Prosciutto and Parmesan Gougères

For the Husband's birthday last year, I surprised him with a class at our local Viking Cooking School. The theme was "Date Night in New York City" and we cooked different dishes particular to New York City establishments. This little gem was part of that class. We made these ourselves and then took the recipe home for future attempts. They're perfect for a party or appetizers before a holiday meal.

Prosciutto and Parmesan Gougères


½ stick unsalted butter (4 T) cut into small pieces
½ C water
¼ t fine salt
1/8 t granulated sugar
¾ C all-purpose flour
3 large eggs (plus one lightly beaten egg)
½ C finely grated Parmesan cheese (2 oz)
6 T finely chopped prosciutto (about 1 ½ oz)
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 pinch paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees; place a rack in the center of the oven.

Combine the butter, water, salt and sugar in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and add the flour, beating vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth.

Place the pan back over medium-high heat; cook, stirring constantly, until a smooth mass forms and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about two minutes. The bottom of the pan will be coated with a thin crust.

Transfer the choux paste to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. On medium speed, add the three eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the parmesan, prosciutto, nutmeg and paprika.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch round tip, pipe the warm choux paste onto parchment-lined baking sheets, forming mounds about ¾-inch in diameter. (Note: you may need to use a knife to cut off the choux paste when piping.) Lightly brush just the tops with the beaten egg, then gently smooth with wet fingers. (Note: Be careful to avoid dripping the egg down the sides of the mounds, as this may inhibit rising.)

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 375 degrees and continue baking until puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes more. Transfer the gougères to a wire rack, cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.

Now even though I'm not necessarily known for following a recipe to a tee, and have sometimes made bizarre substitutions in place of ingredients I don't have on hand, that doesn't fly when it comes to precision baking like this. Every measurement, every iota of flour and eggs and salt has to be included or you risk dire consequences. And there are too many good things in this recipe for it not to turn out well.

This recipe honestly is more simple than it appears. It's very straightforward and shouldn't pose a problem for someone who wasn't born to bake. The choux paste, for instance, is nothing more than a dough. As for using a piping bag, I used a quart-sized Ziploc bag with a small corner of the bag snipped off. Just dollop the choux paste into the bag and pipe the dough onto the parchment lined baking pan. The freshly piped gougères looked like this:

When they bake, they don't rise all that much. They mainly become airy and much like puffs. Like this:

The recipe says to bake them for an additional 20 minutes once you reduce the heat, but I actually put mine back in for about another 5-8 minutes when I took them out at the 20-minute mark to taste test them. The inside was still a little wet and hadn't dried out, so I let them go a little while longer. That extra few minutes really did the job, and they were fantastic! The egg glaze is what makes them so glossy, and it's really easy to pop three or four at a time until you realize the entire batch has been demolished. These would really be great for a pre-Thanksgiving appetizer or for a housewarming party.

French Onion Soup

I'm weird about onions. I won't eat them raw, like on a sandwich or hamburger, unless they're chopped up in salsa, and I really don't like red onions. I find them to be incredibly strong. But I will go to town on some onion rings and French Onion Soup. I've had this soup at restaurants before where it was really good, and the Husband made me some French Onion Soup years ago right after we were married that was wonderful. A few weeks ago, the Husband and I went to a local restaurant where I ordered a crock of French Onion Soup. They may as well have called it French Where's-the-Onion Soup, because as I slurped my way closer and closer to the bottom of the bowl, the only things I had consumed were infinitely salty beef broth, some croutons and a mass of stringy cheese. The only things in my soup that resembled onions were microscopic and had been cooked to an oblivion and had started to disintegrate. Very disappointing. That experience was not wasted, though, as it spurred me to make this recipe the following week.

French Onion Soup

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Serves: 4

2 T butter or stick margarine
4 medium onions, sliced
2 cans (10.5 oz) condensed beef broth
1.5 C water
1/8 t pepper
1/8 t dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
4 slices French bread, ¾ to 1 inch thick, toasted
1 C shredded Swiss or mozzarella cheese
¼ C grated Parmesan cheese

1. Melt butter in 4-quart nonstick Dutch oven over medium-high heat. If desired, cook onions in 12-inch nonstick skillet; after cooking, transfer onions to Dutch oven to complete the soup. Stir in onions to coat with butter. Cook uncovered 10 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 35-40 minutes longer, stirring well every 5 minutes, until onions are light golden brown (onions will shrink during cooking.)

