Fallen Souffle

The backyard garden has become the backyard jungle (pics to come!) so it was time to make some pesto from the basil that has exploded. I have been putting off this task because I absolutely hate cleaning my food processor, it takes more time to clean the thing then make the actual pesto. However, I found a handy little trick on another blog that fit the bill perfectly!

You essentially use a blender, but you unscrew the bottom blade and use a mason jar in place of the pitcher the blender comes with. Ingenious! My Mom coulda used this trick when my sister’s dog ate the blender top (yes, you read that right). So you only have to clean the blender blade as you simply screw a mason lid on the jar to store it. My life has been changed. I hate doing the dishes so anything that will cut out or delay that step is good for me!

*Pay no attention to those pizza boxes*

Ok, on to the recipe, I used a traditional pesto recipe. I used to make all of the pesto at the bakery I worked at years ago so I have it memorized, but I tend to use less olive oil to make it a bit thicker. I usually toss pesto in with pasta and use chicken broth to thin it out, makes things a little lighter. I do think this pesto is destined for a grilled pizza on Friday. My sister is coming to town and I think this would be perfect!

Perfect Pesto
2 cup basil leaves
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves
juice from half a lemon
1 cup toasted pine nuts (could also use walnuts)
1 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Throw all of the ingredients into a food processor or the blender and pulse until combined. You could do it in stages, but I have found when I throw it in all at once I get the same results.

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This recipe is much like the lasagna rolls that Giada makes, and the idea for these actually came from a Rachael recipe…but I made a few changes that make it a little more figure friendly and I think add more flavor. I added the marinara sauce to cut some of the richness of the sauce but I almost think I would omit this next time because the gorgonzola sauce isn’t too overwhelming. I used chicken broth in the sauce instead of cream which I think helps a lot. I was so proud of myself because I cleaned out the fridge and pantry with this recipe using gorgonzola, ricotta and mushrooms that were left over.

This dish is definitely a keeper and when I told people I was making this I was asked what time dinner was…the name itself is impressive. This can be made in advance and baked in a 375 degree oven as well…which is what I did.

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna Rolls with Gorgonzola Cream sauce
16 cremini caps, cleaned with a damp towel and finely chopped in food processor
1 small yellow-skinned onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup marsala wine
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
Salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or the equivalent of freshly grated
2 cups part skim ricotta
8 curly edge lasagna noodles, cooked to al dente (12 to 14 minutes)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup fat free chicken broth
8 ounces Gorgonzola, crumbled
1 cup marinara/tomato sauce
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

1. In a medium skillet over moderate heat, saute mushrooms, chopped onions, and garlic in oil until mushrooms give off their juices and darken and onions are tender, about 7 or 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; the salt will help draw water out of the vegetables as they cook. Add marsala and allow alcohol cook off about 5 minutes.

2. Add dry chopped spinach to the pan and heat through for 1 minute. Adjust seasonings with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg. Add ricotta and stir into mixture to heat cheese through, 1 minute longer. Remove pan from heat but leave in the warm skillet.

3. In a small saucepan over moderate heat melt butter then add in flour and cook for about 2 minutes. Add in broth and whisk vigorously. Melt Gorgonzola into broth and bring liquid to a bubble. Spread 2/3 of sauce on bottom of 9×13 inch pan.

4. Place cooked lasagna noodles on a large work surface or cutting board. Spread lasagna noodles with a layer of spinach-mushroom filling. Roll up pasta and arrange the 8 bundles in a shallow casserole dish. Pour the rest of the sauce over roll-ups, top with tomato sauce and then with sprinkled mozzarella. Place casserole under broiler to melt cheese.

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I had you at vodka didn’t I My mom gave me a bag full of tomatoes that my Grandma canned this summer. Apparently Grandma has been busy because I have about 8 quart size jars in my house waiting to be used up. My sister has two jars, my Mom has a few left and we are visiting her this weekend so I am sure there is more. I welcome such things with open arms because nothing beats fresh tomatoes and I just don’t have the time or patience to do it myself. So what was suppose to be a “Zen” day on Sunday turned into a full blown cook-a-thon. I had aspiration to make lasagna but Evan is trying to eat better so that didn’t seem like a good idea. So I brought it down a notch and decided to make the sauce and see what I came up with.

