Author Archives: Patti

CAJUN HAMBURGER PATTIES SMOTHERED IN ONION GRAVY

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These days, for me, when given a choice, 90% of the time I prefer a dish featuring lean ground beef over steak. Why this is I have no idea. Except that, ground beef can be flavored easier than steak. And ground beef just smacks of comfort food. And most of you know, I am all about comfort food.

Of course, I would never turn down a rare steak, especially when grilled by our dear friend Jim. But when I think about fixing beef for dinner, it usually involves a package of lean ground beef.

But how to turn a pound of ground beef into a delicious dish? Quite easy, as this recipe will attest. A few simple ingredients. A modicum of time. And a spirit of adventure.

And what do you get for your time and energy preparing this dish? A hearty meal that is delicious and quite inexpensive to produce. And a sure winner that your entire family will enjoy. I mean really! Who doesn’t love gravy? No one I know, that’s for darn sure! And nothing could be easier to prepare than the gravy for this dish. And served over grits – well boy howdy, nothing could be finer! Southern comfort to the max.

I found the bones of this recipe on the themccalumsshamrockpatch.com site. Of course, I changed the original recipe a bit. But the true hero is Heidy, who thunk up this recipe in the first place. Hat off to you Heidy. And thanks, of course!

So, without further ado, I present this amazing comfort food recipe for your gastronomic delight. (You may thank me later!)

As always, peace and love to all.

For the Patties:

1 lb. lean ground beef

¼ c. Panko breadcrumbs

¾ tsp. Cajun seasoning

½ tsp. granulated onion

¼ tsp. granulated garlic

¼ tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

Combine the ground beef, Panko breadcrumbs, Cajun seasoning, granulated onion, granulated garlic, seasoned salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Form into 3-4 equal sized patties.  

Heat the olive oil in a large fry pan. Place the patties in the hot oil and fry until the bottom of each patty is dark brown. (You want a nice crust on these babies.) Flip and brown the second side. When browned, remove from pan. Do not remove the dripping from the pan.

For the Gravy:

3 T. pan drippings or unsalted butter

1 yellow or white onion, halved then thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced 

3 T. flour

½ tsp. Cajun seasoning

freshly ground black pepper

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

2 c. water

1 T. beef base (I use Better Than Bouillon Beef base)

1 T. Worcestershire sauce 

kosher salt, to taste

If less than 3 tablespoons of drippings left in the pan, add unsalted butter to make up the difference. Add the sliced onion and cook on medium-low heat for about 8 minutes or until the onion is tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the flour, Cajun seasoning, black pepper, and tiny pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Then whisk in the water, beef base, and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk until the gravy starts to thicken. Taste and add salt or other seasoning as needed. Add the hamburger patties back to the skillet, reduce heat to the lowest setting, and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally and flip patties once or twice during this time.

Remove from heat. Serve the hamburger patties and gravy over grits. (See recipe below.) Or, if you prefer, serve the patties and gravy over rice, mashed potatoes, or thick al dente egg noodles.

GRITS

1½ c. milk

1½ c. water

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper (just a bit)

¾ c. regular or quick-cooking grits

1 T. butter

Bring milk, water, salt, and pepper to a simmer over medium heat in a covered pan. Slowly whisk in the grits. (Whisking helps to avoid lumps.)

Cook grits covered over medium-low heat, stirring frequently (about 15 minutes for regular grits, 5 minutes for quick-cooking grits).

Remove from heat and stir in butter. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.           

  

CLASSIC BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD (no added sugar)

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I am always trying (most times not terribly successfully) to remove added sugar from recipes. So, the other evening to accompany Vegetarian Lentil Soup, I decided to develop a sugar-free cornbread recipe. I perused a few sites looking for the perfect recipe, but some had bacon fat, or some other ingredient that just didn’t work for me. So, I cobbled together this recipe. And fortunately, it worked. Boy did it work! I can honestly say I had no feelings of guilt eating this cornbread. Of course, there was butter in the recipe. But the no additional sugar helped me from becoming guilt-ridden. And I really didn’t miss the sweetness that I always find appealing about this wonderful and easy to prepare bread. Of course, the next morning I did serve it drizzled with warm maple syrup for a special breakfast treat. But that’s a story for another time.