3. Stir in broth, water, pepper, thyme and bay leaf. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

4. Set oven to broil. Place bread in 4 ovenproof bowls or in individual casseroles. Add onion soup. Top with Swiss cheese and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Place bowls on cookie sheet or in pan with shallow sides.

5. Broil with cheese about 5 inches from heat 1 to 2 minutes or just until cheese is melted and golden brown. Watch carefully so cheese doesn’t burn. Serve with additional French bread, if desired.

I think with this recipe, I was so excited to make it that I didn't slow down the process enough and consider it from all angles. First, I was so focused on just getting the onions sliced that I didn't ensure they were sliced thin enough and that all slices were made with a cut of the same width. Looking back, some slices were cut perfectly and some were cut a little on the wide side, so the end result when they were all in the pan was that some cooked too fast and some didn't get the full amount of cooking time required. The thinnest slices were starting to burn just as the thicker slices were turning that nice golden brown that is evident of French Onion Soup. So that was an issue.

The other thing was that when I was in the store, I decided I really didn't want to buy a whole loaf of French bread just for the two slices required for this recipe. I decided to use some whole wheat sandwich buns I already had. Wrong! Even after toasting said sandwich buns, they immediately began to get soggy upon putting them in the bowl with the soup, plus the buns were nowhere near dense enough to match French bread. Most unfortunate.

And going back to the onions, I opted to cook them in a non-stick skillet before putting them in the soup pot. Once they were done, or more precisely, once I could see that any further cooking would result in some incinerated onion slices, I put them into the pot with the broth and other ingredients.

I also used slices of Provolone to top the soup instead of Swiss cheese, simply because I had Provolone on hand. It was good and I could tell no difference between that type of cheese and any other that would be appropriate for this soup. It's gooey - it's melty - it's good.




The ultimate decision, however, is how the soup tasted. It was... okay. Not mind blowing. Much better than the restaurant soup that I had, but still not awesome. It was the onions and the soggy bread that really sealed the deal. However, this can easily be remedied to make a better soup next time. I really want to perfect this before fall.

Spiced Pita Chips and Greek Feta Spread

I intentionally chose these two recipes to go together for this blog entry. I figured they were ideal partners and what good is one without the other? There are probably other options when it comes to dipping pita chips, but this Greek-style dip was as good as any.

Spiced Pita Chips

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 whole-wheat pitas, cut into 1/8's

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine olive oil and all spices in a large bowl. Add pita wedges and toss to coat, Spread in 1 layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, tossing once, or until pita is brown and crisp. Cool completely before serving.


Greek Feta Spread

½ lb Greek or French feta cheese
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 T minced fresh mint or 1 t crumbled dried mint
¼ t red pepper flakes, plus more as needed
6 Italian pepperoncini, plus more as needed, chopped

In a food processor, combine the cheese, olive oil, garlic, mint, the ¼ t red pepper flakes and the 6 chopped pepperoncini and process until smooth. Taste and add more red pepper flakes or pepperoncini as needed. Makes 1 ½ cups, serves four.

I made the pita chips first. I used whole wheat pitas and decided to halve the recipe. However, to provide the optimum amount of spice, I decided to keep the olive oil and spice amounts the same as if I were doing the full recipe. This turned out to be a wise decision, as the spices wouldn't have gone nearly as far if I had halved them, too. I mixed the olive oil and spices in a small bowl and dumped the triangular-cut pitas in there and just swirled it all around with a spoon. The pitas appeared to absorb a lot of the oil and I really had to make sure everything was distributed evenly. But once I was satisfied, I put them on the baking dish and popped them into the oven. They crisped up nicely, but still could have used more spice. After a day or two, they actually started to get a little tough and brittle, but they were still good and the spice held well.

Then I made the Greek feta dip. In this recipe I halved (approximately) the feta, olive oil and pepperoncini, but kept the full amounts of garlic, red pepper flakes and mint. I dumped everything into my mini food processor and took it for a spin. I even plated it up nicely for a photo op.



