Cauliflower Mac n Cheese

Cauliflower Mac n Cheese
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

8 cups water
6 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
8 ounces uncooked small seashell pasta
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups 1% low-fat milk
2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup finely chopped green onions
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (1-ounce) slices white bread
2 teaspoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400°.
Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan; add cauliflower and 1/2 teaspoon salt to boiling water, and cook 4 minutes or until tender. Remove cauliflower with a slotted spoon, reserving cooking liquid; set cauliflower aside. Bring cooking liquid to a rolling boil. Add pasta, and cook 7 minutes or until al dente; drain and set aside.
Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine flour and milk in a saucepan, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in thyme and garlic; cook over medium heat until thick (about 8 minutes), stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt, cheeses, onions, mustard, and pepper. Combine cauliflower, pasta, and cheese sauce in a large bowl. Spoon the cauliflower mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Place bread in food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs form to measure 1 cup. Combine breadcrumbs with butter; sprinkle evenly over cauliflower mixture. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)
From Cooking Light, January, 2000

I'd definitely make this again, mostly because it's so kid-friendly. However, it really needs to be more zippy. Some red pepper flakes, maybe some other seasoning.

For The Lancaster News

Jeff's Chili

Jeff's Chili
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

1 to 1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef
2 cans Rotelle® Tomatoes
1 sm can diced tomatoes
1-2 onions, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 beef bouillon cubes
2 cans chili beans
Tomato juice-2 cups to 1 whole can
Salt & Pepper to taste
Brown the beef, onions and garlic in a 5 quart dutch oven. Add the Rotelle tomatoes, regular tomatoes, bouillon cubes and chili beans. Mix well. Start pouring the tomato juice into the pot until the chili is as soupy as you like. Heat over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture starts to simmer. Lower the heat to keep it to a simmer, cover and cook for as long as you like.
Garnish with green onions and grated cheese.
This is my family’s “best bowl of chili.” The recipe was developed by my brother-in-law, Jeff Buller.

For The Lancaster News

Homemade Crackers

Homemade Crackers
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

I'm glad I only made half a batch for the first attempt at these crackers. The batch calls for dividing the dough into 8 pieces and working with each piece, rolling it out and baking it, one at a time.
Well the first 3 balls I rolled out and baked tasted pretty much like twigs. But the last batch came out pretty good.
So I'll try another batch later and serve those for supper with chili.
I'll also try to find a recipe that calls for white flour.
This recipe came from the Food Network website. The only fault I find with it is that it doesn't tell you how thin to roll the dough. At the very least, they should have said something like "as thin as you can."

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
Optional toppings:
coarse salt
Grated Parmesan
Sesame seeds
Cumin seed

In a food processor, measure out the flour and salt. Process 10 seconds to mix thoroughly. Turn processor back on and add the water in a thin stream. After all the water is added, process another 10 seconds, until the dough forms into one large ball.
If the dough is very sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, processing each time. If the dough is too dry and crumbly, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Once the dough is all together and smooth, pull it out of the processor. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 30 seconds or so until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 seconds.
Start the oven at 500 degrees, with the racks in the center.
After the dough has rested, cut it into 8 pieces. Remove one piece and cover the rest again with wrap.
Roll out your ball of dough as thinly as you can. Move to a baking sheet. The crackers will brown from the bottom, so I did not put down silpat or parchment or even spray the bottom of the pan. They didn't stick, either.
Cut the crackers with a pizza cutter or knife. Sprinkle with your chosen topping. Spritz the top of the crackers lightly with water (I forgot to do this step. That will probably make a difference).
Bake 3 minutes. Check them. If they are started to brown a tiny bit on top, remove them. If they are not, leave them in, checking them at 30 second intervals.
I have to say my last batch, which is pictured here, was the thinnest and I still baked them for about 5 minutes.
Remember, they start browning on the bottom, but I found I need to see a bit of browning on top for them to be done.