I took the basic tomato sauce recipe from the Italian cookbook bible, Silver Spoon. Italian cooking is really simple and I think people try to fancy it up too much. This recipe is so simple but the result is heaven. Quality of ingredients is key because there are so few!

Basic Tomato Sauce
2 quarts of canned tomatoes
5 crushed garlic cloves
1 T. sugar
1-2 pinches of salt
couple tablespoons good olive oil
a handful of fresh basil

In a large heave pot, add tomatoes, garlic, salt and sugar and simmer, covered over medium low heat for about 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Uncover and allow to cool for 15-30 more minutes until it reduces down. Remove from heat, add olive oil and basil and stir. When slightly cooled, blend in blender or with am immersion blender until desired consistency.

I used this sauce in a chicken puttanesca for later this week (recipe to come later) and used the rest for this lovely vodka sauce.

Vodka Sauce
1/2 pound chopped pancetta
1 quart Basic Tomato Sauce
1 cup vodka, no cheapy stuff here!
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature (I used light half and half)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until crisp. Add the tomato sauce and vodka in a and cook over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.
Serve with your favorite pasta.

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This Month’s Book Club selection was Heat by Bill Buford. (The title is much longer, but I wanted to keep it easy to remember) I thoroughly enjoyed this book, probably because it has to do with cooking and Italian cooking nonetheless. The book centers around our friend Bill who becomes an apprentice under Mario Batali and his trials in becoming a better cook and understanding true Italian cooking. I read this while we were in Utah, so I was itching to get back home and start cooking. So of course I offered to host Book Club so I could make some new Italian dishes.

I first made a dish inspired by none other than Rachael Ray, I know how dare I, but really this recipe was a hit. Rachael uses ground chicken but I used used turkey sausage because I love the flavor and it already comes pre-seasoned! Rachael says this make 6 cigars but I think you could do 3 logs and cut them into 4 generous pieces.

I then made a crostini with fig jam, prosciutto, and pecorino cheese, inspired by Giada. I decided to add the prosciutto instead of the apple and in making the fig jam I added almonds instead of hazelnuts. My only tip would be to pulse the nuts before you add the figs, otherwise they are too chunky. I think this turned out well also and was a nice change of page.

Finally I made Caprese salad on a stick, so simple….a cherry tomato, basil leaf and mini mozzarella ball all on a stick. Line up in a place, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper…could not be easier!

I think everyone enjoyed the book, the food, and the company…and what more could you ask for!

Turkey Sausage Cigars
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 small Spanish onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 pound turkey sausage, meat squeezed from casing
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup (about 10 leaves) fresh basil, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup (half a stick) butter, melted
4 sheets phyllo dough

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Heat a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Once hot, add the onions and garlic, and cook until soft, about 6-7 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, spoon contents into a medium-size mixing bowl and let cool. Once the onions and garlic are cool enough to handle, add the chicken to the bowl with the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, oregano, fennel, chili flakes, cheese, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix to combine.

Place a piece of phyllo on a nonstick cookie sheet and brush with the melted butter. Top with a second sheet of phyllo and brush with butter again. Divide the chicken mixture in half and form a one-inch thick log the length of the long side of the phyllo dough. Roll the chicken log up in the phyllo tightly.

Cut the chicken-filled phyllo into 3 “cigars” and brush with a more butter.

Repeat with the remaining 2 sheets of phyllo and the rest of the chicken mixture to make a total of two chicken and phyllo roll-ups Bake for about 12-15 minutes until golden brown.

Pecorino Romano with Apples and Fig Jam
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
6 dried figs, halved
1/2 cup simple syrup, recipe follows
2 tablespoons brandy
1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
24 baguette slices
Olive oil, for drizzling
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano
prosciutto slices
1/4 pound chunk Pecorino Romano, for shaving 24 pieces

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the figs, simple syrup, and brandy. Bring the mixture up to a simmer. Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Place the fig mixture and the hazelnuts in a food processor and blend, pulsing a few times, until pureed. Set aside.

