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The Midlife Second Wife ™

~ The Real and True Adventures of Remarriage at Life's Midpoint

The Midlife Second Wife ™

Category Archives: Food for Thought

Cook, Eat, Think

21 Days of the Digest Diet: Days 1-4, There’s a Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On

10 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Food for Thought, The Healthy Life

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Diet food, Digest Diet, Food, Health, Life, Readers Digest, Weight loss

To market, to market: my shopping basket at Whole Foods

So just how popular is the Digest Diet that Liz Vaccariello, editor-in-chief of Reader’s Digest, devised? Here’s some anecdotal evidence. On Saturday, the Midlife Second Husband went grocery shopping with me at Whole Foods in Central Virginia to stock up on the items we knew we’d need. (He’s going to do one-third of the diet with me, which is to say we’ll eat the same dinner.) According to the nifty shopping list for Days 1-4 available on the Reader’s Digest website, I was to buy one 16-ounce box of nonfat milk powder—an essential ingredient in the “Fast Release Shake” (more on that in a moment). I wanted to buy an extra box for my pantry so I wouldn’t have to drive back to Whole Foods. Guess what? I bought the last one on the shelf. I asked the associate who helped me find it in the first place: “The Digest Diet?” “Yep,” he replied. “This is the last one we have left.”

Can you believe it? Powdered milk, for crying out loud. I’ve never bought powdered milk in my life yet here I am feeling like a bride-to-be who ended up with the short end of the veil at Filene’s Basement “Running of the Brides,” and all because I can’t buy more than one container of powdered milk.

Quite a few people have written me, or shared comments on last week’s post, that they’re trying the diet, too. (Do y’all live in Virginia?) I feel as though I’m leading a small army into battle. And yes, you know I have to say it: It’s the Battle of the Bulge.

So here’s some of what I bought at Whole Foods. I also pinned the Digest Diet list on my Pinterest board, which I’m ever-so-slowly building.

1 green bell pepper
1 small head Romaine lettuce
1 head broccoli
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 head celery
These are snacks, people. SNACKS. No candy, no chips, no nothin’ I’ve ever called a snack before.

While we’re in the produce section, I’ll also mention that I bought zucchini, garlic, kale, and Swiss chard to make two amazing sounding soups I’ll be having for dinner the first four days. Plus strawberries for the shakes I mentioned earlier. Since I’ll be preparing my first shake this morning, after going for a one-mile walk, here’s the complete recipe as I’ll be making it.* (The key ingredients, yogurt, coconut milk, fruit/fiber, healthy fats, and honey, are considered “fat releasers.”) I’ll also have another shake for lunch. I might even kick up my heels and swap out the strawberries for a banana!

Fast Release Shake (Days 1-4)
Hands-On Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Makes: 1 shake

3/4 cup (6 ounces) nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup light coconut milk
3 tablespoons nonfat milk powder
FRUIT/FIBER (I’ll use 8 fresh strawberries PLUS 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal)
HEALTHY FATS (I’m opting for 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter)
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
FLAVORINGS (These are “optional” but I’m definitely adding both of them. And I’m pleased with the choices: 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder and/or 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
4 ice cubes

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until nice and frothy.

*There are other variations on the theme—I could use banana, apple, red grapes, or mixed berries instead of strawberries. And one can choose among healthy fats—I love peanut butter, so that’s what I’ve opted for.

A typical shake contains the following:
395 calories | 16 g protein
18 g fat (5g saturated)
9.5g fiber | 430mg calcium
40mg vitamin C
50g carbohydrate
210mg sodium

I’ll send out a tweet later today to let you know if I loved this shake, or if it’s left me shaking my head. I’ll also be posting updates on Facebook. You can keep up with this great weight-loss adventure by following me on Twitter @midlife2wife or on the Facebook page for The Midlife Second Wife.

See ya later! I’ve got a date with the walking path!

Other than providing me with a copy of The Digest Diet, Readers’ Digest is not paying me to blog about my experience on the program. (If I lose the weight I hope to lose, that will be compensation enough.)

