Finally, a healthy, delicious, cheap and quick meal all in one!  Ok, so marketing might not be my thing, but my delicious recipe for a tomato, basil, and mozzarella sandwich sure will do the trick.

Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Sandwich

Ingredients

• 1/2 a plum tomato
• 4 oz sliced mozzarella cheese
• 2 slices of bread
• 4-5 large leaves of basil
• olive oil and oregano to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Put the two slices of bread on a baking pan and drizzle each with olive oil.  Then, layer the sandwich with basil, thick slices of cheese, tomato slices and more basil.  Sprinkle oregano on the other slice and place in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted sufficiently.  Let cool for 5 minutes and remove and BON APPETIT!  It’s literally that easy.

Un “Dolcepensiero”: iniziano le gelate, ogni tanto alla mattina quando la giornata si preannuncia serena come la notte prima, ecco che inizia a scendere il primo gelo che regala alle verze ancora non raccolte  nell’orto, la giusta risorsa per migliorarsi e per avere poi in cucina delle gustosissime verdure. Ecco che per la ricetta che vi posto oggi, avevo in casa la prima verza raccolta nell’orto di mio padre: non molto grande, le prediligo quando sono ancora leggermente bianche verso il fondo, ma giusta per poter ottenere dalle sue foglie degli ottimi involtini. Li ho accompagnati con del sugo, un po’ più sostanziose di quelle della stagione scorsa che potete rileggere qui. Nel ripieno ho aggiunto del formaggio INBRIAGO tipico della zona di Treviso che adoro non solo per il suo gusto deciso, ma anche per il colore paglierino della sua pasta e per l’intenso color vinaccia della sua crosta che varia a seconda delle vinaccie che vengono utilizzate per la sua ubriacatura appunto. E’ uno di quei prodotti nati dalle varie esigenze contadine e come tale divenuto poi una risorsa della gastronomia italiana: infatti negli anni della guerra, i contadini nascosero sotto le vinaccie i formaggi per nasconderli dalle razzie dei soldati. Questi una volta risollevati da questo strato di vinaccia (di poco valore perchè oggetto di scarto), presero un colore violaceo sulla crosta ed un aroma deciso e particolare. Infatti il liquido che rilascia ancora la vinaccia, potè diventare un sostituto dell’olio per lucidare la crosta e nel periodo della guerra, l’olio era un gran lusso. Ed ecco che l’altro giorno, sono riuscita a comprare uno dei primi tagli di questo formaggio che è reperibile verso fine novembre inizio dicembre, ottimo da gustare anche semplice con un bel calice di vino rosso, ma tornando ai miei involtini, è riuscito a dare un tocco di saporito a questi gustosi involtini. E ammetto anche che i miei progressi nel chiudere gli involtini con lo spago, per quest’anno ancora, si fanno alquanto desiderare…

INGREDIENTI PER QUATTRO PERSONE

8 foglie di verza

2 pugni di trita per sugo

1 mozzarella

60 grammi di inbriago

passata di pomodoro q.b.

1/2 cipolla

prezzemolo tritato

salvia

olio extravergine d’oliva

sale e pepe

PREPARAZIONE

In una padella antiaderente, far rosolare la cipolla a dadini piccoli con un filo leggero di olio, aggiungere la carne trita appena la cipolla diventa dorata, rosolarla per bene aggiustando di sale e pepe. Quando la carne sarà ben cotta, aggiungere la salsa di pomodoro, mescolare molto bene e far cuocere a fuoco dolce per almeno venti minuti aggiungendo del prezzemolo tritato. Nel frattempo far bollire dell’acqua che salerete, versateci le foglie di verza lavate e staccate dal ceppo avendo cura di non romperle: scegliete le più grandi e sode. Sbollentatele solo per cinque minuti, poi adagiatele su di un panno in modo che scolino e si raffreddano. Riprendere il sugo che avrete mescolato di tanto in tanto, uniteci la mozzarella a dadini e il formaggio inbriago anche lui a dadini ma più piccoli. Mescolare lontano dal fuoco: appena il sugo e le foglie si saranno raffreddate, potete iniziare a formare gli involtini mettendo una parte di sugo nella foglia di verza, arrotolarla richiudendo anche i lati esterni e con lo spago da cucina, avvolgerli cercando di chiudere tutti i lati che si potrebbero aprire in cottura. Lasciate da parte qualche cucchiaio di ragu’, per quando riscalderete gli involtini. Continuare fino ad esaurimento delle foglie. Adagiateli nella stessa padella del ragu’, dove ne avete tenuto un po’ da parte, fate scaldare a fuoco basso rigirandoli con cura unendoci qualche foglia di salvia fresca. Serviteli con del purè di patate o patate lessate.

