Pumpkin Lasagne

I got a new job and will most likely have significantly less time to cook. Much like the rest of 2011 was with grad classes. I actually do get to cook but it's the blogging that is a little more time consuming.

Pumpkin Lasagne

1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. hot Italian turkey sausage
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp fennel seed
2 cups fresh pumpkin or butternut squash puree (mine had been previously frozen,but not canned because it doesn't have enough moisture)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 small can tomato paste
splash of white wine (optional)
1 bunch swiss chard, chopped into ribbons

1 package fresh lasagne pasta sheets
1 lb. grated mozzarella cheese

1 quart low fat milk
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
dash of nutmeg

In the following recipe I salted and peppered most layers of the recipe individually to taste. Add as much or as little as you personally like but taste as you go. Sausage and cheese can be very salty and varies by brand.

1. In a large skillet heat approximately one to two tsp of olive oil. Add the onion and cook until translucent.
   
2. Remove casings and add sausage to skillet. Break down with wooden spoon. Add crushed red pepper and fennel seed. Cook through.
3. Add pumpkin or squash puree and cinnamon. Heat through and add tomato paste to sauce. Add a splash of white wine and cook approximately 10 minutes until every is combined.
   
4. Add swiss chard to the sauce and stir/heat until completely combined and chard is wilted.
   
5. Add approximately 1/2 cup of low-fat milk to the sausage sauce. Mix to combine and keep heat low while you make the bechamel sauce.
   
6. In a medium saucepan melt butter.
   
7. Add flour whisking or stirring to combine to make a roux. Make sure to fully cook the flour.
8. Add the remaining milk a little at a time to make a white sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg.
   
9. In 9x13 casserole dish coat the bottom with a few drops of olive oil.
   
10. Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the dish. Layer in order pasta sheets (cutting to fit) sauce, bechamel, and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired for serving.
    

Miso Glazed Cod with Stir-fried Bok choy and Onions

I have been gone a long time. I don't know what happened but I just didn't feel like blogging. I didn't want to write. I don't necessarily think I'll be doing a lot of blogging in the next few months because I have decided to take one of my grad classes during the Spring semester.

In addition to classes, my family has restarted the Biggest Loser contest and I have recommitted to Weight Watchers. This particular recipe was last night's dinner and as always no matter what I think of her personally Martha Stewart's recipes rarely disappoint. I have never worked with miso before and it was not what I expected when bought it. Although called white miso it is really the color of brown sugar and the consistency was larger grains than I had imagined. On that note it was really easy to work with. Unfortunately J informed me that could I please not put sauces on the fish he eats (this was more of a glaze than a sauce). I had also never made cod before but having eaten it the night before at Bricco, I had a decent idea of what it should be for not overcooked.

Miso Glazed Cod with Stir-fried Bok choy and Onions (adapted from Martha Stewart)
Serves 2

12 oz skinless cod

1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1/4 cup white miso paste
1/4 cup sugar

Cooking spray

1/2 sweet onion, cut into chunks
3 heads baby bok choy, sliced thickly
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp peanut oil (or canola oil)
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp sesame oil

1. In a small saucepan, combine mirin, miso, and sugar. Whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat.
   
2. Heat broiler, with rack 6 inches from heat. Spray a baking dish with oil.
3. Place fish in dish, and brush liberally with miso mixture. Reserve 1/2 the mixture for the bok choy.
4. Broil until fillets are browned on top and opaque in the center, 6 to 8 minutes.
5. Meanwhile heat peanut oil in a wok on high heat. Add onion and stir fry 2 minutes.
6. Add bok choy and stir fry another 2-3 minutes. Add soy sauce and miso and cook until half the liquid has evaporated.
   
7. Add seeds and oil and serve bok choy with cod.
   

Sweet Potato and Apple Hash

Sweet Potato and Apple Hash (adapted from Cooking Light)

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/3 cup water
1/2 lb. turkey breakfast sausage links, casings removed
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tbsp real maple syrup
1 tbsp water
pinch of black pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 apple, diced

1. Place sweet potatoes and 1/3 cup water in a microwave safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 15 minutes. Uncover, drain and set aside.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until it starts to become translucent.
   