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Blossom’s Cleveland Orchestra Pasta Salad

25 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Food for Thought

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Blossom Festival, Cooking, Food, Pasta, recipes, Salads, Severance Hall, The Cleveland Orchestra, WCLV

From the name I’ve given this recipe, you’d expect to see edible flowers or musical notes dotted throughout the bowl, wouldn’t you? Actually, the name comes from the recipe’s original source—the Blossom Seasons Cookbook. The spiral-bound book’s title, in turn, comes from the summer home of the glorious Cleveland Orchestra. Ranked among the top ten orchestras in the world—a fact to which I can attest, having heard the orchestra many times not only at the Blossom Festival, but also at its exquisite main venue, Severance Hall, the Cleveland is a must for lovers of classical music. If you can’t get to northeast Ohio to experience their incomparable sound live (or to Miami, where, like so many snowbirds, they winter in residency), by all means get your hands on one of their many recordings. Or listen on the web via WCLV, Cleveland’s classical FM station. The beauty of listening at home is that you can crank up the sound while you prepare this delicious pasta salad.

I’ve owned this little book for what seems like forever—sticklers for the truth will want to know that “forever” in my chronology harks to the early 1980s. The actual title of the recipe, found on page 32, is “Judy and Ann’s Antipasto Salad.” But since I don’t know who Judy and Ann are, and the world has heard of the Cleveland Orchestra, I’ve taken the liberty of retitling it. The person who contributed this particular recipe to the book appears to be one Marilyn Heinl of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, the one-time assistant treasurer of the Blossom Women’s Committee. Ms. Heinl, wherever you are, thank you for sharing this delicious salad. It’s one of my favorite summertime recipes. I should point out that although the original recipe calls for 3 or more tomatoes, I omit them in my version. (You don’t mind, do you Ms. Heinl?)

Blossom’s Cleveland Orchestra Pasta Salad
—Serves 6 to 8

1 pound small macaroni shells (I use fusilli pasta)
1/2 pound provolone cheese
1/4 pound hard salami
1/2 pound pepperoni
1 onion
1 green pepper
3 stalks celery
1 small can pitted black olives
1 small jar pimento-stuffed green olives
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon crushed basil
1 teaspoon pepper

Cook and drain pasta. Cut cheese, salami, pepperoni, and vegetables into small pieces. Place all ingredients (except tomatoes, if you are using them) in a large bowl. Combine oil, vinegar, and seasonings. Pour over salad and toss. Chill for 24 hours and add tomatoes (if you are using them) just before serving.

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Linguine Alla Pastora: A Scissor-Worthy Recipe

13 Friday Jul 2012

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Food for Thought

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Cooking, Food, Italian cooking, Pasta, recipes

Here’s an oldie but oh-so goodie—so much so that the card upon which I glued the clipping, stained to near illegibility, is dog-eared from close to 30 years of handling. If memory serves, this recipe, which I’ve adapted over time, originated in the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer, and was part of an article featuring different ways to prepare a variety of pastas. As so often happens when I discover a new recipe, I become so enamored of it that the thought of leaving it—even for a momentary dalliance with a thematic variation—never enters my mind. That’s the case with linguine alla pastora. I’m sure I’m missing out on the chance to enhance my repertoire, and I tell myself I’ll retire this from my rotation when I grow bored with it, but that hasn’t happened yet. Probably never will.

What makes this recipe so attractive to me? Well, it’s a great summertime pasta dish, when farmers’ markets are brimming with the fresh vegetables it requires. Also, it’s  quite easy and enjoyable to make. I love the aromas that fill the kitchen when I saute the ingredients for this meal. And, truth be told, I’m a sucker for compliments. This comes as a shock, I know. But seriously, every time I’ve served this dish, whether for family or friends, it gets raves. Positive reinforcement is a powerful thing.

The only step in this recipe that might give you pause is the call for roasted red peppers. Oh sure, you can buy them in a jar at your local specialty market, but why would you when they’re so easy to prepare? I’ll explain how to roast red peppers at the end of this post. For now, join me as I walk you through one of my favorite pasta dishes, the rustic Linguine alla Pastora, or, if you will, the Shepherdess’ Linguine.