Anyway, this cornbread is inexpensive and easy to prepare (only 7 ingredients and no mixer required), and a dish that everyone in your family will love. And of course, if you must, you can gently warm the bread and slather it with butter to further enhance its enjoyment. (I can’t speak from experience on this myself. But I’m sure Mr. C. could attest to the fact if gently coerced.)

So, if you too are trying to avoid added sugar, but still want to enjoy life’s little pleasures like cornbread, give this recipe a try. It’s darn good. That’s all I’ve got to say!

Peace and love to all.   

 ½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

1½ c. cornmeal

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. kosher salt

5 T. unsalted butter, melted

1¼ c. buttermilk

1 egg

Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter. Then whisk in the buttermilk and egg until well combined.

Stir the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients just until blended.

Spoon the batter into a greased 9×9-inch square baking dish, smoothing the top before placing in the oven.

Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

CREAMY SHRIMP AND BROCCOLI FETTUCCINI (reduced fat)

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I don’t have a sweet tooth. I have a creamy tooth. Or should I say, creamy teeth! If it has a cream sauce, I will eat just about anything. OK, I draw the line at creamed Spam, eel, chitlins, Rocky Mountain oysters, or other ingredients of that ilk. But that’s about it!

But true cream sauces are not good for us. So, I must cheat. I am forced, by my desire to keep us healthy, to achieve that lovely smooth creamy taste and consistency we so admire by substituting highly caloric ingredients with those that are less caloric. Not an easy feat my friends. But definitely one worth pursuing.

Now at first glance, this recipe might scare you because there is still some butter and cheese in the recipe. But if you consider the amount of cream, butter, and cheese in a regular alfredo sauce, you should feel significantly relieved by the substitutions I have made in this recipe. And regardless of the fact that this sauce is basically a fake alfredo sauce, it is still absolutely delicious. That creamy flavor and texture we all adore is still there.   

But, in truth, no cream sauce is ever going to be as healthy as say, a simple tomato-based sauce which has roughly 55 calories, 1 gram of fat, and 280 milligrams of sodium per ½ cup serving. Whereas a true alfredo sauce has about 275 calories, 28 grams of fat, and 145 milligrams of sodium per serving. But there are just some dishes I am unwilling to live without. And a creamy pasta dish like this one is just one of those dishes.

So, if you too love shrimp and broccoli in a creamy sauce with pasta, this is the dish for you. Not too much sauce. Not too much pasta. Just the right amount of everything.

Well, it’s Thursday here on Camano Island. Nothing planned for the day but posting this recipe, researching recipes, and planning what to fix for dinner. Of course, I could do a little housework, but that seems too productive for such a mellow day. So, I think I’ll read a while this afternoon, do some more planning for our September trailer trip, and generally take it easy. With omicron still running amuck, this forced confinement is getting a bit old. But I would still rather be safe than sick. So, I basically stay home as much as possible. And yes, I know, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. (You can’t live to my ripe old age and not know first-hand the truth contained in that statement.) But I am willing to stay home if it helps keep me and others from contracting this terrible disease. I just feel blessed to have a home. A place to stay warm, sleep, eat, and stay healthy. My wish is that everyone else was as lucky.

Peace and love to all.

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 c. small bite-sized pieces of fresh broccoli (florets and peeled stems)

5 cloves garlic, finely minced

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

tiny pinch crushed red pepper flakes 

1 lb. lg. uncooked shrimp (peeled and deveined)

2 T. dry white wine

1 T. unsalted butter

1 T. flour

1½ c. milk

2 oz. cream cheese 

½ c. freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for passing  

6-oz. fettuccini pasta, cooked al dente (save some of the pasta water)

Heat the olive oil in a large fry pan. Add the broccoli and sauté for 2-3 minutes. (Broccoli should still be crisp.) Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Remove broccoli mixture from pan and place in a bowl.

