Sunday, November 23, 2008

Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

This is another favorite in our house. I have played around with a number of meatball recipes, and have found that adding grated onion and garlic not only gives a ton of flavor to the meatballs, but they keep them incredibly moist! If I'm in a rush, I sometimes bake the meatballs and then add them to the sauce, but cooking them in the sauce for as long as possible makes the most flavorful meatballs and sauce, so I try to do that when I have the time.

The Ingredients:

-1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-1 spanish onion, fine dice
-1 clove garlic, smashed
-¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
-½ cup wine (Whatever you have on hand. Stock will also work if you prefer)
-2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
-Salt and Pepper, to taste
-2 lbs ground turkey
-½ Spanish onion, grated on Microplane or box grater
-2 cloves garlic, grated on Microplane
-1 tbsp minced parsley (or other herbs you have on hand - I have also used oregano and basil in this recipe)
-½ cup breadcrumbs (I get breadcrumbs from my local bakery - a bit of a splurge, but I keep a bag of the breadcrumbs wrapped tightly in the freezer and they last for months!)
-1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
-1 tsp tomato paste
-½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
-1 egg
-1 box spaghetti

The Directions:

1. Heat dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Sweat diced onion, about 5 minutes. Add 1 smashed clove of garlic and ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, sauté 1 minute. Deglaze with wine (red or white, whatever you have on hand), and reduce 1-2 minutes. Add 2 cans of crushed tomatoes, bring to boil, reduce to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. In large bowl, combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, Parmigiano Reggiano, tomato paste, grated garlic, grated onion, minced parsley, red pepper flakes, egg, and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Form turkey mixture into golf-ball sized meatballs and drop into simmering sauce. Cover and simmer. The longer it cooks, the more the flavors will combine. I try to cook for about 2 hours, but cook at least until the meatballs are cooked through. Stir occasionally.
4. Prepare spaghetti according to package directions. Toss spaghetti with half a cup of tomato sauce, then serve and top with more sauce and meatballs.

I served this tonight with some simple roast broccolini: I tossed broccolini with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and a splash of olive oil, then sprinkled with Parmigiano Reggiano, and roasted at 450°F for about 15 minutes, until the tips started turning brown and a bit crispy. It's a perfect hearty dinner for the cold weather we've been having. And we have plenty of meatballs left over for sandwiches during the week!

Crock Pot Chicken Stock

I make stock just about every other weekend. It's a great way to clean out the fridge, it's super easy, and it's much cheaper than buying stock. Plus, home made stock doesn't have any of the salt or preservatives that store bought does. I have a basic recipe that I follow, but I adjust according to what I have in the fridge. You can certainly make it on the stovetop, too, but I think using the Crock Pot makes it even easier and gives me the freedom to leave the house while it cooks.

The Ingredients:

-1 lb Chicken backs (My Whole Foods sells these pre-packaged in the organic chicken case, and charges just $2 a pound or so. But you could use chicken bones left over from a roast chicken, or a package of bone-in chicken legs)
-1 spanish onion
-2 carrots
-2 stalks celery
-2 bay leaves
-4 sprigs thyme
-5-6 sprigs parsley (I didn't have any parsley today so just omitted it, but I usually use it in my stocks)
-5-6 whole peppercorns

Then I usually throw in any other veggies I have in the fridge - leeks, tomatoes, mushrooms, parsnips, etc. I sometimes save trimmings when I prep veggies for other meals and freeze them for stock. Today, I didn't have any suitable veggies (I didn't think cabbage or broccolini would be great) but I threw in a couple of whole garlic cloves.

The Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450° F. Peel carrots and cut into large chunks. Peel and quarter the onion. Cover a sheet tray with tinfoil and place carrots, onions and chicken backs on sheet tray. Roast at 450°F for 15 minutes. (I find that roasting the chicken and veggies for a bit give a richer flavor, and is an easy way to get a lot of the fat off the chicken. If using chicken legs, I take the skin off before roasting.)
2. Put thyme, parsley, bay, and peppercorns in bottom of Crock Pot. Cut celery into large pieces and add to Crock Pot. Cover with roasted carrots, onions and chicken backs. Fill Crock Pot with cold water.
3. Cook on High for 1 hour, then turn to Low and cook 4-5 hours.
4. Strain stock, cool, and store.