Linguine alla Pastora
—4 to 6 servings

1 pound imported linguine pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, sliced in small arcs
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 zucchini, sliced
1/4 pound pancetta (Italian bacon), cut into lardons*
1/2 cup dry white wine
1-3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 red peppers, roasted and sliced**
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 (at least) cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

You would do well to roast the red peppers first so they have a chance to cool while you’re preparing the rest of the ingredients. Instructions can be found at the end of this post.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.

While the water is coming to the boil. heat olive oil in a 12-inch saute-pan. Add onion, garlic, zucchini, and pancetta, and cook at medium heat for five minutes, or until onion is transparent.

Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente.While the pasta is cooking, add wine to the sauteed vegetables and reduce at high heat for five minutes. Lower heat to medium, and add parsley and red pepper slices. Season with peppers and cook five minutes longer.

When the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain and reserve.

When the saute is ready, place about half of the cooked pasta in a large serving bowl and toss with about half of the saute. Add the remainder of the pasta and saute and toss well. Top with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (I believe there’s no such thing as too much Parmigiano-Reggiano) and serve.

*If you cannot find pancetta, you may substitute prosciutto. I’ve also made this with fresh sauteed sea scallops, omitting the Italian meat entirely.

**How to Roast Red Peppers

After washing the peppers, dry them and place them on a rack under the broiler element of your oven. (Don’t place them directly on the removable rack that comes with your oven; use something similar to what is shown in the photograph and place that on the removable rack. Also, I place the oven rack fairly close to the heating element.) What follows is very important and can’t be over-emphasized: keep an eye on the peppers while you are roasting them. Don’t leave the kitchen to tend to something else. You want to be nearby to (carefully) turn them with tongs as they begin to char so they are nicely roasted on all sides. The entire procedure should not take more than ten minutes, depending upon the size of the peppers and how close to the heat you’ve placed them.

After removing the roasted peppers from the oven, very carefully wrap each one in a paper towel. They will be hot to handle, so you might want to wait a moment or two until you can comfortably perform this step.

Place each wrapped pepper in a small plastic bag and set aside while you tend to other aspects of your recipe. So cossetted, they will steam nicely, making it much easier for you to remove their skins.

After about 15 minutes or so, rouse the peppers from their little sleeping bags. I run them under cold water to a) make them easier to handle, since they’re still quite warm, and b) begin rubbing and pulling at the charred skin to peel it off. Using your fingers, pull the skin away from the peppers, then remove the stem and seeds. (A vegetable peeler won’t work.) After the peppers are limp, empty shells of what they used to be, slice them into strips. That’s it. You’re done!

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Black-Bottom Cupcakes: A Scissor-Worthy Recipe

05 Thursday Jul 2012

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Food for Thought

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Baking, Chocolate, Cream Cheese, Cupcakes, Desserts, Food, recipes

I actually remember the first time I ever made these cupcakes. It was the summer of 1976, and I was a lithe young thing who never gave a second thought to such concepts as carbohydrates, fat grams, or weight gain. Ah, the ignorance of youth!

I’m guessing at the recipe’s provenance, but it could have been clipped from the (Cleveland, Ohio) Plain Dealer. A recipe prowler even at such a tender age, I was organized enough to type my finds on 5×7 index cards, but not so organized as to include their origins for future attribution. My coinage of the term “scissor-worthy” was decades away. And, since the Internet as we know it was not yet conceived, it would have come as a surprise to me that someday I would be able to share this recipe’s glories with untold readers on something called a blog. Ah, the joys of food-time travel!

For some inexplicable reason, I craved these cupcakes yesterday, and so they became part of our 4th of July menu, which was shared at the home of friends. But you don’t need a national holiday to enjoy their deep, dark, chocolate-y goodness, or the richness of their moist texture. Check your pantry to make sure you have these ingredients on hand, because I promise you: you want to make these. And soon. Enjoy!

