Zuppa di Farro con Zucca Farro Soup with Squash

Sounds healthy, no? From ArdiBarrCrocetti.com. Serves 6.

Ingredients

1 C Rustichella d'Abruzzo whole farro
1 1/2 - 2 lbs butternut squash, cut in 1 inch chunks
2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 large carrots, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2-3 shallots, very thinly sliced (approx 3/4 C)
1 28 oz can of tomatoes, chopped or crushed
1/4 C Italian parsley, roughly chopped
1 sprig of rosemary
3-4 C unsalted chicken broth
1/2 C dried cannellini beans or 1 15 oz can, rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf
Peperocino flakes
Fine sea salt
Black pepper
EVOO
Rinds of Parmigiano-Reggiano
Grated parmigiano-reggiano

Directions (for canned beans):

1. Transfer farro to a medium bowl and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Soak for 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a 4 quart saucepan, adding 6 C of cold water. Cover and bring to a rolling boil. Remove the lid, add 1/4 tsp of sea salt. Stir, reduce to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until farro is barely tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, pour 3 T. of EVOO into a low, 6 quart heavy bottom Dutch oven and heat over a medium flame. Add squash, celery, carrot, shallots, and 1/2 tsp of salt, tossing to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and take on a translucent, shiny appearance about 12 min. Do not brown the shallots.

3. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the peperocino, parsley, rosemary and 3 C of chicken broth. Simmer until the vegetables are soft, another 10-15 min. Remove the rosemary sprig and use an immersion blender to puree half the mixture.

4. Add the beans, farro and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 more minutes. Salt/pepper to taste. If desired, add additional C of chicken broth.

5. Serve with grated parmigiano on top.

Old-Fashioned Meatloaf

So the Robber Man had been hankering after a meatloaf for quite some time, and the hankering only grew all the more intense after two weeks of chicken and rice in Thailand. So for our "American" celebration of our two-year anniversary, I made him a real down-home traditional American meal-- the kind any real husband back in the 50s would have had all the time. Meatloaf. Homemade rolls. Mashed potatoes. Green beans. Watermelon. Pie. And it took me ALL DAY to make, and by make I mean the meatloaf, rolls, and pie (the Robber had to make his own beans and potatoes.) Seriously. How did the women back then do it? 

I used this recipe from Epicurious because it a) said old-fashioned and b) used lots of veggies which the Robber loved. And it was good, and the Robber has gamely been trucking through two whole meatloafs (we doubled the recipe, which made three meatloafs oddly enough-- we froze the third unbaked). He enjoys eating it with mashed potatoes and on hoagie rolls as a meatloaf sandwich.

Instead of the topping it suggests, I made a modified topping which I record down below so the recipe is not entirely as original. Oddly enough, I think meatloaf for me has always been pure beef so having the pork made it different. Not bad. Just not "hit the spot" since it wasn't the meatloaf of my childhood. Oh how we are shaped and fashioned by the things that we love. 

From Gourmet April 1994 by way of Epicurious:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Old-Fashioned-Meat-Loaf-11676

Ingredients:

2 C. finely chopped onion (about one large onion)

1 T. minced garlic

1 celery rib, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1/2 C. finely chopped scallion

2 T. unsalted butter

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/3 C. ketchup plus 1/4 C. 

1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck (beef)

3/4 lbs. ground pork 

1 C. fresh bread crumbs (I used panko)

2 large eggs, beaten lightly

1/3 C. minced fresh parsley

2 T. brown sugar

1 T. apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. If using bread pan, line with parchment paper.

2. In a large heavy skillet cook onion, garlic, celery, carrot and scallion in butter over moderate heat, stirring, 5 minutes. Cook vegetables, covered, stirring occasionally, until carrot is tender, about 5 minutes more. 

3. Stir in salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/3 C. of ketchup. Cook, stirring 1 minute more.

4. In a large bowl, combine vegetables, meats, bread crumbs, eggs, and parsley.

5. In smaller bowl, combine additional 1/4 C. ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar to create sauce for topping.

6. In a shallow baking pan (or bread pan), form mixture into a 10x5 inch loaf and spread sauce over loaf.

7. Bake meat loaf in over 1 hour, or until a meat thermometer inserted in center registers 155F. 

Note: You can freeze a meatloaf before or after baking. If you freeze before baking, wrap formed meatloaf tightly in plastic wrap. When you go to bake it, don't thaw it first, just cook it for 1.5 - 2 times the normal cooking time.

