Monday, April 29, 2013
Shrimp and Vegetable Yellow Curry
This recipe comes from Giada De Laurentiis via foodnetwork.com
I made 2 changes - I used a habanero pepper, seeded, instead of the serrano or thai chile. And I used 1/2 the shrimp and added 8 oz of chicken breast that I cut into 1/2 inch cubes. I made the protein changes because my wife is not a big fan of shrimp.
Overall, it came out great and I think it was a little hotter than Giada's version, but still had great flavor. Plus, it was good the next day as leftovers!
Ingredients
2 13.5-ounce cans coconut milk (about 3 1/4 cups)
1/4 cup yellow curry paste (such as Mae Ploy)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or clam juice
1 medium carrot, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 small red bell pepper, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1 15-ounce can baby corn, drained and rinsed, cut into pieces
5 sprigs Thai basil, with stems (or regular basil)
1 Thai chile (such as prik kee noo) or serrano chile, stemmed and thinly sliced
3 kaffir lime leaves (or the zest of 1 lime)
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
4 cups canola oil or safflower oil
8 ounces fresh thin rice noodles
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 ounces snap peas, halved
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup lightly salted peanuts, chopped
Directions
In a large saucepan, bring the coconut milk and curry paste to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, carrot, red bell pepper, onion, baby corn, basil, chile, lime leaves and fish sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cover the pan and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
Pour the oil into a large wide saucepan. Attach a deep-fry thermometer to the side of the saucepan and heat the oil to 350 degrees F. Add half of the noodles and fry until crisp, about 20 seconds. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
Remove the lid from the curry and add the shrimp, snap peas and the remaining noodles. Simmer, uncovered, until the shrimp is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the lime leaves and basil sprigs and discard.
Ladle the curry into bowls. Garnish with the fried noodles, cilantro and peanuts.
Tip: To substitute dried rice noodles, use 4 ounces and soak half in water as directed; use the rest for frying.
Olive Oil Update
So the quest continued and after talking to Veronica Foods and doing more internet searches, I finally contacted the flagship store of Veronica Foods - Amphora Nueva in Berkeley.
The prices are amazing! They charge $73 per gallon which includes shipping ($60 for the oil and $13 for shipping). This translates to $19.50 per liter which is a great price for top quality olive oil, plus that oil arrives at my door hassle-free. :)
A gallon by the way is equal to 5 - 750 ML bottles. (plus a little bit extra 30 ML to be exact)
I am so excited. They have a great selection and I will be reviewing the types that I get as I try them.
First order is a Portuguese Cobrancosa.
The prices are amazing! They charge $73 per gallon which includes shipping ($60 for the oil and $13 for shipping). This translates to $19.50 per liter which is a great price for top quality olive oil, plus that oil arrives at my door hassle-free. :)
A gallon by the way is equal to 5 - 750 ML bottles. (plus a little bit extra 30 ML to be exact)
I am so excited. They have a great selection and I will be reviewing the types that I get as I try them.
First order is a Portuguese Cobrancosa.
GMOs and My High Horse
Recently in the Denver Post - Vincent Carroll wrote an opinion piece about GMOs. I really feel the need to rebut his piece because he is simply wrong about GMOs, people that oppose them and many other things in his article. There is so much wrong with the article it is hard to know where to start. I think facts are a good place to start: http://earthopensource.org/files/pdfs/GMO_Myths_and_Truths/GMO_Myths_and_Truths_1.3.pdf.
Believe me, I am no fan of Whole Foods. They are obnoxiously expensive and for all the tough talk, they have not actually done much to push the food industry in the right direction. The labeling thing could turn into something but right now it's just a way to evade negative press from the eco/green movement and left leaning politicians who care about food issues. Targeting 2018 to get the system up and running is just a joke. For too long they were in cahoots with agribusiness and pioneered the misleading "natural" label. For those of you who are not aware, Whole Foods is creating a program where all foods in the store will be labeled including any GMO. They have set a target date of 2018 to have the system operational.