Ed ecco quelli della scorsa stagione:

SACCOTTINI VERDI RIPIENI

H  O  M  E

B  L  O  G

Ingredienti(per 2 persone):

• due pezzi lunghi di salsiccia
• 3 uova
• olio
• cipolla
• peperoncino
• pepe nero
• 1 mozzarella

Tagliate la mozzarella a pezzetti, mettete a soffriggere in una padella con olio dei pezzettini di cipolla(la quantità è a vostro piacimento,dipende se volete un piatto molto saporito o delicato)e il peperoncino tritato.

Quando la cipolla è dorata aggiungete la salsiccia a pezzi e lasciatela cuocere.Quand’ è ben cotta spruzzatela con un po’ di pepe nero e aggiungete le tre uova, la mozzarella tagliata a pezzettini precedentemente e salate il tutto.

Iniziate subito a strapazzare le uova e una volta cotte spegnete il fuoco e servite.

Se vi piacciono i sapori forti aggiungete a cottura terminata ancora del pepe nero(non troppo).

Come alternativa orientaleggiante potete cospargere la salsiccia con un po’ di curry.

tempo di cottura: 10 min.

I shoulda gotten out of bed when my alarm went off, but I slept for 2 more hours instead.

I woulda gone out to hand out resumes in hopes of landing a part time job, but I slept in.

I coulda done more school work today, and actually gotten ahead of the game, but other things were more interesting.

I guess that’s how it goes sometimes, eh?

I started my sleep in day with something I haven’t had in eons – a smoothie!

• frozen raspberries
• 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp cocoa
• milk

I also had an Apple Carrot Raisin Oatmeal Muffin with said smoothie delight.

Even though it was cold and rainy, the smoothie was so very enjoyable. Note to self – do not forget about the smoothie!

I ended up plopped on the couch watching skating this afternoon, and worked on some parts of our group paper. I was trying to foster some discussion, but there wasn’t much input from other group members, so I gave up. I’m just hoping they weren’t near their computers, and not just ignoring the fact that we need to get this done.

I eventually thought about having lunch. I was craving an eclectic salad.

• romaine lettuce
• spinach
• cucumber
• carrot
• hummus/salsa mix
• sour cream
• dill pickles
• tiny bit of leftover roast chicken
• spelt sticks (inspiration from Mama Pea and her sesame sticks)

Mom went grocery shopping, and brought back a fresh, doughy load of sourdough bread, so I toasted up a slice and spread on a little butttah.

‘Twas a delightful lunch.

But as delicious as the random salad combo was (dill pickles & spelt sticks on salad are a keeper!), my tummy got angry about half way through, so I ended up tossing the last third or so. I didn’t waste any of that bread though – simple carby goodness is one of the few things I want when I’m feeling ill.

My sister was off to her boyfriend’s, and my parents had a dinner to go to, so I was left alone for the evening (yay!). And what was the first thing I did? Get dressed and head out to the grocery store. LOL. I had good reason though – mom went grocery shopping, and only bought plain orange juice. Now, I don’t know what it is about plain orange juice, but I can’t drink it. Especially if there’s pulp. Blech – if I want to chew something, I’ll eat the fruit, thanks. I was on a Happy Planet juice mission!

I picked up not just my favourite Mango Peach Party, but another flavour I haven’t enjoyed in quite some time – Tropical Tango.

I couldn’t help but to enjoy a glass right when I got home.

I always forget how awesome the Tropical Tango Flavour is. It has coconut in it, so obviously it has to be good. It’s almost like drinking a Pina Colada…sans rum.

And since I was left to my own devices for dinner, I decided to make a pizza only I would enjoy. We even had a small ball of pizza dough in the freezer, and I managed to spread it out on the pan relatively well. I still have troubles with holes forming in my crust, but I patched those all up.

I brushed a little olive oil on the dough, and sprinkled on some Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese and pre-baked the crust a bit before topping it. Then I added:

• spinach
• marinated artichokes
• onion
• rehydrated porcini mushrooms
• corn
• mozzarella
• parmesan

The above is pre-cheese, and below is post-cheese & post-bake.

Whenever I use fresh pizza dough, I can never get it to brown – any tips?!

I served myself a couple of slices.

It was delicious. Especially without the tomato sauce base. We didn’t have any on hand, and I’m not really a tomato sauce person, so the simple olive oil & seasonings were right up my alley. Plus that corn – oh, it get so sweet and delicious on the pizza. If you’ve never had corn on a pizza, I highly recommend you try it out.

I enjoyed my pizza while I watched the hockey game (Canucks win 7 – 3!). It didn’t bother my tummy much, so I grabbed another slice (they were pretty small to begin with).