3. Add sausage and salt and stir to crumble until sausage is done.
4. Add apple and saute until it starts to become soft.
   
5. Add sweet potatoes, water, syrup, pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon.
   
6. Cook until liquid absorbs.
7. Serve as a side dish or a one dish meal.
   

Potato and Leek Flatbread

Oh how I love interesting pizza!

Potato and Leek Flatbread (adapted from Real Simple)

1 pound refrigerated pizza dough
2 leeks, cut into thin strips
2 waxy potatoes, (red or gold) sliced thinly
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese

1. Heat oven to 450° F. Stretch the dough into a ¼-inch-thick circle or rectangle.
2. Layer the potatoes, leeks thyme and cheese onto the dough in that order.
   
3. Sprinkle with the Gruyère. Drizzle with olive oil.
4. Bake until the crust is golden and potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Cut into pieces.

Kaftah Burgers

This recipe uses the roasted pepper relish from the previous post as a topping for the burger along with some feta cheese and red onion. J used a bun but I used a pocketless pita for the bread instead. This burger tasted DELICIOUS. The meat was very flavorful and I would definitely use this recipe for normal kefta kebabs. The only thing I would consider is using less cilantro or chopping it more finely in the future. I used a recipe from Cooking Light as a jumping off point.

Kaftah Burgers (adapted from Cooking Light)

13 oz meatloaf mix (mixture of beef, veal and pork)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried parsley
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
1 egg
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper

1. Combine all ingredients and form into patties.
2. Heat nonstick skillet and cook burgers until they reach the desired level of doneness.
   
3. Serve topped with feta cheese, onions and roasted pepper relish.
   

Chicken Fried Rice: Biggest Loser Recipe Makeover #4

Somehow I lucked into making this because I had forgotten to thaw the pork for this dinner. I also happened to get the white rice from the Chinese restaurant because we had gotten some chicken with broccoli for dinner the other night. This is my first attempt at making fried rice and of course, we all know how much I love to use my wok. I was surprised at how close this was to the original, even though J though it was a little bland.

Chicken Fried Rice (adapted from Weight Watchers)
3 oz. chicken breast diced
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce, divided
2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 clove garlic, grated
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp peanut oil
1/2 small onion, diced (I used red because it was on hand)
4 scallions, sliced
1 carrot, diced
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups cooked white rice, cold

1. Combine the chicken, half of the oyster sauce, the ginger, garlic, and 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil in a small bowl; set aside.
   
   
2. Heat the peanut oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the chicken begins to brown, about 3 minutes.
   
   
3. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the chopped scallions for garnish. Add the remaining scallions, onion and the carrot to the chicken in the wok. Cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the egg, stirring quickly and constantly with a wooden spoon until the egg begins to set, about 2 minutes.
   
   
4. Stir the rice, soy sauce, the remaining oyster sauce, and the remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil into the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the peas and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the reserved 2 tablespoons scallions. Serves 3-4.

Feel free to add a little additional soy sauce while it is cooking if you prefer it a little darker.

Spiced Pork Medallions with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

I'm back to cooking for at least a few days before I go to Vermont and I plan to bring a bunch of food with me. I have been trying to use up some frozen pork loin and so we will be eating pork for the next 3 days. Tonight I took out 6 oz. of pork from the freezer and cut them into medallions...


Spiced Pork Medallions and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
(adapted from Cooking Light)

6 oz. pork tenderloin, cut into medallions
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp olive oil
3 tbsp white wine
1/2 tsp flour
2 tbsp skim milk

1 cup fingerling potatoes, cut into wedges
1 onion, cut into wedges
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
salt and pepper to taste
2 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp olive oil

1. Dry the pork with a paper towel and rub in the next 5 ingredients.
   
2. Toss the potatoes, onions and garlic with thyme, olive oil and seasonings.
3. Bake potato mixture at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.
   
4. Heat the additional olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.
5. Add the spice rubbed pork to the pan and sear on each side until done.
6. Remove pork from pan and keep warm. There should be a little bit of dripping in the bottom of the pan.
   
