Recipes

PASTA WITH EGGPLANT AND ZUCcHINI

| ERA

GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR GARDEN

I usually wait until I have some fresh tomatoes to make this dish but I decided that it was going to be a while before the tomatoes turned red so I would need to make up another method to assure I use my home-grown produce. I use a nonstick wok for this dish.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 large Asian eggplant cut into small cubes
  • 1 large zucchini cut into small cubes
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp sumac
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • Few leaves of fresh basil or sage or tarragon [or all three]
  • 1 egg beaten
  • handful shredded mozzarella
  • 1 lb pasta [larger pasta would be better for this dish]

DIRECTIONS:

Plan to cook the pasta while you are preparing the eggplant and zucchini.

  • Preheat the oil and butter in the wok
  • Add the eggplant and zucchini and coat well in oil and butter
  • Add garlic and onion powder, sumac, salt and pepper; mix well
  • Cook until cubes soften a bit–do not overcook
  • Raise the gas and add the wine; stir quickly
  • Add the fresh basil, sage and tarragon
  • Add the beaten egg and mix quickly
  • Add the mozzarella and mix well; remove from heat
  • Cook your pasta so that your wok ingredients are completed at about the same time
  • Drain pasta and save a cup of the cooking water
  • Mix pasta in the wok and, if dry add some of the pasta cooking water [you may use the water when you have seconds to keep it moist]

VARIATIONS

I can easily imagine adding some sausage to this dish, out of the casing and cooked beforehand.

MACARONI PIE

| ERA

GREAT RECIPE FOR LEFTOVER PASTA

Macaroni Pie is the perfect recipe when you have leftover pasta. It doesn’t matter whether the pasta was served with sauce, butter, veggies or meat—it is all going in the pie. I list the bare minimum in spices but feel free to use any you like based on the type of sauce your pasta was originally served with. I might be heavier on the basil if my pasta has red sauce and possibly coriander for pasta with chicken. Rigatoni or large square pasta will not work as well as something smaller like elbows, spaghetti, wagon wheels, ziti or any smaller variety.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 lb Leftover pasta [use whatever you have] 
  • 5 eggs at room temperature 
  • salt & pepper
  • garlic & onion powder
  • 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella or other cheese that melts well
  • 2 oz parmesan cheese

VARIATIONS:

You can add diced leftover meat as well as any cooked vegetables chopped and mixed into the pasta. My original pasta for this recipe was made with cauliflower sautéed in butter and one thinly sliced left-over breaded pork chop.

DIRECTIONS:

  • Set leftover pasta aside to reach to room temperature
  • Mix the eggs well with all ingredients but pasta
  • Heat non-stick pan and drizzle with a little oil
  • Keep pan on medium heat.
  • When pan is very hot add the pasta and work with a wooden spoon to make it the shape of the pot.
  • Then use the spoon to move the pasta away from the sides of the pan. Do this for a minute and then pour the egg mixture on top. The mixture will settle in between the pieces of pasta. Cook on a medium heat moving the pie a bit so it doesn’t stick. At about 20 minutes, when the pie is almost cooked through put a plate on top of the pan and turn over. Then return to the pan so that opposite side will brown. The second side will cook more quickly probably 10 minutes. Pie should be lightly browned on both sides. 

After trying this recipe come back and leave comments for other ingredients or changes you experimented with.

Lemon Drop cocktail

| ERA

If I invite you for dinner, I am going to do everything possible to make that an enjoyable occasion. Mike and I usually clean up after guests depart and discuss our dinner with “I think everyone had a good time” or “geez that recipe didn’t work as well as I thought.”

There are many variations on Lemon Drop Cocktails/Martinis and I have tried a few. This particular one provides the best of all ingredients. It is important to feel comfortable to change ingredients or the amount of each ingredient to please your most particular cocktail-drinking guests.

When I am having more than one guest I have taken to mixing cocktails in bulk in advance [just an hour or two] so I am not tied up squeezing lemons while others are snacking on appetizers. They are shaken in real time and adjusted by what my guests enjoy. I know some of my guests always want a sweeter drink and others want it a bit tart. I will provide ingredients for one cocktail and enough for 6.