That’s a hunk of artichoke hanging off there, not cheese

My mom came home later on with leftover dessert from their dinner party – cherry cheesecake. Obviously, I had to taste test a sliver.

It got my seal of approval.

Then, despite the rain, we went and soaked out in the hot tub. It’s been quite awhile since I’d gone in (probably because of all the rain), so it was a nice way to relax from my…completely slack day. HA!

And now, it is again much later than I would like it to be, so I shall bid my adieu and hop into bed. Night!

My aunt Liz is going to kill me. She said so when I told her I posted the Mofongo recipe (which was hers by the way). “But Chris, what if I want to write a cookbook someday? You’re giving away all of my secrets!” So when I asked her for Grandma’s Pumpkin Fritter recipe she wouldn’t give it to me. She didn’t want it to end up on here. (Don’t worry- I’ll get it one way or the other…) But that didn’t stop me from snatching a few recipes from her when I was down there a week ago. She should know better- I’m crafty. If you want to learn someone’s recipe, you can have them email it to you, write it down as they dictate it to you, taste it and try to de-construct it- or you could simply watch and help them cook it. Yes- I helped her cook this eggplant parm and soaked up every last step. Oh, is she going to be annoyed!!

I used to hate eggplant but am slowly starting to like it. This recipe allows the eggplant to shine and tastes really rustic. I made it for Thanksgiving and my dad really loved it- and he’s a tough critic. I made this on Wednesday, before I left for Connecticut, and reheated it an hour before dinner. It tasted even better the next day (Yes- I had a bite before I left for Connecticut and it was good. I couldn’t help myself! The next day- it was really good!)

Eggplant Parmesan – serves 6

2-3 medium eggplants- sliced thinly
1/2 cup flour- for dredging (more if necessary)
1 cup –  italian breadcrumbs
1 cup Olive Oil for frying- total
1 cup – tomato sauce
1 cup – shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup  - freshly grated parmesan
Salt

_

1. Start by cutting the eggplant, lengthwise into about 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices (not too thin, not too thick). Lay the eggplant on a paper towel lined cutting board. Lightly sprinkle with salt and allow to sit for about 20-30 minutes. Pat dry with a paper towel.

2. Get your ingredients for dredging ready in separate plates/bowls (flour, eggs, italian breadcrumbs). Dip the eggplant in flour on both sides, then dip into the egg mixture and allow to drip off. Finally, dip the eggplant in breadcrumbs and make sure to coat well. Continue process until all the slices are well coated.

3. Start heating olive oil (or veggie oil) in a pan over medium-high heat. You want the eggplant to cook as fast as possible because they will soak up the oil quickly, but you also don’t want to burn the eggplant. Cook until browned on both sides- about 5-6 minutes. Add more oil to pan as needed during the frying process. When the eggplant slices are browned, transfer them to a paper-towel lined cutting board or baking sheet.

4. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a pan (I used an 8×8 which I think was a good size for this dish.) ladle a thin layer of tomato sauce in the pan- enough to cover the bottom. Add the first layer of eggplant. Add another thin layer of tomato sauce, and an even layer of shredded mozzarella and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Top with another layer of eggplant and repeat steps. Do this until you have 4 layers of eggplant. Generously top the last layer with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and grated parmesan.

5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook until the top layer is golden- about another 10-15 minutes. Let the dish rest for about 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Since we hosted my inlaws last weekend and did a big Thanksgiving dinner then, we decided to forego the traditional fare and just have something new instead.  And by “we” I mean “I”.  My husband usually just goes along with it since he’s not a picky eater in the least. 

I decided on pizza just because I had never made one before.  While this was time-consuming, it was completely worth it.  Well, I guess it’s not really fair to say “time-consuming” since most of the time involved is time spent waiting.  You have to start the dough early enough for it to rise, which takes about 5 1/2 hours total.  I would also double the oil recipe, which I have done in the recipe below, because there wasn’t any left to brush on the crust after the pizza was finished.  I probably added more goat cheese than it required, but it’s really a preference thing.  Finally, I didn’t feel like this recipe as it was had enough salt.  I thought that it would, considering it had lots of cheese, but I wound up sprinkling some on the finished product. 

Overall, though, we were both happy with our nontraditional Thanksgiving.  You could probably play with the toppings.  I added shiitake mushrooms to mine.  The next time that I make a pizza, I’m going to do a variation on this and make a pesto sauce to put on it, as well. 