7. De-glaze pan with wine.
8. Add flour and whisk until smooth.
9. Remove from heat and add milk and whisk gravy to avoid separation.
10. Serve pork topped with gravy with the potatoes on the side.

Cantaloupe and Cucumber Salad

I know I have written before about not really liking cantaloupe. This week we got one in the CSA. So I was trying to come up with something I could do with it. This is full of all kinds of fresh food from local gardens. I actually ended up eating this more like salsa instead of salad. I cut everything nice and small so it was really easy. So good! I don't really have anything else to say about it honestly.

Cantaloupe and Cucumber Salad (makes 1-2 cups)
1 cup diced cantaloupe
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 jalapeno, minced
1 scallion sliced
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1-2 inch cube of ricotta salata, crumbled

1. Mix all ingredients together. Be sure to coat all pieces in oil and vinegar.
   

Scallops with Summer Corn Hash

For Father's Day we were going to make scallops wrapped in bacon as a appetizer. We ended up at the Mexican Cafe and Aldo's and didn't do any cooking at all. So I ended up with lots of ingredients at my house that I hadn't planned on having. After looking at a few thing on the Internet, I came up with this recipe. This was my first time making the large sea scallops and I cut them in half to ensure more even cooking. This was also my first time using beet greens. They are related to swiss chard and cook similarly. My mom had some beets in the fridge and the greens were crisp and beautiful. I absconded with them (just the greens, she kept the beets) and a bunch of other goodies from the weekend.

Scallops with Summer Corn Hash

3 strips of bacon
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
2 red potatoes, peeled and diced
4 ears of white corn, kernels removed
greens from 2 beets, stems chopped and leaves chiffonade
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 tbsp butter
scallops (I used 9 cut in half)
salt and pepper to taste (season throughout process)
a couple dashes of Tabasco sauce (I used chipotle flavored)-optional

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet. Set aside bacon and heat 1 tbsp of bacon grease. Add potatoes to bacon grease and cook.
   
2. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic and beet greens stems. Cook until potatoes are almost done.
3. Add beet leaves and wine and cook down until greens are wilted and wine has evaporated.
4. Add Tabasco and corn and cook until potatoes and corn are done. Crumble bacon and add back to hash.
   
5. Meanwhile heat butter in another skillet.
6. Season scallops with salt and pepper.
   
7. Sear scallops in butter, turning once.
   
8. Serve scallops with hash.

I found that the potatoes were a little bland unless I seasoned liberally with salt. FYI whenever I say salt in my blog. I am always referring to kosher salt. I don't use table salt unless I am baking and even then I don't always remember. All in all it was a really fun meal to plan and cook. As you can see the last few recipes haven't been adapted, they have been all my own. I'm sure that if I made this again I would change a few things. I think I would put the onion and garlic in with the potatoes because they didn't have enough flavor. I would also use salt and pepper more liberally and more often. The beet greens were very good. I have another two sets that I plan using on pizza later this week.

Orange-Flavored Pork and Sugar Snap Pea Stir-fry with Noodles

My freezer still has a lot of meats in it from BOGO grocery store sales. Here is some more of the pork that we bought. The sugar snap peas are from the CSA this week. I don't have much to say about this. It was good. I would make it again. I guess I'm a little sleepy. I did substitute pork for beef. Maybe it would have had more flavor with beef. Who knows!?

Orange-Flavored Pork and Sugar Snap Pea Stir-fry with Noodles
(adapted from Gourmet)

1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp soy sauce
3/4 cup beef broth
1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
9 ounces Asian egg noodles
1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil
10 oz. pork loin, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 garlic clove, grated
1 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot
1 pint sugar snap peas

1. In a bowl dissolve cornstarch in soy sauce and stir in broth and zest.
2. In a kettle of boiling water cook noodles until tender and drain well, follow packing directions.
   
3. While noodles are cooking, in a wok heat oil over high heat until hot but not smoking
4. Stir-fry garlic, gingerroot, onion, and peas until onion begins to be translucent.
5. Stir-fry pork, patted dry and seasoned with salt and white pepper, until browned.
   
