Monday, April 27, 2009

Lasagna Done Easy

Every so often, Julia and I like to have lasagna. But with only two of us, most lasagna pans make way too much food. Freezing lasagna after it's cooked is can be a real crap shoot. So I make it in smaller pans and freeze it before it's cooked.

I also don't like making a big mess in my kitchen when I can avoid it. I remember years ago having a roommate who decided to make lasagna. He used every pan in the kitchen, left baked-on tomato sauce all over the stove, and spilled sauce in the oven. I spent several hours cleaning because it was my turn to do so. I decided never again!

I have become a real fan of using the cheap, disposable aluminum pans. I don't tie up any of my baking pans in the freezer until I decide to pop it in the oven for dinner and I don't spend hours scrubbing the pans afterward.

In keeping with the not making a big mess, I don't parboil my noodles. It takes too much time and I end up dribbling starchy water between the pot and the baking dish. Plus I think it makes the lasagna too runny. I've heard people complain that no-boil noodles get gummy, but I've never had that problem. I think freezing the lasagna for a week or two prevents gumminess nicely.

I am also a fan of using canned spaghetti sauce as the base for the sauce. The canned stuff has already been cooked and cooked so I don't have to do it. Of course the spicing is incomplete, so I heavily supplement it.

I picked this tip up from Food Network: Buy tomato paste in tubes. Tubes can be recapped, so you don't have to buy 4 oz of tomato paste for just 2 tablespoons. It lasts a long, long time in the refrigerator, so you don't waste too much money on it.

Lasagna -- Meat Version
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles
1 jar prepared spaghetti sauce
1 lb low fat ground beef
dried basil
dried oregano
powdered garlic
freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, diced
1 pound of mushrooms, sliced
1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste
16 oz. ricotta
1 green pepper, diced (optional)
1 egg
1-2 teaspoons of sugar (optional)
1 lb mozzarella

Brown the ground beef and drain grease. Remove ground beef from pan. Saute onion, mushrooms, and optional peppers until onions are translucent.

Add spaghetti sauce and ground beef to onions and mushrooms. Bring to a simmer. Sprinkle dried garlic across the top of the sauce until the top of the sauce is covered with the garlic. Do the same with the basil and oregano. Add a couple of grinds of black pepper. Add tomato paste. Blend thoroughly. Taste the sauce; if it is too sour, add sugar and stir. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix egg into ricotta cheese. Set aside.

Gather several aluminum pans. Make each lasagna as follows: Splash about a half cup of the sauce in the bottom of the pan. Put a layer of noodles in pan. Cover with ricotta cheese (make no more than 3/4 inch thick). Splash about a quarter of a cup of sauce over cheese. Place a layer of noodles. Repeat until pan is full. Cover top with sauce. Cover sauce with a layer of mozzarella.

Cover each lasagna with aluminum foil and freeze. When it is time to bake the lasagna, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake until done -- how long will depend on the precise size of the pan.

Lasagna -- Vegetarian Version (not vegan)
1 box no-boil lasagna noodles
1 jar prepared spaghetti sauce
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1-2 squash or zucchini sliced into coins
dried basil
dried oregano
powdered garlic
freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, diced
1 pound of mushrooms, sliced
1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste
16 oz. ricotta
1 green pepper, diced (optional)
1-2 teaspoons of sugar (optional)
1 egg
1 lb mozzarella

Saute onion, mushrooms, and optional pepper in olive oil until onions are translucent.

Add spaghetti sauce to onions and mushrooms. Bring to a simmer. Sprinkle dried garlic across the top of the sauce until the top of the sauce is covered with the garlic. Do the same with the basil and oregano. Add a couple of grinds of black pepper. Add tomato paste. Blend thoroughly. Taste the sauce; if it is too sour, add sugar and stir. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix egg into ricotta cheese. Set aside.

Gather several aluminum pans. Make each lasagna as follows: Splash about a half cup of the sauce in the bottom of the pan. Put a layer of noodles in pan. Cover with ricotta cheese (make no more than 3/4 inch thick). Splash about a quarter of a cup of sauce over cheese. Place a layer of noodles. Repeat until pan is full. Cover top with sauce. Cover sauce with a layer of mozzarella.

Cover each lasagna with aluminum foil and freeze. When it is time to bake the lasagna, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake until done -- how long will depend on the precise size of the pan.

Depending on how long the lasagna has been frozen, thawing it for a few hours beforehand is not a bad idea. I froze a lasagna for nearly six months in a bread pan and it was frozen so hard that I baked it for over an hour and a half. Normally, a frozen lasagna is done in 45 minutes.

Since I'm normally cooking for only two people, I like to use the bread size pans. They are nicely deep and just about the right size for two people. I like to enjoy it with freshly baked bread whenever I can.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Bean Salad

The tenor of all my other posts suggests that I have all the time in the world to cook. I wish! Unfortunately, I work, I volunteer, and I try to have a social life. Sometimes that leaves me wishing I had another 24 hours in the day.

A few weeks ago, I went gaming at a friend's house. Game nights were potluck and I didn't have much time (or energy) to make something wonderful. I looked in my cupboard and realized that I didn't have much besides canned beans. So I decided to make a really quick bean salad.