Pizza Bianca with Goat Cheese and Greens (adapted from Bon Appetit, January 2002)

Crust

3/4 cup warm water (105°F to 115°F)

1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast (from 1 envelope)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups (about) unbleached all purpose flour
Seasoned oil

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
Topping

1 bunch Swiss chard (about 10 ounces), white ribs cut away

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

1 large garlic clove, minced

Directions

Make crust:

Pour 3/4 cup water into large bowl.  Sprinkle yeast on top.  Stir to blend.  Let stand 10 minutes to dissolve yeast.  Add oil and salt, then 1 1/2 cups flour.  Stir until well blended (dough will be sticky).  Turn dough out onto generously floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding just enough flour to prevent dough from sticking, about 5 minutes (dough will be soft).

Shape dough into ball; place in large, oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with kitchen towel.  Let dough rise at cool room temperature until almost doubled, about 2 hours. Punch dough down and shape into ball.  Return to bowl.  Cover with towel and let rise until doubled, about 3 hours.

Meanwhile make seasoned oil:

Mix oil, garlic, and red pepper in small bowl. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

For toppings:

Cook swiss chard in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes.  Drain. Rinse under cold water.  Drain again and squeeze dry.  Coarsely chop.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in small skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and stir 30 seconds.  Add chard and stir 1 minute. Season to taste with salt.

Preheat oven to 500°F. Punch down dough. Form into ball and place on floured work surface. Cover with kitchen towel and let rest 30 minutes.

Sprinkle rimless baking sheet with cornmeal.  Roll out dough on floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to baking sheet. Sprinkle mozzarella over dough, leaving 1-inch border. Scatter chard and mushrooms over mozzarella. Top with goat cheese. Brush crust edge with some of seasoned oil.  Reserve 2 teaspoons seasoned oil to brush on crust.  Drizzle remaining oil over pizza.

Bake pizza until crust is brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush edge with seasoned oil and serve.

These are fantastic when served with toothpicks as an appetizer.  They are also great sliced in half and put in a green salad with Balsamic Vinegar dressing!  Either way they taste great and are super easy to make.  Love them.

Ingredients:
1 container of small plain buffalo mozzarella balls in water, drained
1 cup of fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup balsamic vinegar salad dressing
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

2. Cover tightly and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Serve with toothpicks.

!!!

• 8 oz pappardelle pasta
• 3 roasted peppers
• 6 TB OO
• juice of half lemon
• 1 TB capers rinsed
• chopped flat leaf parsley
• 4 anchovy fillets rinsed and chopped
• 6 TB fresh bread crumbs
• 2 oz. butter
• 1 ball fresh mozzarella
• handful stoned kalamata olives

Cut peppers into strips and grill until sizzling – drizzle with OO

Pour juices from pan into bowl

Beat in remaining olive oil

Add lemon juice, capers, parsley & anchovies

Season with black pepper

Cook bread crumbs in butter in shallow pan – they should turn golden within 5 minutes

Cut mozzarella into small cubes

Toss crumbs, peppers, mozzarella, olives and dressing with pasta

Serve warm – not hot

YUM!

A quick and easy version of the Italian classic … Chicken Parmesan

Prep Time = 5 minutes
Cook Time = 30 minutes
Serves 4-6

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Chicken with tomatoes, pesto and mozzarella

I don’t know about you, but I love bread. One of my favorite parts of Italian cuisine is the bread. There are usually at least two bread shops on every block where you can buy fresh bread every morning. Pre-sliced packaged loaves that you can stick in the cupboard and leave for weeks have fortunately not really worked their way in to the Italian lifestyle yet. I could probably live off of just bread – rolls, loaves, white, multigrain… mmm. However, seeing as that probably wouldn’t be very practical, I am all for a recipe that calls for bread as a second utensil. Why is it that in America it is so frowned upon to use your bread to help push frustrating escapees onto your fork? Or to sop up the remains of your pasta sauce or soup left in the bowl? Ahh well. Here is a recipe that allows you to do so (in a country where no one will look down on you for it!). I used chicken I had left over from yesterday and chopped it up into small cubes. I then added the rest of the can of tomatoes, a few spoonfuls of pesto, and half a ball of mozzarella (diced). Mix it all together, cook over the stove, and deeellliccccious.

Pizza never goes out of style. In fact, it’s making somewhat of a comeback these days. What with real neapolitan pizzerias sprouting up in Toronto and Ottawa, it seems that the unbeatable idea of a crisp circle of dough covered in any choice of toppings and perhaps, some cheese, is edging back to fan favourite. Gone are the greasy, gooey slices of heavy dough, and maybe we should be thankful for that. These restaurants are opting for wood-fired ovens imported directly from Italy to bake their creations. The result? A crust that is light but never too thin or cardboard-like because it does most of its rising right in the super hot oven (Libretto claims theirs reaches 900 degrees on their website…imagine!). The dough puffs up, sometimes makes little bubbles, but doesn’t dry out. It’s wonderful.