Black-Bottom Cupcakes

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
2 and 1/3 cups sugar, divided
1 and 1/8 teaspoons salt, divided
1 6-ounce package of semisweet chocolate pieces (I prefer Ghirardelli’s)
3 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa (I used Penzey’s Dutch-processed cocoa)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups water
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, egg, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a small mixing bowl. Beat well. Add chocolate pieces and set aside.

Combine flour, cocoa, 2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and soda. Add water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. (Batter will be very thin.)

Place muffin liners in muffin pan. Fill each 2/3 full of batter, then drop a teaspoon of cream cheese mixture in the center. Bake at 350-degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool on rack. Yields two to two and one-half dozen small cupcakes or one dozen large cupcakes. The recipe says that these freeze well when wrapped in aluminum foil, but for some reason, I’ve never had the chance to freeze them. I wonder why?

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You Say Tomato, I Say Tabouli …

20 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Food for Thought

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Cook, Food, Herbs, Home, Middle East, Olive oil, recipes, Salads, Tomato

… or Tabooley. Or Tabbouleh. No matter how you spell it, this Middle Eastern salad is an incredibly delicious and refreshing addition to any summer meal. Vine-ripened tomatoes are abundant in Central Virginia now, and I’m looking forward to making my first tabouli of the season to accompany baked kibbee, the recipe for which I’ve already published on the blog. I took this photo last summer, before I had any idea I’d be a blogger. I suppose I could postpone this until I make it again and can take new pictures, but I hate to keep you waiting. So, as I’ve been known to say in my kitchen, “please pardon the mess.”

This recipe is a hybrid of what I could decipher from my Lebanese grandmother’s handwriting and an old community cookbook from Ohio. My best advice to you as you plan your shopping list is to make sure you’re buying fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes. If you can get them from a local farm stand or farmer’s market, that’s even better. In my list of culinary sins, nothing is worse than serving up a bland, pale, pithy tomato that traveled thousands of miles to land on your plate. And that’s today’s sermonette from the MSW. Now go, shop, prepare, and enjoy!

Tabouli

2 cups bulgur wheat
3 cups boiling water
3 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup lemon juice (approximately 4 lemons)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 bunches (2 cups) fresh mint leaves, chopped (I prefer using spearmint)
3 bunches fresh, curly parsley, chopped
2 bunches green onions, including tops, chopped
8 large tomatoes, cut into chunks
additional salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Pour boiling water over bulgur wheat, cover, and let rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, using a food processor, chop mint leaves. Remove from processor bowl with a scraper and place in a large bowl. Add parsley to the food processor and repeat the procedure, scraping the chopped parsley into the bowl with the mint. Using either the processor or a sharp knive, chop the green onions with tops and add them to the mint and parsley mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

After the bulgur wheat has been soaking in the water for 30 minutes, squeeze handfuls of it over an empty bowl, until all the excess water has drained away. Next,  add the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt, stir well, and refrigerate the wheat/dressing mixture for two to three hours.

Once the wheat mixture has chilled, add—in batches—the mint, parsley, and green onions. Cut up the tomatoes and add those to the mix. By this point I’ve abandoned all decorum and use my bare (very clean) hands to mix the salad. Adjust the flavor to your taste—additional salt, some freshly ground pepper, and perhaps more lemon juice.

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Apricot Pork Tenderloin: A Scissor-Worthy Recipe

13 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Food for Thought

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Cooking, Dried Fruit, Food, Pork, recipes

On a recent trip to Fresh Market, I picked up two one-pound pork tenderloins on sale and popped them in our freezer. We have a small kitchen and no basement; the only freezer we have is (which is bigger than a breadbox, but just barely), is the one that came with our refrigerator. Consequently, there’s not a lot of room for, say, a side of beef, or even a turkey. (Well, I could probably squeeze in a turkey, but the ice cream and sorbet from Bev’s would have to go. Trust me, I have my priorities.) On occasion, however, if I see something I know is a bargain but can’t use it right away, I manage to find the room.