But enough about Whole Foods. I am pro-science and most people I know who are anti-GMO are also pro-science. We want long-term independent studies to be done and documented and published in major scientific journals. (Before these foods get into the food supply.) The United States government and the major players in agribusiness (Monsanto and Con-Agra) have stymied all attempts to produce actual studies. The FDA has done absolutely nothing to produce any credible evidence that GMO crops are safe for human consumption. The head of the FDA is a former Monsanto employee for goodness sakes. If that doesn't sound an alarm then you are part of the problem. Even in Europe, where they smartly banned GMO's to start, have not been able to perform long-term studies because of pressure from the United States. It is a travesty.
Calling people who want food to be tested correctly worrywarts is the worst kind of yellow journalism and Mr. Carroll should be ashamed of himself. Name-calling, that's the best argument he can come up with?
Locavorism is about much more than simply reducing energy costs in food production. The American movement spearheaded by Alice Waters in the Bay Area is inspired by the International Slow Food Movement whose philosophies revolve around re-establishing our connection to our food. It's a push against packaging, processing, excessive handling and manipulation of food products. It is attempting to embrace what is best about cooking and sharing food with friends and family. Cooking civilized humanity. Food is more than just fuel. It is life and a connection to place and history.
To make fun of something, you need to understand it first, and Mr. Carroll obviously does not understand Locavorism or the Slow Food Movement.
These are just the big points he touchers on, and of course since he is pro-"cutting-edge plant science" he leaves out a lot of issues that GMOs raise.
Most important is the effort to patent food by agribusiness. This is a horrible idea. It is antithetical to the concept of the public good. People must be able to control their food. Monsanto is attempting to gain control of the entire world food market and it is frankly just dangerous for everyone, literally everyone on Earth.
Seed sharing and storing for future use is a time honored tradition in farming. The patent process is destroying this because Monsanto believes people should pay for planting seeds each year (which of course makes sense from their limited financial perspective). However, instead of working with farmers to continue one of the most basic practices of farming, agribusiness is using lawsuits to threaten one of the most basic pillars of farming.
Another time honored tradition in farming is that you are responsible for your crops and the damage they cause. If your crops cross-pollinate with another farmer's crops traditionally you were responsible for that and were the one who needed to take action to prevent that from happening. This caused farmers to be very conservative in how, where, and what they planted. Monsanto has turned this tradition on its head and has sued many farmers because the GMO seed got into their farm. The courts have stupidly upheld Monsanto's position and those farmers have been forced out of business or forced to pay gigantic fees. This is just another tactic to intimidate farmers and force them to use the GMO seed.
Companies protest regulation, law, and oversight when they have something to hide. Bio-tech has fought labeling, poured millions of dollars into lobbying, has pushed for legislation that makes it illegal to photograph farming processes, and basically has done everything possible to hide information from the public. It is exactly the same thing that Big Tobacco did for years before this country got wise to the con. This is not the track record of companies with our best interest in mind.
It is a myth that we will not be able to feed the world's population unless we have bio-engineered food. Up to 50% of food waste occurs during the harvest, packing and shipping process. The United States wastes more food than many countries consume in a year. Also, there is no need for a global food market whereby only a handful of producing countries "feed the world". It is much better to help every locality develop the resources they have and to engage in sustainable farming practices. Choking the supply is the wrong approach from a bio-diversity perspective, from a public health perspective, from a local empowerment perspective, and from a value perspective.
Never in the history of the planet has decreased bio-diversity been a positive. GMO crops decrease bio-diversity.
Right now there is a crisis in the world bee population. A part of that crisis is the rising use of pesticides. It is slowly being proven that chemical residues from the over-use of pesticides is a major component of the bee population destruction. GMOs encourage pesticide use. First off, they are designed to be used with Roundup - the major product from Monsanto. Second, the weeds that Roundup is designed to kill quickly become immune to the Roundup which requires more virulent strains. The process spirals out of control but is centered on the idea that pesticides must be used. Additionally, glyphosates (the main active agent in Roundup) have not had nearly enough testing and once again the FDA has rubber-stamped the agribusiness "tests".
We need to figure out ways to decrease the use of pesticides, not increase use, not only for the bees but also for the overall health of the public.