That being said, it’s not everyday that I feel like pluncking down an average of 15$-17$ for what amounts to a medium sized pizza at any of these two haunts, especially since I found a recipe for pizza that gives rather good results. Minus the wood burning oven (hard to come by in rented apartments), I can get pretty reasonable results with a regular oven (at 450 degrees) and fairly basic ingredients. Tonight, I made the unbeatable classic, the most basic of all pizzas: Pizza Margarita. The combination of a simply seasoned tomato sauce, some fresh mozzarella (regular, not di Bufala) and some basil is a winner – and it also matches the colours of the Italian flag! The result tonight was hugely satisfying.

I found the recipe last year on this site. Scroll down a bit for the dough recipe. It literally takes 15 minutes to make and you let it rest about 1 hour, then shape it, top it and bake it. The sauce was my own. I just kept it simple and used the rest of a can of puréed tomatoes (Italian) and some orange zest and pepper. The mozzarella was not very interesting – just a log of fresh that I cut in rounds. When I am melting the cheese, I don’t feel compelled to always use top of the line…unless it’s going to be the feature of the pizza. Also, there are some schools of thought who feel that Mozzarella di Bufala, which is decidedly more milky, does not belong on a pizza…I leave it up to you. I’ve done a fabulous pizza with slivered red onion, oregano and Mozzarella di Bufala, so I like it either way.

The pizza all ready to be baked

Golden and ready to eat

Queste sono lasagne bianche, senza sugo di nessun tipo, con solo besciamella un pò più morbida del solito.

Per la preparazione delle basi, vige la mia consuetudine, per le melanzane è necessario prima grigliarle o servirsi delle melanzane già grigliate e surgelate, in confezioni più comode all’uso.

Volendo si possono aggiungere anche dei funghi porcini, freschi o secchi e poi ammorbiditi, però in questa occasione, non li avevo sotto mano.

Ho utilizzato anche una confezione di mozzarella per pizza, circa 400 gr, tagliata in fettine sottili.

Il primo strato con le melanzane grigliate.

Per il gorgonzola ha usato circa 200 gr. ma se ne possono utilizzare di più, stando attenti che sia dolce, altrimenti il sapore risulterà troppo forte.

L'aggiunta di gorgonzola e mozzarella.

Si procede alla solita stesura degli strati, partendo sempre dalla besciamella, poi la sfoglia di pasta (uso quella fresca), ancora besciamella, le fette di melanzane grigliate, il gorgonzola tagliato a cubetti sopra alle melanzane, così da rimanere più fermo.

La teglia uscita dal forno.

negli interstizi, fra una fetta di melanzana e l’altra, depongo la mozzarella, poi la sfoglia di pasta e continuo così fino all’ultimo strato, dove termino la besciamella e cospargo il tutto con parmigiano reggiano grattugiato.

Nella teglia per le porzioni.

La mozzarella per la pizza aiuta a tenere il tutto morbido, senza troppo liquido, che altrimenti si formerebbe con la mozzarella normale, più buona, ma di sicuro con più siero all’interno.

Bye 

For the past 8 years I’ve been a vegetarian (specifically a pescatarian because I still eat seafood). I primarily made the choice for health reasons and secondarily because I was quite skeptical of meat not prepared by my dad. Since cutting meat out of my diet, I’ve never looked back. This diet has helped me think more about what food I’m putting in my mouth and strive for better balance in my meals. I can’t imagine ever eating meat again because I don’t miss it…anyway, I digress.

The holidays for vegetarians can be difficult. Sure, it’s a challenge when all the meals center around roasted/fried/brined meats. But, the harder part is convincing the host you don’t need a Tofurkey to feel included. A few years ago, my aunt was hosting Thanksgiving for the family and was nervous about what I would be eating. Most of the time I was fine just eating the sides, but I knew she would feel better if I brought my own protein. After a quick discussion with my mom, I decided to make a fritatta. It’s simple to make, warm, rustic and a veggie-friendly protein that doesn’t make the rest of the world raise an eyebrow. Oh, and it’s really inexpensive to make.

That first fritatta Thanksgiving, my asparagus and Gruyere cheese fritatta was quickly devoured by the entire family. Since then, I’ve just switched out the ingredients each holiday to keep it interesting. This year my family is traveling and won’t be cooking any part of the Thanksgiving meal. So, I decided to celebrate a little early and make my fritatta before we left.

