Heavenly Pillows of Deliciousness

In preparing for my first try at gnocchi, I read many recipes for these pillows of loveliness. Recent fall editions of my fave culinary rags (Bon Appetit and Food & Wine) contained recipes for your typical potato gnocchi as well as variations like sweet potato gnocchi and even a carrot version. Then I turned to epicurious.com for their take. That's where I ran into recipes for ricotta gnocchi. As soon as I read through a few, I realized these gnocchi are made almost completely of cheese! Uhm, sold. The following is my adaptation of two recipes I found on epicurious.

Ricotta Gnocchi

1 lb fresh ricotta (from your local cheese store or Trader Joe's carries a nice variety)
1 tbsp melted butter
2-3 egg yolks
1/2 c (appx) all-purpose flour
1/4 c Parmesan
1/2 tsp salt
grated lemon rind

Depending on the type of ricotta you start with, you might have to let it sit in a sieve over a bowl in the refrigerator for at least an hour until it loses some of the liquid. You don't want to start with "wet" ricotta... so, let it drain prior to making the gnocchi dough.

When the ricotta has drained sufficiently, drop it in a bowl and whisk fervently until the cheese is mixed well. Add the butter and whisk like crazy. Then add 2-3 egg yolks, depending on the size of your eggs, plus the Parmesan; then whisk some more. Next add the flour by the heaping spoonful and mix. You'll probably only need to add about 3 heaping spoonfuls of flour. Add just enough to pull the dough together, or until the dough changes color from slightly yellow (from the eggs) to slightly white. Then mix like crazy again. You should have a fluffy dough that resembles a texture somewhere between mashed potatoes and cake icing.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and prepare a plate with a shallow layer of flour. With a small spoon, scoop up about 2 teaspoons worth of dough. Then push the dough off the spoon with your finger into the flour. You can drop upto 4 pieces of dough into the flour at a time. Then shake the plate a bit to flour the sides of the dough. Flip each piece of dough over to cover the other side in flour. Then pick up one piece at a time; shape it into an oval pod by slightly rolling and cradling it in your palm. Gently place each gnocchi on the baking sheet. When you've shaped all the gnocchi, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil (you might need two pots depending on how many gnocchi you cook at once). Reduce the water to a slow simmer and drop in the gnocchi. Cook at a gentle simmer (a hard boil will make the gnocchi cook too fast and explode). At first the gnocchi will sink to the bottom of the pot, but after they float to the top, cook for about 3-4 minutes more. Finally, remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and serve immediately with browned butter and Parmesan or lamb ragu.

Bon appetit!

Comfort Food

My all-time favorite comfort food meal is definitely meatloaf with mac and cheese. Interestingly it's not something I had very frequently as a child, so I'm guessing there's some inherent quality to the dish that makes it super-duper satisfying.

In this recipe, I make mini-meatloaves that cook in just 20 minutes (I, admittedly, have to give credit to Rachel Ray for that idea... simply brilliant). And the mac and cheese is so decadent and easy, you'll never have to make it from the box again.

Mini-Meatloaf with Mac and Cheese

For the meatloaf (makes 4 loaves):

1 1/3 lb ground beef (or ground turkey for a lighter version)
1 small onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
4 tbsp tomato paste, divided
1/4 c Parmesan, grated
1/2 c bread crumbs
1/8 tsp each of dried oregano, parsley, and basil (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
olive oil

Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil in a small skillet and heat on low to medium. Add onions and bell peppers; saute until translucent. Then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Turn off the heat and set aside. Next, empty the ground beef into a bowl. Make a well in the middle of the ground beef. Into the well, add the egg, 2 tbsp tomato paste, Parmesan, bread crumbs, dried herbs, sauteed onion mixture, salt and pepper (4 or 5 turns of the mill should do).