So the pita chips are done and I have dip for them. I scooped up a bite of dip on the chip and as the combination met my tongue, my taste buds immediately began to seize up and retreat from the bitterness of the pepperoncini. Whoo! It definitely had a bitter twinge to it, but I think it was just that first bite that threw me off. The feta was adequately pungent, but the peppers added a definite kick. It wasn't hot, just an overwhelming bitter taste. So I threw it into the fridge to chill and let the flavors meld. The next night I tried it again and it had definitely softened overnight. The bitter taste was muted and the fact that it was cold, and not room temp, made a big difference. But still, I was faced with a small bowl of dip and a few remaining pita chips. What to do?

My answer came as my eyes settled on a refrigerated dough pizza crust I had just purchased. I pulled out the dough, slathered on some homemade pesto, and added some turkey pepperoni, fresh oregano, the remaining slices of a ball of mozzarella I used earlier in the week, sliced up half of a red pepper, and dolloped on the rest of the Greek feta spread. Genius! The perfect way to clean out the fridge and use the rest of the feta spread in a way that wouldn't be totally overwhelming to my senses.

Extra recipe - Salmon with Snap Peas, Yellow Peppers and Dill-Pistachio Pistou

This is officially the longest title of a recipe I have cooked as of yet. But longer does not necessarily mean better. Nor can you guarantee that a recipe from a renowned cooking magazine will be the best thing you have ever eaten. I'm here to prove my case.

Salmon with Snap Peas, Yellow Peppers and Dill-Pistachio Pistou
Serves 4

1/3 C chopped fresh dill
1/3 C finely chopped green onions
1/2 C shelled natural pistachios or almonds, toasted and finely chopped
1/4 C plus 1 1/2 T pistachio oil or extra-virgin olive oil
2 yellow bell peppers or orange bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed, strings removed
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 C water
4 6-ounce salmon fillets

Mix dill, green onions, pistachios and 1/4 cup of oil in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 1/2 T oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peppers and saute until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add snap peas, garlic and 1/4 C water; sprinkle with salt. Saute until vegetables are just tender and water evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 1 rounded tablespoon pistou. Transfer vegetables to platter; tent with foil to keep warm. Reserve skillet (do not clean).


Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in reserved skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Place salmon, skin side down, in skillet; cook until skin is crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn salmon and cook until almost opaque in center, about 3 minutes longer. Arrange salmon fillets over vegetables on platter. Spoon some pistou down center of each fillet and serve, passing remaining pistou alongside.

I love picking up magazines in the airport when I travel because it means I have my pick of titles I would ordinarily never purchase. This is one of them, Bon Appetit. Not only are the articles very entertaining and informative, but the food always looks so incredibly good. I have a very long way to go before my photography matches the styling in this magazine. A recipe will usually catch my eye if it has all kinds of yummy ingredients - in this case, salmon, colorful peppers and pistachios. All things I love. But it was very unfortunate that those three things did not work well in this recipe.



First, the pistou. I can only imagine it's pronounced like "pea-stew," but with a lot less Southern twang than would normally be associated. It's a lot like a basil pesto, except you're subbing dill for basil and subbing pistachios for pine nuts. It looks nice when it comes together, but for some reason the tastes just didn't work out for me.




Next, the salmon. In past blog posts I have raved about the frozen fish selection at Target. With the exception of the bagged Tilapa, they have good frozen fish at good prices. The Mahi-Mahi and Ahi Tuna are two really good options. However, the salmon left a lot to be desired. First of all, the thawed fillets were really flat as compared to what you would buy fresh from the store. Also the texture of the fish was different and it didn't appear to be as solid, I guess, as fresh fish. And the Target salmon had a few bones in it, which is totally not desirable. So all in all, that was a really unfortunate purchase. The fish played a large part in the demise of this dish.

What it looked like in the magazine

What it looked like on our plate

After it was all cooked and plated up, it really looked nice. However, it didn't taste nice. The Husband and I both realized it after the first bite. We kind of looked at each other like, "Who is going to be the first person to say they don't like it?" I don't recall which one of us spoke up first, but it didn't matter. The feelings about this dinner were the same across the board. We won't be cooking this again, and we learned a tough lesson about food that looks good in a picture that doesn't transfer well to the plate.

Balsamic Roasted New Potatoes

My store recently started carrying little bags of Dole Easy Steamer™ Red Potatoes. They're as handy as can be! The bag has small perforations and is designed to toss right into the microwave to steam the potatoes right in the bag. Or, as you can cut the bag open and do them up individually or however you like.