My mission this week was two-fold: create a new delicious fritatta and use up as much food in my fridge as possible. My mother gave me some of her fresh herbs that needed to be used. So, that is where I started my recipe search. Basil. Not a bad place to start, eh? I searched for a recipe on a new site my dad found, www.bigoven.com, for some inspiration. Quickly (cause their search is pretty awesome) I found a fritatta recipe based around basil and tomatoes, two of my favorite things. Using this recipe as a guide, I knew I only needed to pick up some eggs, an onion and a tomato to make this meal happen (talk about recession friendly!).

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Sauté the onion and shalot in butter and 1tbs of olive oil in a large pan (oven safe) until translucent.
2. Add in the chopped herbs, salt and pepper and tomatoes.
3. Remove the veggie mixture from the pan and set aside. Turn your oven on to a high broil
4. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan and once it is heated, add half the eggs and all the ricotta cheese.
5. Cook for less than a minute on low heat, combining the egg and cheese.
6. Add the veggie mixture back into the pan and top with the remaining egg. Cook until the egg is mostly done, just a little liquid at the top.
7. Top with Parmesan and mozzarella and place pan into oven to broil until all the cheese is melted and is slightly browned.
8. Remove the pan from the over and let cool for a few minutes. Slice like a pie and serve!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This weekend I spent with Mad Dog margaritas, poems about siblings, Everclear, Zombies, a fishing trip, family in town from far, families coming together, and a forced order of mozzarella sticks.

I got inspired at work today, which seems to happen often, and how often can you say that?

Now, Ellen has been in the kitchen braising lamb and cookin’ up some sweet potato biscuits. I’ve got a soon-to-be-full belly and a pocket full of love.

The good times are ones when there’s nowhere else to be but now.

The grass under my toes is as green as it gets.

While the names may change and while only some of them might be involved in some sort of illegal activity, seeing Francy’s brother and their relatives/friends is like any get together you’ve seen in a multitude of Italian stereotype films and TV shows.

I was told we’d only be staying an hour and then we’d make an excuse and leave.  Francy, being the sweet person that he is and who is for some reason is too polite to go to a party make the rounds and then leave, made me stay for 2 and a half mind-numbing hours.

I’m not sure where to begin.  Francy and I are both annoyed by chaos and people who are loud just for the sake of it.  This usually makes any family function a no-no.  It’s even better when a family function is two families combined.

Aside from the fact that there is an abundance of chest hair, greasy gelled hair, fat &  sweaty dudes goin’ to town on salame and mozzarella as if they’d never eaten it before, there is also the added pleasure of 10 or more kids all being screeched at by 4 mothers.

I do not leave Francy’s side at these events.  I’d go to the toilet with him if I could.  Sticking to him like glue was especially crucial yesterday evening as V. (the evil and utterly 2-faced wife of Francy’s loveable, but moronic cousin M.) was there and she had to be shunned and made to fear for her life with death-ray stares and Francy’s “angry face”.

Part of the humor/difficulty of staying by Francy’s side is that I am forced to witness the nasty and bizarre garbage his relatives say out of envy and insanity.  The high point came when we spent 10 minutes talking with Zio E.

Francy’s uncle is I think maybe 10 years older than Francy.  He considers himself to be the wealthiest and wisest of all men in the great kingdom of Italy.  That’s odd, I thought he was an electrician.  He is also a well-known pervert and alcoholic.  The first time I ever met him was 3 years ago at lunch when they very nicely invited us over to meet Francy’s new girlfriend.  Actually, for all their strange habits and maybe because they have never been unkind to me (just ignorant) I just laugh about what I’ll tell you next.

At one point Zio E. asks Francy how old his cousin F. is.  Francy says that she should be 18, he doesn’t remember.  Okay, yes this girl is not related to Zio E. (she’s on the other side of the family), but when he then told Francy, “Oh yeah when I saw her last she was lookin’ good” (and I SWEAR he licked his lips before and after) I was a bit grossed-out.

YIKES!

So yesterday evening while Zio E. managed to scarf down 3 mini calzones in 10 minutes he asked Francy about our trip to Brussels.  Not “how did the job interview go?” “Did you like the city/have fun?”.  No.  Here’s the conversation:

Zio: So you went to Brussels?  How’d you go?

Francy: We flew Ryanair, it was super-cheap.

Zio: Ah noooo, you went to Charleoix, that’s not Brussels.

At this point I want to leap to Francy’s defense and shout:

Oh my God you sad and pathetic envious old bastard!!! Are you that f-ing stupid?  What city has an airport located in the heart of the city?  The plane lands in Charleoix and you have to take transportation into Brussels!!!!! Don’t you think we know what city we visited?  Oh that’s right, you claimed your postcard didn’t arrive.

But I don’t.  I also don’t get angry like Francy does.  I just laugh.  It’s sad to me.