Not-Quite-White Chili

Not-Quite-White Chili
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

This was a good recipe. I think I'd spice it up a bit more, though. Maybe a little more than a dash of cayenne. We ate it with homemade tortilla chips.

2 cans (14.5 oz) chicken broth-or 3 cups homemade chicken stock, more or less
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilis with liquid
3 cans great northern beans
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp cumin
Tabasco to taste
cayenne to taste
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used a 1.16 lb package of chicken tenderloins)

Place the chicken in a large pot and add water until just about covered. Turn heat to high and when it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Turn chicken over a couple of times until they are starting to look cooked, but not quite all the way through. Remove from the pan and toss out the water.

Pour a small amount of the chicken broth into the pot (approx 1/4 cup) and add onions and garlic. Simmer and stir until the onions are wilted and started to turn translucent. Add the chilis. Stir well.
Add the beans with liquid, cumin, oregano, Tabasco, remaining broth and cayenne.
Bring the pot to a boil and then turn the heat back to just a simmer. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add.
Cover the pot and allow to simmer at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
This chili gets spicier the longer is cooks.
Garnish with jalapeno peppers, green onions, shredded cheese...whatever you desire.

Swedish Meatballs

Swedish Meatballs
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

This recipe is from Cooking Light Magazine. I googled it to make for our Christmas Eve dinner. My husband's side of the family always has swedish meatballs and sausage on Christmas Eve.
This is a very tasty rendition, but I'm skeptical that it will taste authentic. For one, the recipe I usually use has cardamom on it and this on does not. Also, I do not usually have mushrooms and carrots. But...I forgot to bring the other recipe, and also the cardamom. Since cardamom is pretty expensive, this seemed like and easy way out.

1 pound ground round
3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg white
Cooking spray
4 1/2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 8 ounces)
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced carrot
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can beef consommé
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
6 cups hot cooked yolk-free wide egg noodles (about 10 ounces uncooked pasta)

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl. Shape mixture into 30 (1-inch) meatballs. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add meatballs; cook for 8 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove meatballs from pan.
Add mushrooms, carrot, and shallots to pan; sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute. Gradually add the consommé, stirring with a whisk; bring to a boil. Return meatballs to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Add water; cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the sour cream and parsley. Serve over pasta.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 5 meatballs, about 1/2 cup mushroom mixture, and 1 cup pasta)

Old-Time Beef Stew

Old Fashioned Beef Stew
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

This was an excellent stew and did not take all day. It cooked just long enough to sit down and rest and enjoy the smell. It's from "The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook" by Paula Deen

2 lbs stew beef
2 Tbs vegetable oil
2 cups water
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 or 2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika (I use half-sharp from Penzeys)
Dash of allspice or ground cloves
3 large carrots, sliced
4 red potatoes, quartered
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 Tbsp cornstarch

Brown meat in hot oil. Add water, Worchestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaves, onion, salt, sugar, pepper, papricka, and allspice. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and garlic clove (I actually chopped my garlic before putting it in and then left it in). Add carrots, potatoes and celery. Cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes longer, or until potatoes and carrots are tender.
Here's where I veered off: She says to thicken the gravy, you should remove 2 cups of the broth. Combine the cornstarch with 1/2 cup water, stirring until smooth. Mix it with the hot liquid and then return it to the pot.
Mix the cornstarch and water and drizzle it directly into the pot, stirring carefully so as to not break up the potatoes or mash the carrots. Simmer for a few more minutes to allow the cornstarch to cook a bit.

One more note: usually when I make beef stew, I use a pot roast because often I can find it on sale and it's cheaper and more tender than stewing beef. But this time I used stew beef because it was on special. It was very tender.

