"The Macy's Culinary Council Thanksgiving & Holiday Cookbook" - Blue Cheese Potatoes au Gratin - Christmas Day

Date I made this recipe:  Christmas Day, 2017

The Macy’s Culinary Council Thanksgiving & Holiday Cookbook

Published by Macy’s in commemoration of the 85^th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

ISBN:  978-0-9779890-5-8; copyright 2011

Recipe:  Blue Cheese Potatoes au Gratin – p. 23

Let me just cut to the chase:  These are some of the best potatoes I have ever eaten! 

There.  Now that I have your attention, let me just say that it took me long enough (six years) to cook from this cookbook, but it was well worth the wait. 

The recipes in this book were all contributed by chefs who were members of Macy’s Culinary Council:  Rick Bayless; Michelle Bernstein; Cat Cora; Tom Douglas; Todd English; Marc Forgione; Emeril Lagasse; Wolfgang Puck; Marcus Samuelsson; Tim Scott; Nancy Silverton; Ming Tsai and Takashi Yagihashi. 

If you are into cookbooks and cooking like me, you probably know most of these names.  Maybe you have their cookbooks.  I have met personally Cat Cora and Marcus Samuelsson, and have eaten also at Marcu’s Red Rooster restaurant in Harlem.  If you’re like me, you gush a little.  These people are all kick-ass chefs who know their way around a kitchen, but yet were happy to share their skills and expert observations with Macy’s shoppers.  I like that.

My husband and I didn’t really observe Thanksgiving Day this year because we still had leftovers from the pre-Thanksgiving family dinner we had the week before.  Initially, I was thinking of making a belated T-Day dinner and earmarked several T-Day recipes in the book, but then as I am wont to do, I changed things up and went in another direction.  The other direction was a beef brisket (not in this cookbook) accompanied by these Blue Cheese Potatoes au Gratin and a Roasted Beet Salad (also from this cookbook, page 111).

I have to say that the brisket was okay, the beet salad was very good, but these ‘taters were just amazing.  As these things go though, they almost didn’t happen.  When we went grocery shopping on Christmas Eve, I was pretty convinced that I had enough blue cheese for the recipe.  Turned out I didn’t, and then it turned out that Andy inadvertently munched his way through some of what I had on hand during his daily “cheese and crackers hour.”

You know how people look when they’re caught eating let’s say ice cream straight out of the container?  This is what Andy looked like when I “caught” him eating the cheese!

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?  I told you that I was using that in the potatoes!”  He claims that the cheese stock was already depleted before he touched it, but I don’t know about that.  I do know that I wish I had taken a photo of him stuffing a cheese-laden cracker into this mouth because it was pretty funny and also evidence of his near-crime!

This left me then low on cheese and low on choices.  We had other cheese in our refrigerator, but some were too hard, some were the wrong flavor profile, and some were similarly textured, like feta, but just not right.  This left me with goat cheese and you know what folks, when I used it in this recipe, I discovered I inadvertently (and out of necessity) hit the jackpot.  The texture of blue cheese is not exactly the same as goat cheese, but they blended well together, and the dish was delicious. 

What I really loved though, was that you simmer the potatoes in the cream before baking them in the oven.  This lets the flavor infuse, and also pre-cooks the potatoes so your potatoes come out soft and creamy.

This recipe was submitted by Eugene Flynn, owner of Amanda’s restaurant in Hoboken, NJ, who caters a pre-parade event for parade staffers and their families.  I just looked at his restaurant menu and he serves these potatoes with a sixteen-ounce grilled Angus Sirloin and I am so going there and getting that when we return to NJ this summer.  Road trip!

This cookbook is divided into holidays – Thanksgiving and “Holiday”– and each chef contributes a menu as follows:

Thanksgiving

• Parade Party:  Emeril Lagasse
• Left Coast Thanksgiving: Tom Douglas
• New Classic Thanksgiving:  Marc Forgione
• A Southern Thanksgiving:  Cat Cora
• Leftovers for Lunch:  Nancy Silverton

Holiday

• Friends and Family Cookie Exchange
• Holiday Brunch:  Wolfgang Puck
• Holiday Open House: Tim Scott
• Christmas at Home:  Rick Bayless
• Feast of the Seven Fishes:  Todd English
• An American Julbord:  Marcus Samuelsson
• Dumpling Party: Ming Tsai
• Hanukkah Dinner:  Michelle Bernstein
• New Year’s Eve Party:  Takashi Yagihashi

 Almost every recipe is accompanied by mouth-watering photos which I always love and some chef commentary to boot.  Honestly, there were few recipes from this book I didn’t want to make and had to work hard to limit it to two and only two.

Even though I made these potatoes (and beet salad) for Christmas, they are the perfect accompaniment for any meal, especially a roast or a meatloaf, so knock yourself out.  Just keep your eye on both your husband and your cheese supply!

Blue Cheese Potatoes au Gratin – Serves 8 to 10

2 tablespoons butter

1 quart heavy cream

3 pounds Idaho russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick (preferably on a mandoline)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

5 ounces Maytag blue cheese, crumbled

Kosher salt

Ground white pepper

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Butter a 9- by 12-inch baking dish.

Pour the cream into a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and slowly bring to a boil, watching carefully so the cream does not boil over.  As soon as the cream reaches a boil, add the sliced potatoes and salt and stir to combine.  Bring the mixture back to a simmer (stirring often so the potatoes don’t stick to the bottom) and cook until the mixture has thickened, and the potatoes are almost fully cooked, about 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

Layer one-third of the potatoes in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle one-third of the blue cheese evenly over the potatoes and season with a little salt and white pepper.  Repeat the layers twice, ending with the blue cheese.  Pour any cream left in the pan over the potatoes, and cover the dish loosely with foil.

Bake until the potatoes are cooked through, about 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake until the top is browned and lightly crusted, about 15 minutes more.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Ann’s Note:  As noted above, I ran out of blue cheese and so added goat cheese and loved the results.  I think you too can play with the cheeses you use so long as you get something similar in texture and taste. 

