Dinner

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Eggplant Parmesan

March 29, 2012 in Dinner, Recipe, Vegetarian | No comments

Well, it happened. Spring is here – and seemingly rather early for Saint Louis – and I have a backlog of winter food photos still left to blog. Let’s see if I can get them all in over these next few weeks… Part of the problem is that many of these dishes are things I make without referencing a recipe and my husband can attest to the fact that I’m terrible about writing down what I did. Come on, measuring and writing down what it is I’m measuring isn’t really my top priority when I’m trying to get dinner on the table for our family after the work day. I will get the amounts written down some day and I promise to come back and edit. If you’re feeling squidgy about cooking with relative amounts or just using this as a guide, I do apologize. My mom does the same thing to me whenever I ask her for one of her recipes and it really does drive me crazy. Anyhow, getting down to it, this next recipe is for Eggplant Parmesan. You totally could go all out and make your tomato sauce, but I usually use jarred sauce for the sake of time. Even if you think perhaps you or your spouse/children don’t like eggplant, this is worth a try because there’s no better way to eat it.

Eggplant Parmesan

1 Large Eggplant

2 Cups Flour (I usually use a GF blend and add about 1/4 cup extra corn starch)

3/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. Dried Basil

2 tsp. Dried Oregano

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Pepper

2 Eggs

1/2 Cup Milk

Olive Oil

1 Jar Tomato Sauce

1 Pack of Mozzerella Cheese

1 Box Pasta

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Starting with your eggplant, cut off the top and the bottom. I like to then peel the skin off because I think it can sometimes taste bitter (I think this is why a lot of people avoid eating it). Slice into 1/4 inch discs. In a small bowl, mix your eggs and milk. In a larger bowl, mix the flour or GF flour mixture, parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Start a saute pan over medium heat with enough oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. Start to dredge your eggplant by running it through the egg/milk and then through the flour/parm mix. You’ll know your oil is set to go when flick some of the flour mix off your fingers and it sizzles. When this happens, place your dredged eggplant slices in the hot oil carefully. Cook until browned to your liking and then flip to cook the other side.

Meanwhile, prepare your baking dish by pouring a little bit of sauce in to coat the bottom. When the eggplant slices are browned on both sides, start to line the sauced baking dish with them while you dredge and cook the remaining slices. Once you have a full layer, pour a little more sauce over the eggplant slices and then place a layer of sliced mozzerella cheese over them. Continue to build layers until you run out of eggplant. Finish with sauce and then cheese. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. (Note, the dish in my photos cooked a little past where I had planned. Our dinner guest that night was running late and I thought the oven had cooled down enough just to warm the eggplant, but instead it clearly kept on cooking, whoops!)

Cook your pasta. Serve the eggplant over the pasta.

 

Fantastic Frozen Fish!

February 23, 2012 in Dinner, Favorites | No comments

For all you fish lovers and Lenten season Friday fish eaters, you have to try Starfish GF products! In St. Louis we buy them from Dierbergs (Eager Rd. Location – I don’t know if all stores carry these products or not). They have battered Cod, battered Halibut and battered Haddock – which is our favorite. The coating on the fish is really super good!

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Tortilla Soup

January 28, 2012 in Dinner, Recipe | No comments

I have so many great winter weather recipes to share still, I really need to keep cracking away. Luckily I’ve been taking pictures all along even if I have slacked on writing up the posts. I could eat most of these things 3 seasons a year (just not in St. Louis’s ridiculous hot and humid summers). This tortilla soup recipe is delish and like many soups just gets better the longer you’re able to let it cook, but you can also whip it up in a hurry and it’ll still be good. Maybe the most fun part of this recipe are the toppings. I’ve made this soup for a party and my table looked great with all the little dishes of topping choices.