6. Stir in cornstarch mixture. Simmer mixture until thickened. In a large bowl toss pork mixture with noodles.

Red Chard Risotto

This year I am sharing a share in a CSA with my friend, the German teacher. She and I split each of the the medium share boxes we get each Tuesday. Last Tuesday we got our first batch of red chard. I have never eaten (that I can remember) chard and I know I have never cooked with it. It's really a gorgeous color combination. I decided that i wanted to try to make a risotto, that way if I didn't like it, it would be well hidden. I think I like the chard but the recipe for risotto I chose was a little bland. TGT (the German teacher) told me that she and her husband decided to make a recipe with proscuitto, garlic, and cream. MMMMM it sounds good doesn't it? I have some bacon in the fridge, so maybe if we get more tomorrow, I'll have to include some bacon in next week's chard recipe. J doesn't like risotto but I grilled some sirloin to go with it in case he hated it. He agreed it was bland but ate what I put on his plate.

Red Chard Risotto (adapted from Bon Appétit)

4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large, sweet onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 bunch coarsely chopped red Swiss chard leaves
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Additional grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 7 minutes.
   
3. Add rice and chard and stir until chard begins to wilt, about 5 minutes.
   
4. Add wine and simmer until absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes.
   
5. Add 1/2 cups broth at a time. Stirring until each 1/2 cup is absorbed.
   
6. Simmer until rice is just tender and risotto is creamy, stirring frequently.
7. Mix in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; season to taste with salt and pepper.
   Serve with additional cheese.
   
   

Pizza Dip

I know this is very out of character as a recipe for me. Something totally indulgent, unhealthy, with little to no nutritional value, but I was going to a party. This party was going to be full of non-adventurous eaters and perhaps vegetable haters (GASP!). So I went into the archives of recipes I had gotten from my parents when I moved out and found this gem.

Probably when I was in middle school this was one of the standard party fare recipes. My parents would make it for their Christmas party; we would bring it to our annual crab feast etc. I think it has to have been ten years since I last tasted this dip though. I have been craving it and I thought, what better way to get chance to taste it again than bring it to someone else's party. So I did.

One girl told me that she liked it especially because "You could put olive on a shoe and I'd eat it", or something similar (it was was late and I can't remember exactly). Another told me it tasted just like her mom's lasagna. Several people asked who made it. It was actually really nice to have people say nice things about my food. Maybe I'll bring it to next year's luncheon at school. Normally I run out of time and throw something together with the healthy food that's in my house and nobody eats is. (I made lovely white bean dip and people wouldn't even try it) I personally like my cooking for the most part so it's always a real blow to my ego. Don't worry though, I won't let last night's comments go to my head.

Normally we used to eat this on garlic melba rounds, but since I didn't think people would know what they were I went with Garlic Parmesan Triscuit Thin Crisps (honestly I forget the exact product). I usually don't like triscuits but these were pretty good. You definitely need a sturdy cracker or a spoon to put the dip onto the cracker (or bread slice, veggie dipper etc.).

Pizza Dip
1 block cream cheese
2 cups tomato sauce
(Italian Seasoning) - add a few tsp to sauce if bland, optional
1 bunch scallions chopped
1 small can sliced olives
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 lb. Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled

1. Spread cream cheese on bottom of 9x13 casserole dish.
2. Layer each subsequent ingredient in order.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
   

White Bolognese Rigatoni

This was delicious. That's really all I have to say about this meal. It was delicious. I halved the meat but kept the same number of veggies plus extra mushrooms to make it healthier. I also used light cream instead of heavy cream. I think it would be interesting to add a little tomato paste to this for more of a normal bolognese.

White Bolognese Rigatoni (Adapted from Heidi da Empoli)

Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 sweet onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped

1stalk celery, finely chopped

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 links hot Italian turkey sausage, removed from casings

1/2 lb. ground beef (90%)

3/4 cup Italian white wine

1 cube beef bouillon dissolved in 1 cup simmering water

8 oz. white mushrooms, finely chopped

1/3 cup light cream

1/2 lb.rigatoni

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

1. Add a few tbsp oil to a large, deep sauté pan to lightly coat the base and place over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion, carrots, mushroom, and celery and sauté until glassy and just tender, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the sausage and beef to the pan, breaking it into walnut-size pieces, and brown well.