Bean Salad
1 15 oz can of cut green beans
1 15 oz can of dark red kidney beans
1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 15 oz can of black beans
1 cup of lentils (rehydrated and cooked)
1/2 of a large onion, minced
5-6 crimini mushrooms sliced
3 tablespoons of minced garlic
4-5 oz carrots, chopped
4-5 tablespoons capers
1 to 1-1/2 cups of grated romano cheese
1/4 to 1/2 cup of salad dressing (I used Auntie Anne's Sesame and SDrain hittake dressing)

Hydrate and cool lentils.
Roast the garlic for 15-20 minutes in a small ramekin or baking dish.
Drain and rinse the beans.
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes to half an hour before serving.


This quick and easy bean salad turned out really, really good! The lentils gave the salad a really nice nuttiness that complimented the softness of the beans. I think it took all of half an hour to make.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Pork Chops in Garlic Wine Sauce

When I was growing up, I thought I didn’t like pork. My mother regularly made it, always the same way. She would mix a little salt, ground pepper, and garlic powder in a couple of cups of flour. Then she would dredge the thin pork chops. Finally, she would brown the pork chops in oil, add water, and simmer for half an hour or more. The end product was invariably dry pork chops with a bland brown gravy. So I thought I only liked pork when it was cured.

My partner, on the other hand, is a southerner. Or as her sister-in-law calls it: “The People of the Pig.” It was tough on her not eating pork much – either when I wasn’t home for dinner or when she could convince me to cook her pork and myself beef. That ended one night when I got tired of making two dinners and decided to surprise her. I realized that I could deal with the meat’s dryness if I moist-cooked it. So I quickly seared the meat, added water, and added salt and garlic. Something was missing, so I threw in some peppercorns (which I hate, but my nose said it needed). Something was still missing, so I dribbled in some rum. And I loved every bite of it!

So I went on a crusade to figure out how to make yummy pork. And I've been succeeding!

Pork Chops in Garlic Wine Sauce

3 tablespoons of chopped garlic

1 cup of Chardonnay

2 cups of water

1 large pinch of coarse-ground kosher salt

Several grinds of black pepper

1 teaspoon of orange zest

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 large pork steaks (I used pork sirloin steaks)

Pulse the garlic to turn it into a paste. Add wine, salt, pepper, and garlic. Add pork steaks and marinade for an hour.

Heat oil in skillet on high. Remove pork steaks from marinade (reserve marinade) and pat dry. Sear steaks until brown on both sides. Add 1 cup of marinade and simmer for 30 minutes.

The pork was really tender. The pork is well-flavored with the marinade and very, very moist. The orange zest really brings out the native sweetness of the pork and brightens the flavor wonderfully. This goes really well with rice pilaf and freshly steamed broccoli.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Shortbread - oh, yeah!

I make an amazing shortbread, even if I say so myself. Actually, someone has nicknamed my shortbread as “crack” because she can’t leave it alone. If how little of it returning home after a get-together is any indication, she’s right.

Basic Shortbread Recipe

1 lb of unsalted butter

1-1/4 cup of confectioner’s sugar (or caster’s sugar) – do not use granulated

4 cups of flour

¼ teaspoon of salt (optional – I often leave it out)

Cream together the sugar and butter until the butter is light and airy. Do not over-cream. Mix in the flour. I usually use a stand mixer, so I add it in ½ cup increments to keep my kitchen from being flour-coated.

Put in to 9-inch cake pans or a 13-inch baking dish. I’ve been using an 8-inch and 10-inch springform pan. Bake at 325° for 25-30 minutes. The edges should just be beginning to turn brown. I often decorate with colored sugar or decorator’s gel before I bake it.

I was researching the history of shortbread, trying to figure out the origins of modern shortbread. I came across several recipes that had a variety of spices in the mix, so I decided to experiment.

After making my base shortbread recipe, I divided the batch into four pieces.

  1. I left this piece plain as a comparison piece.
  2. I added ½ teaspoon of freshly grated cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon of coriander (I would have used fresh, but only had powdered). Just a note about grating cinnamon — don’t grate along the edge, grate along the side.
  3. I added ¼ teaspoon of cardamom, gently crushed.
  4. I added ½ teaspoon of crushed, dried rosehips.

I decorated it and baked it as usual for a get-together of people who have never had my shortbread. Everyone liked all the variants of it, but especially the cinnamon/nutmeg/coriander.

  1. The plain shortbread is a wonderful creamy, sweet treat. I’ve often been tempted to add fresh vanilla and see what that does.
  2. The cinnamon/nutmeg/coriander version was nicely spiced with a warm earthy flavor. I thought it was very comforting and Christmas-y, but that was really just me. I really ought to try it with each of the spices separately and with aniseed.
  3. The cardamom gave a nice, aromatic, lemon-like tone to the shortbread. I should have crushed it up a bit finer and used a half teaspoon. The cardamom provided a nice, sweet refreshment to the mouth. I’d like to serve this between courses of a meal as a palate cleanser. After trying this, I am actually considering a trial using the zest of lemons, lime, and oranges.
  4. The rosehips didn’t quite do what I expected. Sometimes the rosehips were a little hard and chewy; I should have crushed it up bit finer. I liked the citrus notes, but the floral tones were more subtle than I expected. This might be remedied by using more rosehips (like 1 teaspoon), but I also might try it with my rosehip butter. The honey will make it a little challenging but the flavor should be amazing.