Lasagna

Betsy came into town for work one week, and so I thought the occasion called for something more elaborate than I would normally make on a weekday evening. Like eggplant parmesan, lasagna is not at all difficult to make--it just takes a little bit of time as there are a few distinct steps to it. This version I made recently is by no means definitive but it is definitely delicious, so here it is.

Begin by sauteing 1 pound each of ground beef and ground pork sausage (sweet or spicy, whichever you like) in a really big pan over medium high heat. Add 3 cloves minced garlic after about 3 minutes. Continue sauteing until the meat is browned--about 5 more minutes. By the way, the ground meats may put off a lot of grease--you might want to pour some of it off at this point to avoid an overly oily finished dish.Add 1 28-ounce can of whole, peeled tomatoes. I usually use this brand, because they're imported and I like the sassy lady on the label. Any brand will do though--drain them before adding to your meat.Break the tomatoes up in your pan with a wooden spoon and add in one of those tiny (6-ounce?) cans of tomato paste. Let this simmer together along with 1/2 cup red wine (or however much you feel like sparing from the glass you're drinking while cooking) uncovered for about 30 minutes while you do other things.

While your sauce is simmering nicely, you can make the ricotta filling and prepare the sheets of pasta. Start by chopping 1/2 cup each of parsley and basil. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of parsley for the top of the dish. Mix 2 1/2 cups of ricotta cheese with salt and pepper. After it is well blended, add the basil and parsley, 1/3 cup grated parmesan, and two beaten eggs. Mix it up really well. Set aside until it's time to assemble the lasagna.What about that pasta? Get a big pot of salted water to boiling and add a package of dried lasagna sheets. Actually, you probably won't need all of them, but I don't know how many fewer to tell you to use, so just boil up the whole box. You can always reserve a little of the fillings and make another, smaller lasagna, which is totally what I did. Anyway, boil up your pasta until just barely al dente.When they are done, separate out the sheets over cutting boards or a clean counter, and let them cool without sticking together while you get ready to assemble everything. By now your sauce should be looking pretty damn good.Begin assembly with a single layer of lasagna pasta at the bottom......then smooth some ricotta filling over the pasta.Try to get it all covered up. You have plenty so don't be shy.Then add a thin layer of mozzarella cheese for gooey deliciousness--about 1/3 cup is plenty but you can do as much as your conscience permits.Next distribute half of your meat mixture.And then do it all over again! You will be making two layers. After the meat goes another layer of pasta......then ricotta, then mozzarella, then the rest of the meat. Finish with a handful of grated parmesan.Stick it in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. When it comes out all browned and lovely, sprinkle the top with your reserved 1 tablespoon parsley. This is a great way to make and keep friends--all you need besides the lasagna is a decent personality and a good green salad.

Wiener schnitzel

Wiener schnitzel, wiener schnitzel, jah jah jah!!! I swear, it is so much fun to announce you've got plans to cook wiener schnitzel. I kept saying it, over and over, to people who I normally don't keep in the loop about my dinner plans. "I think I'll make wiener schnitzel tonight," I tell my boss/intern/guy at Whole Foods, as if it's the first time it's occurred to me. Why so chatty about the schnitz? Because a.) it's fun to say, and b.) it sounds complicated and sort of old-fashioned, Euro-sophisticated (maybe something the Countess from Sound of Music would pick at on the veranda while making eyes at Christopher Plummer and pretending to like the children). While the former is definitely true, the latter is not. Wiener schnitzel is easy to make and completely for the people. And this dish--or something like it--really occurs all over the world. From an Italian perspective, it is an Viennese/Austrian version of chicken milanese, which we've covered in the past. Traditionally it is made with veal cutlet, but I use pork instead. I also decided to serve it on a nest of german egg noodles, for visual appeal.

I used boneless pork loin chops. Like I said, this isn't necessarily traditional, so you can use veal for verisimilitude, if you want. By the way, doesn't "Veal for Verisimilitude" totally sound like something Big Edie would sing from her bed in Grey Gardens? Anyway, you need to flatten out your chops. Cover them in parchment or waxed paper and beat the hell out them with a heavy saucepan or a real meat pounder.I just got the OXO meat pounder and it's pretty awesome. Get your meat all flat--about 1/2" thick.Set up 3 stations for breading the now-flat chops. In your first bowl, put 1/2 cup flour, and in your second bowl goes two beaten eggs. Your third bowl gets 1 cup breadcrumbs mixed with 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Dip your flattened chops first into the flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.Heat up 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan and brown the breaded cutlets on each side until nicely golden--about 4 minutes per side.Meanwhile, bring a big pot of salted water to boil and add in a package of egg noodles. I used very thin, bird's nest style ones, but you can use thicker if you like that better.When the noodles are cooked al dente (time will depend on what style you used--mine took only a few minutes because they were quite thin), drain them and quickly stir in at least 1 tablespoon butter to keep it from sticking, then stir in 3 tablespoons poppy seeds.When the cutlets are browned on both sides, place them on top of a tangle of egg noodles with poppy seeds and serve with lemon wedges.