The remainder of the evening was passed watching a poor and confused one-year old get passed around like a sack of potatoes and someone making a short joke every 15 minutes about my brother-in-law.  I assume since they’ve been making the same joke for 20 years that it must be funny. Thankfully the rest of the party goers simply ignored us for the most part.  No seriously, like Martha Stewart says, “it’s a good thing”.

Makaron z pomidorami, bakłażanem i mozzarellą

Bardzo lubię to danie, jest smaczne, pożywne i szybkie. Pyszny, kremowy sos i ciągnąca się mozzarella

Porcja dla 2-3 osób.

* jędrny, dojrzały bakłażan,
* 2 ząbki czosnku, obrane i drobno posiekane,
* cebula średniej wielkości, obrana i drobno posiekana,
* puszka pomidorów najwyższej jakości,
* 1 łyżka octu balsamicznego,
* kilka listków świeżej bazylii,
* sól,
* pieprz,
* oliwa,
* świeża lub suszona papryczka chili, drobno posiekana,
* 4 łyżki śmietany kremówki,
* 250 – 300 g makaronu penne lub rigatoni,
* mozzarella,
* kawałek parmezanu do starcia.

1. Bakłażana umyć i pokroić w kostkę (1×1cm). W dużym garnku/rondlu rozgrzać 5 łyżek oliwy, wrzucić kostki bakłażana i od razu zamieszać łyżką, tak aby całe pokryły się oliwą. Smażyć przez 7-8 minut na średnim ogniu.
2. Dodać czosnek i cebulę. Kiedy się zrumienią, włożyć pomidory. Doprawić do smaku solą i pieprzem, dodać ocet balsamiczny, część listków bazylii oraz papryczki chili (wg gustu). Gotować na wolnym ogniu przez około 15 minut, następnie dodać śmietanę.
3. W tym czasie ugotować makaron. Odcedzić, pozostawiając trochę wody, w której się gotował. Dodać do makaronu sos. Doprawić do smaku solą i pieprzem, posypać pokruszoną mozzarellą, świeżymi listkami bazylii. Szybko zamieszać. Wyłożyć na talerze, posypać startym parmezanem. Smacznego!

Na podstawie przepisu J. Oliver’a.

W warzywniaku był piękny, świeży szpinak – nie sposób było go nie kupić. Jednak zanim doszłam z warzywniak do domu, przedzierając się przez kałuże i listopadowe błotko, przeszła mi ochota na sałatkę z zielonych liści. Szpinak leżał w lodówce od wczoraj i błagał o odrobinę zainteresowania. Może zatem quiche ze szpinakiem w roli głównej? Zamiast jednego dużego placka zdecydowałam się jednak na zrobienie mini-quiche’y, takich na dwa kęsy (przy odrobinie wysiłku na jeden;-) ). W sam raz do dobrego czerwonego wina (tak tak, wiem, że dzisiaj święto beaujolais nouveau, ale jeśli jutro rano czeka nas jakieś poważne spotkanie, lepiej sięgnąć po coś innego.)

Szpinak trzeba opłukać i osuszyć

Mini quiche ze szpinakiem i kozim serem

2 szklanki mąki
125 g masła, zimnego
2 łyżki śmietany
sól
500 g świeżego szpinaku (lub mrożonego, ale w liściach, nie siekanego)
1 mała cebula perłowa, obrana i drobno posiekana
2 ząbki czosnku
250 g tłustego białego sera, zmielonego
2 jajka
100 g sera koziego, dojrzewającego (a jak ktoś nie lubi, to np. mozzarelli)
sproszkowane pepperoncino, sól, biały pieprz

Po godzinie w zamrażalniku ciasto nadaje się do wałkowania

Z przesianej z solą mąki i pokrojonego masła zagnieść szybko kruche ciasto (jeśli jest za suche, dodać śmietanę). Włożyć do lodówki (a nawet lepiej do zamrażalnika) na minimum godzinę.
Szpinak opłukać i osuszyć. Na patelni rozgrzać oliwę, oddać cebulkę, a gdy zacznie się szklić – zmiażdżony nożem czosnek. Podsmażać na wolnym ogniu uważając, by czosnek się nie przypalił. Dodać osuszony i nieco posiekany szpinak (lub rozmrożony i odsączony szpinak). Dodać sól, pieprz i ewentualnie szczyptę pepperoncino, dusić na średnim ogniu – bez przykrycia, by szpinak mógł odparować. Gdy liście zmiękną, odstawić patelnię z ognia, od wystudzenia.
Nagrzać piekarnik do 190 stopni. Masłem wysmarować foremki to mini-tartaletek (lub formę do muffinów – sprawdzi się tu niezgorzej). Wyjąć ciasto z lodówki i rozwałkować na grubość 3-4 mm. Wykrawać krążki i wyłożyć nimi przygotowaną foremkę. Ciasto ponakłuwać widelcem i piec “na ślepo” ok 10 minut.
W międzyczasie do szpinaku dodać ser oraz jajka i dokładnie wymieszać. Masę nałożyć do podpieczonych foremek. Zmniejszyć temperaturę w piekarniku do 175 stopni i piec babeczki z farszem ok 20-25 minut. 5 minut przed końcem na wierzchu posypać je kawałkami koziego sera lub mozzarelli i piec do zrumienienia serka.