Mix the ingredients well (although messy, your hands really are the best tool here). Next divide the ground beef mixture in four and shape each half into a wide, flat loaf, kind of like a flattened football. Place each on a baking sheet. Brush the remaining tomato paste all over the top of each meatloaf (see picture). Finally, lightly brush a bit of olive oil over top of the tomato paste (this step gives the cooked meatloaf a delicious crispy, crunchy outer layer). Cook in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

Mac and Cheese

1/4 box of elbows or cellentani (spirals, my favorite!)
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 c low-fat milk
1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c Parmesan, grated
1/4 c Cheese-of-your-choice (I've used gruyere, fontina, asiago, and romano... all with great success)
pinch of white pepper (freshly ground black pepper works too)
1/8 c Italian bread crumbs
pinch of fresh parsley, chopped fine
1/2 sprig of thyme, chopped fine
1/4 sprig of rosemary, chopped fine
olive oil

While the meatloaf is in the oven... Boil the pasta to al dente. Drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, make a roux in a small saucepan by melting the butter and then adding the flour, whisking constantly. Whisk for 2 minutes or so, but don't allow the roux to brown. Then start your bechemel sauce by adding the milk. Whisk fervently to incorporate your roux with the milk. Allow the bechemel sauce to begin to bubble and thicken*. Then add about a 1/3 of the cheeses and stir until completely melted; repeat until all the cheese is incorporated. Lastly, whisk in a pinch of white pepper.

Add pasta to the cheese sauce and mix well**; then pour that cheesy goodness into a casserole dish. Whisk bread crumbs, fresh herbs, and 1 tsp olive oil in a small bowl until olive oil is evenly distributed in the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over top the mac and cheese in the casserole. Place under the broiler until the bread crumbs turn golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Each mini-meatloaf is about a single serving. So, plate one with a heaping spoonful of mac and cheese and enjoy a comforting meal that just might remind you of Sunday night dinners when you were a kid.

Notes:
*I've played around with the desired thickness of the bechemel sauce. And I found that the thicker the bechemel the gooier the cheese sauce... so I let my bechemel become quite thick to where it's just about the thickness of white gravy.
** You can absolutely stop here and forgo the bread crumb topping with splendid results.

All Hail the Mighty Chicken

Do yourself a favor and roast a chicken.

If you've never embarked on this wonderfully delicious adventure, I can't encourage you emphatically enough to do so. I've never in my life garnered this much joy from cooking any other dish, honestly. There really is a sweetly intangible feeling to taking a whole bird, prepping it, roasting it, and ultimately ending up with a show-stoppingly golden brown main dish.


For those of you who might shy away from cooking a whole chicken due to a perceived difficulty level, let me tell you this is a fool-proof recipe. Also, this particular cooking method (using a foil-covered brick on top of the roasting chicken) literally cuts the cooking time in half. You can have the bird on the table in under an hour!

Brick-Roasted Whole Chicken

1 whole chicken* with the backbone cut out (most butchers will do this for you)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
2 lemons, juiced
olive oil
salt and pepper
crushed red pepper flakes
chopped parsley (optional)

This recipe is most delicious if the chicken marinates overnight. First, rinse and pat dry the chicken. Then place the bird inside a large zip-lock bag. Rub the minced garlic and chopped rosemary all over the front side of the bird. Add the lemon juice and 1/4 c of olive to the bag. Then, rub that chicken down one more time. Place the whole bag in a large bowl (in case it decides to leak chicken juices you won't be faced cleaning it out of your fridge later) and place it in the refrigerator overnight.

When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large oven-safe skillet (I've found that a cast-iron skillet works the best), heat 2 tbsp of olive oil on the stove. Place the chicken, breast-side down, in the skillet and allow to brown for about 7 minutes. Then carefully place the skillet on the over rack (make sure there's plenty of room between racks) and drop a foil-covered brick across the top of the bird (position it such that the ends of the brick are resting on the underside of either thigh). Cook for 30 minutes. Then remove the brick from the chicken and take the skillet from the oven. Flip the chicken in the skillet (be extra careful here to ensure the skin stays stuck to the chicken and not your skillet). Place the skillet back on the oven rack, and replace the brick across the top of the chicken, for another 15-20 minutes of cooking.