Please google this: indian farmer suicide monsanto
It is a sad story. It is amazing that as society has made so many improvements, people (because companies are run by people) repeat the mistakes of the past. Once it was thought cruel and unjust to essentially enslave people through the process that Monsanto has used with the farmers around the globe. Companies in the 1800s would rent the workers living space, sell them food, etc and everything was carefully priced so that the workers were always in debt therefore forcing them to continue working. What is it about the pursuit of money that breeds such immoral behavior? Hugh Grant, Monsanto CEO, is most likely a very nice, moral person. He has friends, he has a family that he cares about. And yet, as the leader of a giant corporation that makes billions of dollars, he is able to ignore the effects of the decisions he makes relating to the products of his company and the business practices his company engages in. I'm sure he would say something like, "I have a duty to the share holders to increase profits..." And somehow magically that absolves him of all sin in his mind. There is a disconnect that I just don't understand. It is truly cognitive dissonance in action.
So I will get down from my high horse now. This is something that is important to me. I love food and I wish that everyone else could experience high quality food in the same way.
Believe me, I am no fan of Whole Foods. They are obnoxiously expensive and for all the tough talk, they have not actually done much to push the food industry in the right direction. The labeling thing could turn into something but right now it's just a way to evade negative press from the eco/green movement and left leaning politicians who care about food issues. Targeting 2018 to get the system up and running is just a joke. For too long they were in cahoots with agribusiness and pioneered the misleading "natural" label. For those of you who are not aware, Whole Foods is creating a program where all foods in the store will be labeled including any GMO. They have set a target date of 2018 to have the system operational.
But enough about Whole Foods. I am pro-science and most people I know who are anti-GMO are also pro-science. We want long-term independent studies to be done and documented and published in major scientific journals. (Before these foods get into the food supply.) The United States government and the major players in agribusiness (Monsanto and Con-Agra) have stymied all attempts to produce actual studies. The FDA has done absolutely nothing to produce any credible evidence that GMO crops are safe for human consumption. The head of the FDA is a former Monsanto employee for goodness sakes. If that doesn't sound an alarm then you are part of the problem. Even in Europe, where they smartly banned GMO's to start, have not been able to perform long-term studies because of pressure from the United States. It is a travesty.
Calling people who want food to be tested correctly worrywarts is the worst kind of yellow journalism and Mr. Carroll should be ashamed of himself. Name-calling, that's the best argument he can come up with?
Locavorism is about much more than simply reducing energy costs in food production. The American movement spearheaded by Alice Waters in the Bay Area is inspired by the International Slow Food Movement whose philosophies revolve around re-establishing our connection to our food. It's a push against packaging, processing, excessive handling and manipulation of food products. It is attempting to embrace what is best about cooking and sharing food with friends and family. Cooking civilized humanity. Food is more than just fuel. It is life and a connection to place and history.
To make fun of something, you need to understand it first, and Mr. Carroll obviously does not understand Locavorism or the Slow Food Movement.
These are just the big points he touchers on, and of course since he is pro-"cutting-edge plant science" he leaves out a lot of issues that GMOs raise.
Most important is the effort to patent food by agribusiness. This is a horrible idea. It is antithetical to the concept of the public good. People must be able to control their food. Monsanto is attempting to gain control of the entire world food market and it is frankly just dangerous for everyone, literally everyone on Earth.
Seed sharing and storing for future use is a time honored tradition in farming. The patent process is destroying this because Monsanto believes people should pay for planting seeds each year (which of course makes sense from their limited financial perspective). However, instead of working with farmers to continue one of the most basic practices of farming, agribusiness is using lawsuits to threaten one of the most basic pillars of farming.
Another time honored tradition in farming is that you are responsible for your crops and the damage they cause. If your crops cross-pollinate with another farmer's crops traditionally you were responsible for that and were the one who needed to take action to prevent that from happening. This caused farmers to be very conservative in how, where, and what they planted. Monsanto has turned this tradition on its head and has sued many farmers because the GMO seed got into their farm. The courts have stupidly upheld Monsanto's position and those farmers have been forced out of business or forced to pay gigantic fees. This is just another tactic to intimidate farmers and force them to use the GMO seed.
Companies protest regulation, law, and oversight when they have something to hide. Bio-tech has fought labeling, poured millions of dollars into lobbying, has pushed for legislation that makes it illegal to photograph farming processes, and basically has done everything possible to hide information from the public. It is exactly the same thing that Big Tobacco did for years before this country got wise to the con. This is not the track record of companies with our best interest in mind.