Place the baguette slices on a heavy baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Top each slice with 1 teaspoon grated Pecorino Romano. Bake until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted and golden, about 7 minutes.

Top each slice of toast with 2 teaspoons of fig jam, a slice of apple and a piece of shaved Pecorino Romano. Transfer the toasts to a serving platter and serve.

Simple syrup:
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar

In a saucepan combine water and sugar over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Take pan off heat and cool the syrup. Any extra cooled syrup can be saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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I was inspired to make this dish after perusing the menu of one of those meal assembly places. I do not hide the fact that I go to these type of establishments everyone once and a while as a way to try new foods and make life a little easier in the kitchen. They offered a 4 cheese penne with tomatoes sauce that got my mouth watering. So I did a little research and found a couple of really yummy recipes, but for one reason or another I couldn’t find one that I really liked, so I kinda combined a few of them and made this up. The main recipe I used included slices of zucchini in the dish but I knew Evan would not go for that, but add it if that’s your thing. I also baked mine in an 8 inch pan and made two ramekins for lunches, we are trying to be better about our portions I imagine you could also freeze half for a busy night, which I may do with our schedules filling up again!

Also feel free to play around with the cheeses and such, also add more milk if it is becoming cement like…it’s a very forgiving dish.

Creamy Tomato and Cheese Baked Penne
1 pound penne pasta, cooked al dente
15 ounces ricotta cheese
8 ounces shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated parmesan
3/4 cup milk
1- 15 ounce can of crushed tomatoes (Or diced tomatoes that you have pulsed in the food processor)
1 T. italian seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except pasta. Save a bit of mozzarella for the top.

3. Mix in pasta and pour into a 9×13 baking dish.

4. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden on top.

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This recipe was discovered when I was going through all of my cooking magazines and saving the recipes I would actually use. I pulled out my new accordion file of recipes on Sunday and picked out a few to try this week. This one caught my eye because it looked familiar to our favorite baked pasta dish.

This was an easy dish to whip up, probably took 30 minutes total with Evan helping me make the filling and chopping the ham while I made the bechamel. (Which by the way I am becoming a pro at!). The flavors were very similar to the baked pasta but it didn’t have the crunch that we like. Nonetheless, this will certainly be a repeater. I think I may try some other filling too, maybe some chicken and broccoli. BTW- Make this vegetarian by adding spinach instead of meat.

This was originally a Rachael Ray recipe but I made a few changes, namely took out the 2 cups of cream- hello! no need for all that fat when the point of the flour in the bechamel is to thicken things. I also added the nutmeg, which I am shocked she left out seeing as her Grandpa practically invented the use of it!

Try this out on a busy weekday, it will be nice to sit down to a warm creamy dish like this.

Ham and Cheese Cannelloni
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk (I used skim and it worked fine)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
pinch of fresh nutmeg
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 large egg
8 egg-roll wrappers (available in the refrigerated section)
1 large ham steak, chopped into small cubes
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook, stirring continuously, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Set the cream sauce aside; then stir in the salt.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, chopped ham, and mozzarella and the egg.

3. Spread a thin layer of the cream sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange an egg-roll wrapper on a work surface. Spread 3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture over the wrapper then roll up to form a log, jelly-roll style. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and place the cannelloni, seam side down, in a single layer in the baking dish.

4. Spoon the remaining cream sauce over the cannelloni, top with the Parmigiano-Reggiano and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.

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5:50pm- Leaving the office, call the hubby and tell him to start boiling a large pot of water.

6:03pm- Arrive home. Kick off your shoes. Pour a glass of red wine. Throw 1 pound angel hair pasta into salted boiling water.

6:08pm- Angel hair is al dente. Drain pasta. In the same pan, heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Throw in garlic, usually about 2-3 cloves.

6:09 pm- Add crushed red pepper to taste. Open a large can of crushed San Marzano tomatoes. (can also add capers, olives, anchovie paste to make more of a puttanesca sauce)

6:11pm- Add tomatoes to pan and bring to a bubble. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6:13pm- Add drained pasta and toss to coat.

