Recipe Review from 9/24/2012

Anyone know where my September went?  If you find it, I'd like it back....

The good new is I solved my Blogger issues. Whew!  Ultimately, I ended up switching internet browsers on both my work computer and my laptop.  Dropped Internet Explorer and went with Firefox.  Much to my great interest, my work computer is now running 10x better.  I'm not kidding.  I can't even begin to describe the issues I was having, but at least half of them were resolved when I switched to Firefox.  Laptop is running better too.

Also got to meet K3's families new puppy Zoey!  A beautiful blue eyed, blue toned Great Dane.   If her puppy temperament is any indication of her adult temperament, she is going to be an awesome dog. 

And went to our final 2012 Twins game on an absolutely gorgeous Sunday.  Hopefully our team will do better next year!


For Lunches:
Fasolatha  (Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Judith Finlayson)
aka: Greek Soup.  You can easily substitute canned beans if you don't want to putz with dried.  Instead of celery I used some Swiss Chard from the garden and included the leaves in the dish.  No reason to waste and it adds some good green veggies.

I also do not do the whole pre-cook thing as written below.  I chop, dump, and then cook.  That's the whole reason behind a slowcooker.  Less prep!  That and it's soup.   We had this with crusty bread, the last of the summer's cherry tomatoes, and cheese.  Made 8 servings. 

Can be GF and vegan if you watch the broth ingredients.

1 cup dried white beans (Great Northern, Cannelli, Navy) soaked and drained
OR
2 cans white beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp EVOO
2 1 onion finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 tbsp dried oregano
salt to taste
1/2 tsp fresh ground peppercorn
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
5 cups veggie broth
1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley (reg parsley works just fine too)

1.  In a skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes.  Add garlic, orgeano, salt and ground pepper.  Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add tomatoes with juice, beans and 2 cups of the broth.  Bring to a boil and boil for 2 mintues.  Stir well.  Transfer to slowcooker.

2. Stir in remaining 3 cups of broth. [My notes:  pre-cook your beans if using dried.  Given the tomatoes AND salt in the broth they will NOT soften.   Combine pre-cooked beans and rest of ingredients though broth.] Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours, until beans are very tender.  Stir in vinegar.  Garnish with parsely and a drizzle of EVOO.



Braised Pork with Greens, Grits and Tomato Gravy  (Ckng Light Sept 2012)

Ckng Lght notes: The greens can simmer while the pork cooks (they can be done ahead and reheated). Start the grits and gravy around the same time; you don't want the grits to sit or they'll get too firm. You'll use the liquid from a can of tomatoes for the gravy here, then reserve the tomatoes for Spinach and Onion Pizza

1 (20-ounce) boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), trimmed (about 1 pound trimmed)

1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil, divided  

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

2 cups water, divided

2 cups no-salt-added chicken stock, divided

1 1/2 teaspoons lower-sodium soy sauce

2 cups vertically sliced onion (about 1/2 large)

8 cups chopped trimmed collard greens kale

2 teaspoons sugar

1 (28.5-ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1 ounce chopped cremini mushrooms

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits

1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. Heat a medium ovenproof saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; swirl to coat. Sprinkle pork with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add pork to pan; cook for 8 minutes, browning on all sides. Discard oil from pan. Add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup stock, and soy sauce. Cover and bake at 325° for 2 hours or until very tender. Remove pork from pan; reserve liquid. Place pork on a cutting board; cover with foil. Let stand 10 minutes; cut into 4 slices.

3. While pork cooks, heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; swirl to coat. Add sliced onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 2 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup stock, greens, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Cover; reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

4. Remove 1 cup tomato liquid from can; reserve remaining liquid and tomatoes for another use. Combine 1 cup tomato liquid and flour in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour pork cooking liquid into bag; let stand for 5 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain liquid into tomato mixture, stopping before fat layer reaches the opening; discard fat. Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chopped onion and mushrooms; sauté for 2 minutes. Add tomato mixture to saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 10 minutes).

5. While gravy cooks, bring remaining 1 cup water, 1 cup stock, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and garlic to a boil in a medium saucepan. Gradually add grits, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently. Serve grits with gravy, pork, and greens.

Robin Bashinsky, Cooking Light
SEPTEMBER 2012


Penne in a Spicy Tomato Cream Sauce  (Ckng Lght Oct 2012)
This is your pretty basic pasta bake.  I didn't have 12 oz of zucchini, so I subbed a combination of patty pan squash and eggplant.  My brain had also shut down so I forgot to add the vinegar AND the cream.  Not that anyone would notice since I used crushed tomatoes instead of whole canned which changed the consistency of the sauce a bit.  Still, recommended - a nice hearty dish for these cooler fall days (at least where I am it's cooler...)

photo from cookinglight.com

• 8 ounces uncooked penne rigate pasta 
• 6 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
• 12 ounces zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Dash of sugar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• Cooking spray $
• 3 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated and divided (about 1/4 cup)

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; set aside.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan, and sauté for 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage from pan. Wipe drippings from pan with a paper towel. Add zucchini to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add oregano and next 4 ingredients (through sugar); sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add vinegar; cook for 30 seconds or until the liquid evaporates. Drain tomatoes in a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1 cup tomato liquid. Crush tomatoes with hands, and add to zucchini mixture. Add reserved 1 cup tomato liquid; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat; stir in cream. Add pasta and sausage to tomato mixture; stir to combine.

4. Spoon half of pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, or divide half evenly among 4 individual dishes coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 ounce mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano over pasta. Top with remaining pasta mixture; sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 ounces mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Wine Match: Highlight the acidic tomatoes and tame the spice with a McManis Family Pinot Grigio ($10), or pull out the earthy, meaty sausage and herb flavors with a Campo Viejo Rioja Tempranillo ($10). --Gretchen Roberts

Deb Wise, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2012