INGREDIENTS

For one cocktail

  • 2 oz Vodka*
  • 3/4 oz Cointreau or Triple Sec
  • 1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 oz simple syrup
  • zest of a lemon
  • fine sugar

In advance of making your cocktail, you should prepare your glassware. I am using coupes rather than martini glasses. Sprinkle some sugar and the lemon zest in a flat plate large enough to hold the glasses upside down. Wipe the edge of the coupe glass with the lemon that you zested. Dip each glass in the plate so that the rim of the glass has sugar and lemon zest on it. You can then fill the glasses with ice and put them in refrigerator or freezer until you are ready to fill them.

For one cocktail, put all ingredients in a small shaker with plenty of ice and shake for a minute. This breaks up the ice a bit and the cocktail will be frosty. Pour a small amount into shaker cover and have your guest taste for sweetness or tartness. At this point you can add more lemon juice or simple syrup whichever they prefer. If you know your guests, you can taste yourself.

EQUIPMENT

  • Small shaker** or large shaker
  • Lemon squeezer
  • Coupe glasses
  • Large glass bottom for a dozen

For a dozen cocktails: pour all ingredients in a large pitcher; mix well without ice; pour into bottle and refrigerate until you are ready to use. Shake bottle well before pouring into the shaker to assure the lemon mixes through.

  • 12 oz Vodka*
  • 4.5 oz Cointreau or Triple Sec
  • 6 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 oz simple syrup
  • zest of a lemon
  • fine sugar

Notes:

* I do not use flavored vodka. I like Belvedere and Grey Goose but any vodka you have will do.
** Small shaker will hold one full cocktail. The larger shaker usually holds 3.

Meat and spinach loaf

| ERA

This is one of my favorite recipes. It creates two good-sized meat loaves. You can also cut the recipe in half for one loaf. But, this freezes very well so you might just want to make the larger recipe for your family or you can share with those less fortunate.

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 lb ground veal
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 2 lbs of fresh baby spinach [substitute available below]
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped celery [substitute available below]
  • 1 cup parsley
  • 3/4 cup whole or low fat milk
  • 1 cup bread crumbs [substitute available below]
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 4 eggs lightly beaten
  • 1 lb bacon
  • 1 stick of butter [salted or unsalted]
  • 5 large Vidalia onions [optional and used for topping]
PREPARATION
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Heat the butter in a small pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook until wilted. Set aside and let cool.
  3. Saute or steam the spinach. When cooked put in a strainer and press down on spinach to remove as much water as possible. Then chop the spinach. Set aside and let cool.
  4. Put the chopped celery, parsley and milk in an electric blender and blend well. Set aside.
  5. Place all meat in very large oval bowl. Add the spinach, bread crumbs, salt to taste, pepper and nutmeg.
  6. Add the eggs to the meat mix and blend well.
  7. Add the celery, parsley, milk mixture and blend well.
  8. Add the spinach and blend well.
  9. Divide the meat in half and place half on large piece of wax paper. Roll to create a loaf and place in large pan. Do the same with the other half of meat.
  10. Wrap bacon around each loaf.
  11. Cook until internal temperature of loaves reaches 170.
  12. While meat loaves are cooking, slice the 5 large onions. Put in a large pan with stick of butter and cook until browned about 20 minutes or so.
  13. Drain all the fat from the pan and let meat loaves sit for 10 minutes before slicing.
  14. Slice meatloaf and serve with onions on top.
NOTES

Possible Substitutes: 

Cooked chopped broccoli florets instead of spinach
Finely chopped carrots instead of celery or a mix of both
Panko instead of bread crumbs
Low fat milk instead of whole milk

Ricotta

| ERA

The correct ITALIAN pronunciation of ricotta is ree-KOHTT-ah

Want to wow your guests and family with a fresh ricotta that takes about 15 minutes of prep time? You control the texture of the ricotta by your straining technique, and can have it thick or silky depending on what you wish to use it for.