In the same frying pan, over medium heat, cook the shrimp until they are pink. Remove from pan and add to the bowl with the broccoli. Pour wine into the pan and cook until just a whisper of liquid remains. Add the tablespoon of butter and the flour. Whisk together and cook for about a minute.  

Gradually whisk in the milk, and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until sauce is very slightly thickened. Stir in the cream cheese and whisk until the cream cheese is lump free. Stir in the Parmesan. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Add the broccoli and shrimp to the pan. Then gently toss in the al dente pasta until it is well coated with sauce. (Add a bit of pasta water if the sauce is too thick.) 

Serve immediately. Pass additional Parmesan at table.

  

VEGETARIAN LENTIL SOUP

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OK, I know. Most lentil soups are vegetarian. But I felt compelled to make certain, right from the onset, that you knew that this soup contained no meat or meat products. Mainly because most of the main dish recipes I post contain meat as the primary protein. But not this recipe. Lentils are the protein star of this show. And in fact, according bbcgoodfood.com “Lentils are a rich source of protein making them a great alternative to meat or fish. As much as a third of the calories from lentils comes from protein, which makes lentils the third highest in protein, by weight, of any legume or nut”. 

In addition to the lentils being super good for us, all the veggie action happening in this soup makes it a very healthy, high fiber choice to serve for lunch or dinner. Plus, it tastes really, really good. Of course, I can never leave well enough alone. I had to bake some cornbread to go with the soup. But the cornbread – Classic Buttermilk Cornbread (recipe to be posted in the near future) contains no added sugar. So, at least I get points for serving my new recipe for cornbread in place of some of our other favorites containing sugar. (Mr. C. and I both loved the cornbread. Plus, it was darned easy to build. As was the soup BTW.)  

So, if you too love a great bowl of lentil soup, give my version of a recipe I found on the cookieandkate.com site a try. (Great site BTW.) And, trust me, you will not miss meat in the least when you savor the wonderful flavor and heartiness of this soup. And as far as serving this healthy soup with cornbread, well, life is short my friends. And good food is one of life’s greatest pleasures. So, if I stick to the old aphorism “all things in moderation”, serving a modest sized piece of cornbread along with the soup is well within reason! (My story, and I’m sticking to it!)

Peace and love to all.

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil

1 med. onion, chopped

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

4 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. curry powder

½ tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. seasoned salt

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

freshly ground black pepper

1 (14-oz.) can tomatoes (Italian preferably)

6 c. water

2 T. vegetable base (I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base)

1 c. brown or green lentils, rinsed and picked over

2 c. chopped fresh spinach, collard greens, or kale

2 T. fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

crumbled feta cheese, opt.

Heat the olive oil in a large covered Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, cumin, curry powder, thyme, seasoned salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and lots of black pepper. Cook for 1 minute. Add the canned tomatoes, breaking up any large chunks (if any), and cook for a few more minutes. Stir in the water and vegetable base.

Bring to a boil, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the lentils, and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape.

Add the chopped greens and cook for about a minute. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning, including more curry powder if you are a true curry lover.  

Great topped with a bit of crumbled feta.

     

FRUIT AND NUT GRANOLA WITH OLIVE OIL AND MAPLE SYRUP

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Fiber, fiber, fiber! Fiber appears to be the new battle cry of the health food evangelists that have taken over my Facebook. And yes, I get it. We all need fiber in our diets. Especially those of us over a certain age. But OK, all ready. If we have reached that certain age, we already know when we aren’t getting enough fiber in our diet. (Mother nature has a very effective way of letting us know. No subtlety required!)

Now, if you have no idea what I’m talking about, you are either young or you are well and truly blessed. But seriously, for more information simply search the internet under “why is fiber so important as we get older” and all will be revealed.

