Lasagna

Tonight Mrs. 6’s father and our nephew Aiden are visiting for “Faux Thanksgiving.” Originally Aiden’s whole family planned to join us and then stay the night at the hotel where Mrs. 6 works. Grandpa was going to have the 3 kids over to his suite for a sleep over, but this time around it’s just going to be Grandpa and Aiden, as the rest are ill with stomach flu. (The upside to this is Aiden has a larger selection of movies from which to choose!) Last night we prepared this lasagna in advance for our faux dinner.

The lasagna requires a deep-dish lasagna pan, or 1 9×13″ casserole dish plus 1 loaf pan. (Note: This recipe takes some effort but there is enough leftover sauce for pasta another day, and the 2nd smaller pan can be frozen for a future meal.)

For the sauce

• 2 T olive oil
• 2 cups onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups peeled carrots, finely chopped
• 4 T minced garlic
• 16 oz lean ground beef
• 12 oz spicy Italian sausages, casings removed
• 2 28-oz can crushed tomatoes with added puree
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 2 T golden brown sugar
• 2 T dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 t dried crushed red pepper

LASAGNA

• 15 lasagna noodles (about 12 ounces)

 

• 2 15-ounce containers part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, squeezed dry
• 2 large eggs

 

• 4 3/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese (about 1 1/4 pounds)

Sauteed cabbage

This week we received Napa and Savoy cabbage in our CSA share. Our good friend (and Ottmar & Marklar’s uncle) R helped us use up some cabbage from last week’s share and mentioned a simple cooked cabbage recipe with butter. Mr. 6 really enjoyed the taste, “like warm salad”, so it appears we have found a new way to use up cabbage!

• cabbage, sliced into 1/4″ strips
• butter
• salt & pepper

On medium-high heat, melt a few tablespoons of butter and a few tablespoons of water until boiling. Toss cabbage into pot, cover, and cook a few minutes until softened. Reduce heat, add a little more butter to coat, and salt & pepper to taste.

Chili

Our 11-month sojourn in downtown Denver was, frankly, depressing. The nearest grocery store was over a mile away, which wasn’t a problem except a simple bike trip became a foray through the ghetto. After succumbing to the automobile, we made a weekly trip to the grocery and inevitably came home to make entrees like this, which would last us until the next week’s grocery trip. Alas, this chili and the love within our 2-human, 2-pet family kept us warm and hopeful.

A recipe for the slow cooker; can alternately be made in a dutch oven to shorten cooking time.

• 1 T olive oil
• 2 large red onions, chopped
• several  chiles, chopped with seeds (jalapeno, serrano, etc.)
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 # ground beef
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 T cumin
• 1 t paprika
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes in juice
• 2 15.25 oz cans kidney beans, drained
• 2 cups beef broth

Saute onions in oil until tender; add jalapenos and garlic. Saute 1 minute, then add beef. Saute until cooked. Add this and remaining ingredients into slow cooker; set temperature according to your own cooking time.

Adapted from Bon Appetit, September 2002.

Open-face pesto chicken sandwiches

Mr. 6 does special things to tenderize the chicken before grilling.

• chicken breasts
• basil pesto
• few slices of fresh mozzarella
• basil leaves
• sliced tomato
• ciabatta rolls or another good, crusty bread, sliced
• olive oil

Marinate chicken in pesto for a short while. Get the grill going, then drizzle olive oil and spread a copious amount of pesto on the bread. Put the chicken on, and when almost done, top chicken with mozzarella and grill bread. Assemble with tomato and basil.

 

Braised fennel & white beans

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 medium fennel bulb, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ slices
• 1 medium red onion, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ slices
• 1 can (15.5 oz) white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 t coarsely chopped fresh oregano
• 2 T red wine vinegar
• 1 T butter

Saute fennel and onion in olive oil over medium-high heat, until tender and edges are brown, about 10 minutes.

