Food Adventure

Years ago I saw a movie, Big Night (1996).  It was a story about two Italian immigrant brothers who came to the New Jersey Shore to open an authentic Italian restaurant in the 1950's.  The climax of the plot revolves around this huge Italian feast.  One of the dishes prepared was a timpano.  A timpano is layers of yummy Italian dishes encased in a pastry. Once baked, it is cut in wedges exposing the multiple layers of the dishes.  I had never heard of it and was immediately interested given it takes multiple days to make, or it did in the movie.  I found the recipe on the internet, but never got up enough nerve to try it.

Jump to the holiday season 2014.  My friend Debbie and I volunteered to prepare the entree for the annual Irate-8 Holiday Dinner Party.  As we discussed recipes, I remembered the timpano!  What better testing ground that your friends?  Debbie, being the great sport that she is and a great cook, said "Let's do it!"  I couldn't find the recipe I had printed off the internet so many years ago so I did another internet search.  I found lots of recipes and ingredient ideas from five recipes that I incorporated to come up with what we prepared. Since a timpano is layers of ingredients we actually made our favorite components and then layered them into a pastry-lined large stainless steel bowl.  A timpano is traditionally cooked in a round enamel washbasin.

Debbie prepared some killer ragu sauce and some terrific mini-meatballs.   She actually baked the meatballs in mini muffin pans--very ingenious and much less messy that rolling raw meatballs between your palms and then dropping into a hot skillet to brown.  She scooped tablespoons of raw meatballs and dropped into the muffin cups.  She baked them turning them over with a fork at the half way point.  They came out round and brown!

I roasted some red and yellow bell peppers and some Swiss chard.  Made a pie pastry large enough for three single pastry pies.  Also boiled and peeled some eggs, grated several kinds of hard cheeses, procured some sliced salami and cubed mozzarella.

Early afternoon the day of the dinner, we met and assembled the timpano.  The process went like this:

Roll out two-thirds of the pastry dough so it is large enough to completely fill the oiled interior of the baking bowl with some pastry hanging over the edge.  Start layering the ingredients remembering that the bottom of the bowl will be the top of the timpano.  We started with cooked elbow pasta mixed with some of the ragu sauce, followed by a layer of meatballs and a layer of mozzarella cubes.  Next came the eggs and more ragu sauce and more pasta.  While filling the bowl, we tapped it against the counter top to keep the contents tightly packed.  Air spaces are not good.  We finished off with the vegetables, the salami and finally pasta and the remainder of the ragu.  Roll out the remaining pastry dough and cover the top of the bowl.  Fold the two pastry layers together to created a seal and pinch a low edge all along the top.

Cleo was our supervisor!
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Bake at 350 to 375 degrees for 60 to 90 minutes.  Take it out of the oven and let sit for 15 minutes in the bowl.  This is a heavy dish!  Carefully run a thin knife along the inside edge, place your serving platter on top of the bowl and with the help of someone else, flip the whole thing over allowing the contents of the bowl to fall carefully onto the platter in one piece.  Again let it sit for a few minutes.  During these cooling breaks, it is good to drink some of the fine red wine that you will be serving with the entree!  

Cut the timpano into wedges and serve like a cake wedge.  Pass additional ragu sauce and serve with a simple green salad. 




I thought the dish quite yummy and was a lot of fun to make!  And there were leftovers!

Leftovers? Bestovers!

We returned from a great Labor Day weekend on Hood Canal, Washington, with a few left overs.  Our Labor Day weekend is an annual event with three other couples and eating is a big part of the weekend.  We all love to cook and, of course, eat!  We had shopped at the Olympia Farmers' Market www.olympiafarmersmarket.org on the way to Hood Canal.  They have a wonderful three season market near the waterfront.  In addition to buying some lovely peaches, we bought corn and tomatoes.  It's the season! 

We returned home with a couple of roasted ears of corn on the cob and some peeled and chopped tomatoes.   I did a recipe search on corn and tomatoes and hit upon a great recipe called Tomato-Basil Bread Pudding that I used as a starting point.  Thanks to Gaida De Laurentis, here it is, renamed and with a few changes:

Tomato and Corn Bread Pudding

8 ozs  rustic white bread, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
3 T olive oil
1/4 c chopped green onions or sweet white onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c chopped fresh tomatoes (peeled optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 c packed chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 c shredded Parmesan
1/2 c corn
6 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 9" by 13" glass baking dish.  Add the bread and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic.  Cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, basil and corn and season with salt and pepper.  Pour the tomato mixture and Parmesan cheese over the bread and combine well.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt and pepper together until smooth.  Pour the mixture over the bread mixture gently tossing to coat.  Bake until slightly puffed and golden, about 25 to 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let cool about 5 minutes. 