"Cakes, Cookies and Pastries" by Myra Waldo - Italian Rum Torte - Zuppa Inglese - Christmas

Date I made this recipe:  December 28, 2015 – "Christmas Dinner" Dessert        

Cakes, Cookies and Pastries – 187 great dessert recipes from around the world by Myra Waldo

Published by: Galahad Books

© 1962; Third Printing 1970

Purchased at Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, NYC

Recipe:  Italian Rum Torte (Zuppa Inglese) – p. 56-57

When my husband tasted this recipe, his first words were "How much booze is in this thing, anyway?"

Answer:  a lot!  But it's Christmas and so it's time to cut loose and what better way with this boozy dessert? 

As you can see by the date, I didn't make this until Christmas was well and truly over but if you read my other holiday blog posts, you saw that I was just a tad exhausted and so didn't make anything on Christmas Day as I planned.  This was supposed to be the final ta-da to my holiday frittata and holiday pork stew (both recipes from Martha Stewart) but I just didn't get there.  Still, Christmas lasts well past its sell-by date of December 25^th and so I had time.

I've written about cookbook author, Myra Waldo before and have five of her cookbooks (out of a dozen or so) in my collection.  She started writing cookbooks in the 1950's as well as a few travel guides.  The artwork for her The Art of South American Cookery is still one of my favorites and I quite enjoyed the recipe I made for the blog as well.

This book is pretty compact – 119 pages – but it provides a nice variety of delicious pastries for you to enjoy.  I was sorely tempted to make the "Frozen Eggnog Pie" on page 87 but at the very last minute, switched it out for the rum torte.  On the booze meter, the eggnog pie only contained 2 tablespoons cognac or light rum whereas the rum torte lived up to its name with a whopping ¾ cup being used for the dish, and another ¼ reserved for the whipped cream topping.  My husband said that when he took the cover off the torte, he was almost knocked out by the fumes.  Slight exaggeration but you get the point. 

As the book title suggests, this book is filled with recipes for cakes and cookies as well as pastry consisting of tortes, macaroons, pies, tarts, other pastries, and frostings, creams, glazes and fillings.  I tell you what, as between enjoying frosting and enjoying cake, I am a frosting gal and so I might just make up a batch of the Seven-Minute Frosting (and variations) found on page 114 just for the heck of it.  I love me some seven-minute frosting!

Assuming you do not make your own ladyfingers (and I could have but chose not to), then your only task in this very easy recipe is to keep an eye on your custard and allow enough time for it to cook, gently, to creamy and silky perfection.  And then get out your booze, pour some for the recipe and a lot more for yourself and congratulate yourself on making a recipe that is sure to impress if not inebriate you and your guests for the holidays. 

Italian Rum Torte (Zuppa Inglese) – makes one 11-inch deep pie

2 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup sugar

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

36 lady fingers

1 cup rum

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

Sift the cornstarch, salt and sugar into a saucepan.  Gradually beat in milk, then the egg yolks.  Cook over low heat, mixing steadily, until thickened and smooth, but don't boil the mixture.  Remove from the heat and beat in the vanilla.  Strain if there are any lumps.  Cool.

Line the bottom of an 11-inch deep pie plate closely with some lady fingers; pour ¼ cup rum over it.  (Ann's Note:  If you don't have the right sized pie plate, try a similarly sized casserole or baking pan.)  Covered with half the cooled custard.

Make another layer of lady fingers (reserving some for the top), sprinkle with ¼ cup rum, spread remaining custard over it and cover with remaining lady fingers.  Sprinkle with ¼ cup rum. 

Cover and chill for 3-4 hours.  Just before serving, pour the remaining rum over the top, and cover with the cream whipped with the confectioners' sugar.

"The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook" - Holiday Frittata - Christmas

Date I made this recipe:  Saturday, December 26^th (intended for Christmas morning)

The Martha Stewart Living Christmas Cookbook – A Collection of Favorite Holiday Recipes from the editors of Martha Stewart Living

Published by:  Oxmoor House

ISBN:  0-8487-2739-8

Recipe:  Holiday Frittata – p. 82

If some of Martha Stewart is good, more is better, right?  So what if I just made a Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives by Martha Stewart for Christmas dinner.  It was from a completely different cookbook so that makes it A-okay to make!

Originally, I perused this cookbook looking for recipes for our annual holiday party but nothing leapt out at me.  And let's face it, some of Martha's recipes and long and involved and I don't "do" long and involved.  I like my recipes short and sweet and without much fuss and so for sure, this ruled out the complicated "Birch de Noel" (also known as "Buche de Noel" a/k/a Chocolate Yule Log) starting on page 358.  The basic Yule log is not too difficult to make but my gosh, the accompanying meringue mushrooms are another story altogether.  And only Martha would spend hours carefully drawing lines under the mushroom cap to resemble the actual mushroom top.  And then of course only Martha would dust the meringue mushrooms so perfectly with cocoa to make them look like they were just picked from her back yard.

I am not Martha.  I do not do Yule logs therefore, I do not also make meringue mushrooms.

What I did do though, was to make her Holiday Frittata recipe because it was easy.  But Martha would have likely failed me big time because instead of making it on Christmas morning as intended, I made it for Sunday dinner.  Because I can. 

Actually, Andy ended up doing most of the cooking on this thing.  I roasted the red pepper because I am very good at that (having a gas stovetop makes all the difference), and I chopped the vegetables and mixed everything but then had him do the heavy lifting on actually making the frittata figuring that if Martha inquired later as to how it went, he could tell her he screwed up, not me.  Not that Martha would call because we don't know her from Adam, but I always feel her lurking in the kitchen when making her recipes.  Happily, the frittata came out great and it was very good (because of course it was) and so we dodged a Martha bullet once again.

If you are in a Martha mood for breakfast items, you might also want to consider her "Frittata with Sausage and Pecorino" recipe on the same page as the Holiday Frittata.  Same instructions, different ingredients.