Turkey Pot Pie With Cheddar Biscuit Crust

We have had leftover turkey sitting around in the freezer since Thanksgiving and it was high time that we got around to using it. I love a good pot pie, so when I ran across this recipe I was a happy girl. The Robber was less enthusiastic... but you know how he is. He comes around when confronted with the actuality of the delicious dish. I wasn't as in to the cheesy biscuit crust, but the Robber chomped on it and peeled off and ate the extra cheese, so it looks like we're stuck with it. Although if I make this again I think I'll go unhealthy and use white flour, the wheat is just too ponderous. This isn't interesting from a spice perspective, but it is warm and hearty and feels comforting, just like a pot pie should.

I made this in my geranium pot, which did just fine in the oven.

From Gourmet Magazine via a Hint of Honey:

http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2009/11/turkey-pot-pie-with-cheddar-biscuit.html

Ingredients:

For the filling:

4 C. roasted turkey meat, cut into small pieces

3 1/2 C. turkey stock (I just used chicken stock)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

1-2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, diced

1/2 tsp. dried thyme (or 1 tsp. fresh)

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

8 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and quartered (omitted these)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

10 oz. frozen baby peas, thawed (used the whole 16 oz. bag)

For the crust:

2 C. whole wheat pastry flour (white whole wheat or all-purpose can be used)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1- 1 1/2 C. extra-sharp Cheddar, grated

1/2 C. Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

6 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 1/4 C. well-shaken buttermilk

Directions:

1. To make the filling, cook onion, carrots, celery, potatoes, and thyme in butter with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 12-inch-wide shallow pot (3- to 4-quart), over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are almost tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, uncovered, stirring, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. (Maybe I didn't chop the potatoes small enough? But I had to cook everything, covered, for much longer before they softened enough.)

2. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in stock, scraping up any brown bits, and bring to a boil, stirring, then simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in turkey, peas, and salt and pepper to taste. At this point it can be refrigerated and reheated over low heat just before topping with biscuit crust. (Because my vegetables took longer, I mixed up the crust while they were cooking and was ready to go to the oven as soon as the veggies were done.)

3. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

4. To make the biscuits, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl. Add cheeses and toss to coat. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir just until a dough forms. Drop biscuit dough onto filling in large mounds, leaving spaces between biscuits.

5. Bake in preheated oven until biscuits are puffed and golden brown and filling is bubbling, 25 to 35 minutes. (You can sprinkle extra Cheddar cheese on top for the last few minutes of baking.) Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: Serves 8.

African Peanut Stew

What Sister F. served us for Sunday dinner over rice and with some form of deliciously grilled strips of chicken. She served this with whole unsalted peanuts on the side and with herbed flatbread. What a hearty, delicious Sunday meal! I ate some leftovers the next morning for breakfast.

From Sister F., original source unknown.

Ingredients:

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 C. finely chopped red onion (about 2 medium)

1 1/4 C. finely chopped green bell pepper (1 large)

1/2 C. chopped carrot (1 medium)

1/2 C. chopped celery (2 stalks)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 T. minced, peeled fresh ginger

1 T. curry powder

1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1 bay leaf

4 C. reduced sodium vegetable broth

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 1/2 C. shelled edamame

1/4 C. creamy or crunchy peanut or almond butter

1/4 - 3/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro

1 6 oz. bag baby spinach, torn

1/2 tsp. salt

Blank pepper and additional salt to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a 4 qt. saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and peppers, carrot and celery. Saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic, ginger and curry powder. Saute until fragrant, about 1 minute (do not brown garlic.)

3. Add tomatoes and bay leaf and cook, uncovered, until tomatoes are slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.

4. Add broth and sweet potatoes, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 8 minutes.

5. Add edamame and peanut butter, stir to combine. Add cilantro and spinach, cook until thoroughly heated and spinach wilts, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and desired.

Cornbread Stuffing

Again from the NYTimes this Thanksgiving. I usually don't like stuffing, but somehow I got it into my head that I would like stuffing if it involved cornbread so I couldn't resist trying this recipe, even though all the Robber wanted to eat was Stove Top. I made him make his own, while I made and ate this lovely recipe. So glad I gave it a try, as it is delicious!

Cornbread

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably organic stone ground

1/2 cup all purpose flour or whole wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt or buttermilk

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon mild honey

2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a 9-inch cast iron skillet, a heavy 2-quart baking dish or a heavy 9-inch square baking pan in the oven while you prepare the batter.