Remove the brick from the chicken, and chicken from the oven. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes and, if you'd like, squeeze a little more lemon juice on top and sprinkle on some chopped parsley. Of course, it's always a good idea to allow the bird to rest at least 10 minutes so the juices don't run out when you cut it.


Finally...



Slice that sucker up and serve it with roasted veggies (pictured: julienned parsnips and carrots) or a beet salad.


Note:
* Whole chickens are surprising inexpensive. I bought my organic beauty at whole foods for just over $10, AND there was enough meat on it for two meals plus extra that I'll probably use for the filling of chicken enchiladas or chicken tortilla soup!

Last Chance Summer Harvest

I admit it. I panicked a wee-bit at the farmers market this weekend. I was looking around at the tomatoes, sweet corn, and strawberries and noticed a lack of abundance. A sadness enveloped me. The days suddenly seemed a little less sunny. Indeed, I had begun to mourn the loss of peak-season produce... but decided instead to make one last homage to summer vegetable season. This one's a beaut and oh-so-delicious with roasted chicken or grilled fish.

Stuffed Late Season Heirloom Tomatoes with Corn and Zucchini

4 large, slightly firm heirloom tomatoes (or any variety 'mater will work)
olive oil
1 corn on the cob, kernels removed
2 cloves of garlic, minced and smashed into a paste
1/2 onion, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced in smallish cubes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp fresh cilantro or basil (or both!), chopped

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut a small hole, about 2- to 2 1/2-inches, in the tops of the tomatoes and remove the tops. Using a small spoon, hallow out the insides of the tomatoes into a small bowl and reserve. Place each hallowed tomato openside-down on a towel to drain any remain juices.

In a medium skillet, heat 2 tbsp of oil. Add corn kernels and cook until they just start to change color, about 3 mins. Remove the kernels from the skillet and add them to the bowl with the reserved tomato pulp and juice. Add 2 tbsp more of oil to the skillet, then add the onions. When the onions begin to turn translucent add the smashed garlic. Cook just 1 or 2 minutes more until the garlic begins to become fragrant. Then add the reserved tomato juices, corn kernels, zucchini, dried oregano, and fresh herbs. Cook on medium until the zucchini becomes tender, about 6-8 mins. Then remove the skillet from the heat.

Arrange the hallowed tomatoes in a baking dish*. Generously spoon the corn/zucchini mixture** into the tomatoes. Bake for 20 minutes.

I hope this recipe helps you celebrate the wonders of summer vegetables too!

Bon appetit!

Notes: * I found that positioning the tomatoes right next to the wall of the baking dish as well as right next to each other helps them retain their shape during cooking.
** If you have some of the corn/zucchini mixture left over after filling the tomatoes, it's delicious on top of grilled/roasted chicken or grilled fish... it's sweetly reminiscent of a ratatouille, but far less time- and effort-intensive.

Autumn - Soup #1

My dear readers, please forgive my absence. It's been too long since I last posted. Hang in there with me, as I have been very busy with life stuff and have been lacking a bit of inspiration, culinarily-speaking. But... with the new season, most certainly comes new inspiration.

Here in SoCal, we had our first crisp day with temperatures dipping around 67 degrees. Just lovely cooking weather, and especially ideal for soup. May I present to you:

Vegetable, Bean, and Toasted Bread Soup

Extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 quarts chicken broth or stock
1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of whole tomatoes, quartered, plus 1/2 the juices
2 c leafy greens, like swiss chard (I used the leaves from the end of a bunch of beets!)
1/2 loaf of crusty, day-old bread, ripped in large pieces
salt and pepper
1 tbsp each of fresh basil and cilantro (optional)
parmesan cheese

In a large stockpot, heat the oil and cook the onions and garlic until transparent. Add carrots and celery and cook for 5 min. Add chicken stock and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add tomatoes, juice, and chard. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Then bring the soup back to a simmer for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, turn the oven to 350 degrees. Spread out the bread pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toast for 10 minutes.

To serve, top each bowl of soup with a sprinkle of basil and cilantro. Top with toasted bread and shredded parmesan cheese.

This soup should keep you warm all through the fall and winter. Bon appetit!