We had the pudding along with some ground beef patties, also leftover, and a green salad.  Yum!

 

I Visited the CIA!

I was in Napa Valley in March enjoying the sunshine and seventy degree temperatures.  Yes, I know California needs rain but I was glad for the dry week when I was there.  I was in Calistoga at the north end of Napa Valley.  Didn't go for the wine so pretty much hung out in Calistoga--a town of about 5,000 people and a main street one street wide and two blocks long.  Calistoga is an area of natural mineral water.  It was developed in the mid 1800's as a tourist spot for people who visited "to take the waters".  The town was named by one of the founding fathers, Sam Brannan who story has it loved his alcoholic beverages. In an attempt to imitate the then-fashionable Saratoga Springs, NY, he declared "the Sarafornia of Calistoga!"  And the name of Calistoga stuck!

Ten miles away from Calistoga in St. Helena is the west campus of the Culinary Institute of America, American's premier professional cooking school.  They offer tours of the school and buildings and cooking demonstrations for the general public.  The CIA purchased the earthquake-damaged Christian Brothers Monastery and distillery in 1994.  They repaired and converted the massive stone building into a professional cooking school.  While we could not enter the actual professional kitchen "classroom", we could look.  Imagine--15,000 square feet of commercial kitchens and bakery/pastry kitchens!  http://www.ciachef.edu/california/

I did take a one-hour cooking demonstration and tasting that was great fun.  It was taught by one of the instructors in a fabulous teaching kitchen--imagine the kitchens you see on the Food channel with lecture hall-style seating for observing!  The dish prepared was a Moroccan chickpea vegetarian dish.  It was served over cous cous and paired with pita bread and a rose' wine. 

I had recently tried a similar dish at home so came away with a few ideas about improvements.  Below is a recipe with ideas from several sources.

Indian Spiced Chickpeas and Tomatoes

Serves 4 as a side dish, 2 as an entrée

1 T olive oil
1 tsp cumin, ground
1 tsp turmeric, ground
2 tsp curry powder
1 T fresh ginger root, grated
1 medium onion, chopped
1 14oz can diced canned tomatoes
2 T raisins
2 cups cooked or 1 14 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup water
1/3 cup fresh cilantro or Italian parsley

Heat a large skillet on medium heat and add the olive oil.  Add cumin, turmeric and curry powder and stir for about 30 seconds.  Add the ginger and onions and stir gently to coat.  Cook, stirring frequently, 6 minutes or until the onion softens.  Add tomatoes and cook 2 minutes.  Add chickpeas, salt, pepper and water.  Stir to combine, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Garnish with cilantro or parsley and serve.  As an entree' this can be served over rice or cous cous.

I have added cooked chicken or chopped toasted cashews to boost the protein.  This dish benefits from sitting overnight as the flavors mingle and become more intense.  Refrigerate and reheat.

You can use any curry power you like.  Some are spicy-hot while others are mild in heat.  I used the vindaloo curry powder available at the Market Spice Shop in Seattle's Pike Place Market.  This is a medium hot curry blend.  They have many others and their quality is superb.
http://www.marketspice.com/store/category/indian 

Nutritional information:  (without chicken or cashews)
Calories 170
Protein 5 grms
Fat 14 grms
Carbohydrate 9 grms

Winter Time Salad

When I was a kid and fresh produce at the market was much less plentiful in winter than today, one of my mom's "go to" salads would be Waldorf Salad.  The ingredients were usually on hand and it doesn't take long to prepare.  And my whole family loved it.  What's not to love--walnuts, fruit and mayonnaise dressing? Yum! 

To cut down on the calories and increase the vegetable quotient, I'm made a few changes to up date this favorite winter time salad.

Waldorf Salad

Serves 2

1 stalk celery, sliced thinly
1 medium apple or pear, unpeeled and chopped
1/4 c. raisins
2 T. toasted walnuts, chopped
4 c. romaine, red or green leaf lettuce, chopped into 1" pieces
1 T. olive oil
1 T. seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine celery, apple, raisins, walnuts and lettuce in a large mixing bowl.  In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, cinnamon, salt and pepper.  When well blended, add to the fruit and lettuce mixture and toss.