2. Place the cornmeal in a bowl, and sift in the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Stir the mixture with a spoon or whisk to amalgamate. In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, yogurt (or buttermilk), milk and honey. Whisk the cornmeal mixture into the liquid mixture. Do not overwork the batter.

3. Remove the pan from the oven, and add the butter to the pan. Swirl the pan so that the butter melts quickly before it gets too brown, then quickly whisk the butter into the batter. Brush the sides of the pan with any butter remaining in the pan.

4. Quickly scrape all of the batter into the hot pan, and place in the oven. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It will be quite brown on the edges. Allow the bread to cool in the pan, or serve warm.

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings. This is easily doubled for a larger quantity of stuffing. Bake it in a 3-quart baking dish (it will take about 45 to 50 minutes) or in two 9-inch pans.

Variation: Sage Cornbread

Stir 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon rubbed dried sage into the batter before turning into the pan.

Cornbread and Sage Stuffing

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or 1 tablespoon each olive oil and unsalted butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

Salt to taste

4 stalks celery, cut in small dice

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons rubbed sage, or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme

1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Freshly ground pepper

A double batch of cornbread (see above), crumbled (you can do this in a food processor fitted with the steel blade)

1/2 cup milk, or as necessary, for moistening

4 tablespoons unsalted butter if baking separately

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil (or oil and butter) over medium heat in a large, heavy, nonstick skillet, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about three minutes, and add 1/2 teaspoon salt and the celery. Cook together for another few minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the garlic, and stir together for 30 seconds to a minute, until fragrant. Transfer to a large bowl, and add the remaining ingredients. Combine well. Taste and adjust salt. Moisten as desired with milk.

2. Stuff the cavity of the turkey, or transfer to a buttered or oiled 2-quart baking dish. Dot with butter. Cover with aluminum foil, and heat through in a 325-degree oven for 30 minutes.

Yield: Makes enough stuffing to fill an 18-pound turkey.

Advance preparation: You can make the cornbread several days ahead and the stuffing a day ahead.

Notes: I made the cornbread two days in advance and crumbled it one day in advance without problems. I used the whole 1/2 cup milk to moisten it, as I like a softer stuffing. I forgot the sage in the cornbread but used the full complement of fresh sage in the stuffing, and I think it might have been overwhelmingly sagey otherwise, so I was just as happy to have done it that way. You can bake it in a 13 x 9 glass pan.

Rebekka's Jambalaya

This jambalaya recipe is adapted by Rebekka from Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen and can be found on her blog: rebeatworld.blogspot.com. This makes a very spicy dish, but that is part of what makes it so grand.

Ingredients:

2 whole bay leaves
1 1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t white pepper
1 t dried thyme leaves
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t rubbed sage

2 T butter
1/2 pound chopped andouille sausage, about 2 cups
3/4 lb boneless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces, about 2 cups
1 T minced garlic
1 c chopped onions
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped green bell peppers
1/2 c canned tomato sauce (I just use a whole little can of tomato sauce)
1 c chopped tomatoes
2 1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 c uncooked converted rice

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add sausage and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken and continue cooking until chicken is brown, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, and scraping pan bottom well if it's not nonstick.

2. Stir in seasonings (bay leaf through sage), garlic, and 1/2 c each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers. Cook until vegetables start to get tender, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring.

3. Stir in tomato sauce and cook about 1 minute, stirring often. Stir in the remaining 1/2 c each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers and the tomatoes. Remove from heat.

4. Stir in the broth and rice, mixing well. Transfer mixture to an ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan (I found that the recommended 8x8 was much too small). Bake uncoverd in a 350 F oven until rice is tender but still a bit crunchy, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Stir well and cool a bit before eating.


Note: The seasonings really are quite flexible. I haven't yet used the bay or the white pepper and it has turned out plenty spicy!

Yellow Turkey Casserole

I haven't made this, but I'm archiving it so I never have to ask Mom for the recipe again. My favorite post-Thanksgiving meal.

Ingredients and Directions:

1) Butter a 9X13 glass dish.

2) Cover the bottom of the dish evenly with 2 c. raw rice.

3) Sprinkle evenly across the rice 1 t. salt and 1 t. curry powder. You may use more curry powder if you like.

4) Chop or dice 3 c. of leftover turkey or chicken meat. Spread the turkey evenly across the rice.

5) Mince 1/2 to 1 onion, 2 stalks celery and saute in butter until soft. Spread the vegetables evenly across the turkey.