As is de rigueur (good manners) with Martha, she includes several menus to give you guidance over the holidays but feel free to pick and choose which items you want and for what holiday occasion.  Just don't tell her I told you that because she'll likely be mad at me and I don't want Martha mad at me.

Here then, is the perfect and I do mean perfect, Martha Stewart Holiday Frittata with the perfect mix of yummy "fillings" such as red bell pepper and goat cheese, made perfectly by my perfect husband, Andy, on a perfectly good night after Christmas when all through the house we were exhausted and so we made breakfast for dinner.  It's the new "thing" you know and I do believe Martha would approve although if she doesn't she can damn well come over to our house next Christmas morning and make this herself!

Holiday Frittata – serves 6

1 red bell pepper

12 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup milk

¾ cup sliced scallions, white and light-green parts only (about 1 small bunch)

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, coarsely chopped, plus a few sprigs for garnish

1 teaspoon coarse salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

½ tablespoon butter

½ tablespoon olive oil

2 small red potatoes, sliced 1/8 inch thick

Ann's Notes:  I thought a dozen eggs was a bit much, but it was just right.  Also, I am not fond of tarragon but probably could have used basil instead.  It would have been cheaper than buying fresh tarragon.  And finally, I almost never garnish anything I'm serving and this is likely to earn me a major Martha demerit but I like living life on the edge.

Roast red pepper over a gas flame or under a broiler until blackened.  Place in a bowl; cover with plastic wrap and let steam 5 minutes.  Peel and seed, then cut into ¼-inch-wide-strips.

"One Pot - From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living" - Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives - Christmas

Date I made this recipe:  December 24, 2015 for Christmas Day dinner

One Pot From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living – 120+ easy meals from your skillet, slow cooker, stockpot, and more

Published by:  Clarkson Potter/Publishers

ISBN:  978-0-307-95441-1

Recipe:  Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives – p. 25 ("One Pot, Four Ways Pork Stew" – p. 24 and 25).

So, the backstory:  I had my eye on this book but generally don't buy newer cookbooks as I don't have the shelf space.  Instead, I often get the book from the library and then if it passes muster, I put it on the "buy" list, the purchase often happening years later and often at a discount.

But Martha is different.  After my library perusal was over, I decided I should buy it, mainly because my own rule of blogs:  If you post it, you should own it.  It's my own rule and I could break it if I wanted to (I'm very flexible!) but I wanted to finish out the year on a high note and with a clean conscience. 

And so it came to pass that Martha Stewart's One Pot cookbook is now part of my collection, acquired just so I could make this stew for Christmas.  Well, the stew and possibly one more dish, thereby breaking my second, self-imposed rule of blogs:  Thou shalt only make one recipe per book. 

By the time I made the decision to purchase the book though, we were days away from Christmas and so I had to hustle to find a copy of it from a bookstore.  Martha is always popular, you know.  Thankfully, the Barnes and Noble downtown Minneapolis store had a copy and so I grabbed it. Never mind that I had to drive and park downtown, I was on a mission.  I hope Martha appreciates this.

The recipe I selected for our Christmas Day repast was the very delicious Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives.  It was easy enough that I could have made it Christmas evening but something prompted me to make it on Christmas Eve while I was making Christmas Eve dinner and then reheat it Christmas evening and I'm glad I did because I was feeling a bit under the weather Christmas Day and did not have the energy to make the (Martha Stewart) Holiday Frittata I planned for breakfast nor did I have the energy to make this from scratch.  Thankfully, I had enough energy to push the button on the microwave.  Besides, everybody knows that stew tastes better the next day!

Now, it is not often that I dare to diss Martha because well, she's Martha after all, but this recipe – pork stew, four ways – was hard to follow.  The main recipe featured is that of Pork Stew with Root Vegetables and all the ingredients listed are for that and then the instructions to make the pork stew with root vegetables followed.  Then on the next page, she listed all the substitutions but not in a list.  Instead, she wrote things like "In step 1, replace leek and thyme with 1 sliced onion, 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds, and 1 dried bay leaf."  And so I found myself flipping back and forth to see what the root vegetable instructions were compared to the fennel with olives and then while shopping, had to double-check to make sure I got all of the right ingredients.

I am going to have to "ding" Martha for making me work so hard.  My preferred way to write this is to list all the ingredients and substitute ingredients in one big list and then add clear instructions for each stew.  Yes, Martha, this takes up more pages but your way drove me crazy.  I'm sorry.  (By the way, the other three pork stew recipes are:  Pork Stew with Root Vegetables, Pork Stew with Potatoes and Rosemary, and Pork Stew with Asparagus and Peas, all found on pages 24 and 25.)

The stew though, was really good although for the first time ever, I didn't taste it at all, instead putting it in the refrigerator after it cooled along with the remains of my Christmas Eve pasta dish.  The thing is, these two dishes paired really well together but I didn't plan to serve them together until my Christmas Day intentions went awry. 

As to the "one-pot" recipes, Martha breaks them out by "Dutch Oven;" "Slow Cooker;" "Skillet & Sauté Pan;" "Roasting Pan & Baking Dish;" "Pressure Cooker;" "Stockpot" and then even throws in some Dessert recipes that aren't necessarily made in one pot but by this point, who cares? If Martha wants to include a recipe for Molten Chocolate Cupcakes, then Martha gets to because again, she's Martha.

Whenever you make this recipe, it's delicious and relatively easy to put together.  The hardest part for me was finding the right amount of pork shoulder roast (most I found weighed way more than I needed) but once you get that right, it's smooth sailing from that point on.

Happy Holidays and Happy Cooking, Everyone!

Pork Stew with Fennel and Olives – serves 4

1 ½ pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 sliced onion

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups white wine, such as a Sauvignon Blanc

1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, pureed with their juice

2 heads fresh fennel, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted

¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Season pork with salt and pepper.  In a small Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium high.  Working in batches, add the pork and cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes.  Transfer to a plate.  Add remaining oil, the onion, fennel seeds, and bay leaf.  Cook until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute.