Tortilla Soup

~10 Chicken Breast Tenders (can also take 4-5 breast halves and slice them up)

2 Tbs. Oil (olive or canola)

1-2 tsp. Penzy’s Southwest Seasoning*

2+ Tbs. Lime Juice

2 Tbs. Tequila (optional)

One medium yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 7oz can chopped green chiles

29 – 30 oz fire roasted tomatoes (you’ll ether find 15 oz cans or a big 29 oz can in the grocery store)

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

6-8 cups chicken stock (gluten free if you are so inclined)

For topping choices:

avocado, diced

onion, finely diced**

sour cream

lime juice** & slices if you want to be fancy

cilantro (or even italian/flat parsley)**

shredded cheese

crushed tortilla chips

hot sauce

Start with your heavy duty soup pot – I use my Le Creuset dutch oven. Put 2 Tbs. oil in the bottom and heat on medium high. Season your chicken tenders with the southwest seasoning* and place in the oil to cook. Cook chicken through – few minutes a side should do. You want it cooked through but it will cook more in the soup later so try not to dry it out now. Once the chicken is cooked pull it out and set it aside. Deglaze your pot with 2 Tbs. Lime juice and 2 Tbs. Tequilla – scrape the bottom and enjoy the aroma.

Put your diced onion in the pot to cook until translucent (you may need to turn your heat to medium). Meanwhile, shred the chicken – I hold the piece down with a fork and shred portions away with a knife at an angle. Keep shredded chicken set aside. When the onions have about a minute to go, add the minced garlic and cook and stir for about a minute. Next add the chopped chiles and cook another minute or two. Add the fire roasted tomatoes, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir and cook 4-5 minutes.

Add shredded chicken and chicken stock, bring to a simmer and simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least 30 minutes, though the longer it simmers the better it gets. Dish into bowls and top as desired.

*Penzey’s southwest seasoning is a staple in my kitchen, especially since typical taco or fajita seasonings often have gluten. This just seems to be the perfect blend for seasoning anything in a semi spicy way. You don’t have to use southwest seasoning, you can make your own blend of cayenne, parika, garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle pepper, salt, etc. Or you could season with your favorite southwest, Mexican, or similar blend.

** I like to combine the chopped onion with some flat parsley, salt and lime juice and let it sit while I cook. I’ll stir it occasionally since I don’t put so much lime juce that the onions swim and I want it all to be coated. This makes a sort of salsa as one of our toppings.

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Minestrone Soup

January 23, 2012 in Dinner, Recipe | No comments

The minestrone I make is the same that my mom makes which started with Marcella Hazan’s Minestrone from her book “The Essentials of Italian Cooking”. I highly recommend this book. If what I make from memory isn’t dead on with Marcella’s recipe, then it’s pretty darn close. First thing to know – although minestrone is essentially a vegetable soup, this is no vegetarian vegetable soup. I’m sure that an interested vegetarian could easily modify the recipe and switch the beef stock with vegetable stock. Probably the single most important ingredient is the hunk of reggiano parmigiano rind. I’ve had the soup made without it and well, let’s just say that making the soup without it really isn’t an option. My grocery store sells the rind in the specialty cheese section, they also have hunks of the parmigiano for sale that still have a rind side on them. I usually go for the hunk of cheese, cut the rind side off for the soup and save the rest for grating over the top at the end. This is a soup that the whole family loves. If you’re going to make it I sure hope you have some decent knives that are sharp and ready to be put to work!

Minestrone Soup

2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbs. Unsalted Butter

1 medium white onion, diced

4-5 carrots, peeled and diced

3 stalks of celery, washed and diced

1 1/2 handfuls of fresh green beans, ends snipped and beans cut into bite sized sections

2-3 zucchini, washed well, ends cut off, quartered and sliced

3 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and large diced

1 head of napa cabbage, washed and chopped

2 cans of diced tomatoes

6 cups of Beef Stock (GF peeps, make sure you use a GF stock – I often use Kitchen Basics)

Reggiano Parmigiano cheese and rind

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a heavy stock pot (I heart my Le Creuset Dutch Oven), melt butter and oil together over medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add the carrots and celery and cook for 3-5 minutes more, stirring. Then add the green beans and zucchini. Cook, stirring for another 3-5 minutes. Add the diced potatoes, cook and stir for 4 minutes. Add the chopped cabbage, cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and then the stock. Stir, turn the heat down as low as it can go for a simmer. Put the rind from the parmigiano into the soup, cover and simmer for at least an hour. Stir the soup occasionally, if you have anything sticking to the bottom of the pan then the heat is too high. Once you are ready to serve the soup, dish it into a bowl and grate some parmigiano on top.