Now one very effective way to ramp up the fiber in our daily diet is to include a small portion of granola for breakfast every morning. Doesn’t have to be a lot, and it doesn’t mean you have to give up that easy over egg you so dearly love. (No wait. That’s me that has to have my daily egg. You might not even like eggs!)

Anyway, if you are like Mr. C. and me, we usually have a good-sized breakfast. A very small portion of meat (half a slice of bacon or one link sausage), one egg, a piece of toast or half a bagel, a small bit of yogurt, half a tiny orange each (winter) or berries on our yogurt (summer), and a quarter cup granola. I know it sounds like a huge breakfast, but we do not allow ourselves snacks after dinner, so we are usually ready for a fair amount of food by the time I finally get our morning repast on the table. (I am not a morning person. I need my hour or so after rising to read the paper and drink my Americano before I can successfully find my way to our kitchen. But most days breakfast comes before 10:00, but not by much!)

If you have perused my blog at all, you might have noticed that I already have several recipes for granola already posted. And if you were paying attention to what I wrote above, you also know that we eat a lot of granola. And being the gourmands that we are, our palates demand variety. Thus, another new granola recipe to share with you.

And because this granola is made with olive oil rather than butter, and maple syrup rather than granulated or brown sugar, I feel like this is a healthy varietal to add to my collection of granola recipes. Plus, it’s very easy to make, contains no scary ingredients, and tastes wonderful.

So, do yourself and your family a favor. Make homemade granola. It is ever so much tastier than anything you can buy off a shelf. Plus it contains more of everything that’s good for you and none of the ingredients for which there is actually no known pronunciation!

As always, peace and love to all.  

½ c. pure maple syrup

½ c. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground nutmeg

6 c. old-fashioned rolled oats

3 c. nuts (pecans, almonds, walnuts, etc.)  

1 c. flaked coconut

2 c. dried fruit (chopped if necessary) (apricots, dates, blueberries, cranberries, cherries, raisins, etc.)

Preheat oven to 300-degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Then stir in the oats. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 25 minutes. (Don’t wash the bowl.)

Add the nuts and coconut. Bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the oats are a light golden brown.

Remove from oven and transfer the granola back to the large bowl and add the dried fruit tossing to combine.

Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

   

JALAPEÑO POPPER STUFFED ZUCCHINI

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In my never-ending quest to get more veggies into our diet, I added 2 small zucchinis to the list for our last round of grocery shopping. Mr. C. does most of the shopping these days, for various reasons, and he came home with 2 perfect little squash. So, yesterday afternoon while deciding what to serve with salmon, I decided to make stuffed zucchini. I already have a great recipe for Cream Cheese and Parmesan Stuffed Zucchini, but I wanted a filling that had a bit of a bite to it, to offset the subtle flavor of the salmon. So, I adapted my original recipe to what you find below. And oh, my, word – the zucchini was extraordinarily yummy. Just enough jalapeño to tantalize our tastebuds, but not enough to bring tears to our eyes. (Oh, there actually were a few tears shed, but only because we would have enjoyed having leftovers.)

So, if you too love zucchini and would like a new and exciting way to serve this terribly versatile veggie, I recommend giving this recipe a go. Easy to prepare, common ingredients that everyone should have at their disposal, and super delicious. And if by some crazy chance you aren’t familiar with pickled jalapeños (I like Mrs. Renfro’s Nacho Sliced Jalapeño Peppers), then you are in for a new treat. I always have a jar on hand. Great for nachos, in guacamole, to perk up refried beans, in fillings for enchiladas, etc. etc. Oh, they are also fantastic in my Jalapeño Popper Dip. So, put pickled jalapeños on your grocery list if you don’t already have some in your refrigerator, and make something fun to eat with this delicious product. And always remember to play with your food. (Even if your mother told you not to.)

Peace and love to all.

3-4 T. cream cheese, room temperature

¼ c. finely grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 T. sour cream

1 T. chopped pickled jalapeño

pinch granulated garlic

pinch seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 small zucchini (about 6-inches each), cut in half lengthwise and seeded

paprika

Mix the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped pickled jalapeño, granulated garlic, seasoned salt, and pepper together.