I usually get 2+ quarts of stock from this recipe (because my Crock Pot isn't very big), and I freeze it in ziplock bags. I measure out the stock in 1 cup, 1 1/2 cup and 2 cup portions and label the bags so that I can defrost just what I need for recipes. And I try to freeze some in ice cube trays in case I need a few tbsp here or there. Because there aren't any preservatives in the stock, it will only last in the fridge for a couple of days, so I just defrost it as I need it. You could also use this method for turkey stock with left over bones from Thanksgiving, or you can make a vegetable stock in the same method by just omitting the chicken bones and adding more veggies.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Turkey Shepherd's Pie

I came home from work early yesterday, and called out sick today. I've been fighting something(s) for over a month now, and with the weather change, I got worse. But by this evening, I was feeling a bit better, and hungry for something really comforting. I was tempted to make a big pot of soup, but I've seen a ton of Shepherd's Pie recipes recently, and thought I'd come up with one of my own. I thought Thanksgiving flavors would be a good idea, and it basically turned into Thanksgiving dinner in one dish.

The Ingredients:

-1 1/3 pounds ground turkey
-3 Idaho potatoes
-1 Spanish onion, medium diced
-1 large carrot, medium diced
-2 stalks celery, medium diced
-Salt and Pepper to taste
-1 stick butter
-10 leaves sage, torn, plus 6 or 7 leaves sage, minced
-4 sprigs of thyme
-1 tbsp flour
-1/2 cup white wine
-2 cups chicken stock (I think this made the end result a bit too soupy, so next time I'll probably use 1 - 1 1/2 cups)
-1/4 cup heavy cream
-1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

The Directions:
-Pre-heat oven to 350°F. In large saute pan, brown the ground turkey. In small saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter and add 10 torn leaves of sage.
-Peel potatoes, slice or large dice, and put in medium saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil and cook until tender.
-When turkey is browned, add carrots, celery, onions, thyme sprigs and minced sage. Sweat for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add 1-2 tbsp of the melted, sage-infused butter to turkey. Stir in 1 tbsp flour, and cook for 2-3 minutes. (This will make a roux, which will thicken the sauce). Deglaze pan with wine (if you have it on hand - no need to but wine if you don't have it), and let reduce 1-2 minutes. Add stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and simmer until potatoes are ready. Sauce will thicken and become a gravy.
-When potatoes are tender, drain, and mash with remaining sage-infused butter and the heavy cream.
-Spray baking dish with pan spray, then turn turkey mixture into pan. Spread potatoes evenly over the turkey mixture. Top potatoes with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake 15 minutes, until bubbly. (I threw it under the broiler for a minute to get it really bubbly). Let rest 5-10 minutes then serve.

This was exactly what I needed to make me feel better. It was a bit too soupy, so next time I'll cut back on the stock. But it was like a cross between chicken and vegetable soup and Thanksgiving dinner! It was so comforting, and full of flavor. And while making this, I kept thinking of ways to twist the basic recipe - adding tomatoes and basil, topping with polenta, or chipotles and tomatoes, topping with sweet potatoes... And this could totally be made with Thanksgiving leftovers - just use left over turkey meat, throw in leftover vegetables, and use left over mashed or sweet potatoes! I'll definitely be trying this again!

Friday, November 14, 2008

Pumpkin Spice Cafe au Lait

For me, one of the signs that fall is here is when Starbucks brings out the Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I rarely get them, both because of price and because I think it's too rich. But I do love splurging and getting a pump or two of the pumpkin spice in my regular coffee.

Today is pretty gloomy, so as a treat at the end of a rough week, I decided to try making my own pumpkin spice coffee. I didn't take photos (sorry!), but imagine an oversized mug of warm, spicy, fall-flavored coffee!

The Ingredients:

I did this right after I woke up, cranky from a bad dream and achy from a rough week at work. So I just eyeballed everything. Taste as you go and adjust for your tastes. For me, a pinch is with thumb, index and middle fingers.

