Steak and Cheese Pie, Farro and Sping Vegetable Salad and a Special Cake

Let's start with dessert. Friday was the 7 year anniversary of my mom's passing. All weekend I wanted to make one of her recipes. On Thursday night I was reading Living the Gourmet blog entry entitled Green Apple Cobbler. It reminded me of my mom's 4 Egg Cake.

Finally today I baked the cake. I used my Mom's 2 Egg Cake recipe and used the Living the Gourmet recipe for the apple topping. How was it? Oh it was good. It was really, really good. The sauteed apples were not too sweet. I know my Dad would have said it needed vanilla ice cream, and yeah that would have been a nice addition.

Two Egg Apple Cobbler Cake
From a recipe card in my mom's recipe drawer. Topping from the Living Gourmet. 

Ingredients for the Cake -
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, my mom called it Spry
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Ingredients for the Apples -2 green apples – peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon butter
¼  tsp. cinnamon

Blend shortening, sugar and eggs.
Stir in dry ingredients alternate with milk and vanilla.
Peel and slice the apples. Heat a large frying pan on low with the 2 tablespoon of butter. Place the sliced apples in the pan add the lemon juice and dust the apples with the brown sugar and cinnamon.
As soon as the apples are coated remove from the heat.
Butter an 8 ½ inch baking pan and place the apples on the bottom.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
Gently loosen the edges with a spatula and place a serving plate over the pan and turn over. Mine did stick a bit on the sides, just one side, the side that is not in the photo!

Yes this is a dinner blog...
Steak and Cheese Pie. Actually Steak, Onion and Cheese Pie. I had some Pate Brisee with Pepper in the freezer from the Easter Meat Pies. I sauteed the onions and steak. Rolled out the crust and added the steak, onions, some Provolone and American Cheese. Best part about this was the crust.

And the side dish, or what am I eating for lunch this week. Farro Salad with Spring Vegetables and Feta. Yeah that was good too! But the recipe said 2 serving. 2 servings for 3 days! This got a good review from Chris. The dressing so basic but it is all the dish needed.

Farro Salad with Spring Vegetables and Feta , from The Tasting Table

Ingredients -
Farro, 1 cup
Vegetable broth or water, 2 cups
Dried bay leaf, 1
Kosher salt, 21/2 teaspoons, divided
Lacinato kale, 4 leaves (tough stems removed and leaves torn into bite-size pieces)
Small radishes, 2 (thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler or a mandoline)
Small carrots, 2 (peeled and thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler or a mandoline)
Small celery stalk with leaves, 2 (stalk thinly sliced and the leaves left whole)
Feta cheese, 4 ounces (crumbled; about 1/2 cup)
Fresh tarragon sprigs, 3 (leaves removed and finely chopped)
Fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons
Extra-virgin olive oil, 6 tablespoons
Freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon
Small red beets, 2 (peeled and thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler or a mandoline)

Method -
To a medium saucepan, add the: Farro, Vegetable broth or water.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the: Dried bay leaf, 2 teaspoons kosher salt.

Simmer until the farro is tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer the farro to a fine-mesh sieve to drain off any excess water, then turn it out into a medium bowl. Remove the bay leaf and discard.

To the cooked farro, use a wooden spoon to stir in the: Torn kale, Shaved radishes, Shaved carrots, Sliced celery, Celery leaves, Crumbled feta cheese, Chopped tarragon, Lemon juice, Extra-virgin olive oil.

Stir in the: Remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, Freshly ground black pepper
Then gently fold in the: Shaved beets.

Serve.

Crispy Chicken Cutlets

Did you notice it is suddenly spring! What a glorious day. I was at my parent's house with my sister cleaning up, the never ending chore.

I stepped out back for a break and took these photos. Everything is terribly overgrown but it looks like the largest fig tree made it through the winter.

  

For dinner we had Crispy Chicken Cutlets. The recipe was from RealSimple.com. What a great recipe. I love Panko breadcrumbs. The meat was nice and moist with that crunchy coating.

Sides were Burnt  Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Couscous. No I did not take a photo of the burnt Brussels Sprouts!

My Favorite Kitchen

Remembering Mom today.

Eleanor Lombardi

Jan. 4, 1921 - April 26, 2006

Eggplant Balls with Pappardelle

Hey two meatless meals in a row! Shhhhh. Let's keep this quiet.