Add the white wine and bring to a boil for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes and juices and pork and bring back to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cook, partially covered, until pork is tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Add fennel and olives, and return to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer; cook, partially covered, until vegetables are tender, 25 to 30 minutes more.

Stir in parsley, and season with salt and pepper.

"Christmas 101;" "Emeril's Potluck;" "Holiday Fare - Favorite Williamsburg Recipes" - Holiday party fare - appetizers and cookies

Dates I made these recipes:  Week of November 30, 2015 – Holiday Party Fare!

Christmas 101 (revised 2007 edition) by Rick Rodgers, Author of Thanksgiving 101

Published by:  William Morrow

ISBN:  978-0-06-122734-9

Purchased at Barnes and Noble Used books, Barnes and Noble, St. Paul, MN

Recipe:  Stilton and Walnut Balls – p. 11

Recipe: Mocha Nut Crinkles – p. 126-127

Emeril's Potluck – Comfort Food with a Kicked-Up Attitude by Emeril Lagasse

Published by:  William Morrow

ISBN:  0-68-816431-5

Purchased at Goodwill

Recipe:  Kicked-Up Spinach and Artichoke Dip – p. 33-34

Holiday Fare – Favorite Williamsburg Recipes by John R. Gonzales

Published by:  The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, Virginia

ISBN:  0-87935-196-9

Purchased at Arc's Value Village Thrift Stores

Recipe:  Cheese and Chive Crisps – p. 14

'Tis the season to be jolly and, of course, to get things going by making and then eating holiday party food.  It's a good thing that calories don't count at this time of year (wink, wink) because these recipes have just a few grams of fat.  Just a few.  But they are all delicious and if they are delicious then nothing else matters.

Although Andy and I made all these recipes for our annual Mistletoe Madness© holiday open house, you don't need to plan a party as an excuse to make any of these for your own bad selves.  You may need to cut the recipes down as I did with most of the recipes but that all depends on what else you are serving.  We typically make a couple of hot appetizers, several spreads and cheese balls and then about a half dozen sweet treats.  And although in the early years of party planning, I relied heavily on my cookbook collections for party food recipes, these days I mix and match cookbook recipes with those found on the internet or in magazines.  It's all about what we're in the mood to eat.

If you saw our entire menu, then you would see why I joked to friends that this year's fare was "The Year of Meat and Cheese" because recipes either fell into one camp or the other (save for dessert).  We didn't plan it that way but somehow we compiled a plethora of recipes in these categories and didn't see any reason to hold back.  And so for your consideration in the "cheese" category, we have the Stilton and Walnut Ball (made with either Tawny Port or, as we did it, Madeira), Emeril Lagasse's Kicked-Up Spinach and Artichoke Dip, containing brie, Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheese, and the cheese and chive crisps, made with sharp cheddar and Parmesan, as well as Cheese and Chive Crisps.  You're welcome, National Dairy Council!  And then for good measure, we threw in the Mocha Nut Crinkles.

Let's start with the Mocha Nut Crinkles.  I've made variations of these before and so was dismayed when the first batch I made came out chewy instead of light and...crinkly.  I checked over all my ingredients and determined the problem to be that they were chilled too long (the recipe calls for 2 hours). Or, as Andy and I like to joke, "chillaxed."  This also happened with another refrigerator cookie recipe I made for pistachio cookies.  I ended up remaking and re-chilling both cookie doughs and the results were much more to my satisfaction.  Prior to this, I told friends that I was going to rename the cookies Mocha Nut "Chews."  (As an aside, this is why I try to make as many party items in advance so I can fix anything that goes wrong.)

Runner-up in the "degree of difficulty" contest was Emeril's spinach dip which is made using fresh spinach that you blanch and then chop.  Frankly, that part was a little messy and so I think that when I make this again, I'm going to just use frozen.  But it's so very "Food Network" to use fresh spinach (better if you grow it yourself) that I stuck to the plan, Stan.  My only tiny complaint is I made it the night before, then reheated it in the oven but it wasn't very hot so I microwaved it for a few minutes with fantastic results:  all the cheese melted and it went from just "so-so" to "fantastic" just like that.  I'm definitely going to make a note of that for next time.

The Cheese and Chive Crisps were very easy to make and very good but the hand's down winner of the "no degree of difficulty" contest was the Stilton and Walnut Cheese Balls.  I mean, how hard is it to mix cream cheese, Stilton cheese and liquor and then roll it in walnuts?  Not very hard at all, at all!  And when it comes to party time, Andy and I both want more of the "not very hard at all" recipes than we do "incredible degree of difficulty" which is why we have eliminated some of the following from our menu:  anything fried, anything with phyllo dough (hate that stuff – what a mess), anything to be made in a wok, anything with 22 steps that needs to be done the morning of, seafood (messy and stinky) and anything requiring a fork.  In other words, a short list!

All of these dishes should land on your holiday entertaining short list.  Or your Super Bowl party short list.  Or your birthday party short list.  Or heck, your "who needs a stinking list" list.  Enjoy!

Stilton and Walnut Balls – makes 12 to 16 appetizer servings

Can be made up to 5 days ahead

8 ounces Stilton or other blue cheese, rind removed, at room temperature

One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature

2 tablespoons tawny port (Ann's Note:  we didn't have that on hand so I used Madeira)

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Water crackers for serving

Cored, sliced, ripe Bosc pears, tossed with lemon juice to discourage browning, for serving

In a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula, mash the Stilton and cream cheese together until smooth.  Work in the port and pepper.  Place a piece of plastic wrap on the work surface, and scrape the cheese mixture into the center of the wrap.  Use the plastic wrap to form the cheese mixture into a ball (it will be soft).  Refrigerate until the ball is chilled and firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.