2. Pour in the wine and keep at a rapid simmer until the pan is almost dry. Then pour in beef bouillon and lower the heat to medium. Simmer gently, uncovered, until the bouillon is nearly gone, stirring now and then.

Taste and adjust salt and pepper. When the consistency is right, fold the cream in. Remove from the heat and cover.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the pasta water is at a full boil, add the rigatoni and cook until still firm, but not hard, in the center. Drain the pasta and then return it to the pot. Pour the pasta sauce on top; pasta should not be dry. Add a little pasta water to loosen it if needed. Top with cheese.

Hot Melon Salad

Hot Melon Salad, it sounds almost dirty...

For many years my dad used to make me try cantaloupe at Sunday morning breakfasts. Similar to when he made me try broccoli at dinner (although I actually like broccoli now). I still don't like cantaloupe but technically I think this salad is supposed to be a mix of both cantaloupe and honeydew melons. I made this last Labor Day but we had a really difficult time because we didn't have proper equipment. This really is best made using a wok. Last time I had a nonstick skillet and I used a combination of honeydew, cantaloupe and watermelon and it heated up too slowly and ended up being very mushy.

Having done some research, ie: trying each type of melon when it was on a fruit try at work, I have decided honeydew melon is the only one of the three main melons that I actually like. So here is the very monochromatic, yet oh so tasty hot melon salad.

Hot Melon Salad (adapted from Alton Brown)

1 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
16 ounces small-diced honeydew melon, approximately 2 cups
1 tablespoon fresh basil, cut into chiffonade
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon pine nuts

1. Heat a wok over high heat.
2. Once the pan is hot, add the olive oil, followed by the onion, and saute for 3 to5 minutes, moving the pan continually.
   
3. Add the melon and saute for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the melon starts to take on color.
4. Add the basil, salt, and pepper and continue to cook for another minute.
   
5. Pour mixture onto a serving platter, sprinkle with the cheese, vinegar and pine nuts, and serve immediately.

I served this with seared chicken, roasted green beans, and a white bean and rosemary mash. The green beans and chicken were good but the white beans left something to be desired.

Grilled Shrimp and Chopped Vegetable Salad

Sadly, the weather and timing of this dinner didn't agree with the plan of grilling but we were able to salvage the food and create something tasty anyway. Ideally, you would grill everything. I attempted to roast the vegetables and used the grill pan for the shrimp.

Now that it's been days since I cooked this, I forget the majority of what I cooked. Basically roast some bell peppers (I like red and yellow better than green but whatever) with red onion, garlic and olive oil. Season with salt. Toss with salad greens and grilled shrimp. Before I grilled the shrimp, I tossed them with a tad of olive oil and cajun seasoning. Enjoy!

Gnocchi and Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter

Ever since I read about this simple tomato sauce one of the blogs, maybe it was smitten kitchen,
I have been hankering after this sauce. Besides my family's Sunday sauce, I haven't been able to enjoy any of the tomato sauces, I've been making in the last few years. This all changed tonight. Sadly it is probably a little too fattening to be be something I'll make often but it's just delicious. Only three ingredients! I'm not going to gush because it seems to that this particular sauce has been blogged to death from what I understand but if you haven't seen it or tried it, you must!

Enough exclamation points for now. Let me talk about the gnocchi. I've made prepackaged gnocchi before, which is very hard. Heavy and sits like a rock in the stomach. I've made gnocchi from instant potatoes which have turned out quite well in the past. After talking with my (Italian) grandmother, it turns out that she almost always used instant potatoes to make her gnocchi.

The following recipe for gnocchi is 2 ingredients and very, very soft and light. From what I have read, that's the goal for gnocchi. The best gnocchi I have ever eaten however, were on special at Aldo's in Baltimore's Little Italy. If you can't travel there to eat them, or perhaps if they aren't on special the day that you, you can make this recipe instead.