Balsamic Roasted New Potatoes

Prep: 10 min. Bake: 45 min.
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds small new potatoes, quartered
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
Vegetable cooking spray

1. Stir together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl or large zip-top plastic bag; add potatoes. Drizzle with 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, and stir or shake well to coat. Arrange potatoes in an aluminum foil-lined jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray.

2. Bake, uncovered, at 450° for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring once. Drizzle with remaining 1 Tbsp. vinegar, and toss well. Serve immediately.

This makes a great side dish. The prep time is fast and you can put them in the oven before anything else starts cooking, and everything should end up being done all at once. This is a very simple recipe. I double-ditto the note about putting aluminum foil on the pan you use because potato starch is hard to scrape off if any of it burns. And speaking of burning, mine did just a little. My oven is perhaps the farthest thing from precise when it comes to the temperature settings, but at 45 minutes I was close to having little potato-flavored briquettes.





I halved this recipe and threw in some fresh herbs and extra garlic. I'm wary about using too much balsamic, but this could have used just a slight bit more than what it calls for. I would also stir them more than once, just to make sure they don't start sticking to the foil. Adding some more balsamic at the end is a good kick, too. This was a good little side item for an easy weekday dinner.

Lasagna

Albert Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Well, I guess this qualifies me as insane. But this time, I beat Einstein and I got the different results I have been seeking since the beginning of lasagna-making time.

Lasagna

1 package lasagna noodles
1 pound ground beef
3 C spaghetti sauce
1 ½ C water
½ C Parmesan cheese
1/4C chopped parsley
½ t salt
2 C mozzarella cheese
15 oz ricotta
2 eggs
¼ t pepper

Heat oven to 350. In a three quart saucepan, brown meat. Add spaghetti sauce and water, simmer 10 minutes. In a bowl, stir together ricotta, half of the mozzarella, Parmesan, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper. Pour about one cup sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 inch dish. Arrange three uncooked pasta pieces over sauce, cover with about 1 cup of sauce. Spread half of the cheese filling over the sauce. Repeat layers of lasagna noodles, sauce and cheese filling. Top with a layer of noodles and remaining sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes. Remove foil, bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving. 10-12 servings.

I’ve had this recipe for a few years now. The very first time I made it, the dish turned out great. With that success under my belt, I gave it another try a few months later. The result was a colossal failure. It was way too watery and it absolutely fell apart when you cut into it, just totally inedible. I was shocked and dismayed, but I persevered and tried again. Another disaster. By now the husband is questioning my sanity. Tried again, despite his pleas to never go near the recipe again. Another watery disaster. Completely defeated, I shelved the recipe indefinitely and satiated my lasagna cravings by ordering the dish at restaurants where trained professionals could create the pasta/meat/cheese masterpiece that I was destined to never produce.

So when I was compiling the list of recipes for this project, I found my long lost lasagna recipe and decided to give it another try. I’ve listed the ingredients above just the way the original recipe was written, and when I took a second look at the ingredient list I suddenly understood why my lasagna recipe was lacking. The whole problem was that its cup runneth over – this time with water. The recipe calls for 1 ½ cups of water to mix in with the sauce! It struck me that this was the reason for the problems. Sure you use uncooked noodles in the recipe, but there is no way this much water is required to ensure they are fully cooked and pliable when everything comes out of the oven. So I scrapped the water and voila – a lasagna that is neither watery nor dry and noodles that are completely cooked.

As usual, I made a few changes. I didn’t have any ground beef on hand so I didn’t use any. Meatless lasagna is just as good as the alternative. I also halved the recipe since I am just cooking for myself, and I added feta cheese to the ricotta mixture. The flavor of the feta really didn’t come through all that much, as I didn’t use a whole lot. I also used my fresh herbs from my little herb garden – parsley and oregano.

Here’s a tip – the recipe calls for a piece of aluminum foil to cover the dish before it goes into the oven. In my case, the fully assembled lasagna came up to the very top of the dish, including the mozzarella cheese, so in order to keep the cheese from sticking to the aluminum foil I sprayed the underside of the foil with a little Pam, and then put the foil down on top of the dish. That way when you take the foil off after it’s been cooking for 45 minutes, you don’t also pull all the cheese off with it. You’re welcome.