It is a myth that we will not be able to feed the world's population unless we have bio-engineered food. Up to 50% of food waste occurs during the harvest, packing and shipping process. The United States wastes more food than many countries consume in a year. Also, there is no need for a global food market whereby only a handful of producing countries "feed the world". It is much better to help every locality develop the resources they have and to engage in sustainable farming practices. Choking the supply is the wrong approach from a bio-diversity perspective, from a public health perspective, from a local empowerment perspective, and from a value perspective.
Never in the history of the planet has decreased bio-diversity been a positive. GMO crops decrease bio-diversity.
Right now there is a crisis in the world bee population. A part of that crisis is the rising use of pesticides. It is slowly being proven that chemical residues from the over-use of pesticides is a major component of the bee population destruction. GMOs encourage pesticide use. First off, they are designed to be used with Roundup - the major product from Monsanto. Second, the weeds that Roundup is designed to kill quickly become immune to the Roundup which requires more virulent strains. The process spirals out of control but is centered on the idea that pesticides must be used. Additionally, glyphosates (the main active agent in Roundup) have not had nearly enough testing and once again the FDA has rubber-stamped the agribusiness "tests".
We need to figure out ways to decrease the use of pesticides, not increase use, not only for the bees but also for the overall health of the public.
Please google this: indian farmer suicide monsanto
It is a sad story. It is amazing that as society has made so many improvements, people (because companies are run by people) repeat the mistakes of the past. Once it was thought cruel and unjust to essentially enslave people through the process that Monsanto has used with the farmers around the globe. Companies in the 1800s would rent the workers living space, sell them food, etc and everything was carefully priced so that the workers were always in debt therefore forcing them to continue working. What is it about the pursuit of money that breeds such immoral behavior? Hugh Grant, Monsanto CEO, is most likely a very nice, moral person. He has friends, he has a family that he cares about. And yet, as the leader of a giant corporation that makes billions of dollars, he is able to ignore the effects of the decisions he makes relating to the products of his company and the business practices his company engages in. I'm sure he would say something like, "I have a duty to the share holders to increase profits..." And somehow magically that absolves him of all sin in his mind. There is a disconnect that I just don't understand. It is truly cognitive dissonance in action.
So I will get down from my high horse now. This is something that is important to me. I love food and I wish that everyone else could experience high quality food in the same way.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Pan-Seared Trout with Serrano Ham and Chile-Garlic Oil
I loved this recipe! The fish came out perfect and the ham added a nice complimentary flavor to the fish. As Alex notes, it also keeps the fish moist.
Six 8-ounce trout fillets, with skin
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
6 thin slices of Spanish serrano or Ibérico ham
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 fresh red chile, thinly sliced crosswise
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Preheat the oven to 325°. Season the trout fillets with salt and pepper. Press 1 slice of ham onto the skinless side of each fillet.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until shimmering. Add 3 of the trout fillets, ham side down, and cook over moderately high heat until the ham is crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn the fillets and cook until the skin is crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer the trout fillets to a large rimmed baking sheet, ham side up. Cook the remaining fillets in 1 more tablespoon of olive oil and transfer to the baking sheet. Keep the fish warm in the oven.
In the skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the chile and cook for 1 minute. Add the parsley, vinegar and a pinch of salt. Remove the skillet from the heat.
Transfer the trout to plates, ham side up. Spoon the chile-garlic oil over the fish and serve right away.
CONTRIBUTED BY ALEX RAIJ - food and wine
Six 8-ounce trout fillets, with skin
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
6 thin slices of Spanish serrano or Ibérico ham
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 fresh red chile, thinly sliced crosswise
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
Preheat the oven to 325°. Season the trout fillets with salt and pepper. Press 1 slice of ham onto the skinless side of each fillet.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until shimmering. Add 3 of the trout fillets, ham side down, and cook over moderately high heat until the ham is crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn the fillets and cook until the skin is crisp, about 1 minute. Transfer the trout fillets to a large rimmed baking sheet, ham side up. Cook the remaining fillets in 1 more tablespoon of olive oil and transfer to the baking sheet. Keep the fish warm in the oven.