As you know, I am also an inveterate recipe clipper. That confession can be found in an earlier blog post. I promised to try the recipes I’ve amassed over the years, at random, and let you know how they turned out. Here, then, is the latest of my adventures—apricot pork tenderloin. I’m pleased to tell you that it is quite “scissor-worthy” indeed.

What I found appealing about it on a first read was its modest list of ingredients, the fact that it featured pork tenderloin, which John and I both love, and the lure of the dried fruit, which promised a marriage of sweet and savory that didn’t disappoint. And let’s all admit it: Sometimes when we want to cook, we don’t want to engage in an epic production. Sometimes we just want to throw something together quickly and have it be delicious. This one is. And we got three dinners out of it. This was a bargain that paid dividends. I served this with rice pilaf and roast asparagus. Enjoy!

Apricot Pork Tenderloin
—Serves Four

1 pound pork tenderloin*
1/2 teaspoon each: salt, cracked pepper
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar OR lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, pressed
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup EACH: water, chopped dried apricots, chopped prunes

*Remember, I doubled this recipe. To make eight servings with 2 pounds of pork, double everything else, too.

Pat tenderloin dry; rub with salt and pepper. Combine preserves, vinegar, garlic, and mustard in a small bowl. Brush some of the mixture over tenderloin; reserve extra mixture.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high. Brown tenderloin on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add water, chopped fruit, and any remaining apricot mixture to skillet. Cover; reduce heat to medium. Cook until thickest part of meat is pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cover; raise heat slightly. Cook until pan juices reduce slightly, about 5 minutes. Thinly slice pork; top with fruit mixture.

Provenance: Judy Hevrdejs (Chicago Tribune), published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. A link to the original recipe, as it appeared in the Chicago Tribune, can be found here.

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Catalina Spinach Salad

31 Thursday May 2012

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Food for Thought

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Farm Markets, Food, recipes, Salad Dressings, Salads, Spinach

I absolutely love this time of year—late spring, when the lure of the Farmers’ Market beckons. It’s one of our favorite ways to spend a Saturday morning, poking around the richly diverse offerings at the South of the James Market in Richmond. I found a vendor selling fresh organic spinach, and knew straightaway what we’d be having for dinner that night.

This recipe has been in my files for more than three decades. (Sheesh. That makes me sound old. If I said I started making it when I was eight I doubt you’d believe me. Nor should you.) I no longer remember the recipe’s provenance, and I’ve tweaked it enough over the years that I feel comfortable claiming it as my own. Crisp, flavorful, and eminently nutritious, this is the perfect salad for those days when it’s too hot to do anything with the stove other than boil some eggs and fry up some bacon. Enjoy!

Catalina Spinach Salad

1 pound fresh spinach
4 ounce can water chestnuts (optional)
4 ounces fresh mung bean sprouts
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 to 4 hard-boiled eggs, cut into eighths
5 to 6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

For the Dressing:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup sugar
1 scant teaspoon kosher salt

Wash, rinse, and dry the spinach, then remove the stems and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Wash and dry the bean sprouts. Toss the ingredients (except for the bacon) together about one-half hour before serving; when ready to serve, add the bacon.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar or container with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well. Pour over salad and toss.

Note: If I’m making this salad for just two people, I find it best to toss only what we’ll eat, keeping the remainder of the ingredients unassembled in the refrigerator, since this salad is best when served shortly after preparation. The dressing keeps well in the refrigerator for about a week.

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Marge & Sally’s Make-You-Feel-Better Meatloaf

17 Thursday May 2012

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Food for Thought

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Beef, Comfort Food, Cooking, Food, Meatloaf, recipes

When you’re recovering from an illness or surgery, there’s really nothing like a home-cooked meal to warm your heart and hasten your journey on the road to wellness. John, the Midlife Second Husband, made me a wonderful meal of pork chops, gravy, and egg noodles. My neighbor Marge brought over the meatloaf you see here.