When I checked it after 45 minutes of cooking, I stuck a fork in various parts to check the doneness of the noodles. They were still kind of resistant, and I immediately regretted not adding just a little water to the sauce mix. But it was way too late for that now, so I put it back in the oven for the required 15 minutes and crossed my fingers. When it came out, the sauce was bubbling like a pent up volcano and the cheese had a nice browning around the edges. I let it cool for a few minutes and then cut a slice, noticing the noodles had definitely softened up in that last 15 minutes. Thank goodness.




The taste was good, but not earth shattering. It tasted like lasagna, and it was better than some places I’ve eaten lasagna as of late. I would cook it again. But the main thing is that it actually turned out well and was distinguishable as lasagna, not a watery mess. Huge accomplishment.

Basil, Sage, Cheese and Tomatoes with Rice – High Summer Risotto

Risotto, you evil temptress of the night. You appear to be easily conquered, at least on paper, but you are devilish in your culinary trickery. Your tasteful sophistication and Italian background lured me in, but I was caught in your snares within minutes of diving into your menacing cuisine. Oh, risotto, you have won this battle, but mark my dying words, you most certainly have not won the war.

BASIL, SAGE, CHEESE AND TOMATOES WITH RICE - HIGH SUMMER RISOTTO

Tuscany
Preparation - Medium/Difficult
Serves 8

1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped basil, plus 2 T slivered basil leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 T finely chopped sage
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 cups Arborio, carnaroli, or vialone nano rice
salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 1/2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped perfectly ripe, sweet, fresh tomatoes
1 cup hot chicken stock, or more if necessary
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Toscano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

In a large heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, sweat the onion with the finely chopped basil (the slivered basil will be added later), parsley, and sage in the oil until the vegetables are very soft. Do not let them brown. Mix the rice into the vegetables and add salt and pepper. Stir slowly and when rice starts to turn opaque pour in the wine.

As soon as most of the wine has been absorbed by the rice, add about half the tomatoes to the dish, stirring to mix well. Continue to cook the rice, stirring frequently; as the liquid in the tomatoes is absorbed, add hot chicken stock, 1/4 cup at a time. (You may not need all the chicken stock to finish the risotto.) The risotto is cooked when the grains of rice are still separate and slightly resistant to the bite but bathed in a thick sauce.

At this point remove the pan from the heat and quickly stir in the cheese, the remaining tomatoes, the slivered basil, and minced garlic. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes, then serve immediately.

So what I'm really trying to say in the above soliloquy is that when a recipe says "Difficult," they're usually not kidding. But I had two other recipes I thought would be difficult - this one and this one - and they still turned out really well. So while I didn't think this risotto would be a breeze, I certainly didn't think it would be as ornery as it actually turned out. It wasn't a colossal failure like other recipes, but it definitely needs some fine tuning.

It actually started well. I put this recipe into thirds since I was only cooking for myself, so I broke down the measurements and was ready to rock. I have had only one other run in with risotto and I knew the liquid would make or break the dish, so I made sure to have a whole can of chicken stock, plus additional white wine. I felt I had covered all my bases.

What I didn't anticipate was that my risotto had every intention of soaking up every last drop of liquid I had in the house. I used an entire 15 oz can of chicken broth, and at least 1/2 cup of white wine, plus some tap water. I know, blasphemy. But I was desperate. Even after adding in all of that liquid and standing over the risotto constantly stirring for an hour, the grains were still more than "slightly resistant to the bite," and they were not "bathed in a thick sauce." I had more white wine to use, but I didn't want that flavor to overwhelm the dish, so that's when I turned to the tap water (so shameful). I think I eventually could have reached the risotto promised land, but I didn't have the desire to wait it out. I finally added the cheese, tomatoes, basil and garlic and plated it up.




The grains were still dense, but I could get the general taste of the dish. It was pretty rich and I can't imagine eating a whole lot by itself. It would be a great side dish. If I had one more can of chicken stock I think I could have pulled it off, but for some reason I only had that one can. I usually have army rations of the stuff in our pantry, but it just was not meant to be. But again, with some modifications and more liquid, this has a real shot of being something nice.