6) Make according to package directions one packet of the dry chicken noodle soup which wants 4 c. of water, with this change: use 5 c. water. You may substitute part or all of the water with chicken broth.

7) Ladle the hot soup over the stuff in the dish. Be careful so that you disturb things as little as possible. Save the noodles until last so that you can distribute them evenly over the surface of the dish.

8) Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for one hour. Uncover and serve.

Cheddar Dill Scones with Simple Chicken Salad

I love to try something new when I feed the missionaries, but this time more important things prevailed. MH was in town and we went to the Moosewood in Ithaca to celebrate. This was only fitting because as MH said, "If men were restaurants, I would marry the Moosewood."

We had chickpeas over coconut rice and vegetarian enchilada pie and fresh bread and creamy spinach dressing on salad and pomegranate Italian soda. And banana cake to go. Our server sat us in the sun at a perfect table. He probably dug us. We were, of course, in full charm.

But then after bouncing along rural New York roads in the truck we realized that we had to throw together a meal pronto, so we turned to an old Melville classic-- the cheddar dill scone. Only this time we served it with a twist-- the scones split open and served with chicken salad on top, akin to the pepper and onion shortbread espoused by the Moosewood.

We served it with grapes, bananas, pink lemonade, and multi color icecream cones for dessert. Perfecto. While a bit daring, we found that the stronger flavors of the scones blended perfectly with the mild flavors of the salad, creating a wonderful mix of textures and flavors in the mouth that was surprisingly pleasing. I would definitely serve this combo again. The chicken salad recipe is below:

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts

4 stalks celery

1 cucumber

1 medium sized package slivered almonds

1 small container mayonnaise

Spices to taste (I use salt, garlic salt, paprika, oregano, white pepper, and just a bit of cardamom)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375F. When heated, spread almonds out on baking sheet and toast in oven ten minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat and cool.

2) Fill large pot 4 inches full of water, add salt, bring to boil. Once boiling, add chicken (make sure water is covering chicken thoroughly) and boil until cooked thoroughly. Cut chicken into smaller cubes/chunks and allow to cool.

3) Peel cucumber and cut into wedge-shaped slices. Wash and chop celery into desired size pieces.

4) When chicken and almonds are cool, combine everything in large bowl with mayonnaise and stir. Add spices to taste.

5) Serve cold over warm scones.

Refridgerator Cabbage Goulash

The end of the monster cabbage!!!

I chopped that cabbage right up, with all the other vegetables I owned, and stuck it all in a pot. Take that cabbage!

I got the inspiration for this dish from http://www.cheriestihler.com/recipes/sides.html under Spicy Fried Cabbage, but modified it according to the vegetables I had in the fridge. This is what I made:

5-6 T. olive oil
2 russet potatoes-- peeled and chopped into thin slices
3 small cloves garlic-- minced
1/5 monster cabbage-- cut into thin strips
5 stalks celery-- cut into pieces
1 ear corn, cut the kernels directly off the ear
1/2 package sliced ham, cut into squares
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. white pepper
2 dashes nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. salt


Heat oil in large saucepan on medium high. Add celery, potatoes, ham, and garlic. Stir-fry until potatoes are becoming soft, add cabbage and spices and stir until everything is coated evenly. Add corn, cover, and cook on medium low covered for 10-15 minutes or until cabbage is soft. Serve warm.

Weekday Vegetable Soup

Hoping to use the rest of my monster cabbage, I found this recipe for a cabbage soup on Epicurious. The soup was delicious, but I still have about a fourth of the cabbage left, and that was after packing the maximum amount of cabbage possible into that soup. I made the recipe almost exactly as described, only I omitted the rosemary, added a minced clove of garlic, and replaced the rosemary with 1/4 C. chopped parsley and 1/2 tsp. of oregano and thyme. Very easy to make, but took me a while because of chopping all those vegetables. I would make this as a mom if I could chop vegetables around 4 pm and then let it simmer until it would be served.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 large carrots, peeled, chopped
1/2 large head green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tablespoon dried
6 cups canned chicken broth
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, chopped, juices reserved
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Additional grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, cabbage, onion, celery and rosemary and sauté until tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add broth and tomatoes with their juices and simmer 45 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in 1/3 cup Parmesan. Ladle soup into bowls. Serve, passing additional cheese separately.

p.s. Loved this soup. Also should note: used neighbor's soup pot. Thanks Castleman boys.