-1 tbsp pure pureed pumpkin
-1 small pinch ground nutmeg
-1 large pinch ground cinnamon
-1 small pinch ground clove
-1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract
-1 tsp sugar (I keep a jar of sugar with vanilla beans in it for my coffee, so I used that)
-1/2 cup milk (we use 2% in our house, but you could use whatever you drink in your coffee)
-2 cups coffee

Directions:

Combine everything but the coffee in a small saucepan and heat over low heat until it comes to a simmer. Divide between 2 mugs, and add 1 cup coffee to each mug. Taste and adjust seasonings. (I added a bit more vanilla sugar to mine.)


This was a perfect way to cheer me up. I think it's far more delicious than Starbucks' pumpkin spice! It is creamy (the pumpkin makes it thicker and richer feeling than milk alone), spicy, warm, but not too sweet. It tastes a bit like a pumpkin pie or a spice cookie. I recommend drinking it in your favorite pajamas while catching up on the tv you DVRed during the week. Because who can't be cheered with pumpkin, fuzzy pants, and Survivor?

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Country Beef Stew

I love stew in the fall and winter. To me, stew is the culinary version of curling up on the couch in my pyjamas and watching tv - it's so cozy and comforting. I make a cheater version of boeuf bourguignon with diced onion rather than pearl onions (I'm too lazy to peel all those little onions) that is one of my all time favorite comfort foods. And I have a recipe for chicken stew with tomatoes and tarragon that I love almost as much. Today, I couldn't decide which I wanted, so decided to combine the two and make a beef stew with burgundy, tomatoes and tarragon.

The Ingredients:


-4 strips bacon, cut into 1” pieces (in our house, we prefer turkey bacon, but use whatever you prefer)
-1 large onion, medium dice
-3 carrots, peeled and large diced
-8-10 mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (today, I used shiitakes, but button mushrooms, portobellos, or creminis would all be good, too)
-1 ½ - 2 lbs beef chuck, cubed
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1 tbsp butter
-salt and pepper
-flour, for dredging
-1 26 oz box tomatoes (or a can of tomatoes, whatever you have in your pantry. I used diced here, because I like the texture, but use whatever you have on hand.)
-1 bottle red wine (I used a burgundy, but any red wine that you'd drink is good. Or use stock if you prefer.)
-2 bay leaves
-3 tbsp minced tarragon, divided
-1 bag wide egg noodles
-½ tbsp butter


The Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300° F. Heat dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter. When butter melts, sauté bacon and onions until onions are translucent and start to caramelize. Remove from pan and reserve.
2. Season beef with salt and pepper, and dredge in flour. Sear in batches in dutch oven until all sides are browned. Add all beef back into dutch oven. Add box of tomatoes and enough wine to cover beef completely (it took a full bottle for me to cover the beef, but you may not need a full bottle). Add 2 bay leaves to dutch oven, cover and place in oven. Cook 2 -3 hours (the meat should be very tender and start to fall apart when touched – time will vary depending on size of cubes), stirring occasionally.
3. After 2 - 3 hours, add reserved bacon, onions, carrots and mushrooms to stew, cover and put back in oven to cook for 1 more hour.
4. About 20 minutes before stew is done, bring water to a boil for egg noodles, and cook noodles according to package directions. (Make the amount you will eat with the stew – save the rest to make with leftovers.) Toss noodles with butter and 1 tbsp tarragon.
5. When stew is done (the meat should fall apart when you touch it), stir in 2 tbsp tarragon and serve over egg noodles.

The stew was everything I hoped it would be. I cooked it for about 4 hours total, and the meat was so tender, it fell apart when I touched it with a fork. The flavors of wine, tomatoes and beef all combine for a rich gravy, and by adding the veggies and bacon at the end, they aren't totally mushy and still have a strong flavor. And the tarragon gives a great earthy flavor, but also gives it some brightness. I think adding rosemary would be another great way to go with this stew. We definitely have enough left for lunches during the week!