Turkey Gumbo Soup

Turkey Gumbo Soup
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

The bad thing about taking photos of your food is eventually you start realizing that you keep using the same bowls over and over. Maybe someone needs to give me more soup bowls for Christmas!
Anyway, this Turkey Gumbo I made was such a smash hit that everyone in the family ate several helpings of it and we were negotiating for leftovers. I think I ate the last bowl of it for breakfast one day.
This recipe is adapted from one by Emeril Lagasse. Emeril did it on Good Morning America in 2002 and I printed it off right away. The other day I tried to google it up on the Food Network site and found it gone. No matter. I pretty much veered off it right after the roux and "trinity" anyway.

3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup flour
2 large onions, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
3 or 4 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 pound smoked sausage (I use Carolina Pride), andouille or kielbasa, cut in half the long way and then chopped into bite-sized pieces the short way
Turkey broth from boiling the carcass
Okra
Leftover turkey
Some shrimp (maybe 12 ounces?)
Salt, to taste
Cayenne, to taste
2 Bay leaves
File powder
Cooked rice (I prefer Basmati)

Combine the oil and flour in the bottom of a 5 quart dutch oven. Cook on medium, stirring constantly, until it turns the color of a chocolate bar. Emeril says it should take as long as it takes to drink 2 beers. It's about 25 minutes.
Add the onions, bell pepper and celery. Add a pinch of salt and a dash of cayenne. Cook, stirring until the vegetables are coated with the roux and the onion starts to get translucent.
Add the sausage. Cook until the sausage starts to rend its' fat.
Add the okra and enough turkey broth to make the soup the consistency you want. You may wish to make it thinner than the final product, as you have to add the turkey and shrimp later. You can always add more broth at the end, though.
Drop in the bay leaves and adjust the seasoning. You may not need much salt, since the sausage pretty much takes care of that.
Bring it to a low boil. Turn down to a simmer and cover. Allow it to cook for a while. Maybe an hour. But if you are hungry now, just go 15 minutes.
About 10 minutes before you eat it, add the turkey and the shrimp. Adjust the broth amount and seasonings. Now is when I put in most of the final amount of cayenne.
Serve over rice and sprinkle each serving with File powder.

Now, you don't have to have okra in your gumbo. And you really could have some tomatoes in there. I like tomatoes in mine. I just didn't put them in this time because the broth was already fairly thin and I didn't want to thin it out more.

Dry-Brined Turkey

Turkey
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

12 lb turkey, giblets and neck removed (do not use a self-basted turkey)
1/3 cup kosher salt
1 medium onion, halved with skin on
sprigs of thyme and rosemary (optional)

The night before roasting, thoroughly rinse and dry the turkey. Place it on a rack in its roasting pan. Sprinkle the entire turkey, inside and out, with the kosher salt. Refrigerate overnight.

4 hours before serving, remove the turkey from the refrigerator, rinse and pat dry. Return it to the roaster, breast-side down on the rack. Place onion, thyme and rosemary into the neck cavity. Let the turkey rest on the counter for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

3 hours before serving, begin roasting the turkey breast-side down. After 1 hour, remove it from the oven and turn the turkey breast-side up. Roast another 1 1/2 hours, or until the thigh registers 175 degrees.
Rest the turkey for 30 minutes before carving.

Adapted from “Fine Cooking Magazine,” November, 2005.

For The Lancaster News

Squash Rolls

Squash Rolls
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

3/4 cup sugar
1 package (2 1/2 teaspoons) yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 Butternut squash
3 Tablespoons canola oil
5 cups flour
Pare squash and cut into uniform chunks. Place chunks in a microwavable dish with 1/4 cup water and cover. Microwave on HIGH 4 minutes. Stir. Cook another 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly. Mash chunks finely or put through a potato rice or food mill. Measure out 1 cup of the mashed squash.
In the large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add 2 cups of the flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and dry milk. Stir to combine, using the beater attachment. Add water, the cup of mashed squash and oil. Beat on medium speed until well-combined. Change to dough hook on mixer and turn mixer to second-lowest setting. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough climbs the hook. Run the mixer another 10 minutes to knead the dough. The dough will be as thick as bread dough, but quite sticky.
Turn dough into a greased bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to rest 1 hour.