To serve, unwrap the ball and roll in the chopped nuts.  Transfer to a platter and serve with the crackers and pears.

(Emeril Lagasse's) Kicked-Up Spinach and Artichoke Dip – makes 4 to 8 servings

Two 10-ounce packages fresh spinach, well rinsed and stems trimmed

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup finely chopped onions

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 cup (6 ½ ounces) ½-inch cubes Brie cheese, rind removed

1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

One 6 ½-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

4 strips crisp fried bacon, chopped

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (for topping)

Assorted chips, such as pita chips, tortilla chips, and bagel chips, for dipping

Ann's Note:  Emeril wants you to start by preheating the oven to 350 and greasing a 9-inch round ovenproof chafing dish and setting that aside but this dish takes some time to assemble.  I preheated my oven about halfway through.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.  Add the spinach in batches and cook until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.  Drain and refresh under cold running water.  Squeeze the spinach to remove excess water and chop.  Set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onions and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.  Add the garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, to make a light roux, about 2 minutes.  Add the milk and cream in a steady stream, and coo, stirring constantly, until thick and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. [Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a 9-inch round ovenproof chafing dish.]  Add the cooked spinach and lemon juice and stir to incorporate.  Add the cubed Brie and grated Monterey Jack cheeses, artichoke hearts, and bacon and stir well.  Remove from the heat and pour into the prepared dish.  Top with the Parmesan cheese and bake until bubbly, about 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and serve hot with chips.

Ann's Note:  If you are not serving right away, put this dish in the microwave for about 2 minutes until cheese melts.

Cheese and Chive Crisps – makes about 36  (Ann's Note:  the dough needs to chill for at least an hour before baking.)

½ pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated

¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened

2 tablespoons chopped chives

1/8 to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup all-purpose flour

Beat the cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, butter, chives, cayenne pepper, salt, and Worcestershire sauce with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth.

Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon just until the flour is evenly incorporated.  Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide the dough evenly and shape by hand into two 1-inch-diameter logs.  Wrap the logs in plastic and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Slice the logs into ½-inch thick disks and place them on an ungreased baking sheet.  Using the back of a fork dusted with flour, gently push down on the disks to partially flatten them.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the undersides are nicely browned.

Serve warm or allow the crisps to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.

Mocha Nut Crinkles – makes 4 dozen

Make ahead:  The dough must be chilled for at least 2 hours.  The cookies can be baked up to 1 week ahead.  Ann's Note:  If you can't bake them within 2 hours, the dough might become too cold, making for chewy rather than light and fluffy.

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

5 tablespoons milk

1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder (the author says if you can't find this, substitute either ½ teaspoon coffee extract or regular instant coffee)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

½ cup vegetable shortening

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup (2 ounces) coarsely chopped walnuts

¾ cup confectioners' sugar for rolling

In the top part of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the water and cool the chocolate until tepid.

In a glass measuring cup, heat 1 tablespoon of the milk in a microwave on High until boiling.  Add the espresso powder and stir to dissolve.  Stir in the remaining ¼ cup milk.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together.  In another large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer set at high speed, beat together the granulated sugar and shortening until well combined.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla.  Reduce the mixers speed to low.  Mix in the melted chocolate.  A third at a time, alternately beat in the flour and milk mixtures.  Stir in the walnuts.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours.

Position racks in the center and top third of the oven and preheat to 350F.  Place the confectioners' sugar in a small bowl.  Using 1 tablespoon for each, roll the dough into 1-inch balls.  Roll the balls in confectioners' sugar to coat, then place 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with nonstick baking pads.

Bake, switching the position of the baking sheets from top to bottom and back to front halfway through baking, until the cookies are set with crisp edges, about 15 minutes.  Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 

"The Thanksgiving Book" - Country Corn Chowder - Christmas Day soup

Date I made this recipe:  December 26, 2014

The Thanksgiving Book – An Illustrated Treasury of Lore, Tales, Poems, Prayers and the Best in Holiday Feasting by Jerome Agel and Jason Shulman; Introduction by Willard Scott

Published by: Dell

© 1987

Recipe:  Country Corn Chowder – p. 23

Just like this year's Christmas cards (still unsent), I intended to make this dish on Christmas Day.  But we were invited to a Christmas open house and when one thing led to another, we got home way too late to assemble this soup and so you're getting the recipe the day after.  From a Thanksgiving cookbook, no less.  Well – these things happen.

This year, our Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays were very low key which is fine by us as we merely switch our meals around to fit schedules.  Actually, this year, Thanksgiving came and went without so much as an overeating moment to our name.  We normally spend the time around Thanksgiving with members of Andy's family but this year everybody was scattered and so to keep things simple, we got a turkey dinner takeout from one of our favorite restaurants.   And for the first time, it was rather underwhelming so...huh.

So then Christmas time was upon us and we were once again faced with dinner(s).  This time around, we decided that our usual and customary pasta meal on Christmas Eve would be our big meal and since we had the open house on Christmas Day, a simple soup would serve as dinner.  And since friends from Iowa came bearing gifts of sweet corn to us this summer (that we then froze), we decided on a simple but good corn chowder.  And naturally, the recipe came from a Thanksgiving book, reminding us of what we missed this time around.  And by the way, since his mom is having an open house on New Year's Day, we are going to do the same drill we did this Christmas i.e. heavy meal the night before, soup the day of.

So.  Corn Chowder is one of our favorite soups and as soon as our friends gave us the corn, Andy suggested making it but of course, we didn't have the time or I, the inclination, to go searching for a chowder recipe.  And then Thanksgiving came along and the thought of finding recipes for all the components of a traditional dinner (turkey, stuffing, etc.) was so overwhelming that we opted for take-out.  Still, I flagged this recipe with the frozen corn in mind.

And so speaking of the corn, although this recipe doesn't require you to pre-cook the corn, neither does the cooking time allow for it to get good and done (if you are using frozen corn that is).  So I recommend taking the corn off the cob and then cooking it (either in a pan with water or a microwave) until it's a little tender and then adding it to the soup.  Andy though, said he preferred the texture of the corn "as is" and so he wouldn't change a thing.  But it's my blog so I win!