I made these Eggplant Balls on Sunday. The recipe is from Claire's Corner Copia Cookbook. The Pappardelle was part of the batch I made on Friday night, I put half of the batch of  cut pasta in the freezer. Homemade pasta tastes so much better than store bought whether it is fresh or frozen.

I heated the eggplant in the oven and than tossed it with some Marinara that I had the freezer, heated it up first of course. I tossed in some grated Mozzarella cheese and we were good to go. So very good to go!

Ingredients -
1/4 cup olive
2 large eggplants, peeled and diced
2 tbsp water
2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
4 oz shredded mozzarella
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour for rolling the eggplant balls

Method -
 Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the diced eggplant and stir to coat. Add the water, cover and cook about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the eggplant is very soft. Remove from the heat and turn into a bowl. Add the bread crumbs, parsley, basil, mozzarella, eggs, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Stir to mix well. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes.
Form the mixture into meatball size balls. Gently roll each ball in the flour to coat evenly.
Bake in a preheated 350-degrees oven about 30 minutes, turning once after 15 minutes.

I entered this post as part of Pasta Please. It is month long pasta-centric event created by Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes. I am late to the table on this but I heard about it from bricioli de italiano. Both blog are filled with wonderful recipes and stories.

Vegetable Soup with Fennel, Herbs and Parmesan Broth

Doesn't the title sound delicious. The recipe for this soup is from Food and Wine. It was a nice soup but as I was heating it up it looked shall we say "boring." Well I had the leftover orzo and peas from the other night's dinner. Yep that was added to the pot. Nice move. It gave some body, and pasta!

Vegetable Soup with Fennel, Herbs and Parmesan Broth, from Food and Wine

Ingredients -
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 leeks, white parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
1 fennel bulb—halved, cored and thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 bay leaves, preferably fresh
6 cups water
One 3-inch square Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Method -
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, leeks and fennel and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato and bay leaves and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the water and the cheese rind and bring to a simmer. Cover partially and cook over moderately low heat until the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Discard the cheese rind and bay leaves. Stir in the parsley and basil and season the soup with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with the grated cheese and serve.

Meatball Pizza

Can't say much about this... it's not nice to talk with my mouth full. What I can say is the pizza was delicious. I had the meatballs in the freezer and the pizza dough recipe came from the book My Bread by Jim Lahey. There was only one little piece left.

Earlier today I tried a new scone recipe from Cooking Light. Pistachio Cranberry Scones.

Ingredients -
9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup fat-free buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped pistachios, toasted
1 large egg white
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Method -
Preheat oven to 400°.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Cover and chill flour mixture 10 minutes.

Combine buttermilk and next 4 ingredients (through egg), stirring with a whisk until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until dough is moist.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat dough into an 8-inch circle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut dough into 12 wedges (do not separate the wedges). Brush egg white over dough; sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar. Bake at 400° for 13 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan; cool 2 minutes on wire racks. Serve warm or at room temperature.

And only 191 calories.

Braised Chicken, Mediterranean Style

This is the second Saturday in a row that I have made a recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything The Basics. This was delicious. The sauce was so crisp and flavorful. It was not heavy like a Cacciatore, which is what I was planning on making tonight.

Braised Chicken, Mediterranean Style, from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything The Basics, (with my notes added)

Ingredients -
2 tbsp olive oil
1 whole cut-up chicken or about 3 pounds parts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
2 anchovy fillets or 1 tbsp drained capers, optional (I used the capers)
1 tsp. minced garlic (I did not add this)
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes (do not drain) (I used the Fire Roasted tomatoes)
1/2 cup dry white wine, chicken stock or water (I used the wine)
1 cup Nicoise or kalamata olives, pitted
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish (I forgot to add this!)

Method -
Put the oil in a large skillet over medium-heat. When it's hot, add the chicken, skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, undisturbed but adjusting the heat so the chicken sizzles but doesn't burn, until the pieces release easily from the pan, 5 to 10 minutes. Then turn and rotate them every few minutes to brown them evenly. As the chicken pieces brown, after another 5 to 10 minutes remove them from the pan.

Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium and pour or spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat. Add the onions and anchovies or capers stirring frequently, until the onions soften (and if using the anchovies until they break up), 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomatoes and turn up the heat just a little. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble and the tomatoes thickens a bit, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the olives and thyme along with some pepper. (The olives are so salty that you may not need to add more salt, but if you do, you can always add it later.) Return the chicken pieces to the pan, tucking them into the sauce a bit. Adjust the heat so the liquid bubbles gently but steadily, then cover the skillet.