Grease 2 12-cup muffin tins. Break pieces of dough off and roll each piece into a 1-inch ball. Place 3 balls into each muffin cup. Spray tops with cooking spray, or brush lightly with oil. Lay plastic wrap lightly over each full tin and let rest 1 hour.
After 30 minutes, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes.

Yield: 24 rolls

Cook’s notes: A lighter roll can be achieved by allowing the dough to rest before adding the last 3 cups of flour. Also, the rolls can be shaped any way you normally do dinner rolls. Do not be alarmed by how sticky the dough is, or if it doesn’t appear to raise much at each resting period. If desired, half the dough can be frozen in a zip-top bag for later use. Simply thaw at room temperature and shape into rolls, or shape them and freeze them in the muffin tin. This dough also makes excellent cinnamon rolls.

Recipe courtesy Mary Goetsch.

For The Lancaster News

Moussaka

Moussaka
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

Meat Sauce
1 1/2 lb ground beef
2 teaspoons butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon ketchup, diluted with 1 cup water
salt & pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 egg whites (save yolks for béchamel sauce)
Brown the hamburger in a large skillet. Drain and rinse the hamburger with warm water. Return to skillet and add butter and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent. Add wine and diluted ketchup, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over low heat until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add the breadcrumbs and the parmesan. Allow the mixture to cool completely and then stir in the egg whites.




Eggplant
2-3 eggplants

Preheat broiler.
Peel and slice eggplants the long way. Keep the slices fairly uniform in thickness, approximately 1/2 inch thick. Soak the eggplant slices in salted water for 10-15 minutes (this step can be skipped if you are using eggplants that are not as bitter –see cook’s notes at bottom of this recipe).
Drain the eggplant slices and pat them dry with paper towels. Brush them with olive oil, or spray them with cooking spray. Lay the slices in a single layer on cookie sheets that have been sprayed with cooking spray, or on silicone cooking mats.
Place the eggplant slices under the broiler. Do Not Walk Away! Watch them as they turn golden brown under the broiler. Pull them out and turn them over. Brown the other side. Remove and hold at room temperature.

Béchamel Sauce
3 Tablespoons butter
4 Tablespoons flour
3 cups milk, scalded
dash nutmeg
2 egg yolks (from the hamburger sauce recipe)
In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until smooth. Gradually add the milk. Cook until fairly thick. Add the dash of nutmeg (take care that

the nutmeg does not overpower the sauce). Cool to room temperature. Add egg yolks, one at a time.

Assembling the Moussaka
Hamburger sauce
Béchamel sauce
Eggplant slices
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350.
Moussaka is essentially put together like lasagna. The eggplant slices take the place of the lasagna noodles, and the béchamel sauce is used instead of a tomato sauce.
Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Coat the bottom with 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs.
Begin building the moussaka by placing 1/2 of the eggplant slices, overlapping if necessary, to cover the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the parmesan. Cover with 1/2 of the hamburger mixture. Spread 1/2 of the béchamel sauce on top. Layer the remaining eggplant on top, cover with the remaining hamburger mixture and spread on the remaining béchamel sauce. Finish by sprinkling the rest of the parmesan cheese on top.
Bake for about 45 minutes, until heated through (165 degrees) and golden brown on top. Serve with tomato slices
Serves 8-10


Cooks notes: Moussaka is a Greek dish that is traditionally made with ground lamb. This recipe came from a Greek cooking class taught by the Minnesota Extension Service. Seasoning may need to be changed if ground lamb is used.
The hamburger sauce can be made a day ahead and held in the refrigerator.