So, if not Italian, you might not know all the uses of ricotta. Just a name few:

  1. Top your pasta with a few tablespoons as you would put grated cheese on top.
  2. Serve as an appetizer with honey and walnuts or fig jam or just about anything flavorful; black oil-cured olives work well
  3. Add a few tablespoons to a slice of pizza or a whole pie [you can add before cooking or after or to some leftover store bought pizza to make it special]
  4. Layer in a lasagna

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 quart of whole milk [either the milk or cream should not be ultra pasteurized; you can usually find a pasteurized type of milk but I find it difficult to find the cream that way; having both just pasteurized is ideal]
  • 1 pint of heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons of kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons of white vinegar
EQUIPMENT
  • Cheesecloth
  • Metal small-holed strainer that can fit your liquids when cooked
  • Bowl large enough that strainer can sit on with enough room for whey [the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained to drain]

PREPARATION

  • Pour quart of whole milk and pint of heavy cream into a sauce pan [larger sauce pan better]
  • Add 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, mix well
  • Heat until milk foams and boils; you need to stir constantly and watch like a hawk since once milk starts to boil, it is quick and when it goes over makes the biggest mess ever on your stove
  • When milk boils, remove from heat and add 3 tablespoons of white vinegar
  • Stir until you start to see the milk curdle [about 1 minute or so] If you do not see curds forming you can add another tablespoon of vinegar
  • Pour slowly into your metal small-holed strainer that you’ve lined with cheesecloth
  • Let ricotta drain through cheesecloth so whey lands into the bowl below
  • Remove the ricotta when the texture is to your liking. The longer it drains the thicker ricotta becomes so for lasagna you would want it thick for other uses you might want it less solid and creamier.

NOTES

I have failed at this process because of the ultra pasteurization of the milk products. I have learned that a little more vinegar sometimes can overcome a fail. A fail would be defined by milk not producing curds.

Whey can be used for many things: I fed my outdoor potted plants with it one summer. Downside: the possum would come and dig up the dirt to get at the whey. Search uses of whey–there are many.

You can also make ricotta from the whey produced after making mozzarella–this for another time.

Vegetable barley SOUP

| ERA

Some friends and I had a soup drive to provide individual pint or quart containers to those who are food insecure. It went well and we delivered more than 500 soup meals.

One week I made 4 pots of Vegetable Barley soup for this drive and was able to use a variety of spices and vegetables. This was my favorite but don’t be afraid to experiment with different spices or veggies. Corn, peas and string beans are perfectly acceptable substitutes. When using bouillon you might not need to salt but taste as you go along and add as your taste desires. If soup gets thick while cooking you can add water. You can also add water when you are using the soup as a leftover–barley soaks up liquid.

This recipe will make soup for four with left overs.

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 cups of broth [mushroom and vegetable bouillon mixed]
  • 2 tablespoons of butter or 2 tablespoons of oil
  • 1 yellow onion chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 4-6 carrots cut in bite-size pieces
  • 3 stalks of celery cut in bite-size pieces
  • 1 turnip cut in bite-size pieces
  • 1 parsnip cut in bite-size pieces
  • 5 twigs of fresh thyme [scrap your finger along the twigs to separate the leaves]
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon powdered harissa [or something with a little zing]
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 cup barley
  • 1 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes [or not]
  • 1 cup of button mushrooms cut in half or quarters
  • 1 cup of chopped zucchini
  • 1 potato cut into small cubes

PREPARATION

  • Prepare broth
  • Melt butter in large saucepan and add onions and garlic; saute until onions are translucent
  • Add carrots, parsnips, turnips and celery to saucepan; mix well and cook for 5 minutes
  • Add thyme, cilantro, harissa, basil, black pepper, mix well
  • Add broth, barley and crushed tomatoes [if you are using] to sauce pan
  • After 15 minutes add potatoes, mushrooms, zucchini
  • Barley takes the longest to cook, when soft, soup is done.