I also made two additions to the recipe that I hope won't get me sent to culinary hell:  a bit of leftover red pepper – diced, and then two chicken breasts that I poached and then diced.  I love chicken corn chowder but you won't go wrong if you make the recipe as is.

Country Corn Chowder – Yield 8 to 10 servings

Per our authors, this recipe was a house specialty from the Inn of the Golden Ox, in Brewster Massachusetts.  (www.goldenox.com)

½ lb bacon or fatback, diced (Ann's Note:  This is not used to complete the recipe, only to sauté the vegetables so if you don't have enough or even either on hand, don't sweat it!)

1 large Spanish onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

½ cup flour

2 qt chicken stock, chilled

2 cups raw potatoes, diced

½ tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

½ tsp marjoram

4 sprigs parsley

6 peppercorns, crushed

1 clove garlic

6 ears sweet corn

2 cups half-and-half or light cream

Salt to taste

White pepper to taste

Unsalted butter (for garnish)

In a 4-quart stockpot, sauté bacon or fatback until fat is rendered.  With a slotted spoon remove bacon or fatback and discard, leaving fat in the stockpot.  Add onion and celery, and sauté until transparent.  Do not brown.  Sprinkle vegetables with flour, stir, and continue to cook over low heat for 10 minutes.  Do not brown.  Add chilled chicken stock and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce to a simmer and add potatoes.  Tie thyme, bay leaf, marjoram, parsley, peppercorns, and garlic in a cheesecloth and add to simmering soup.  Remove corn from cob with a sharp knife; add corn to soup.  Simmer until potatoes are tender.  Add half-and-half or light cream and return to simmer.  Season with salt and white pepper to taste.  Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with a dollop of butter.

 If you want to add poached chicken, place chicken breasts in a pan of cold water, and cover with water.  You'll need about an inch of water above the breasts for proper poaching.  Bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat down to simmer, cover and cook for about 8-10 minutes.   Slice and dice as needed!

"Christmas 101" - Savory Sausage and Cheese Bread Pudding/Strata for Christmas Day

Date I made this recipe:  Christmas Day, 2014 (breakfast)

Christmas 101 – Celebrate the Holiday Season from Christmas to New Year's by Rick Rodgers, author of Thanksgiving 101

Published by:  Broadway Books

ISBN:  0-7679-0399-4; copyright 1999 (an updated version was published in 2009)

Recipe:  Savory Sausage and Cheese Bread Pudding – p. 62

I haven't made a breakfast dish for this blog in I don't know how long, but this was a perfect way to start our Christmas Day.  Plus, later that day, we attended a very fun Christmas open house, staying way later than we planned, pushing back my easy soup dinner to December 26^th.  When these holiday events stack up, they stack up!

Now, lest you think I was organized enough to put this together the night before, I was not, nor did I hop out of bed first thing Christmas morning to make it.  Andy and I are all about the "ease into things" approach in this house and since we don't have kids or pets or (this year) visiting relatives, there was no need to rush.  In fact, we pretty much ate this breakfast, changed out of our very comfortable loungewear and hit the road for this party around oh – 3:00ish?  Like Quarterback Aaron Rodgers told Green Bay Packers' fans a while back, "R-E-L-A-X."  After all, Christmas lasts all day.

So with that in mind, I wanted Christmas Day food to be pretty laid back (why strain yourself?) and I accomplished this with this easy-to-assemble breakfast pudding a/k/a breakfast strata.  Since all the heavy lifting came the night before with those damned stuff shells, having something that required only a few steps was a lovely Christmas present to myself.

Naturally, a book titled Christmas 101 was just asking to be used for the winter holidays (although there was a good ham recipe that you might want to save for Easter).  And when I found this book and an updated version (published in 2009) I put them right front and center on my shelf so I wouldn't forget. Well, as if anybody could forget Christmas! The only difference I can see between the two versions I bought was that the newer one had a few more recipes.

Many items in this book tempted me and I was "this close" to making Red and Green Lasagna (p. 60) for Christmas Eve, but just like the stuffed shells, that would have been a major production so I passed.  Then there were some appetizers that looked good but I wasn't in an appetizer mood, and some roasts I considered and also passed on, mostly for the expense of buying the meat.  In the end, I decided to make this dish for breakfast and a corn chowder from a different book for dinner but as mentioned above, we got all wrapped up in chatting with the folks at this open house and so dinner got back burnered.  But as the song goes, there are 12 days of Christmas and so I figured I had a window of time at my disposal.  Whew on that, right?

Since there's only two people in our household, I made half this recipe and I'm glad I did as it was just the right amount with a bit left over.  You can make this the night before or the morning of so long as you've let your bread sit out for at least 8 hours.  Also, I think you can be creative about what you add to the sausage mix.  This recipe calls for red pepper but I think you can add green if you like or maybe even artichokes or leeks (sautéed).  Knock yourself out!

This dish was very yummy.  Very.  Hope you enjoy.

Savory Sausage and Cheese Bread Pudding (a/k/a Strata) – makes 6 to 8 servings

Make ahead:  This pudding can be prepared the night before, covered tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerated.

Day of:  To reduce the baking time, heat the milk in a medium saucepan until bubbles appear around the edges.  Slowly whisk the hot milk into the eggs.  Bake the pudding until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, chipped

1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped

1 pound sweet Italian pork or turkey sausages, casings removed

6 large eggs

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 ½ teaspoons Italian herb seasoning

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly milled black pepper

1 quart milk

12 slices day-old, firm white sandwich bread, crusts trimmed (Ann's Note:  I went rogue and sliced up two large bread rolls and left the crusts on.  Don't tell anybody!)

