going to go to the trouble of making meatballs, let alone my favorite meatball, one should probably learn to make sauce from scratch. I had visions of a pot sitting on the stove all day long, simmering away with some fantastic tomato sauce in it... but with a two year old at home as well as a crazy work schedule I never seem to have the time for that to come together. Luckily Giada was kind enough to include a recipe in one of her cook books that gives you great flavor without the time and mess of letting a pot sit all day.

I took her advice and portion the sauce into 1 and 2 cup servings and throw them in the freezer for when I need them. This way I almost always have some on hand when needed. Unfortunately I do not have any pictures to accompany this recipe, but if you look at the picture of the Polpetti and Spaghetti this is the sauce you see.

Makes about 6 cups

2 (28 oz) Cans of Whole Tomatoes in Juice
1 Bunch of Fresh Basil, stemmed
1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Small Onions, Finely Chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, Finely Chopped
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 Teaspoon Sugar
Salt and Pepper to Taste

In a blender, puree the tomatoes and their juice with the basil until almost smooth. Set the tomato puree aside.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until tender, maybe ten minutes. Then add the garlic and let it cook another minute or so. Stir in the tomato puree, oregano and suger. Bring to a simmer and let it bubble until the sauce begins to thicken a bit, around another ten minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipe Adapted from Giada's Family Dinners

Coming Soon: Lemon Cake

Introduction, and Polpette and Spaghetti

I know some of you have been wondering what this was going to become... I think I registered the name for this blog a couple of months ago. Well, now you need not wonder...

Every once in a while I was adding some random musings to our regular blog, which is devoted to our lovely son, about the various things that were going on in our kitchen. So I have now decided to create a blog that will discuss, among other food topics, my search for the best meatball recipe.

It's appropriate then that the first post is dedicated to my current favorite:

Polpetti and Spaghetti

Makes 4 Servings

1 Small Onion
¼ Cup Chopped Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley
1 Large Egg
3 Tablespoons Ketchup
3 Garlic Cloves, Minced
1 Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper
2/3 Cup Parmesan
¼ Cup Dried Italian Style Bread Crumbs
6 Oz Ground Beef
6 Oz Ground Veal
6 Oz Ground Pork
¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Enough Marinara Sauce for 1 lbs Spaghetti
1 lbs Spaghetti

Combine onion, parsley, egg, ketchup, garlic, salt, pepper, parmesan, bread crumbs, and meat in large mixing bowl. Gently using your hands, mix ingredients thoroughly. Once combined, roll mixture into balls of your desired size. (Your own mileage may vary, but I've had better luck with smaller meatballs. I use a cookie scoop to make sure all the meatballs are approximately the same size. Also a note about the meat being used. Above is what the original recipe called for but I have successfully made this recipe with any combination of the meats above and also with ground turkey a few times. Adding veal is not necessary, although I would recommend against using solely turkey. The meatball will become too dry.)

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pan over medium to medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, saute the meatballs until browned on all sides, around five minutes. Once all the meatballs are browned, add marinara sauce to the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low and let the sauce thicken and flavors blend, ten minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the box.
Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the sauce and meatballs, and toss gently to coat. Transfer to a serving dish and serve with additional parmesan cheese.

Recipe adapted from "Giada's Family Dinners"

Coming soon: Quick Marinara Sauce