In the skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the chile and cook for 1 minute. Add the parsley, vinegar and a pinch of salt. Remove the skillet from the heat.
Transfer the trout to plates, ham side up. Spoon the chile-garlic oil over the fish and serve right away.
CONTRIBUTED BY ALEX RAIJ - food and wine
Adobo Chicken with Bacon and Bay Leaves
This recipe is from Paul Qui where he was featured in the May issue of Food and Wine magazine.
I have a hard time not amending recipes. I always have extra stuff leftover from other recipes and to use it up I throw it into what I am currently making if it makes sense. This time I added a couple sprigs of oregano. It worked great.
It's a great easy recipe and I think the cayenne really makes this recipe.
3 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch matchsticks
6 large chicken thighs (about 8 ounces each) (I used only breasts and it came out great)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut vinegar or cider vinegar (see Note)
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons shiro shoyu (white soy sauce; see Note) (I used Tamari to make this dish gluten free)
6 bay leaves
Pinch of cayenne
In a large, deep skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until browned, 3 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate, leaving the fat in the skillet. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper and add it to the skillet, skin side up. Cook over moderately low heat, turning once, until browned all over, 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet. Add the garlic and shallot and cook over low heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook until reduced by half, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, fish sauce, shiro shoyu, bay leaves and cayenne and bring to a simmer.
Return the chicken and bacon to the skillet and cook over moderately low heat, turning once or twice, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves, spoon off the excess fat and serve.
MAKE AHEAD
The adobo chicken can be refrigerated overnight or frozen for 2 weeks.
NOTES
Shiro shoyu and coconut vinegar can be found at Asian markets or ordered from amazon.com.
I have a hard time not amending recipes. I always have extra stuff leftover from other recipes and to use it up I throw it into what I am currently making if it makes sense. This time I added a couple sprigs of oregano. It worked great.
It's a great easy recipe and I think the cayenne really makes this recipe.
3 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch matchsticks
6 large chicken thighs (about 8 ounces each) (I used only breasts and it came out great)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons coconut vinegar or cider vinegar (see Note)
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons shiro shoyu (white soy sauce; see Note) (I used Tamari to make this dish gluten free)
6 bay leaves
Pinch of cayenne
In a large, deep skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until browned, 3 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate, leaving the fat in the skillet. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper and add it to the skillet, skin side up. Cook over moderately low heat, turning once, until browned all over, 12 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet. Add the garlic and shallot and cook over low heat, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook until reduced by half, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, fish sauce, shiro shoyu, bay leaves and cayenne and bring to a simmer.
Return the chicken and bacon to the skillet and cook over moderately low heat, turning once or twice, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves, spoon off the excess fat and serve.
MAKE AHEAD
The adobo chicken can be refrigerated overnight or frozen for 2 weeks.
NOTES
Shiro shoyu and coconut vinegar can be found at Asian markets or ordered from amazon.com.
Lasagne
Home made layered noodle goodness. This is my version of a family recipe. When I am really feeling it, I make the ricotta from scratch too. I will post a ricotta recipe soon.
This recipe can be made with gluten free pasta and it comes out great. I still cook the gluten free noodles in the same way as if they were regular, even though the package says not to.
Mozzarella ~ 1 lb shredded
Parmesan cheese - grated
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (fire roasted is best)
1 jar of tomatoe sauce (they are usually 20-24 oz or so)
1 15 oz. container of riccotta cheese
1 package lasagne pasta (NOT pre-cooked)
2 heads of broccoli rabe or spinach
1 medium onion sliced
5-6 mushrooms sliced
1 small fennel bulb sliced - cut off stalks and use white bulb only
3-5 garlic cloves sliced
1/3 c chicken broth
Splash of red wine
2 T Olive oil
Boil pasta according to directions on the box for almost 1/2
the amount of time.
In a small sauce pan, simmer the diced tomatoes, chicken broth,
add splash of red wine until the mixture thickens and most of
the broth is boiled off
In a large skillet, sauté the veggies together
if using the broccoli, sauté it first till it softens and then
add the rest of the veggies. cook for a couple minutes until
the onions are shinny and translucent, then take off heat.