Place the zucchini halves in a baking dish. Equally fill each cavity with the cream cheese mixture. Very lightly sprinkle with paprika.   Bake in a pre-heated 375-degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until the filling is puffy and slightly brown. Serve hot.

CREAMY LEFTOVER TURKEY AND WILD RICE SOUP

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OK, I don’t know about your household, but in this house my husband pays attention to what is in our freezer. Now I know that sounds strange, so allow me to elaborate.

We have a two-story house. The bottom level includes a two-car garage (including a second refrigerator/freezer combination), a work room, a storage room, a utility room (where the freezer lives), a big closet under the stairs, and a wine cellar. And most of the time, Mr. C. is the one who visits the basement on a regular basis. So, while he is downstairs doing “whatever”, I often ask him to bring up items from the freezer. And since we only have a stand-alone refrigerator in the kitchen, his visitations to our freezer is almost a daily occurrence. Therefore, Mr. C. knows what’s in our freezer much better than I. (We do have a stand-alone ice maker in our pantry adjacent to the kitchen, because, well, doing without a ready source for ice cubes would be inconceivable.)

So, yesterday morning, I mentioned that I had no idea what I was going to prepare for dinner. He hastily reminded me that there was one lone package of leftover turkey that probably should be used in the very near future. I had already been thinking of some kind of soup to serve for dinner, so I very sweetly asked him if he would retrieve the leftover turkey the next time he found a need to visit the basement. 

But I wasn’t quite in the mood for my regular standby Turkey Noodle Soup. (But I assure you, it is also a delicious way to use leftover turkey.) I was simply in the mood for something creamy. (When am I not in the mood for something creamy?) Anyway, I found this recipe (with a few adaptations by yours truly) on thefoodcharlatan.com site. And I must say, this is one of the best soups I have ever tasted. Absolutely delicious. And no, I am not going to wait to make this soup again until I have leftover turkey. I may actually buy a turkey breast next time I go to the grocery store just so that I have turkey meat available when I want to have this soup again for dinner. Like next week. It is just that good!

So, I hope you give this soup a try. It’s easy to prepare, includes every day ingredients, and is relatively inexpensive to produce. What more could you ask?

Peace and love and hot soup to all.

8 c. chicken broth, divided

½ c. wild rice*

pinch kosher salt

5 T. unsalted butter, room temperature, divided

1 lg. onion, chopped

1½ c. chopped celery (including leaves)

2 c. shredded carrot

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 tsp. seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. dried poultry seasoning

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 bay leaf

2-4 c. chopped leftover cooked turkey (a mixture of dark and white meat if possible)

3 T. unbleached all-purpose flour

¾ c. heavy cream, half & half, or even whole milk

2 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

1½ tsp. finely chopped fresh sage

½ tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary

In a small, covered saucepan, bring 2 cups of the chicken stock to a boil. Stir in the wild rice and pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer for 55-60 minutes or until the rice is tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large stock pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and celery. Cook until the onion is translucent. Add the shredded carrot and garlic; cook for 1 minute. Then add the seasoned salt, black pepper, poultry seasoning, dried thyme, bay leaf, and remaining 6 cups of chicken stock.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the shredded carrot is tender.

Add the turkey and cooked rice. Bring to a boil. While the soup comes to a boil, mush the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter together with the flour. Gradually stir the semi-Beurre manié** into the soup.

When the soup thickens a bit, add the heavy cream, lemon juice, parsley, sage, and rosemary. Bring back to a boil, remove from heat, taste, adjust seasoning, and discard the bay leaf.

Serve garnished with chopped parsley or herb(s) of choice.  