Pumpkin Muffins

I saw a recipe for pumpkin muffins in the November 2008 issue of Gourmet Magazine. It looked great, but I tweaked it a bit - I swapped dried cranberries for raisins, substituted some whole wheat flour for some of the AP flour, and used cardamom instead of allspice, since that's what I had in the house. So this is basically the Gourmet recipe, but I made it something we'd prefer to eat in our home.

The Ingredients:



1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 ½ cups AP Flour
½ cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground cloves
½ tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
¾ cup canned pure pumpkin
¼ cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ cup pumpkin seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Soak cranberries in warm water to rehydrate while you make the rest of the batter.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in large bowl.
3. In separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, eggs, butter, brown sugar, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and stir until just combined. Drain cranberries, then add cranberries and pumpkin seeds to batter.
4. Divide batter among cups of muffin pan (if not non-stick, pray with pan spray before filling). Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes.


These are great! Moist, not too sweet, and they have a good amount of spice. I wanted something that would be a good cookie alternative for Boyfriend, and that I could eat for breakfast before work. This is definitely a recipe I'll make again!

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Chicken "Tikka Masala" with whole wheat couscous

I love Indian food, but we don't have any good Indian restaurants in our neighborhood. When I'm craving my favorite, chicken Tikka Masala, and don't want to travel far to eat, this is a pretty good substitute. Boyfriend, who's a picky eater and "doesn't like Indian food" likes it, too!

The Ingredients:


-1 cup greek yogurt
-1 inch peeled ginger root, grated or minced (I peel a large piece of ginger root and cut it into 1 inch pieces, then freeze it. It keeps for months and grates really easily when frozen.)
-4 cloves garlic, grated or minced (I'm lazy and usually grate my garlic and ginger on a microplane rather than mince them)
-Zest of 1 lime
-2 tbsp chili powder
-4 tsp coriander
-2 tsp smoked paprika
-1 tsp turmeric
-2 tsp ground cumin
-1 pinch cinnamon
-2-3 tbsp olive oil
-Salt and Pepper
-1 ¼ - 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken (today I used breasts, but I really like this dish with thighs)
-1 14.5 oz can tomatoes (I had Fire Roasted Tomatoes in my pantry, but any kind of tomato works)
-½ cup chicken stock (I make my own chicken stock and freeze it in small quantities to use throughout the week, but will substitute a good low-sodium stock in a box if I don't have homemade on hand)

-½ cup whole wheat couscous
-2/3 cup chicken stock
-¼ cup slivered almonds

The Directions:

1. Preheat oven as high as it goes, 500° or 550°F.
2. Combine chili powder, coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon. Reserve 1/3 of spice mixture for the sauce and the couscous. Combine two-thirds of spice mixture with yogurt, grated ginger, lime zest, and 3 cloves grated garlic. Thin to saucy consistency with olive oil (about 2 tbsp). Season chicken with salt and pepper, add to yogurt mixture, and coat chicken thoroughly. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
3. Line a half-sheet pan with foil. Lay coated chicken breasts on sheet pan. Bake at 550°F for 20 minutes.
4. While chicken is baking, make couscous and finish sauce. In saucepan, sauté ½ of remaining spice mixture and almonds for 2-3 minutes, until lightly toasted. Remove almonds and spice mixture, add ½ cup chicken stock and bring to a boil. When stock comes to boil, turn off heat, add couscous, toasted almonds and spices to stock, cover and let sit 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.
5. Heat 2nd saucepan with 1 tbsp olive oil. Saute 4th clove of grated/minced garlic and remaining spice mix for 2 minutes. Add can of tomato sauce and ½ cup chicken stock. Simmer until chicken is done.
6. When chicken is done, cut into bite-sized pieces and add to tomato sauce. Simmer 5 more minutes, then serve over couscous.


This is such an easy method - you can substitute so many different spice/herb combos and make completely new meals. This "Indian" version can be made even more simply with a pre-blended curry spice blend, or with curry paste. And the spice blend will keep for weeks in an air-tight container, so you can make a double or triple batch and then won't need to make it every time you make this meal. This is also great without the tomato sauce. Just the marinated, baked chicken is very similar to Tandoori Chicken and is a yummy dinner, too!

