Just a little baking... Part Two

One of the recipes I made from the Italian Moms Cookbook Spreading Their Art to Every Table by Elisa Costantini was Rustic Bread. There was a note at the end of the recipe with instructions for making the dough into rolls. Perfect! We were having burgers this week, so I ended up with 8 Hamburger Rolls, and 2 loaves of bread from that one recipe!

We had the Hamburgers tonight. I made our usual blend of Ground Beef, Rye Bread soaked in milk, Worcestershire Sauce, Horseradish Sauce, Salt and Pepper. The rolls were perfect. Not too much bread. I was able to control the size of the rolls and the burgers. We both had bacon and cheese and I added avocado.

 Oh the salad? Really? It's Farro! We still have Farro in the freezer!

Farro, Chickpeas and Greens

Tonight we had grilled chicken breasts which were marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, fresh thyme and rosemary. To go along with the chicken I made Farro, Chickpeas and Greens. I found the recipe on Better Homes and Gardens. For the greens I used the radish greens from the radishes used in Saturday night's recipe. I also picked up some baby beets and used those greens too. Delicious combination. The dressing was my favorite, olive oil and lemon juice.

From Better Homes and Gardens, Farro, Chickpeas and Greens

Ingredients-
1 cup uncooked farro
1 15 ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 cups loosely packed fresh hearty greens (such as mustard or kale), coarsely chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Method-
Cook farro according to package directions. Place the chickpeas in a colander. Drain the farro over the chickpeas and run under cold water to cool farro quickly and rinse the beans. Drain well.
In a large bowl combine the farro mixture with the greens, tomatoes, oil, lemon juice, and garlic. Top with cheese. Season to taste.

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.

Grilled Italian Ham and Cheese with Farro Salad

This was not your normal Grilled Ham and Cheese. This one started with a recipe from Cookstr, Grilled Italian Ham and Cheese. It is from the Great Grilled Cheese: 50 Innovative Recipes for Stovetop, Grill and Sandwich Maker Cookbook. I have not bought a cookbook in a while but this is one I would like to see.
The ingredients were Pancetta, Fontina Cheese, and Sauteed Leeks. I thought if it is called Grilled Italian Ham and Cheese why not add some Prosciutto too. Really glad I did. Chris gave this sandwich two thumbs up.

And the side dish was Farro Salad. Simple ingredients, basically using up stuff in the refrigerator. Kalamata Olives, Feta Cheese, Scallions and Parsley. The dressing was 1/4 cup olive oil and 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar, Salt and Pepper. And this also received two thumbs up. Not bad for a Monday.

Everyone ready for Hell's Kitchen and Master Chef? Summer television at it's best!

Sauteed Shrimp and Scallops and Farro Salad

This was supposed to be Grilled Shrimp and Scallops but a large band of rain came though our area. So let's heat up the saute pan! I had the scallops and shrimp marinating in olive oil, lemon juice, salt. pepper and Cholula Sauce. I tossed them in the saute pan until both the shrimp and scallops were cooked.

 

The zucchini and yellow squash were sauteed in olive oil and butter with salt, pepper, parsley and basil.

Now about that Farro Salad. I got the basic recipe from Giada De Laurentiis. I did not use garlic (surprise!) and in place of chives I substituted scallions (scallions were a lot cheaper).
This was a delicious meal. It was nice light and so simple to make!