For The Lancaster News

Kale Potato Gratin

Kale Potato Gratin
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

1 bunch (about 1 pound) kale, washed and trimmed
1 1/4 pounds all purpose potatoes, sliced fairly thin
1 medium onion, chopped or sliced
1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces
2 dashes nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Approximately 1 1/2 cups low fat milk
1/2 cup grated gruyere cheese (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Steam kale about 10 minutes. Drain and cool. Press out excess water and chop coarsely. In a greased 2 quart shallow dish, alternate layers of potatoes, onion, and kale, salting, peppering and sprinkling nutmeg on each layer and beginning and ending with potatoes.
Press down the ingredients, being sure it is distributed evenly. Pour milk over the mixture, stopping when the milk just begins to come up around the edges. Press down on the mixture again to release any air bubbles.

Sprinkle the top with cheese and dot with butter. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for about 45 minutes. Uncover and cook another 10 minutes, or until the top turns a golden brown.

Note: any greens will work in this dish. The more tender ones will not need steaming.

For The Lancaster News

Thanksgiving Ideas Wanted

The Lancaster News has asked me to write about Thanksgiving Dinner. I could certainly use some new, fresh ideas. Email me!

While you're at it, if you have any unusual but simple Christmas treat recipes, that would be cool, too.

Minestrone Soup

Usually my minestrone soup has pasta in it. But I read on Italian Food Forever that it can be thickened with potatoes or even bread, depending upon the chef or time of year. So I decided to put potatoes in mine this time. This was fantastic soup and the potatoes were an improvement over the pasta because they don't swell up and take over the entire pot the next day. When I do pasta, I have to keep it out of the soup and put spoonfuls in each serving.

Minestrone Soup
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
4 oz country ham trimmings, diced (about 3/4 cup)
2 large or 3 medium carrots, diced (about 1 heaping cup)
3 ribs celery, diced
2 leeks or 1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves fresh garlic, smashed and minced
4 C chicken stock –use low sodium, if canned
2 C water
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Salt
1-28 oz can whole tomatoes, chopped with juice
1 15.8 oz can great northern beans (or any bean of your choice), drained and rinsed
2 C potatoes, diced
2 C cabbage, chopped

Heat olive oil and country ham in a 5 or 6 quart pot over medium-high heat until the ham begins to brown. Add carrots, celery and leeks or onions. Cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook and stir for another minute. Add stock and water, rosemary, basil, pepper flakes and black pepper.

Salt to taste. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for about an hour.

Add tomatoes, beans, potatoes and cabbage. Bring back to a simmer and allow to cook another 20-30 minutes, until potatoes are cooked to your liking.

For The Lancaster News

Empanada and Malta Polar

Empanada and Malta Polar
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

1/2 cup arepa flour (see note)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon oil, plus extra for cooking
Filling (see recipe below, or fill with your own recipe)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, mix flours, sugar and salt. Add the water and mix with a spoon until the dough is incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for about 5 minutes, moistening your hands and the board with water as you work. The dough should be smooth and not crack around the edges; moist and not sticky.
Pinch off about half of the dough. Roll out, on a floured surface, to a 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out circles about 3 inches in diameter. Gather the scraps, add to the rest of the dough and roll out another batch. Repeat until you’ve used as much as you can.
Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each circle of pastry. Fold over the pastry and seal the edges. Let the empanadas rest for 30 minutes.
If baking: preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. If deep frying, heat 3 inches of oil in a pot to 375 degrees and fry until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. (If you are deep-frying, you want to be absolutely sure they sealed tightly!)

Meat Filling:
Skirt Steak-trimmed of fat
3-4 cloves garlic, divided
1/2 small onion, halved
Pinch salt
1/2 bell pepper, halved
1 rib celery-cut in half
Beef bouillon (optional)
Water
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
1-2 tablespoons tomato paste
Place the steak in a large pot. Smash 2 cloves of the garlic and add to the pot with half the onion, salt, half the pepper, and the rib of celery. Add beef bouillon, if using. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the steak is cooked through. Remove the meat from the broth and shred with 2 forks. Reserve the broth.
Mince more onion, peppers and garlic until you have 1 1/2 cups minced veggies. Place the veggies and shredded meat into a non-stick skillet with oil. Stir together and add tomato paste. Add some of the cooking water from boiling the meat. Cook, stirring, until all ingredients are combined and vegetables are cooked. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Cooks note: Arepa flour is a precooked corn flour. Do not confuse it with masa harina or cornmeal. Arepa flour is sold as masarepa, harina precocida or masa al instante. It can be found in Latin American groceries, such as the Food Bazaar on South Boulevard in Charlotte.
Recipe courtesy Zuleika Mendoza
For The Lancaster News