Tonight, I served it with kale, which I sauteed in a tbsp of olive oil, 1/2 cup of chicken stock, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. A pretty great square meal, and it got a vote of confidence by Boyfriend, despite his worry about eating "Indian" chicken and "the green stuff".

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Favorite Weekend Dinner: Lasagna!




Lasagna is one of Boyfriend's favorite dinners. I love that it's relatively easy, and that it gives us plenty of leftovers for the week. I usually make extra sauce, so I can freeze it for another meal.



Today, I used:



-Extra Virgin Olive Oil – as needed
-1 tbsp butter (optional)
-1 ½ - 2 lbs sausages, casings removed (I used a combo of Sweet Italian chicken sausage and Spicy Italian chicken sausage from Whole Foods, but any combo of sausages will be yummy!)
-1 large or 2 small onions, small dice
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-2 26 oz boxes tomatoes (I love the Pomi tomatoes in a box - the ingredients list is just tomatoes, no salt, citric acid or other preservatives. But any boxed or canned tomatoes will be fine.)
-salt and pepper, to taste
-1 15 oz tub of part-skim ricotta cheese
-Splash of milk
-1 ball fresh mozzarella (You could certainly use grated mozzarella, but I think the ball of fresh mozzarella makes a big difference in flavor and texture.)
-8 sheets no-boil lasagna noodles (or however many you need to cover your baking dish. I used a whole wheat variety, which I find really tasty.)
-parmigiano reggiano cheese, to taste (I get the imported kind at a local Italian market, and have them grate it. It keeps for weeks, and the flavor is so strong that a little goes a long way.)
-minced fresh herbs (optional)
-Wine (optional)

The Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. On stovetop, heat dutch oven, stock pot, or large saucepan over medium heat. Lightly coat bottom of pan with olive oil, and melt 1 tbsp unsalted butter, if desired. (I think the butter makes the sauce more rich and flavorful, but it will be great without, too) Add sausages and break apart with back of wooden spoon. Brown sausages, stirring frequently.
2. When sausages are almost fully cooked, add diced onions. Saute for 1-2 minutes, then add minced garlic. Stir to combine.
3. At this point, if you have wine (either white or red, but a good wine you would drink) deglaze the pan with about ¼ cup. Cook until wine is gone. (The wine isn't necessary, but will add another layer of flavor, so if you have some on hand, throw it in, But don't worry about buying wine just for this.)
4. Add tomatoes, and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10-15 minutes. Taste and season again as needed. (I added 3 large pinches of salt total, and no pepper, but do what tastes good to you.)
5. While sauce is simmering, pour ricotta into small bowl. Add splash of milk and stir until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (If you have fresh herbs, stir in a few tbsp of minced herbs to the ricotta. Parsley, basil, chives, oregano would all be good in this. I had parsley, so I added a bit, but it's just as good if you don't have the herbs.) Slice mozzarella as thinly as possible.
6. When sauce has simmered, place baking dish on foil-lined baking sheet. Spoon small layer of sauce on bottom of pan. Place 2 noodle sheets side by side on sauce (or however many it takes to cover the bottom of the dish). Spoon 1/3 of ricotta mixture on noodles. Cover with more sauce. Place ¼ of mozzarella on sauce. Repeat layering noodles, cheeses and sauce 2 more times, rotating direction of noodles with each layer. Top with 1 final layer of noodles, cover completely with sauce, then a layer of mozzarella, then top with grated parmigiano reggiano.
7. Cover baking dish with foil and cook at 400°F for 45 minutes. Uncover, and broil until cheese is brown and bubbly, about 2 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Cut and serve!


It was delicious! I used 3 sweet sausages and 2 spicy, and there was a perfect balance of heat. It was gooey and cheesey, and the whole wheat noodles have a great texture. We both had seconds, and I have enough left over for 2 weekday lunches! And I have 2 quart bags of sauce left to freeze for other meals. The photos didn't come out as well as I hoped, but I'll work on that next weekend.