Mini Quiche ze Szpinakiem i Kozim Serem

In the grocery store there was a really beautiful fresh spinach and it just was impossible to pass it by. But before I’ve returned home, struggling through ubiquitous puddles and mud whole my appetite for some spinach salad was gone. And so was the spinach, laying abandoned in my fridge, waiting for my mercy or mere interest. So maybe a quiche with spinach and some cheese? Sounds nice, don’t you think? Instead of making one big pie I’ve decided to make small quiches, for one bite. Perfect as a small nibble to go with some red wine ( I know, I know, today’s is the beaujolais nouveau, but maybe, especially if you have some important meeting tomorrow morning, it would be better to choose some other bottle;-) ).

Mini quiches with spinach and goat cheese

2 cups flour
125 g butter, cold
2 tablespoons of sour cream
salt
500 g fresh spinach (or frozen one, but choose the whole-leaf version)
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic
250 g fromage or ricotta
2 eggs
100 g goat cheese (or mozzarella)
chilli powder, salt, white pepper

Sift flour with salt, add butter cut in cubes and mix well . If the mixture is to dry, add some cream (don’t work with the dough to long, as it may became though) . Form dough into a ball, wrap in cling foil and put into fridge or freezer for at least one hour.
Wash and dry spinach, chop it merely. Warm some olive oil on the pan, add chopped onion and after one minute – mashed garlic. Sizzle till the onion will be translucent. Add the spinach and frizzle on medium heat. When the spinach will be cooked and quite dry, remove the pan from the stove and leave to cool down.
Preheat oven to 190 C. Butter quiche forms. Take dough out of the fridge and roll out on the floured surface. Cut circles out of the dough sheet and place into forms and prick them with fork. Bake the pie shells for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile mix the cooled spinach with fromage and eggs, add some spices to taste. When the shell will be baked, take them out from the oven and fill with spinach mixture. Lower the temperature to 175 C and bake quiches for 20 minutes. 5 minutes before end sprinkle them on top with some crumbled goat cheese or mozzarella.

There are reasons why I never make lasagna because it usually takes roughly two-three hours to cook and another hour to set and who wants to put that much time into something that’s really bad for your health? But, this recipe from nine years ago Tomato and Mozzarella Lasagna only took an hour to cook and no time to set given the status of our hunger.

I made tomato sauce for the first time. It’s real easy- just some canned tomatoes, onions, garlic and a touch of OJ. The recipe called for a ¼ cup of orange juice but I thought it was a cup so instead of salty tomato sauce, it was tangy.  Wade took a bite and said, “We sure got our dose of vitamin C today.”

Week Five was roommate reunion night. I came home and started dicing onions immediately.  You’d think I’d know how to cut onions by now but nope.  See all the different sizes and shapes? I gotta learn to cut an onion.

Ange and La came over around 8:30 with garlic bread and it was the best garlic bread we ever had.  They kept it wrapped up in tin foil to keep the flavors in, and then put it in the oven at 350 degrees F. It was a good thing we didn’t go out after because Ange was very generous with the garlic.  It was crispy on the outside but the dough was really soft and easy to chew.

Nick, (Steph’s BFF from fifth grade), came over and made a Greek salad.  It looked simple to make and it was tasty.  I have to admit that I’m not the biggest fan of Greek salad usually, but this one was just perfect- it had the right amount of oil and vinegar, feta cheese and the stars of the dish- cucumbers and tomatoes.   Perhaps, I’ve never been a fan because the Chef has always over done it with the feta or the olive oil- and if it’s too much of one thing- it’s soggy and gross.  You have to be careful because feta is a very acquired taste.

Finally, the lasagna was ready and we were starving! No one cared about the set time at that point in the night.  All we wanted was our food.  Serving it was quite a challenge- I did my best to serve perfect squares but instead it looked like tomato cheese mushy pudding.

I think we all agreed that we’ve had better lasagna- even if Steph wet up for more.

Rating: 1=bad, 5=good

Flavor: 3, should have had additional cheeses besides mozzarella- even if I love mozzarella.

Do-Ability: 1=Hard, 5=Easy

4- Very easy to make but messed up on the tomato sauce.

Guinea Pigs, what do you think?