Everyone has a recipe for meatloaf in their files, right? My own, which includes chunks of cheddar cheese, has been my default setting for ages. But Marge’s version of this comfort food has inspired me to vary my repertoire. It was delicious—just the right balance of sweetness and tang. I enjoyed several meatloaf sandwiches for lunches the week after my surgery, with nothing other than ketchup to adorn the bread. I’m craving it even as I type this.

Marge tells me that her daughter Sally really gets the credit for this concoction. By virtue of a happy accident, she once erred by adding sweetened condensed milk instead of simple canned milk to the mix. It was such a hit that she changed the recipe to include her mistake. (Marge tinkered further by splitting the difference to reduce the sweetness factor, as you’ll see below.)

Marge, thanks for bringing this to us during my recovery, and for allowing me to share the recipe on the blog. And Sally, thanks for misreading the recipe!

Marge & Sally’s Make-You-Feel-Better Meatloaf

1-1/2 pounds hamburger
3 tablespoons onion, minced
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mix meat mixture with hands or fork and form into a loaf pan.

Topping:
Combine a splash of cider vinegar with
1/3 cup ketchup

Pour topping over meatloaf and bake at 350-degrees for one hour. Serve with
homemade mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Delicious cold, sliced in a sandwich.

Editor’s note: Sally (of Marge & Sally) tells me that the recipe originated from the kitchen of a former First Lady of Virginia—Edwina Dalton, wife of the late Governor John N. Dalton, who served as the Commonwealth’s 63rd governor, from 1978 to 1982.

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Orzo with Roasted Vegetables — A ‘Barefoot Contessa’ Recipe

02 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Food for Thought

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Barefoot Contessa, Cooking, Food, Food Network, Ina Garten, Pasta, recipes

Cookbook author Ina Garten is my hero. I discovered her years ago on her Food Network program, The Barefoot Contessa, and was immediately captivated not only by the delicious-looking food she prepared, but also by her warmth and hospitality. So many cooking programs give you the impression of having been invited into the host’s kitchen to learn a cooking tip or two; with Ina, you get the sense that she’d invite you to stay after—not to help her clean up, necessarily (although I’d gladly do so), but to chat over coffee and dessert. A decadent, incredible dessert.

The first Ina Garten book I ever purchased (there are four on my shelf) was Barefoot Contessa Parties!. I’ve made my favorites from this book so often that the dog-eared, stained pages have retained their place-memory. The recipe I’m sharing here is found on page 174, and I’d like to thank the publisher, Clarkson Potter/Random House, for giving me permission to do so.

With farmers’ markets opening up for the season, this is the perfect time—and the perfect way—to enjoy the bounties of your region. This is truly one of my favorite dishes to make, and it garners raves each time it appears on my table. (The dressing is so delicious and easy to prepare that it has become my default salad dressing.) I promise you: if you’ve never tried one of Ina’s recipes, this one will get you hooked. You’ll soon start your own collection of Barefoot Contessa cookbooks.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables
Copyright © 2001 by Ina Garten. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the publisher.
—Serves 6

1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1-inch diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound orzo

For the dressing:
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:
4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup pignolis, toasted (see note below)
3/4 pound good feta, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

The vegetables, all minced and seasoned and ready to roast

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil. Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

TO TOAST PIGNOLIS:

To toast pignolis, place them in a dry sauté pan and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes, until evenly browned, tossing frequently.

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Lasagna Casserole with Meat and Red Wine Sauce

22 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by themidlifesecondwife in Food for Thought

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Cooking, Food, Italian cooking, Lasagna, Pasta, recipes

As someone who prides herself not only on her culinary skills but also on her Sicilian heritage, I’m embarrassed to admit to you that it took me years to finally get around to making lasagna. For one thing, my mother never made it. I don’t remember my grandmother doing so, either. That said, there was no time-honored recipe for me to inherit. And I’m enough of a cooking snob that I didn’t want to bother with the recipe on the back of the box of dried lasagna (or was it the intimidation factor?). All of this goes by way of saying that I waited not until I enjoyed this most fundamental recipe of Italian cuisine at someone’s home, but until I found a recipe that sounded to me as though it would reward all of my time and trouble by yielding a meal that could go down in the annals of cooking history as the greatest of all time.