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Chili

November 6, 2011 in Dinner, Recipe | No comments

I welcome the arrival of fall and cooler weather. Fall and winter foods are my favorite! Chili is one of the first things I make at the sign of cold weather. It’s also the food that both my husband and I grew up eating on Halloween night. The chili I make has beans and ground beef. Sometimes I change it up just a little – maybe adding some chopped pickled jalapenos or fresh chopped chilies of any variety. You’ll find my classic recipe below which started from very nonspecific directions from my mom and has changed to become what we like (and gluten free). This recipe makes 6-8 servings, which can be stretched out if you make some noodles and serve it over the noodles. It’s great left over too.

Chili

1 3/4 lbs ground chuck

1-2 T. Oil (Olive or vegetable)

1 large white onion, diced

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 – 2 T. chili powder (you can always add more!)

3/4 t. cumin

1/2 t. cayenne

1/2 t. chipotle powder (this isn’t necessary, if you don’t have it, leave it out – it just adds a bit of a smokey pepper flavor)

1 t. garlic powder

2 T. ketchup or 1 t. tomato paste

2 cans diced tomatoes, drained

3 cans kidney beans, drained (beware – many brands of “chili beans” have gluten so I use regular and season the chili myself)

2 cans red beans or pinto beans, drained

1-2 T. corn starch + water

Salt and Pepper to taste

Things to accompany chili – chopped onion, shredded cheese, sour cream, noodles, oyster crackers/goldfish crackers.

Using a large stock pot or dutch oven, put the oil and ground chuck in the pan. Cook over medium high heat. While that cooks, clean, chop and dice your onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Be sure to stir and scrape and bottom of the pan as necessary to cook all of the meat. Keep in mind that the more you break up the beef, the smaller the chunks will be in your chili. Once the beef has all browned, you can add your spices – chili powder, cayenne, cumin, garlic powder. Stir. Add your onions, celery and bell pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Turn heat to medium. Add the minced garlic stir and be sure not to burn your garlic because it will turn bitter. Add the drained tomatoes and ketchup or tomato paste. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the cans of beans. If your chili appears dry you can fill one can with water and add it. Cook on low heat with your lid askew, stirring every so often – take care that your heat is low enough for a simmer but not so high that the beans burn to the bottom. The longer your chili simmers, the better the flavors will come together and the softer the beans will get. This past week in a pinch, I put my canned beans in a glass bowl with some water and covered them with plastic wrap and then microwaved them for 4 minutes to soften them up because I wasn’t going to be able to cook my chili long enough before it would be time to eat it. This worked well to soften them up. Once you’re close to mealtime, taste your chili and make any seasoning adjustments. Remember that salt will bring out flavors. If your chili is good but not quite there, add some salt, stir and taste again. If you want to thicken your chili put 1 T. of corn starch in a glass and add 1 T. water. Stir it around to make a slurry. Then pour the slurry into the chili and stir while simmering (turn up the heat if you need to). The corn starch will thicken the whole mixture. If after a few minutes of stirring the bubbling mixture it still isn’t thick enough then repeat – be careful though because the corn starch will thicken all of a sudden so make sure that you’ve stirred it at a high enough heat to activate it before adding more.

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Ratatouille

August 28, 2011 in Dinner, Recipe, Uncategorized, Vegetarian | No comments

A few months back my friend Jen told me about a blog called Smitten Kitchen. While browsing SK’s recipes I found one for “Ratatouille’s Ratatouille”. She talks about how after watching the animated movie, she wanted to make the dish. I had the same sentiment after seeing the movie and was thrilled to see that her recipe was simple. (I had previously looked up a recipe in a Julia Child cookbook which wasn’t so approachable.) Here’s a link to Smitten Kitchen’s Ratatouille’s Ratatouille. I started with a variation on hers (we don’t like goat cheese in our house so I’ve tried a variety of others, we like a little more sauce in the bottom of the pan, being GF I put ours on brown rice for the grain and sometimes I leave out the red peppers because my daughter doesn’t like them and I’d rather not hear the complaints – other times we just have her pull hers out), but this is a dish that I make a little differently each time depending on what we’re in the mood for – it can be vegetarian (or not), gluten free (or not).