Cabbage with prosciutto & pine nuts

I have made this many many times before, but never had any pictures to document it. It's Melanie's favorite house specialty, probably because it totally has that addictive salty-sweet thing going on. Also, it couldn't be easier. Just shred a bunch of red cabbage...And slice some prosciutto...Sauté the cabbage with the prosciutto in a big pan with some olive oil until softened. Add a handful each of pine nuts and golden raisins (or dried cranberries). Season to taste with salt and pepper, then remove from heat and stir in a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. It is a beautiful accompaniment to any meat dish and is completely delicious. We had it with wiener schnitzel, which was a pretty awesome combination. Here's the original post describing how to make it step-by-step, but clearly it's a pretty easy and flexible recipe.

Eulogy: wine in a box

Summer is really and truly over, and not just because tomorrow is the fall equinox. No, it's because my beloved wine in a box is no longer available. If you will recall, Melanie found this wine at the beginning of the summer. Like it is with every summer, we thought it would last forever. With its attractive packaging (cream-colored box with snappy dark red graphics) and promise of endless pours, it seemed the good times would never run dry. I had it with antipasti. I had it with chicken, beef and vegetables. I had it for every single dinner, appropriate or not. I would have had it for breakfast, but I thought people might talk. Wine-in-a-box was there for me all summer long. Even when I tired of all the hot and humid weather, I never tired of the wine.

It came from World Market. When you went to buy it, there they were, amply stacked up in rows upon rows of wine-filled cubes. I had visions of buying hundreds and building some kind of structure out of them. The stacks and stacks of boxed wine encouraged one to buy in multiples. "Why not?" they said. "We're only $14.95 each! We're cheaper than hardwood flooring!"

Now I can see that this only contributed to the illusion of endless wine bounty.

One day I went to World Market to purchase a box for Aviva's birthday. I thought it would be funny and certainly would be easy to wrap. I didn't panic right away when the boxes weren't stacked up to greet me at the door as in past visits. I didn't even really panic when I couldn't find them anywhere in the store. Clearly, I was in denial. When I asked the lady behind the register about the fate of wine-in-a-box, she casually said "Oh, we don't have it anymore. You just have to snap these things up when they're in stock because who knows when they'll ever be back in again!" I acted cool but what I really wanted to do was shake her and scream "Lady, how the hell am supposed to build my wine igloo now?"

Maybe next year they'll be back. Until then, RIP, wine-in-a-box. You are sorely missed.

Jambalaya

I got it into my head to make jambalaya the other day. This was definetely Creole-style or "red", rather than Cajun, jambalaya. Cajun jambalaya is tomato-free and always tastes sort of greasy to me. Also I hate green bell peppers, so you might as well just go ahead and take away my Cajun card anyways. This version is porky, sausagey and shrimpy. I would have used chicken but didn't have any on hand, so feel free to add/substitute for the pork. Perfect for September and feeling like fall...not that we really have that problem down here.

I sliced up a bunch of peppers--1 big red bell pepper along with some mystery small green and orange ones that were kind of hot. I probably had about a cup and change worth of sliced peppers when all was said and done. You can use whatever peppers you like; I thought these spicy ones added kick and I always think red or yellow bells are pretty to add.
The peppers went into my new, beautiful, life-changing, deep sauté pan along with one large, chopped onion. They sautéed together over medium heat in 2 tablespoons olive oil for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, I sliced up about 1 pound of andouille sausage......and stuck it in the pan, along with the meat from one huge porkchop. I just happened to have this porkchop lying around, so you can substitute chicken here if you like, or pork loin of another cut, or omit it althogether. It was about 1/2 pound worth of meat, if that helps your decision making process at all.Let the meat, peppers and onion all sauté together until the vegetables are soft and the sausage has some nice brown parts to it (about 10 minutes).

I made a space in the center and added in 3 cloves minced garlic along with 1 teaspoon each cayenne powder and thyme. Continued to sauté for 2 minutes, then added 1 big can of peeled, whole tomatoes and crushed them up in the pan with a spoon.Stir in 2 cups long-grain white rice followed by 4 cups chicken stock. Bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. It will take about 30 minutes and you might need to add a bit more liquid as you go to be sure the rice cooks fully.I was lucky enough to have Charlie over and he tended the jambalaya for me and kept it from sticking to the pan by adding some white wine in and scraping it up from the bottom. This also provides delicious browned bits in the rice. When the rice is pretty much all cooked and tender and the liquid is absorbed, add 1 1/2 pounds of peeled shrimp, stir well, and let cook for 2 minutes.That's actually the fun and relaxing part of making jambalaya for me--while the rice is cooking you can just chill out and peel the shrimp and drink wine.