1. Spread most of the diced tomatoe mixture in the bottom of
a 9x13 baking tray.
2. Cover with layer of noodles.
3. Cover with layer of riccotta cheese (1/2) and sauce from the jar (1/3 - 3/8).
4. Cover with 1/2 the veggies.
5. Repeat steps 2-4.
6. Cover with last layer of noodles.
7. Spread any remaining sauce from the jar and diced tomatoe mixture
over the top and cover with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
8. Cover with tin foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for up to 45 minutes.
Check at around 35 minutes and loosen the tin foil cover to allow the
top to crisp a little.
9. Take out of the oven and place on the counter for ~ 10 minutes to set.
This recipe can be made with gluten free pasta and it comes out great. I still cook the gluten free noodles in the same way as if they were regular, even though the package says not to.
Mozzarella ~ 1 lb shredded
Parmesan cheese - grated
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (fire roasted is best)
1 jar of tomatoe sauce (they are usually 20-24 oz or so)
1 15 oz. container of riccotta cheese
1 package lasagne pasta (NOT pre-cooked)
2 heads of broccoli rabe or spinach
1 medium onion sliced
5-6 mushrooms sliced
1 small fennel bulb sliced - cut off stalks and use white bulb only
3-5 garlic cloves sliced
1/3 c chicken broth
Splash of red wine
2 T Olive oil
Boil pasta according to directions on the box for almost 1/2
the amount of time.
In a small sauce pan, simmer the diced tomatoes, chicken broth,
add splash of red wine until the mixture thickens and most of
the broth is boiled off
In a large skillet, sauté the veggies together
if using the broccoli, sauté it first till it softens and then
add the rest of the veggies. cook for a couple minutes until
the onions are shinny and translucent, then take off heat.
1. Spread most of the diced tomatoe mixture in the bottom of
a 9x13 baking tray.
2. Cover with layer of noodles.
3. Cover with layer of riccotta cheese (1/2) and sauce from the jar (1/3 - 3/8).
4. Cover with 1/2 the veggies.
5. Repeat steps 2-4.
6. Cover with last layer of noodles.
7. Spread any remaining sauce from the jar and diced tomatoe mixture
over the top and cover with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
8. Cover with tin foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for up to 45 minutes.
Check at around 35 minutes and loosen the tin foil cover to allow the
top to crisp a little.
9. Take out of the oven and place on the counter for ~ 10 minutes to set.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Abruzzo Sliced Vegetable Casserole
I just love this recipe. It's easy and tastes so good. It's a great side dish and compliments so many meals.
Since it's just me and my wife, we end up with a good amount of leftovers regularly from the meals I make. And as usual, we had a lot of this casserole. I know most people struggle with leftovers so here are a couple of suggestions.
Leftover casserole with chard
I used a medium bunch of chard for this. Wash and cut out the large stems from the chard and roughly chop the leaves. Heat 1 T olive oil in a pan and add a healthy portion of the casserole. Let it fry for a few minutes till the potatoes start to stick and add the chard. It will cook down. Sauté and stir till the potatoes have the desired crispyness/burnt edges.
Leftover casserole with leftover pasta
The next night we still had a decent portion left of the casserole but not enough to serve by itself for multiple people. So this time I added to it and mixed in some leftover pasta (ziti with red sauce). For me the best way to make leftovers great is to add new things to them. For this version, I added a potato, 2 tomatoes, a little onion and some garlic. I also added some dried thyme. These are all ingredients in the original recipe and gave the remaining casserole some new punch. To help the new ingredients blend I cooked them first, then added the casserole. The new potatoes are always hard to blend so I put them in a microwave safe bowl just covered with water and cook them in the microwave for 5-7 minutes prior to sautéing them. Then by mixing in the leftover pasta and frying everything in a pan, the end dish had a familiar but still new texture.
Abruzzo Sliced Vegetable Casserole
olive oil
1/2 lb peeled potatoes - sliced 1/4 inch
1 yellow bell pepper - thinly sliced
1 small red onion - thinly sliced
1/2 lb roma tomatoes - sliced 1/4 inch
2 small zucchini - sliced 1/4 inch
3-5 garlic cloves minced
1 t thyme
3 T parmesan cheese
Preheat oven 400 degrees
Coat a 9-inch baking dish with olive oil.