*Despite its name, wild rice is not rice at all. It is the seed of an aquatic grass like rice, but it is not directly related. Wild rice grows naturally in shallow freshwater marshes and along the shores of streams and lakes.  It is only referred to as “rice” because it looks and cooks like real rice. Wild Rice is rich in antioxidants and is considered a healthy option to white rice. The low calorie and high nutrient contents make wild rice a nutrient-dense food. It’s a very impressive source of minerals and a great plant-based protein source.  

**I call it semi-Beurre manié, because true Beurre manié is equal parts butter and flour. And for those who are unfamiliar with the term, Beurre manié (French “kneaded butter”) is a dough, consisting of equal parts of soft butter and flour, used to thicken soups and sauces. By kneading the flour and butter together, the flour particles are coated in butter, resulting in no nasty little flour lumps in your perfectly prepared soup or sauce. And as far as the butter part? Well, everything tastes better with a bit of butter.

  

SOURDOUGH CHALLAH BREAD (with added yeast)

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First let me say that I love the flavor and texture of challah. Toasted, buttered, and slathered with local honey is fantastic. But, with these two loaves, I cut them into small cubes and toasted/dried them in the oven for turkey dressing. (Of course, I did save 2 thick slices for toast one morning, but I still had plenty for the dressing.) And just like every other time I’ve made dressing, I over-achieved. Way too much dressing, and not up to my usual standard. I thought I didn’t have enough challah cubes for the dressing, so I used some whole wheat bread cubes, and even cut up a few slices of seed bread I had in the freezer.

So, I must say, the next time I make dressing, I will use only challah bread. The toasted whole wheat and seed bread cubes were just too heavy. Had I just used the challah cubes, the dressing would have been fine. (And a reasonable amount. What was I thinking?)

But please don’t limit your enjoyment of challah to using it in turkey dressing. It has so much more to offer. It is perfect just toasted, but when turned into French toast, even the dullest of mornings becomes special. Slathered in butter and topped with warm maple or berry syrup, absolutely nothing is more delicious. (And yes, always warm syrup before serving it to the most important people in your life. I mean really! Who could possibly be more important or deserving than the people sitting around your breakfast table?)   

Well, that’s it for now. I’m not going to bore you any more rhetoric today, except to say, if you are a bread lover, give challah a try. You will forever be thankful for discovering this culinary treasure.

And a big thank you to Lora, from the savoringitaly.com site, for this splendid recipe.

And as always, peace and love to all.  

1 c. warm water 

1 pkg. or 1 scant T. active dry yeast  

1 tsp. plus ⅓ c. granulated sugar, divided

2 tsp. fine sea salt

4½ to 5 c. bread flour, divided 

4 lg. eggs, divided

¼ c. vegetable or canola oil, plus more for greasing the mixer bowl

1 c. room temperature sourdough discard 

poppy or sesame seeds, opt.

In a mixer, with a dough hook attachment, combine the warm water, yeast, and the 1 teaspoon sugar. Let the yeast bloom for about 5 minutes. Then slowly mix in the salt and 1 cup of the bread flour until well combined.

Mix in 3 of the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in the remaining one-third cup sugar, oil, and sourdough discard. Add enough remaining flour to create a dough that is a bit sticky, but soft and smooth. (This should take several minutes of kneading to achieve.)   

Pour a bit of oil over the dough and form into a ball. There should be a film of oil over the entire surface. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size (about 60-90 minutes).

When the dough has risen, punch it down. Shape each portion per instructions given below for either classic or batard shaped loaves.  

Classic Challah Shape: (this method makes 2 challah loaves)

Divide the dough into 6 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball and allow to rest covered with plastic wrap for 5-10 minutes.

With clean, lightly floured hands, begin to shape and gently stretch three of the dough balls into log shapes. Place the dough logs on a very lightly floured work surface and use your hands to roll and pull them into long rope-like strands. Use even pressure as you roll the dough to maintain an even thickness along the length of each rope. Place the challah dough ropes on a baking sheet that has been lightly greased or lined with parchment paper. (The ropes should be lined up, side by side, but not touching. Leave at least an inch between each rope so that you have enough room to braid. If one of your dough ropes is thicker or smaller than the others, make that one the center strand.