Green and wax beans with roasted tomatoes

This is easy and delicious. The only part that is time consuming at all is the tomato roasting, but that is seriously so hands off that it's not like doing work at all. Actually, these tomatoes would make a great topping for anything you feel like; steaks, impromptu pizzas, chickpeas, grilled fish...

Slice in half one pound of small plum-style tomatoes. Mine looked like Romas, but the guy at the market said they were not, but then again, I can't remember what kind he said they were instead, so go on ahead and use whatever kind you can find. Just not too seedy or juicy and be sure they're on the small side. Toss the halves of tomatoes with salt, pepper, a few torn basil leaves, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 teaspoons sugar. Stick them in a baking dish to roast at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Come and check on them at that point, to see how they look. You want them soft, shriveled up and jammy inside.Don't they look sad? But don't worry--they have a bright future. Get yourself about one pounds worth of mixed green and wax beans. You could, of course, use all one or the other, but I think they look nice with the two contrasting colors.Briefly boil them in a pot of salted water, only for 2-3 minutes or so. Drain them and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 tablespoon champagne vinegar. Or 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or white balsamic vinegar. Whatever you like, as long as it's acidy. I honestly don't remember what exactly I used anyway. When the beans are dressed, top them with your roasted tomatoes. Delicious.

Chicken stock and soup

One of those things I always have in my freezer is chicken stock. This is really only because I'm always making chicken--after the chicken has been roasted and eaten, there's usually a great meaty carcass left over that needs utilizing. Because this is the Great Depression, and that's what we do, in between wearing our cloche hats and standing in breadlines while discussing the New Deal's lasting implications for federal control over the economy. Every now and then though, I don't freeze my chicken stock. I just go straight from stock to soup and it's a very satisfying process, if slightly more time consuming than simply grabbing a bag out of the freezer and proceeding from there. Maybe you'll find it interesting though, so I'll describe my process anyway.

The same kinds of things build a good soup stock as the soup itself. So when I made this recently, I had onion, celery and carrot. I peeled the outer layer of the onions off and set them aside. The inside "good parts" of the onion, I diced up for the soup. I washed and peeled my carrots, reserved the peels, and then diced the carrot. I trimmed the tops of my celery and diced the middle of the stalks. I'm left with 6 related piles of vegetables that looks something like this: The front row is about 1 cup each of diced vegetables ready for soup and the back row is the scraps from trimming those same veggies. Toss the scraps into a deep pot along with a couple cloves of garlic. No need to peel them; in fact this is a great use for those crappy little teeny cloves that are always such a pain to peel, just save them for making stock. I added another roughly chopped carrot as well, and 1 bay leaf. Get your chicken carcass out and trim off any usable meat from the thighs and under the breast, mince and set aside. Add the trimmed carcass to the pot with the vegetables and cover everything with water. Fill the whole pot up. Set it over medium-high heat to simmer for at least one hour. When you're tired of waiting, take your stock off heat and pour it through a fine mesh strainer and set aside. Meanwhile, you've got some nice chicken and vegetables reserved, just waiting to be made into actual soup. Don't bother cleaning out your pot, just add 3 tablespoons olive oil to the bottom and saute the minced celery, carrot and onion over medium heat until softened (about 10 minutes). Add in 2 cloves minced garlic and saute another 2 minutes, then add your chicken stock back in. Add at least 1 teaspoon salt and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, then add 1/2 cup of tiny pasta and a handful of green peas and your reserved chicken meat. Let cook until the pasta is done, then take off heat and stir in 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice. Taste it to see if it needs more salt and also fresh black pepper. I usually grate parmesan over the top too. This soup I made the other day was really simple, but you could add really whatever you wanted to; fresh corn, lima beans, zucchini, chopped tomatoes...it's great for improvisation.

Herbs de Charlie

Charlie has a really good herb garden growing in the front of his redneck yard so when I rode over there to show him my brand-new birthday scooter, he bequeathed me with several bags full of basil, chives, fresh bay, rosemary...what on earth was to be done with the bounty? Well, I made a ton of pesto and froze some of it. But there was still lots more, so I found some lovely mild peppers and gorgeous purple and green okra from the Decatur farmers market. The okra doesn't stay purple after cooking though, it's just like that to make you want to buy it. It's like fancy plumage on a bird. The peppers and okra got put into another delicious summer vegetable broil with lots of fresh basil and other herbs at the end.Something else I did with my herb collection was a simple dish of roasted potatoes completely covered in redneck rosemary (folks without their own redneck herb connection can just use regular rosemary). What made it especially exciting was the potatoes I got were spectacular (from the same guy at the Decatur farmers market with the Darwinian okra). One of the two types I bought--at first I swore they were fresh green peanuts, so I ran up to pick through them, and holy shit! Little teeny potatoes!I combined those with amazing Andean purple potatoes--not only are they beautiful, but there is a great nutty flavor in them.Everything just got tossed up with salt, pepper, olive oil...and a whole lot of rosemary.