Reader, I found it.

Trust me when I tell you that this lasagna is magnificent. Although it might appear complicated on a first-read, it really just requires some advance preparation and organization—and what recipe doesn’t? Plus, it doesn’t require a béchamel sauce, so that’s one step you can cross off your to-do list. This is fun to make, it will fill your home with mouth-watering aromatics, and it is so delicious as to qualify as a mortal sin. When I served this for company recently, one impressed guest remarked: “Well, I used to make lasagna. I won’t anymore. Not after this.”

This really will spoil you for any other lasagna recipe.

It comes from a terrific anthology cookbook called From Our House to Yours: Comfort Food to Give and Share, published by Chronicle Books. It’s a book for a good cause, too; sales benefit Meals on Wheels of San Francisco. I found it at a winery in Napa about 10 years ago, and everything I’ve ever made from it has been fabulous. Now, a word about the recipe itself. Foodwriter, chef, and culinary educator Julia della Croce is its creator. Julia is one of America’s foremost authorities on Italian food, and has published numerous books; you can find a list of her titles on her website. (The one containing this recipe is The Pasta Book.) Julia also writes a blog—wonderfully named—called “Forktales.” She graciously gave me permission to include her lasagna recipe on this blog. Julia, grazie mille!

Lasagna Casserole with Meat and Red Wine Sauce

—Serves 6

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium to large onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 large stalk celery, including leaves, finely chopped
1/2 pound lean, sweet, fennel-flavored Italian pork sausages (about 3 links)
1 pound lean ground beef or pork
4 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup good dry red wine
One 28-ounce can tomatoes in puree, drained and coarsely chopped, puree reserved
1-1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste, plus 2 tablespoons for cooking pasta (I use Kosher salt for the recipe, and regular Iodized salt for cooking the pasta)
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound dried lasagna or narrower lasagnette noodles
3 cups (24 ounces) ricotta cheese
Good pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1-1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I use Parmigiano Reggiano)
1/2 pound thinly sliced Italian salame such as soppressata, diced
1-1/2 pounds good-quality mozzarella cut into very thin slices, or shredded (shredding goes faster)

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in 1/4 cup warm water until softened, about 30 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve and reserve. Chop the mushrooms coarsely. Set aside.

2. Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, parsley, carrot, and celery. Sauté over medium heat until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes; do not let them brown. Remove the sausage meat from the casings. Add it and the ground meat to the pan. Sauté until lightly browned, about 8 minutes, breaking up the meat with a spoon and mixing it with the vegetables. Sauté gently another 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the reserved mushrooms and their liquor, the tomato paste, and wine; simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their reserved puree; simmer gently, uncovered, until the sauce thickens, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F. Place an oven rack in the upper half of the oven. Bring 5 to 6 quarts water to a rolling boil and add the 2 tablespoons salt, vegetable oil, and noodles. Stir immediately, continuing to stir frequently as the noodles cook. Drain when slightly underdone (they will continue to cook in the oven), reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking water. Immediately rinse the lasagne noodles well in cold water to prevent them from sticking together.

4. Combine the ricotta with the reserved pasta water, nutmeg, and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Smear the bottom of a 10-by-14-inch baking pan with a little of the meat sauce. Then place a single solid layer of the noodles on top, without overlapping. Spread a layer of the ricotta mixture on the noodles, followed by a layer of sauce. Sprinkle with some of the salame, add a layer of mozzarella, then sprinkle with several teaspoons of the remaining Parmesan cheese. Repeat layering until all the ingredients are used up, ending with a layer of meat sauce strewn with mozzarella and Parmesan. Be sure to cover the pasta with sauce to prevent it from drying out in the oven.

5. Bake until the lasagne is heated through and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let settle for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut into squares before serving.

TO MAKE AHEAD: The lasagne can be assembled up to 4 days in advance. Once cooked, it will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 6 months.

TO REHEAT: If frozen, let thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat in a preheated 350°F oven until heated through.

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