Firmly pinch the ends of the dough ropes together at the top end. This will hold the top of the loaf together while you braid the dough. Tuck the braid ends under the loaf to help hold them together while you braid, and while the challah bakes.

Begin to braid the challah by lifting the dough rope on the right and passing it over the center rope (the rope to the immediate left). The rope that was originally on the far right now becomes the center rope. The original center rope is now on the right. The rope on the left has not moved. Take the dough rope on the left and pass it over the center strand (the rope to the immediate right). The rope that had been on the left is now in the center. Continue braiding the challah by alternately placing the right rope over the center rope, then the left rope over the center rope. Try to keep the braid fairly tight as you work your way down the loaf. When you’ve braided all the way to the bottom of the loaf, pinch the ends of the dough ropes together, and tuck them under the loaf. This will give your challah an attractive, tapered shape, and help hold the braid together while the loaf rises and bakes.

Repeat the process with the other 3 strands of dough.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft free place for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When ready to bake, brush with egg wash. (Egg wash is made with the remaining egg and a few drops of water whisked together). Sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds if desired.

Bake the challah in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 35-40 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 190-degrees. (Check after 30-minutes. If the bread is getting too brown, cover with aluminum foil for the remaining time in the oven.)

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before slicing. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Batard (Football) Shaped Loaves: (this method makes 2 large loaves) (I bake the bread this way when I am using the bread for bread pudding, stuffing/dressing, or any recipe that calls for an egg rich bread.)

After the dough has doubled, punch it down and divide into 2 pieces. Shape into 2 elongated loaves and place on a lightly greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Cover, and allow the loaves to rise for 45-60 minutes. Brush with egg wash. (Egg wash is made with the remaining egg and a few drops of water whisked together).

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 35-40 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 190-degrees. (Check after 30-minutes. If the bread is getting too brown, cover with aluminum foil for the remaining time in the oven.)

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

   

SIMPLE ITALIAN VINAIGRETTE

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Made this dressing last evening. Simple to prepare, and because I was feeling lazy, the only thing I had to mess with was the fresh lemon juice. No chopping onion or fresh garlic, etc. etc. And while I was juicing the lemon, I remembered that I hadn’t shared my new “trick” with you. So, today before I started writing up this post, I took a few pictures.

Now you know I don’t usually take an abundance of pictures. Because to my thinking, there is nothing worse than going to a blog and seeing at a minimum, 9 pictures of the same thing. I don’t have that kind of time. I just want a few choice words, then give me the darn recipe thank you, and let me be on my way! (And yes, I’m getting cranky in my old age!)

So, if you aren’t interested in getting more juice from your lemons, then don’t go all the way to the bottom of this post. But if you are intrigued by the shear idea of more juice per lemon, I’ll forgive you if you stop reading at this point and jump right to the juicy part of this post.

I assume you’re back now, so I’ll tell you how much we enjoyed this dressing on a simple salad of romaine, arugula, baby spinach, grape tomatoes, and sunflower seeds. We were practically fighting over the last little bits. (OK, not really, but every little bit of the salad was enthusiastically eaten.)

So, even if you have been making your own salad dressing since God was child, I think you will find this delicious dressing (compliments of Christina at thewholecook.com website with a couple minor changes by me) to be a great addition to your salad dressing recipe collection.

As always, have fun in your kitchen. And eat salads like they are going out of style. Veggies are good for us. And although green salads will never be my favorite dish to prepare, salads are still one of my favorite dishes to eat. So, you do the math!

Peace and love to all.  

¾ c. extra virgin olive oil

¼ c. red wine vinegar

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. granulated garlic  

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

¾ tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste

½ tsp. granulated onion

freshly ground black pepper

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Place all ingredients in a covered jar. Then shake like crazy. Store in fridge.

How to get more juice from a lemon. (At least this method works for me!)