Grilled Cheese with Spinach-and-Tomato Sauce

I was so excited about this recipe. I mean, who doesn't love grilled cheese sandwiches? Cheese is such a universally delicious food and when you pair it with bread and a hot skillet, you have your own little piece of heaven. They even have gourmet grilled cheese restaurants! But as wonderful as a gooey grilled cheese sandwich can be, I think this may have overdone it a little bit.

Grilled Cheese with Spinach-and-Tomato Sauce

SERVINGS: 4
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree (from one 15-ounce can)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 pound spinach, stems removed, leaves washed well and shredded
8 thick slices from a large round loaf of country bread
1/2 pound mozzarella, sliced
1/4 pound mild goat cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)


Directions
In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the spinach and simmer until the spinach wilts and the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes longer. Cover to keep warm.

Top 4 slices of the bread with mozzarella. Spoon some of the spinach mixture over each, spreading the spinach to the edges of the bread. Sprinkle the goat cheese over the spinach and top with the remaining bread slices.

In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat. Cook two of the sandwiches, turning once, until the cheese melts and the bread is golden, about 4 minutes in all. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the other two sandwiches, keeping the first batch of sandwiches warm on a baking sheet in a 200° oven.

I did have to adapt this recipe. For starters, I didn't use spinach. I didn't want to buy a whole bag of it and not have any more uses for it, and then have it go bad. Also, I used regular 100% whole grain sandwich bread instead of a "large round loaf of country bread," which I guess could mean french bread. I couldn't find any in the store that I liked, so I just used what I already had on hand. And again with the "1 small onion, chopped." Even if I were to have a small onion, I still wouldn't use the whole thing! Who in their right mind would use that much onion for a recipe like this. Crazy. I used one slice and that was plenty.



The mozzarella was a brand we have used before, Mozzarella Fresca. But the packaging was different this time around. And when I sliced into it, it looked a little like swiss cheese. There must have been some air bubbles in the mozz ball when it was packaged or something. It tasted almost the same. It was strange, but I used it anyway. A good way to slice cheese like this is to put it in the freezer for a little while before you're ready to use it. The cheese will firm up and it will be easier to cut and won't squish. I cut three slices and put them on the bread. Then I spooned on some of the tomato mixture, sans spinach, and topped it with the crumbled goat cheese.



In an effort to save me from having to wash more pans, I pulled out the old standby: the George Foreman grill. This thing is at least eight years old and it's still ticking. Good old George. I brushed the surface of the grill with a little vegetable oil and put the sandwich in place, closing the lid as much as it would go with my over stacked sandwich.



A few minutes later, the sandwich was done and I was ready to eat. The first thing I noticed when I lifted the sandwich onto the plate was how heavy it was. I mean, dense. The cheese seemed to have doubled in volume in just a short amount of time. I had The Blob on my sandwich. When I cut into it, the cheese just oozed out every side of the sandwich. Usually a good sign, right?



Could it be... this was too much cheese? You can see the tomato mixture and goat cheese peeking out from the left there, but the rest of the sandwich was taken over by the mozzarella. There were some seriously chewy bites, but I persevered. Whoever came up with this recipe had their heart in the right place, but it was a bit too much. It's possible I used too much mozz cheese (three slices, none too thick) but that's a lot of melting action going on. This probably could be adapted into something wonderful. Overall, it's pretty hard to screw up a grilled cheese sandwich, and for what it's worth, I think this was good.

Pasta with Broccoli Raab, Goat Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes and Toasted Pine Nuts

Unlike most of the other recipes I've made so far, I actually stayed pretty close to the measurements on this particular recipe. With the exception of substituting a regular broccoli crown for broccoli raab, this was created to the letter. Yes, real butter and extra goat cheese. I don't think this was very healthy, but it really hit the spot.

Pasta with Broccoli Raab, Goat Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes and Toasted Pine Nuts

1 T extra virgin olive oil
3 C broccoli raab cut into small pieces
2-4 minced garlic cloves
¼ to ½ t crushed red pepper flakes
Salt/ground pepper
1 ½ C canned chicken broth
1 t chopped fresh thyme
4 T unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 oz creamy goat cheese, crumbled
¾ lb dried bowtie or orecchiette pasta
4 T thinly sliced sun dried tomatoes
2 T pine nuts, toasted in a small skillet over low heat until golden, 3-4 minutes


Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil. Meanwhile in a 12-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli raab, garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté, stirring frequently until bring green and tender crisp, 2-3 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper and then transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Still over medium-high heat, add the chicken broth to the pan and stir and scrape to deglaze the pan deposits. Add the thyme. Bring the liquid to a boil and continue boiling briskly until it reduces to half its original volume, 7-10 minutes. Add the goat cheese and butter and stir until the goat cheese melts. Cover and keep warm.