Creole Eggplant Gratin

EggplantGratin
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

I found this by googling eggplant + gratin. It was on a website called "Foodfest" (see link at the end of this post). This fellow named Tom Fitzmorris had it on there. He tells about eating it at Delmonico in New Orleans before Emeril LaGasse took over the business.
I made this for the family and served it with a green salad. We thought it was pretty good, but I know we won't repeat it. It took longer to put together than it did to bake it. And the kids really aren't eggplant fans.

2 eggplant, peeled and cut into large dice
2 Tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 cup small peeled shrimp (I could not find small uncooked shrimp, so used 1/2 lb of medium)
1/2 lb claw crabmeat
1 chopped tomato (they are not in season now, so I used canned)
1 dash Tabasco sauce
1 dash Wocestershire Sauce
1/4 teaspoon marjoram
3 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used prepared ones)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blanch cut eggplant in boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove and reserve.

Heat butter in a large skillet. Saute the onion, celery and shrimp just until the shrimp turns pink. Add all the other ingredients except the bread crumbs and eggplant and cook, stirring lightly, until everything is heated through.

Add the eggplant and gently blend with the other ingredients.

Pour mixture into a buttered 9 x13 pan. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the bread crumbs are toasty.
Serves four to eight.

http://foodfest.neworleans.com.

Beef & Broccoli

beef&broccoliserving
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

I did this for The Lancaster News

2 stalks broccoli, cut into florets
1 package beef for stir fry –or 1/2 to 1 lb flank steak, cut into strips
1 can beef broth, divided
1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon black bean paste (optional)
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 medium onion, halved then sliced thin
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons corn starch
Sesame oil
2 tablespoons Canola oil

Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. Pour the canola oil into the hot pan* and add the strips of beef. Cook, stirring constantly, until the beef has lost its pink color. Remove from pan.
Place the broccoli, onion and garlic into the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the broccoli starts to get crisp tender and the onion has begun to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Add small amounts of water, if necessary, to keep it from sticking or burning. Add the ginger, chili-garlic sauce, black bean paste and the fish sauce, if using. Cook for another minute.

Reserve 1/4 cup of the beef broth. Pour the remainder into the broccoli mixture. Add the soy sauce. Turn the heat down until the mixture is simmering. Add the beef.
Combine the reserved 1/4 cup of beef broth with the cornstarch to make a slurry. Drizzle into the simmering beef and broccoli, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring, until mixture is thickened.
Remove from heat and drizzle with sesame oil. Serve over hot rice.

*The late Jeff Smith, the “Frugal Gourmet,” once said on his television show, “Hot wok, cold oil, food don’t stick.” This tip has always come in handy for me when it comes to stir-frying.

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

This is one of our favorite ways to use leftover chicken or turkey. Served with cranberry sauce, it's a wonderful, comforting meal.

The recipe is from Betty Crocker's Cookbook, 1981. It calls for celery seed pastry, but I use frozen pie crusts. I have made the celery seed dough and found it to be quite good. But most of the time I'm just throwing this together.

1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cup chicken or turkey broth
2/3 cup milk
2 cups cut-up cooked turkey or chicken
1 package (10 oz) frozen peas and carrots

Heat butter over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, onion, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat.
Stir in broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in chicken and frozen vegetables; reserve.

Prepare pastry. Ease one crust into a 9x9 square pan, or a quiche pie plate.

Pour filling into the pastry-lined pan.