Gnocchi
1 russet potato
1/2 cup flour, plus a little for rolling out the dough

1. Peel the potato and cut it into large chunks.
2. Boil the chunks of potato in water for 20 minutes.
3. Drain thoroughly and put potatoes through a food mill (or ricer).
4. Cool potatoes a little and add flour 1/4 cup at a time, mixing the dough together. Be careful not to over mix the dough.
5. Roll the dough into approximately 1/2" wide ropes.
6. Cut eat rope into 1" long pieces and roll each piece over the back of fork tines to create ridges for the sauce.
7. Bring a pot of water to boil and lower gnocchi in using a slotted spoon. Be careful not to break up the gnocchi.
8. Gnocchi are finished when they rise to the top.
9. Top with sauce and cheese.

Next time I think I would add a little salt to the dough. No need for egg however.

Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
(Adapted from smitten kitchen's adaptation of Marcela Hazan’s recipe from Essentials of Italian Cooking)

1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt, to taste

1. Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in pot over medium heat.
   
2. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes.
3. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon.
4. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste and serve over pasta.
   

Southwest Pork Kebabs with Vegetables

After last night's dud of a meal, I did not have high hopes for tonight's dinner. The sad thing, for those of you who know about them, is that I passed up free hot-chee dogs for this. There is a restaurant called the Hamilton that is similar to a diner, where I live. They aren't on the menu but a hot-chee dog (or burger or omelet) consists of American cheese, mustard, chopped onions and "sauce" which is like a Greek chili on a hot dog. At the school carnival today they were 75% off for students and free for teachers. I resisted in order to be able to eat my dinner. Luckily, dinner was delicious. I really liked this pork marinade. We cooked this dinner using both the grill and the oven. I haven't quite gotten as far as grilling vegetables. So I roasted the squash, zucchini, and onions. The grape tomatoes, J grilled on skewers. The pork was also grilled on skewers. I desperately need to buy some metal skewers because no matter how long I soak the wooden ones, they still tend to burn up. This dinner was just delicious. I'm definitely going to save the marinade recipe. I even forgot the cilantro that was supposed to go on the tomatoes but I didn't miss it at all.

Southwest Pork Kebabs with Vegetables (adapted from Ladyberd's Kitchen)

Juice of one orange (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (plus a little more or a spray for the vegetables)
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic (approx. 4 cloves)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. Hot smoked paprika (I used the Hungarian variety because it was all I could find)
3/4 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
~1 lb. pork loin (here I used pork tenderloin), trimmed and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
1/2 yellow squash, thickly sliced
1/2 zucchini, thickly sliced
1 red onion, quarteredCombine all of the marinade ingredients in bowl.

1. Add the pork and toss to coat thoroughly.
2. Cover and put it in the fridge for at least an hour (mine marinated for approx. 3 hours).
3. Just before cooking, preheat grill on high.
4. Thread pork and tomatoes onto separate skewers. Discard excess marinade.
5. Grill on high direct heat for 3-4 minutes on each side. Let rest 2-3 minutes before removing from skewers.
6. Before the pork and tomatoes go on the grill, line a baking sheet with foil (for less clean up) and broil the remaining vegetables (zucchini, squash, and onion) in the oven on high until they reach desired doneness (approx. 10 min). Everything should be ready at about the same time.
   

Kurdish Carrot Fritters

I have been wanting to make these from the second I saw them. I adore cooked carrots. Hate them raw, love them cooked. I know I'm super weird. I also love labneh which is the accompaniment to these carrot fritters. The awesome thing about them (for most people who keep a stocked fridge and pantry, unlike me who buys for the week and plans each meal down to the side dish) is that you can make them from normal things around the house. They were super easy and could have been made using the food processor instead of a grater to save time (just be careful not to over process.

Kurdish Carrot Fritters (adapted from Food Bridge)

5 medium sized carrots (about 2 cups), finely grated

1 yellow onion, grated

2 eggs

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 salt or to taste

1/8 tsp Ras el hanout

Canola oil for frying

Labneh for serving

1. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together.
2. Create round flat fritters from the mixture, about 1 tbsp per fritter.
   
3. Heat oil in a pan, enough so that it comes half way up the fritters.
4. Fry fritters until golden brown, on both sides.
   