As soon as the stockpot of water comes to a full boil, add a little salt to the water. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the pan of sauce along with the broccoli raab and the sun dried tomatoes. Heat mixture thoroughly, season to taste. Sprinkle with pine nuts.

This was a pretty indulgent dish. The sauce came together nicely, especially after deglazing and letting the stock boil down. I cooked the pasta right alongside everything else so it all came together at the same time - kind of rare for me. Usually everything gets done at different times and I have to cover everything or stick it in the oven to stay warm, but not this time. It also helps to have all of your ingredients out and pre-measured before you start. Chop the broccoli, measure out the chicken broth, measure out the butter and goat cheese - stuff like that. It just helps things move along better.

The sauce covered much better than how it looks in the picture. It was very creamy, especially with the butter and cheese, and the flavors were really top notch. It coated the pasta and wasn't too overwhelming. I did catch a few spicy bites due to the red pepper flakes, but I did add a few extras in there. I'm a sucker for red pepper flakes.

The husband is not a fan of broccoli - yet. He did eat a raw piece of it a few weekends ago and lived to tell the tale, but I don't foresee him eating a huge hunk of it in the near future. I'm still holding out hope, though. If you're not a broccoli fan, that could easily be substituted for red/yellow/orange sweet pepper strips, snow peas, zucchini chunks, eggplant or almost any other vegetable. This is a pretty adaptable meal, and one I would love to make again.

Crispy Curried Chicken Tenders with Cilantro Dipping Sauce

I made this recipe the other night, but I'm going to have to make it again soon. Not that I messed it up or anything, but I was afflicted with some nasty allergies when I made this for dinner and my stopped up nose wasn't working too well. Therefore, this meal ended up tasting really muted. It still tasted good, but I need another go at it when I'm not sickly.

Crispy Curried Chicken Tenders with Cilantro Dipping Sauce
ACTIVE: 45 MIN
SERVINGS: 4
Ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise
2 cups loosely packed cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, beaten
2 cups panko
2 pounds chicken tenders
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions
In a food processor, blend the mayonnaise with the cilantro and lemon juice until the cilantro is finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate the dipping sauce until ready to serve.

In a small bowl, combine the curry powder with the cayenne and 1 tablespoon of salt. Put the flour, eggs and panko in 3 shallow bowls. Stir 2 teaspoons of the curry powder mixture into the panko. Season the chicken tenders with the remaining curry powder mixture.

Dredge the chicken tenders in the flour and shake off any excess, then dip them in the eggs and coat thoroughly with the panko mixture. In a large skillet, heat half of the oil until shimmering. Add half of the chicken tenders and fry over moderate heat until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining oil and chicken tenders. Serve with the cilantro dipping sauce.

Aside from the stopped up nose and somewhat bland taste, I think this would have been really good under different circumstances. The seasoning is what didn't register as much as it normally would have, but the panko made for a wonderfully crunchy texture and they weren't oily and greasy like you would normally find things cooked in oil. A hot pan of oil and the panko really make the difference here.





This dish came together really easily. I think I still might add more curry powder to my next attempt. There needed to be a little more of a punch than what I got when I ate them. Also, this Cilantro Dipping Sauce. I have an aversion to mayonnaise that causes me extreme distress when I have to eat said substance in any form other than chicken salad or potato salad. Even then, you had better go lean on the stuff. Therefore, I could not, in good conscience, whip up a dipping sauce that called for that much mayo, and even halved with 1/2 cup I could not bring myself to do it. So I ate them plain, and they were still fine (albeit bland). I tried to dip them in ranch dressing but that was not good, so they stayed plain.

I'll make this again when I'm feeling better. Also, I get the feeling this is a little better for you than all out fried chicken because you're not using as much of the oil - just a little. Also, I used whole wheat panko, so that's double on the healthy score. Thumbs up all around.