Spread potatoes evenly drizzle very lightly with oil and salt and pepper to taste.
In a bowl, combine the onions, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread 2/3 of the mixture over the potatoes and drizzle very lightly with oil.
Top with the tomatoes and zucchini, salt and pepper to taste and drizzle very lightly with oil. Spread the remaining onion/pepper mixture and cover with parmesan cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
Uncover, raise temperature to 425 and cook for another 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes prior to serving.
Since it's just me and my wife, we end up with a good amount of leftovers regularly from the meals I make. And as usual, we had a lot of this casserole. I know most people struggle with leftovers so here are a couple of suggestions.
Leftover casserole with chard
I used a medium bunch of chard for this. Wash and cut out the large stems from the chard and roughly chop the leaves. Heat 1 T olive oil in a pan and add a healthy portion of the casserole. Let it fry for a few minutes till the potatoes start to stick and add the chard. It will cook down. Sauté and stir till the potatoes have the desired crispyness/burnt edges.
Leftover casserole with leftover pasta
The next night we still had a decent portion left of the casserole but not enough to serve by itself for multiple people. So this time I added to it and mixed in some leftover pasta (ziti with red sauce). For me the best way to make leftovers great is to add new things to them. For this version, I added a potato, 2 tomatoes, a little onion and some garlic. I also added some dried thyme. These are all ingredients in the original recipe and gave the remaining casserole some new punch. To help the new ingredients blend I cooked them first, then added the casserole. The new potatoes are always hard to blend so I put them in a microwave safe bowl just covered with water and cook them in the microwave for 5-7 minutes prior to sautéing them. Then by mixing in the leftover pasta and frying everything in a pan, the end dish had a familiar but still new texture.
Abruzzo Sliced Vegetable Casserole
olive oil
1/2 lb peeled potatoes - sliced 1/4 inch
1 yellow bell pepper - thinly sliced
1 small red onion - thinly sliced
1/2 lb roma tomatoes - sliced 1/4 inch
2 small zucchini - sliced 1/4 inch
3-5 garlic cloves minced
1 t thyme
3 T parmesan cheese
Preheat oven 400 degrees
Coat a 9-inch baking dish with olive oil.
Spread potatoes evenly drizzle very lightly with oil and salt and pepper to taste.
In a bowl, combine the onions, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread 2/3 of the mixture over the potatoes and drizzle very lightly with oil.
Top with the tomatoes and zucchini, salt and pepper to taste and drizzle very lightly with oil. Spread the remaining onion/pepper mixture and cover with parmesan cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
Uncover, raise temperature to 425 and cook for another 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes prior to serving.
Ziti with Artichoke Bottoms and Cannellini Beans
1 can artichoke bottoms drained and sliced 1/8-1/4 inch wide
1 15 oz can cannellini beans rinsed
1 medium onion chopped
6 cloves garlic chopped
3-4 slices prosciutto chopped
Healthy splash red wine
28 oz chopped toms (I use pomi which has about 26 oz)
2 T Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook pasta
Meanwhile cook garlic, onion and artichokes in olive oil on medium high heat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for a couple minutes.
Add prosciutto and cook till garlic and onion start to brown.
Add beans and wine. Let cook for another minute.
Add toms. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Let simmer to desired thickness.
Once pasta is done, mix pasta with the sauce in the pan and serve.
Garnish with Parmesan cheese.
1 15 oz can cannellini beans rinsed
1 medium onion chopped
6 cloves garlic chopped
3-4 slices prosciutto chopped
Healthy splash red wine
28 oz chopped toms (I use pomi which has about 26 oz)
2 T Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook pasta
Meanwhile cook garlic, onion and artichokes in olive oil on medium high heat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook for a couple minutes.
Add prosciutto and cook till garlic and onion start to brown.
Add beans and wine. Let cook for another minute.
Add toms. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Let simmer to desired thickness.
Once pasta is done, mix pasta with the sauce in the pan and serve.
Garnish with Parmesan cheese.
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