Ratatouille

1/2 Yellow or White Onion, diced

1 – 2 Cloves of garlic, minced

~18 oz crushed tomatoes (I buy the 24 oz can and don’t use quite all of it – this makes it saucier than SK’s version)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Medium Zucchini

1-2 Medium Yellow Squash

1 Small Eggplant or 1-2 Mini/Japanese/Italian/Holland Eggplant

1 Skinny Red Bell Pepper (Orange or Yellow would work too, so if you have a color scheme preference do what you wish)

Salt

Pepper

Dried Thyme

Parchment Paper

Extras:

Feta Cheese or Boursin Cheese

Salsiccia (cooked/grilled, sliced)

~1/4 lb Pancetta (diced and cooked in the sauce)

I start with one of my favorite baking dishes (Apilco Deep Oval Roaster), pour the crushed tomatoes in, add the diced onion, minced garlic, season with some salt and pepper and add about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Stir it a bit and spread it evenly in the bottom of your dish. (If I’m making my variation with the pancetta in the sauce, then I start the pancetta and oil in a nonstick fry pan, then add the onion. Once the pancetta and onion are mostly cooked I add the garlic just for a bit – if you burn the garlic it will taste bitter) and last the tomatoes. Then pour it in the baking dish.)

Next you’ll slice your zucchini, squash, eggplant and pepper either by hand or with a mandoline (watch your fingers!) so that they’re each 1/8th of an inch thick. The mandoline makes things go a lot faster and ensures that your vegetables are all consistent which makes the dish all the more beautiful at the end. Arrange your vegetables in the dish standing on end and in some sort of pattern (zucchini, squash, eggplant, pepper, for example) repeating all the way around the pan and across the middle. (Note about my image – we left out the peppers this time and I couldn’t find vegetables that were all the same size, you’ll see that I quartered my eggplant slices and in some places I have two zucchini slices laying diagonally across the bigger slice of squash.)

Once your pan is completely filled, you should season quite a bit with salt, pepper and some dried thyme. Then drizzle some olive oil across the top and cover with a piece of parchment cut to fit just inside the dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 – 65 minutes. It’s important that you let it cook all the way. The sauce will bubble up in the pan and the vegetables will be cooked through.

Once the ratatouille comes out of the oven, I serve it over brown rice. We usually add a sprinkle of cheese – this time it was Feta, though boursin is also delicious. We also at times add some sliced Salsiccia.

 

 

Raspberry Nectarine Pancakes

August 14, 2011 in Baking, Breakfast, Dinner, Recipe | No comments

It’s probably worth mentioning that I’ll be posting a variety of recipe types – some will be quick & easy-peasy and others will be more of an afternoon endeavor kind of thing. Since we all need to eat food from a box every now and then, one of our boxed foods is pancakes. We have pancakes on a pretty regular basis for either breakfast or dinner. King Arthur Flour has come up with an absolutely fabulous Gluten-Free Pancake Mix. My husband and kids (who aren’t GF) love them and my friends and their kids love them too. We just went to Florida and shared a house with 4 other couples and their families who requested that we bring the King Arthur Pancakes for one of our breakfasts.

The mix requires 2 eggs, 4T. oil/6T. butter (I use vegetable oil) and 2C. water. The instructions on the box will have you mix the wet ingredients first then add the packet of dry ingredients. Then stir, stir, stir until the lumps are gone. I add just a little bit of mix at a time, stirring between additions to avoid too many lumps. I add the fruit once the mix is ready to go. We almost always mix some type of fruit into our pancakes, because that’s how we like ‘em. Typically we’ll make blueberry pancakes or banana pancakes. Summertime fruit has been great this year though so I made raspberry nectarine pancakes and they were INCREDIBLE! I imagine peach pancakes would also be delicious. Ooh and we’ve done banana nut pancakes with pecans or walnuts which were delicious. How much fruit you add is up to you. We usually put 1.5 – 2 bananas in or a small container of blueberries, etc.

I cook on a non-stick griddle over medium to medium-high heat. You’ll want your griddle to pre-heat before you put your first batch on. A ladle will do fine for pouring onto the griddle. I usually use my 1/3 cup measure to scoop and pour. Make sure you see little air pockets forming in the pancakes before you try to flip them over.

We have our pancakes with real maple syrup and occasionally we’ll have some Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage links or some Bacon on the side. Another awesome thing about pancakes? If you have any left over, put them in a freezer bag and store them for a quick breakfast or snack. I usually put two per bag and then grab a bag on my way to work and pop them in the toaster when I get there.

 

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