5. Remove on to paper towels to absorb excess oil.
6. Serve with labneh or yogurt.
   

MMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Mezze for dinner (recipes for Kibbe and Labneh)

I really enjoy Lebanese food (and Middle Eastern in general). Last year for my birthday we went to The Cedar Restaurant in Camp Hill and the four of us shared ten mezze for dinner. Since the first few times we went to the restaurant, J really seemed to enjoy this type of food. Since then I have been trying to recreate as many things as possible. This is one of my favorite restaurant items, kibbe balls. The restaurant deep fries the balls but this recipe calls for you to bake them. I think I prefer the frying but I'm sure it was less messy this way. In addition to the kibbe balls, hummus, and pita bread, I decided to make some of the other things we enjoy from the Lebanese Restaurant, labneh and vegetables. Labneh


I have been making labneh for a few months now. I told someone about it who was skeptical of this method but it is so much easier than making your own yogurt to start with store bought yogurt. I've only used Greek yogurt. Mix a few sprinkles of kosher salt into yogurt. Place yogurt in a strainer lined with a coffee filter over a bow. Cover and place in fridge overnight and drain until yogurt cheese forms. Drizzle with olive oil and add a pinch of sumac.

Kibbe Balls (from Chicho's Kitchen)

1 to 1½ lb (500 to 700g) ground beef
2 cups bulgur (cracked wheat)
1 onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Wash bulgur under running water then soak in water for about 10 minutes. Drain then press to remove moisture as much as possible.
2. Mash onion in the food processor then add meat in batches.
   
3. Remove and place aside.
4. Mix meat mixture with bulgur, salt, spices. Process well in batches into a firm paste.
5. Knead mixture with wet hands into a smooth paste. Put in refrigerator for 30 minutes covered with a piece of wet texture.

Filling:
1/3 pound (150g) ground beef
1 onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
a handful of fried pine nuts
1 tbsp sumac

1. Fry chopped onion with a dash of salt in oil until transparent.
2. Add minced meat, salt and spices to onions and fry until cooked.
   
3. Mix in pine nuts. Put filling aside.
4. Divide paste into egg sized balls. Dip your hands in cold water then roll each ball between the palms of your hands until smooth.
5. Make a hole in the middle with your forefinger. Work finger round in the hole until you have a shell of even thickness.
6. Fill hole with filling mixture and close opening. Moisten with cold water to seal well and to shape with two pointed sides. If any breaks appear in shell, close with wet fingers.
7. Place balls on a tray. Bake them in the oven at 350ºF (180ºC) for 20 mn or heat oil in a pan then fry till brown evenly and cooked.

I had a little bit of filling leftover and so I added some sliced zucchini, sliced carrots, sliced onions, and sliced red peppers and sauteed them in the pan with the leftover filling. Delicious!

100th Post, Another Stir-Fry

I was hoping my 100th post would be something more exciting than another stir-fry. This one wasn't great and I added some hoison sauce to the top of mine to make it taste better. This was originally supposed to be a salad of cabbage and leftover pork. I took it and turned it into a stir fry and then added leftover vegetables that I forgot I had in the fridge. Fell asleep before dinner last night so I'll have to push a few meals forward this week.

Pork and Roasted Carrot Ramen Stir Fry

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp honey
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

9 oz pork loin, cut into small thin pieces

7 carrots, cut into chunks
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp five spice powder
1 pinch kosher salt
2 tsp soy sauce

2 cups cole slaw mix
1/3 red pepper, julienned
1/2 zucchini, julienned
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced

1 pack ramen noodles, cooked without flavoring packet and drained
2 scallions, sliced
1 egg
1 tsp peanut oil

1. Marinate pork in first 6 ingredients.
   
2. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Mix carrots with next 4 ingredients. Place on baking sheet and roast 30 min.
3. Heat water for ramen noodles, meanwhile heat peanut oil in wok over medium to high heat. Add cabbage, garlic, onion, pepper, and zucchini to wok. Cook 5-7 min or until vegetables are almost desired doneness.
4. Add pork to wok and cook through.
5. Cook ramen according to package. Rinse and shake dry and add to wok. Remove carrots from oven and add to wok.
   
6. Move vegetables to side of wok to expose some of the hottest part of the wok. Break egg into wok and scramble, mixing into noodles, pork and vegetables. Be sure egg cooks through entirely. Top with scallions.