Add beans, stock, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir occasionally until liquid has reduced by about half, 3-4 minutes. Stir in vinegar and butter.

From Martha Stewart Living, January 2007.

Butternut squash and roasted garlic soup (savory)

• 1 large head garlic
• 3 cups onions, chopped
• 3/4 cup carrots, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1 large butternut squash, roasted, skin removed
• 6 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
• 3 t dried sage, or 3 T chopped fresh sage
• olive oil or butter

Pre-heat oven to 350°. Rub oil on garlic head, wrap with foil, and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Saute onions, carrots, and celery in butter or oil over medium heat about 5 minutes. Add squash, broth, and sage, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

Squeeze garlic from skin and mash with fork until smooth. Once squash is tender, stir garlic into soup, then puree.

Season with salt, pepper, and (optional) cream to taste.

Adapted from Bon Appetit.

Pumpkins stuffed savory-ly

• Pumpkins, tops cut off, pulp & seeds removed. (Mini-pumpkins, pie pumpkins, etc.)
• Good crusty bread, 1/4″ slices
• Good cheese, thinly sliced or grated
• Mixture of half-chicken broth, half-cream

Pre-heat oven to 350°.

Layer bread and cheese inside pumpkins almost to the top. Fill up pumpkins with broth/cream mixture. Bake about 1 hour, until pumpkin flesh is soft and tops are bubbling. (Can put in broiler or raise oven temperature to finish the tops like French Onion Soup.)

Taken from a Fresh Air interview with Ruth Reichl, editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine (until it was dropped by its publisher, Conde Nast), 10.14.09.

Creamed Swiss chard

• 2 T unsalted butter
• 2 medium shallots, minced
• 1 T flour
• 1 cup milk (we used leftover whipping cream, which was incredible.)
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1 large bunch chard, washed, ribs removed, leaves roughly chopped

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots, and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper; raise heat to high and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

Add chard, and cook until it is tender and coated, about 5 minutes.

From The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: the original classics, 2000.

Pumpkinsnap muffins

These muffins have a ginger-y bite, so they taste like a soft version of Mr. 6’s favorite cookies—ginger snaps.  Makes 12 muffins, best served straight out of the oven or warmed up.

Optional cream cheese filling

• 8 oz cream cheese, divided into 12 pieces

Mix together the dry ingredients in one large bowl:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted

Mix together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl:

• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 2 t fresh ginger, minced or grated using a microplane
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup water

Pre-heat oven to 350°. Oil muffin pan, then mix wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients; don’t over-mix. Fill each muffin cup about halfway with batter, then lightly press in cream cheese. Top off each cup with remaining batter until it is full or slightly over the surface of pan. Bake about 25 minutes, until muffins have a firm top and can be easily rotated within pan.

A concoction based on several recipes and what Mrs. 6 had on hand in the kitchen.

Corn chowder with puree of roasted chiles

This soup is ordinary without the puree, which can be made in advance and keeps very well in the refrigerator—roasting the chiles and making the puree is time well spent.

For the puree:

• 3 poblano-size chiles (roasted, peeled, tops & seeds removed. Retain seeds for more spice!)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 T lime juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup packed fresh parsley leaves (can substitute cilantro)

For the chowder:

• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped fine
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, chopped in 3/8″ cubes
• 4 cups fresh corn kernels including the pulp scraped from the cobs (cut from about 6 ears of corn)
• 2 t fresh thyme leaves, minced

To make the puree, combine all ingredients and puree in a blender, adding water if needed to keep everything moving. Add salt to taste. May be made several days in advance, cover and refrigerate.

For chowder, cook the onion and celery in a large pot in oil over medium heat, stirring until celery is softened. Add broth, water, potatoes, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in corn and thyme, simmer another 5 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Puree desired amount of the chowder and stir back into pot, bringing temperature up as necessary.

Serve with a dollop of the chile puree swirled into chowder.

Adapted from a recipe in Epicurious, July 1992.