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar (divided)

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat and add the onion and red bell pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.  Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the sausage with a spoon until it loses its pink color, about 10 minutes.  Drain off any liquid in the skillet and set the sausage mixture aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, mustard, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.  Gradually whisk in the milk.  Set aside.  (Ann's Note:  I could not find my Italian seasoning until after the dish was made – naturally – and so mixed together basil, oregano and parsley).

Lightly butter a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish.  Line the bottom of the prepared dish with (half) the bread, trimming to fit, if needed.  Sprinkle the bread with half the cheese, then spread with all of the sausage mixture. Top with the remaining bread slices.  Slowly pour the egg mixture over the bread, allowing it to soak in.  Sprinkle the top with the remaining cheese.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325F.  Uncover the pudding and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 ½ hours.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.  Ann's Note:  If you make half the recipe like I did, bake for half the time.  I checked it at 60 minutes and it was likely done but kept it in another 10 minutes for good measure.  

"Naples at Table" - Stuffed Shells with Ragu - Christmas Eve 2014

Date I made this recipe:  Christmas Eve, 2014

Naples at Table – Cooking in Campania by Arthur Schwartz

Published by:  HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN:  0-06-018261-X

Recipe:  Baked Stuffed Tubes with Ragu (Millerighi Imbottiti al Ragu) – p. 191-193

Well, here we are, we are here:  Christmas Eve.  Time to get out the Italian cookbooks!

As is traditional in my family, I made an Italian meal for Christmas Eve dinner.  And sure, I could have gone with my traditional spaghetti and meatballs like my mother made (except in years the church said "No" to meat in which case it was spaghetti with meatless sauce) or my Aunt Rose's homemade manicotti but that defeats the purpose of collecting and then cooking from cookbooks, no?

Exactly.  But still, I was craving something with red sauce (never white – gaaa!) and some kind of meat.  And for that, I needed to temporarily ignore any cookbooks focusing on the northern regions of Italy with their white sauces and gnocchi and whatnot, and look south.  Although Naples, housed within the region of Campania, is not the southernmost part of Italy proper, it is known for red sauces and I'm all about a red sauce.  Besides, red is a fitting color for Christmas, is it not?

Naples' cuisine is closer to my family's Sicilian fare than the northern regions so that didn't hurt.  There were a couple of recipes for meatballs (p. 269-270) or meat rolls (p. 280-281) that I was tempted to try as they used raisins and pine nuts (pignoli) which I know probably raises an eyebrow (but they're good) but I wasn't in that kind of mood that day.  (I am though, a major fan of pine nut cookies "pignoli" and should make them again for the holidays but alas, I get too distracted with other tasty recipes.)

Baked Ziti (p. 190) was also considered as I love baked ziti.  My cousin, Jerry, had a mean hand with this dish, but while good, it was too simple for what I had in mind and didn't contain meat.

In many Sicilian and Italian families, Christmas Eve signals the Feast of the Seven Fishes and I thought about making "a" (as in singular) fish dish (let's not get carried away) but nothing in this book floated my boat (pun intended).  I was "this close" to making squid (calamari) but didn't know if Coastal Seafoods carried any and didn't want to deal with their tiny parking lot just to find out.  And so I passed on that.

So with tax, license and much reading, I decided on the stuffed shell recipe.  Besides, it contained Italian sausage and I ask you – what's not to like about that?  I love Italian sausage.  With peppers.  Italian sausage with peppers, eaten on a boardwalk along the Jersey Shore in the good old summertime is the food of the gods.  But I digress...

And so it came to pass that pasta shells stuffed with a sausage and cheese mixture would do the trick for Christmas Eve and it did...sort of.

Faithful readers know that I get mighty irked by what I consider to be incomplete or worse, useless directions.  And right out of the blocks, I knew I was going to be challenged by this recipe.  So let's break it down:

Step 1 - cook the sausages and onions in a pot over low heat.  Seems easy, right?  And it was except I could tell that the author expected the sausages to yield way more fat/oil than they did and so instead of nicely sautéing the onion, I came close to burning it.  And considering this was step 1 out of 14, this was not a good start.

Here's an observation:  we in this country have a fat fetish.  We don't like fat on any of our meats anymore and so if you head to the meat section of a grocery store, you will find not only fat-free pork chops and steaks but "less fat" (equals less flavor) ground meats.  And now I have a sneaking suspicion that they aren't making sausages like they used to because no way did those sausages release anywhere near the fat they should. 

Then the next step:  Before the onions start to stick to the pot – about 30 minutes – add the wine.  Had I waited 30 minutes for this step, I'd be looking at a charred pot.  So I added the wine about 10 minutes into the process and besides, is there a bad time to add wine to anything?  I think not!

Okay then, after this, I was supposed to let the wine simmer briskly and nearly evaporate for about 5 minutes.  Again, that wine evaporated all right, in about the time it took me to rinse off a spoon.  And if I was a novice cook, that would be one thing but I'm not and so this irked.

Next, you add the tomato paste, water, salt and pepper and then gently simmer this mixture for 1 ½ hours which, of course, was way too long – again!  But my favorite part of this recipe had to be this:  "You should have 1 2/3 to 2 cups of thin ragu."

No.  I had a thick ragu and at best a yield of 4 tablespoons which even math-challenged me could figure out is not 2 cups.  Dammit!  And folks, for the first time in a long time, I cannot even tell you how to "fix" this.  Maybe add more water...or not...maybe add some oil to the pan when browning the sausages...or not.  I don't know.  I added a bit more wine to finish up my bottle but since the wine is meant to (nearly) evaporate, that didn't help with the volume (taste was another matter).  So in my professional pasta sauce-making opinion, I don't think it would hurt to add some crushed tomatoes to this dish, even if the recipe didn't call for it. And so there you go:  more tomatoes + more wine = passable sauce.  More wine = very passable sauce. 

And so at day's end, the only thing I did know for sure (Just.like.Oprah) is that

in a pinch, Trader Joe's marinara sauce will do nicely!  And thank goodness we had some on hand because there was a strong chance that by the time I got done with this sauce, TJ's would have closed for Christmas Eve.  So hooray for them!