Cut the nub end off half a lemon.
Then cut off the rind. Be careful to cut off only the yellow part.
Place the cut end down in your lemon squeezer gismo. (At least, I believe that’s the technical name for this helpful tool.)
What’s left after you extract the juice.

I don’t know if I actually get that much more juice cutting off the rind. But I sure know my arthritic hands appreciate not having to squeeze the juicer as hard.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE PASTA WITH ROASTED RED PEPPERS AND MOZZARELLA CHEESE

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Well, once again laziness and frugality paid off here at Chez Carr.

I had a couple of left-over Italian dinner sausages, half a jar of Cento brand roasted red and yellow peppers, and a couple of cups of shredded mozzarella cheese in the fridge that either needed to be used or added to the yard waste barrel. (And no, they were neither engulfed in blue fur or too far gone to use safely. Just great ingredients that really should be used before they went bad.) So, what immediately sprang to mind was a pasta dish. (Unfortunately, pasta is never far from what’s on my mind, but that’s a discussion for another day.)

So, I decided a quick and easy “lasagna like” casserole for a lazy Saturday evening meal would be perfect.

Starting with my old standby marinara recipe, I deleted a couple of ingredients, added a couple of others, and came up with what you see written below. And OMG, for the brief time I spent on this dish, it tasted like I had spent hours slaving over its preparation. Plus, I got to use part of a package of strozzapreti pasta in the process. Which BTW, we discovered we really liked. (I had been a bit reluctant to try it because A) it is hard to find in our part of the world, B) I thought it might be difficult to eat, and C) because I’d purchased it two or three years ago and it might no longer be good.) Well, not only was it still good; it was absolutely delicious. And my hesitation about the shape making it hard to eat; completely unfounded. Of course, I did break the roughly 3-inch pieces in thirds, which significantly reduced any chance of choking. (Read about the history of strozzapreti below.)

So, if you too love a pasta casserole, give this recipe a try. And don’t be afraid of using fennel seed. After all, it’s what makes Italian sausage so delightfully delicious. Stay safe everyone. And peace and love to all.

3 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided

½-1 lb. Italian dinner sausage, cut into thin slices (or bulk Italian sausage)

½ med. onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 (28-oz.) can chopped or diced tomatoes (Italian tomatoes preferably)

1 c. chopped roasted red/yellow peppers (Cento brand is amazing)

1 bay leaf

pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1½ tsp. dried oregano (I use Mexican oregano)

1½ tsp. ground fennel seed

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

6 oz. strozzapreti*, gemelli, or fusilli pasta – cooked al dente

2 generous c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

In a large fry pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the sliced Italian sausage and cook until the sausage is nicely browned on both sides. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a medium sized heavy covered pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion and cook just until softened. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.

Add the chopped or diced tomatoes, roasted red peppers, bay leaf, crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, ground fennel seed, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile lightly butter a 9×9-inch baking dish. Set aside.

After the sauce has burbled for 30 minutes, stir in the browned sausage and al dente pasta. Scoop half of the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Then sprinkle with half of the shredded mozzarella, them layer on the remaining sauce. Sprinkle on the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake uncovered in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 5-7 minutes before serving.

*To quote Chef Stef “Strozzapreti is the taller cousin of cavatelli and the gangsta of the pasta family. Strozzapreti‘s name literally means “Priest Stranglers”. Yes, in the Middle Ages this pasta was designed to choke priests to death right in front of you as you were having dinner. The Heimlich maneuver hadn’t been invented yet.  But a hatred of paying taxes to the church had been. Furthermore, medieval Italy had a love of curses. Apparently a sfoglina (female pasta maker) would mutter a curse damning the priest with each cut of pasta. Think of strozzapreti as the semolina version of John Wick**!”

**Apparently, John Wick is a fictional character and the titular protagonist of the neo-noir action thriller film series “John Wick,” portrayed by Keanu Reeves. John is a legendary hitman who had retired until a gang invades his house, steals his car, and kills the puppy that his late wife Helen had given him.