Cook, checking every 5 minutes to turn the pieces, until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes, adding a tablespoon of liquid if the sauce looks too dry. The meat is done when a quick-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 155-165˚F. Remove the chicken from the pan and taste the sauce; adjust the seasoning, spoon it over the chicken, garnish with parsley, and serve.

For I side dish I made some orzo and added frozen baby peas along with some Parmesan cheese and butter. It looked very springy, even though the temperatures are dropping!

Pappardelle with Arugula and Prosciutto

The new Bon Appetit has arrived. Turn down pages! The first recipe I tried was Pappardelle with Arugula and Prosciutto. This was very, very good. It was light and a bit peppery and lemony.

I made the Pappardelle using my favorite pasta recipe from Tide and Thyme.

The meal came together quickly. I had everything prepped ahead of time. Tearing the Prosciutto may take longer than you think so it is best to have all your mis en place ready.

Pappardelle with Arugula and Prosciutto, from Bon Appetit May 2013

Ingredients -
1/2 pound pappardelle or fettuccine
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 leeks, white and pale greens only, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest plus more for serving
1 bunch arugula, thick stems trimmed, leaves torn (about 4 cups)
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces prosciutto, torn into 1-inch pieces

Method -
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned, 5-8 minutes.
Add pasta, chives, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, and 3/4 cup pasta cooking liquid. Cook, tossing and adding more cooking liquid by 1/4-cupfuls as needed, until a glossy sauce forms that coats pasta, about 4 minutes.

Add arugula and 1/3 cup Parmesan, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Add prosciutto and toss again. Top pasta with more lemon zest and Parmesan.

 

And to snack on with a cocktail while preparing dinner I made Spicy Roasted Chickpeas. I used the recipe from the Martha Stewart site. Cheers!

And Happy 44th Anniversary to my sister and her husband!

Baked Quinoa and Chicken Parmesan

We love this casserole. I put it together Sunday night after dinner. The chicken was from the Roasted Chicken. I used a marinara sauce that I had made Sunday morning. And I even made the quinoa earlier on Sunday. All Chris had to do was pop it in the oven. Not only was it a delicious meal, it was a super easy clean up.

The recipe comes from Elly Says Opa! The only change I made was to use homemade Marinara Sauce instead of the canned tomato sauce.

Baked Quinoa and Chicken Parmesan, From Elly Says Opa! (with my variations)

Ingredients -
1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced (Did not add this)

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce (Used Marinara Sauce)

1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes (I used Fire Roasted Tomatoes, love these)

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

basil and oregano, to taste

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water or broth
 (I used water)
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, cooked* and cut into bite sized pieces

2/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

2 Tbsp. breadcrumbs (optional)

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Method -
Preheat the oven to 375 and spray a 2 qt. baking dish with cooking oil.

Make the sauce:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add the oil. Stir in the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30-60 seconds.  Add the balsamic vinegar, scraping anything off the bottom of the pan, and cook until it’s almost fully absorbed.
Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a low boil, and then simmer while you prepare the rest of the meal.

Make the quinoa:

Place the quinoa in a mesh strainer, and rinse with cold water for about 2 minutes.
Place the quinoa and water or broth in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil (if using water, you may want to add a little salt). Cover with a lid, reduce the heat, and simmer until cooked, about 20-25 minutes.

Assembly:

In a large bowl, combine the quinoa and chicken with the sauce and mix thoroughly.
Place half the mixture in the baking dish, and sprinkle with 1/3 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
Top with the remaining quinoa mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese, and the Parmesan. Add the breadcrumbs, if using.
Cover with foil and bake for about 15 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly, about 10 more minutes.
Sprinkle with parsley (and additional Parmesan) before serving, if desired.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Potato and Prosciutto Frittatta

You may remember last Friday night I made roasted butternut squash and potatoes.
I had quite a bit leftover so that was the base for the frittatta. I added onion, prosciutto and Scamorza cheese. Nice combinations. I sauteed the onion and than added the butternut squash and potatoes. Got them a bit crispy and added the eggs and some Parmesan cheese. Topped it with the prosciutto and the Scamorza cheese.

We made panini's and had potato chips as a side, what a treat!