Also, the instructions said to strain the sauce, pressing the basil leaves and any solid onion against a strainer, then discard the basil.  And...no.  Because if I had discarded the basil, half the sauce would have gone with it.  And I was already dealing with a sauce deficit so...

FORTUNATELY, the sausage portion of our program saved the day as it was so tender and good, it was ridiculous.  And when it was finely chopped and mixed with ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese?  Divine!  And as is usual in my family, I had to stop myself from eating half the sausage and cheeses before I put them in the recipe.  And you know, it could be argued that I was only evening up the ratio of available sauce to the cheese and meat mixture. In fact, that's it exactly!

This dish can be made with either manicotti shells or jumbo shells and I used the jumbo shells.  I make my own manicotti shells (they are easy to do) but they are soft and wouldn't hold up to the "stuffing" very well so jumbo shells it was. 

So all in all, I got my red sauce (miniscule as it was) and meat fix on and the entire dish was really good, plus it looked so pretty and that's a plus if making it for a crowd.  The sauce (what I tasted of it) was good but a tad too salty for my tastes.  I think a smidgen of sugar added to the tomato paste would help alleviate that problem.

So here you go folks, with more "Ann's Notes" (i.e. helpful hints) than I think I've ever included for any recipe I've made so far.  Brace yourself and make sure you have enough wine for the sauce and some for you.  Couldn't hurt, might help.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Baked Stuffed Tubes with Ragu = serves 6 to 8; makes 12 manicotti, or 32 jumbo shells

For the ragu

12 ounces sweet Italian sausage

½ cup finely diced onion

½ cup dry white wine

2 ½ cups water

¼ cup tomato paste

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

For the filling

15 ounces (1 container) ricotta

4 ounces mozzarella, cut into ¼ -inch cubes

2 tablespoons freshly grated Parigian-Reggiano

½ teaspoon salt or to taste

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Plus

¾ cup freshly grated Parmigian-Reggiano

8 to 12 ounces pasta (manicotti shells or jumbo shells works best)

To prepare the ragu:

1. With the point of a knife, prick each sausage 2 or 3 times.  In a 2 ½- to 3-quart saucepan or stovetop casserole, over medium-low heat, combine the onion and the sausages.  Cover the pot and, stirring a couple of times with a wooden spoon, cook until some liquid and fat begins to collect at the bottom of the pan, about 10 minutes. (Ann's Note:  add about a tablespoon of oil to the pan or you will risk burning the whole thing.  There's just not enough fat in the sausages to cook the onions properly.)

2. Uncover the pot and raise the heat slightly.  Cook, stirring frequently, until most of the onions are deep brown and beginning to stick to the pot, about 30 minutes.  (Ann's Note:  30 minutes is too long as you will risk burning the onions.  Check in every 10 minutes.)  The sausages will not brown much.  Before any onions burn, add the wine and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze it.  Let the wine simmer briskly and nearly evaporate, stirring a few times, about 5 minutes.  (Ann's Note:  again, keep your eye on the pot as the wine evaporated pretty quickly.)

3. Stir in the water, the tomato paste, and the salt and pepper.  Cover the pan, increase the heat to medium, and bring the liquid to a gentle simmer.  Keeping the pan covered, adjust the heat so the liquid simmers very gently for 1 ½ hours. (Ann's Note:  I know I sound like a broken record, but these times are way off.  If you go for 1 ½ hours, you will have less sauce than I did and that means "not much!"  I simmered it for 60 minutes and even that was too long.)

4. Uncover the pan, raise the heat slightly, and let the ragu simmer a little more rapidly so the sauce thickens and reduces a little, about 20 minutes.  (Ann's Note:  You know what I'm going to say about the 20 minutes so....Think "10.") Let cool slightly.

5. Remove the sausages and set aside.  Stain the sauce, pressing the basil leaves and any solid onion with the back of a wooden spoon against the strainer to retrieve every last bit of sauce.  Discard the basil.  You should have 1 2/3 to 2 cups of thin ragu.  (Ann's Note:  Hahahahahahahahaha.  This yield is not even close.  And don't strain or you'll really be crying at the yield.  And then thank your lucky stars that this is the last step involving the sauce.)

To make the filling:

6. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, the mozzarella, and 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano.

7. Leave the casings on, finely chop the sausages from the ragu.  Add the sausage, meat, salt and pepper to the cheeses.  Mix very well.

To assemble and bake the dish:

8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

9. Cook the pasta very al dente in plenty of boiling, salted water.  (Ann's Note:  I cooked the jumbo shells for 8 minutes; the package said 10.)

10. Drain the pasta and place it in a bowl of very cold water.  Let the pasta cool.  Drain the pasta again and arrange it on a kitchen towel.  If holding it a while, cover it with a damp towel until you are ready to fill it.  (The pasta can be cooked while the ragu is cooking.)

11. Spread 3 tablespoons of ragu over the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking pan.  (Ann's Note:  This will use up most of your sauce, oh well.)

12. Fill each large tube of pasta (i.e. manicotti) with ¼ to 1/3 cup filling, or each jumbo shell with about 1 tablespoon of filling.  Is using shells, close the shells around the filling.  (Ann's "Rant:"  Getting some of the shells open in the first place was like trying to shuck a clam i.e. not fun.  So closing them was near impossible.  At this point, I just started swearing – in English and Italian!)  Place the pasta in the dish as each is filled.

13. Spoon on the remaining ragu (hahahaha), coating the pasta well and letting the sauce drip into the pan.  Sprinkle evenly and thoroughly with the ¾ cup of Parmigiano, which will seem like a lot.  (Ann's Note:  it will seem like a lot, especially in comparison to the ragu. And by the way, this would be a great time to a) break out your favorite jar of pasta sauce for use with this recipe and b) pour a cocktail.  Or...several.

14. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until an "inviting golden crust" has formed.  Serve immediately.