Toasting the walnuts really brings out their flavor.  If you have raw walnuts, you can toast them in a microwave.  I chop them first and place on a plate.  Microwave the walnuts for one to two minutes on high.  When you can smell that delicious toasted nutty smell, they are ready.  Be careful to creep up on the cooking time.  Nuts are easy to overcook and burn.  Let them cool before adding them to the salad.

Nutritional Information:

Calories 205, carbohydrate 30 grams, protein 2 grams, fat 12 grams, sodium 25 mgs, potassium 291 mgs.

I'm back--again!

My on again, mostly off again food blog.  I have all kinds of great topics to write about, but I don't seem to get to it.  My interest in all things food remains a primary interest of mine, so here is another shot at it!

This is soup weather!  Here in Puget Sound Country, it has been cold and foggy.  Daytime temps in the 40's and nighttime in the 30's.  No rain and a little sun, but mostly foggy.  Bone chilling cold.  So healthy, hot soup sounds very good.  

I've been on a Minestrone kick.  There is no "right" recipe for Minestrone.  It can be made to your liking and/or from leftovers.  According to Wikipedia, minestrone was originally made from leftovers added to a few standard ingredients.  Minestrone means "thick vegetable soup" and that is the way I like it--thick with vegetables.  Below is a recipe that I've been using.  One of my objectives was to try and keep the quantity at the serves four amount.  I serve it the first time as dinner with bread and cheese.  Then I look forward to lunches for the next couple of days.  Yum!

Minestrone

Serves 4

3 slices high quality bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2" pieces
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 c carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
Olive oil
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 quart/liter beef broth
2 to 3 c coarsely chopped vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, green beans, asparagus, chard, kale, bell peppers, cabbage, etc.
1/4 c green peas
1/4 c corn
1 c cooked kidney or cannellini beans
2 T orzo pasta
1/4 c fresh basil, chopped
Salt to taste

In a medium to large soup pot over medium heat, add bacon pieces and cook until just starting to brown, about 5 minutes.  Drain off all but 1 T of fat.  Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, oregano and pepper adding olive oil if the mixture appears dry.  Saute' until the onion is soft, about five minutes.  Add tomatoes with the liquid and beef broth.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Add the remaining vegetables, beans and pasta.  Simmer until the vegetables are soft--between 15 to 30 minutes.  Add  basil and salt to taste.  Serve.  Serve shredded parmesan cheese at the table to sprinkle on top.

If you want to make this a vegetarian dish, omit the bacon.  Use vegetable broth and increase seasonings for more flavor.  If you want the soup to be more hearty, double the quantity of beans.

Minestrone recipes, like many soups, do not require exact measurements. If two carrots are a little more than 1/2 c, add them all.   If the soup is too think, add more broth. 

A word about beans.  I like to cook my own beans from dried beans.  That way I can control what goes in.  Most canned cooked beans have sugar and salt added.  Cooking from dry is easy.  It just takes a little planning ahead.  Dried beans expand by about three.  To get a cup of cooked beans, start with 1/3 c dry beans.  Soak overnight in water to cover plus two inches.  Drain and rinse.  In a sauce pan, combine the beans with fresh water to cover plus another 1/2 inch.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook until soft, about 20 to 40 minutes, depending upon the bean.  If overcooked, they will begin to fall apart.  Drain and add to the soup, or add beans and cooking water if the soup needs more liquid.  There is a quick method--cover the beans plus the two inches with boiling water.  Let sit an hour, then drain, rinse and cook per above directions.

Nutritional content:
  (coming soon!)
 

I'm Back!!!!

After a year of neglect, I'm back to blogging about food!  I appreciate the feedback I've received that tells me a few of you, at least, haven't given up entirely!  My plan is to be more regular about postings.

I've had several requests for my Pasta Carbonara.  The recipe I use is not "mine", but one from Ruth Richel's 1971 A Feastiary that I found online.  I learned about Pasta Carbonara from an interview I heard on NPR's "Fresh Air".  Terry Gross was interviewing Ruth Richel a few days after Gourmet magazine announced it was discontinuing its print version.  Ruth Richel was the editor of Gourmet at the time and the news was a surprise to her.  I've read two books by Ruth Richel, Tender at the Bone, a memoir of her childhood cooking experiences, and Garlic and Sapphires, a memoir of her time as the restaurant critic for the New York Times.  Both are fine reads.  She has a great sense of humor.