Roll remaining pastry over the top and seal all around the edges. Cut slits to allow steam to escape.

Cook uncovered in a 425 oven until crust is brown, 30-35 minutes.

cooks notes: Use any vegies you want in this. I frequently use frozen mixed veggies, but I have used fresh veggies that I've steamed in the microwave. Okra goes well in this, too.
Cover the edges of the pastry with narrow strips of foil if they appear to be browning too quickly. This can be made as "fat" or "lean" as you want. You can use margarine, skim milk, etc.
For The Lancaster News

Gnocchi Roll with Ragu Bolognese

GnocchiRoll
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

I see no particular reason why I should only document the SUCCESSFUL dishes I pull off. Actually, this dish was successful in that it was simply delicious, both last night and this afternoon for lunch. It was just ugly. It was supposed to look like a jelly roll, but of potato gnocchi dough and spinach filling. Instead, I got a mess. But I've angled the picture here to minimize the visual disaster that it was.

I had a half day off from school yesterday so I decided to spend the afternoon cooking. I chose this because I knew the men in my life would like it. What's not to like about lots of potatoes and MEAT?

The first thing I assembled was the

Ragu Bolognese

6 Tablespoons butter
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1/2 cup coarsely chopped celery
1/4 cup coarsely chopped carrot
1/2 lb lean ground chuck
3/4 lb lean ground pork
1/2 cup dry white whine
1 cup milk
1 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped (1 1/2 cups), or 1 1/2 cups drained and finely chopped canned Italian plum tomatoes
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg

Melt the butter in a 2 quart heavy, non-reactive saucepan. Add the vegetables (italians called it the soffrito) and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are lightly brown.

The ground meats are supposed to be ground very finely. The recipe suggests grinding them together twice, using the finest blade of a meat grinder. I don't have a meat grinder, so I put them in the food processor for a bit.

Add the ground meats, mashing them into the soffrito with a large spoon. Continue this until there are no large lumps and the meat is all broken up. Raise the heat and cook for about 3 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink.

Add the wine, bring it to a boil and stir constantly. Cook until the wine is almost completely evaporated.

Add the milk, cooking and stirring until it is almost completely evaporated.

Add the chopped tomatoes, bring the sauce to a boil again, and then reduce the heat to its lowest point. Half-cover the pan and simmer the sauce for 3 hours. I put mine on my "simmer burner" on about half-way. Stir every now and then. By the end of 3 hours, most of the liquid will be cooked away and the sauce will be very thick and intensely flavored.

Add the parsley. Taste for seasoning and add as much salt, pepper and nutmeg as desired.

While that was simmering, I prepared the

Gnocchi Roll

3 large Russet potatoes, baked, peeled and pureed
2 tablespoons butter
3 eggs, 2 lightly beaten together
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly cooked spinach, drained, squeezed dry, and minced; or 1 (10-oz) package frozen chopped spinach, cooked, drained, and squeezed dry
1 1/3 cups ricotta
1/4 cup freshly ground romano cheese

Place pureed potatoes in a medium bowl and add half the butter; mix until melted. Add the whole egg, 1 cup flour, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper; mix well and form into a ball. Wrap and chill for about 1/2 hour.

In a bowl, mix spinach, ricotta, remaining butter, beaten eggs, cheese, remaining flour, and salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons flour on a piece of wax paper that is about 12x14 inches in size. Roll out the dough into a 9x12 rectangle (Use more flour, if necessary). Spread filling over dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around the outside. It was at this point that I had an inkling that things were going to be horribly wrong. I had twice, maybe three times, too much filling for this little roll. But did I stop and cut back? Of course not! I went ahead and spread all of it on there, knowing full well I would have trouble rolling it.

Fold over the bare edges on 2 long sides and 1 short side.
Roll up the dough from the open short end as you would a jelly roll, using the wax paper to help you. Press edges in to seal. Yup. Terrible, terrible mess. Would not roll. Spinach everywhere. But I soldiered on. I got it all stuck together and quickly went to the wrapping step. I knew it would still taste good, just not LOOK good!