6:15pm- Serve pasta with grated Parmesan cheese and a hunk of ciabatta bread.

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I am usually not a fan of “convenience foods,” many time they are full of things bad for you and frankly I just like the satisfaction of making something completely from scratch (I know-I am a nerd) But one thing that I make sure to always have in my freezer is frozen bread dough. I have used this product for pizza, pretzels, calzones and I really want to make cinnamon rolls with them.

So this post is really geared towards my Mom because it is kinda hard to explain over the phone how to make these so I have included a step by step tutorial on how to make this yummy treat. Evan and I eat one of these for dinner but it would also be great for a party or snack.

Step 1. Defrost two loaves of frozen white bread dough on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with oil. Cover the loaves with plastic wrap that has also been sprayed. Take this out in the morning and it will be good to go for dinner.

Step 2: Smoosh the two loaves together and spread them out to about the size of your cookie sheet, making sure you have a nice rectangle.

Step 3: Layer in the good stuff. I like to start with a sprinkling of garlic powder and Italian seasonings. I then layer prosciutto, good provolone, salami and then mozzarella. I would make sure to get good quality meats and cheeses because they tend to have less water in them, I have made many soggy strombolis with cheap meat and cheese. I tend to stick to the drier meats anyways. You could also put spinach in, really whatever you like.

Step 4: Bring the sides of the dough to the center and pinch together. Pinch the ends together as well. Something important to mention is to not wet the dough because it will not stick together. Just pinch it almost like a pie crust

Step 5: Carefully flip the whole thing over so it is seam side down. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes or so until golden on top and done on the bottom.

Step 6: Once removed from the oven I like to brush the top with garlic butter and maybe a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Step 7: Enjoy! We like to slice 1-inch thick pieces and dip them into warmed marinara…yum!

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These calzones are so easy, I am almost embarrassed to post it, but they take not time to make and everything can be stored in the fridge or freezer for a quick meal.

The star of this dish is frozen bread dough- I know- I feel like Sandra Lee. But I promise these are good and do not utilize the plastic storage bag as a piping bag!

This does require a bit of planning only because the dough needs to be thawed, but that can be taken out in the morning and be ready by the time you get home. I like to grease a baking sheet as well as grease a piece of plastic wrap that you will cover the dough with- otherwise it gets dry and crusty.

For three calzones, I would use one standard size loaf of dough. (They come in a 5 pack at my Kroger for like $2.50) Thaw it out during the day, or even overnight in the fridge. When you get home, cut the dough into three pieced and stretch them out like you were making pizza. You can really add whatever filling you like, tonight it was salami, prosciutto, provolone and mozzarella. I have to say though my favorite is probably spinach and ricotta. Once you have put in your fillings, add some garlic powder and spices and fold it over. Press the seams together, don’t use any liquid to try and seal them- it won’t work. I like to brush the top with melted butter. Bake them for about 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven or until golden brown. When they come out, I brush them again with butter and some garlic. Serve with warm marinara to dip and dinner is served!

I have also used the frozen bread dough to make stromboli, which is basically a large loaf of bread stuffed with meat and cheese. For this I like to use 2 loaves of dough, once thawed knead them together into one piece and stretch it out to a large rectangle. Add your filling down the center and then roll the dough over so it covers the filling. Bake at the same temperature for just a bit longer. This is a great appetizer for a party or game day.

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Oh…my…goodness! This is the best pasta salad I have ever made! Seriously! It has all of my favorite components; pasta, cheese, olives, tomatoes, garlic, and vinegar. It is sinful, but actually not too bad for you. There is some oil in it and olives are high in fat, but I used whole wheat pasta, and load of tomatoes. Trust me it is worth the splurge. Make this at the beginning of the week and you have lunch for a couple of days.

Mediterranean Pasta

1/2 pound whole wheat fusilli (spirals) pasta
Kosher salt
Olive oil
1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced (or more!)
3/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
1 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced

For the dressing:
5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons good olive oil
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 teaspoon capers, drained
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together. Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain well and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

2. For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.

3. Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan, and toss well.

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