Back to the recipe.  This is a yummy dish that qualifies as comfort food and can be prepared in minutes with items probably on hand.  It has bacon in it.  What isn't better with bacon?  And use high quality bacon, boutique bacon if you please.  Thick sliced and meaty.  You only need two strips per serving so indulge.  I keep the bacon in my freezer, wrapped in four slice packets.  Also helps to use good parmesan cheese.  And I will admit that I did change Ruth Richel's recipe a bit to suit my taste and diet. 

Pasta Carbonara
Serves 2

4 oz dried spaghetti
4 slices bacon
1 clove garlic
1 egg
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Put a large pot of water on to boil.  When boiling, add the spaghetti and cook per package directions or about nine minutes.  I use whole wheat spaghetti and break the pieces in half for easier tossing.

Break the egg into the pasta serving bowl.  Beat with a fork until well mixed.  Add pepper.

While the spaghetti cooks, cut the bacon in 1/2 inch cross-wise pieces.  Peel the garlic.  Heat a saute pan on medium/medium-high heat.  When hot, add the bacon and cook until the fat begins to render, about two minutes.  Add the garlic clove and cook for another five minutes until the bacon starts to just get crispy.  Do not overcook.  You will want a little bacon fat for the pasta so remove any that seems like too much.  Remove the garlic clove.

When the pasta has cooked, drain.  Immediately put into the serving bowl and toss with the egg.  The heat from the hot pasta will cook the egg into a nice sauce.  Add the bacon with its fat and toss again.  Add the cheese and serve.  If the pasta is too dry for your taste, add a tablespoon or two of the pasta cooking water after you add the bacon.

This isn't exactly health food, but sometimes you need to feed your mental health!  Enjoy!

Nutritional Information:

460 calories, 40 grams carbohydrates, 34 grams protein, 25 grams fat

Groundhog Day Corn Salad

Last week I indulged in shopping at our regional high-end supermarket--Metropolitan Market.  If you should shop there, plan to leave a lot of money in exchange for some very tasty and uncommon foods!  It is heaven for a foodie like me!  I was viewing the options in the deli case when I spotted Corn Salad.  I think of corn in the summer, on the cob and purchased at our local farmer's market.  We don't eat corn much the rest of the year.  I consider it a "lesser" vegetable.  Meaning its nutritional content is that of a starchy vegetable (like potatoes) or a grain.  When I'm considering a menu, corn goes in the slot for starch/carbohydrate and I'd rather "spend" my carbs on potatoes, rice or pasta.  But since corn says summer to me, it caught my eye.  Who doesn't long for summer on Groundhog Day?  This corn salad had a vinaigrette dressing, cherry tomatoes and diced red onion in it.  It was mostly corn--I actually had only one cherry tomato in the 8 ounce carton that I bought.  But I had plans for that corn salad--this was just the beginning!

I picked up a few more fresh vegetables, came home and got busy.  Below is the corn salad I came up with.  I like the sharp crunch of summer vegetables, salty taste of a light vinaigrette dressing and a whole lot less starchy carbs.  Weight Watchers might even call it a "free" food!  Aren't all non-starchy vegetables free?

Groundhog Day Corn Salad

3/4 cup frozen (but thawed), canned or fresh corn
2 stalks celery, sliced thinly
1/2 English cucumber, quartered and sliced to approximately 1/4" dice
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped to approximately 1/4" dice
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
6 to 8 radishes, thinly sliced
2 T chopped Italian parsley
4 green onions, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp dried dill or 2 T chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper to taste, but be generous
2 T wine vinegar
1 T extra virgin olive oil (EVOO--thank you, Rachael Ray!)

Mix the vegetables together, corn through dill.  Add salt, fresh ground pepper and vinegar.  Toss well to thoroughly distribute the ingredients.  Add the EVOO and toss again.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Serve cold.

I think this would be a great salad for a summer grilling party!  For a nice smoky flavor roast the corn on the cob until singed, let it cool, remove it from the cob and use it in the salad.

You can change the ingredients, the amounts, whatever as salad recipes like this are all about personal taste.

Being primarily a herbivore, maybe Punxsutawney Phil would be favorably enticed out of his den for some corn salad?  Maybe he really pokes his head out to see if the grill is ready?