Very carefully wrap the roll in a clean white cloth. Tie ends tightly with kitchen string. Secure the middle of the wrap with a large safety pin. Wrap again in cheesecloth. Secure ends with 2 more safety pins. You'll need the double wrapping to prevent the roll from opening.

Place the wrapped roll into a large heavy pan, approximately 13x14 inches (but since it was only about 9 inches long, I was able to put mine in my large, 5 quart dutch oven). Add enough water to completely cover the roll. Place over on the stove and cover. Bring to a boil and then cut back the heat to a simmer.

Simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove the roll from the pan very gently (I used the lid of the pan to drain the water and then simply tipped the pan upside-down so the roll was resting on the inside of the lid. Then I was able to just roll it off onto a platter. Wouldn't work if you had a lipped lid, though).

Remove the cloth and cheesecloth and slice. Serve with Ragu Bolognese.

Will I do this dish again? Well, it did take pretty much of 3 hours to do it. But it was excellent! Too ugly for company, though. I might do it at least one more time with half the filling and I might roll the dough out a bit thinner so I'll have a bigger surface. I think I'll also use parchment paper instead of was paper. I think it will hold up better. Or better yet, I'll use my Silpat to roll it up.

This recipe is from "The Joy of Pasta" by Joe Famularo & Louise Imperiale. Copyright 1983 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc.

Pan-Roasted Potatoes

Pan-Roasted Potatoes
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

Have I mentioned before how much we love these things? And we get a lot of fingerling potatoes from our farmer, so we are able to have them quite often.
I see no reason why one couldn't use ordinary russets, cut into bite-sized pieces, for this.

Clean your fingerling potatoes and cut them into fairly uniform pieces. Don't stress out about it. You'll just end up with some of the smaller ones getting more "roasty" than the big ones.

Par-boil them in a large pot of very, very salty water. "Salty like the sea" pretty much. I use kosher salt.

Once they are starting to get soft, drain them and put them into a skillet with some butter and a little olive oil. The olive oil will keep the butter from burning. You could go with all oil if you want.

Toss in some garlic and maybe a little onion. Start cooking them on medium heat, stirring/tossing them every once is while, until they are as browned as you want them to be.

Toss in fresh herbs, like rosemary or thyme, if you want. If you use fresh, put them in a little early, so they will roast with the potatoes. If dried, put them in near the end.

Generously salt and pepper and serve.

Vegetable Paella

Vegetable Paella
Originally uploaded by Food Fanatic.

I liked this dish, but it didn't go very far with the family. Later my husband admitted that they all opened the crockpot, said "Ooooh! Vegetable Paella!" and then "argh! Artichokes!"

2 cups converted rice
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped, drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (reserve the oil)
1 1/2 Tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (7.25-ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans vegetable broth
1 (1/2 gram) package saffron threads (1 teaspoon)
1 (16-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 (14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1 cup frozen green peas

Place first 9 ingredients in a crockpot (3 1/2-qt to 4-qt) set on low.
Combine broth and saffron. Add to crockpot, mixing well. Cover. Cook for 4 hours or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
Stir in chickpeas, artichoke hearts and green peas. Cover and cook another 15 minutes.

Yields 7 2-cup servings

From the "Southern Living Slow Cooker Cookbook"

More notes: I could not find sun-dried tomatoes in oil that weren't pureed. They seemed to all be sold as "sun-dried tomato pesto". So I bought dried ones, reconstituted them, and then used olive oil instead of tomato oil. I probably could have simmer the tomatoes in oil to infuse it, but I didn't have time.

I also was not able to buy "mexican-style stewed tomatoes." So I used Rotelle tomatoes. And lastly, I really think canned vegetable broth is terrible. So I make homemade stock periodically from veggies that are going soft in the fridge, freezing them in 2-cup containers. I used 29 ounces of that instead of canned.