(Yummy) Holiday Appetizers and Sweet Treats

WARNING:  This is one long blog but that's because I have a lot of recipes to cover.  Hang in there!

Date I made these recipes:  Week of November 26, 2012

100 Best Classic Tapas

Published by:  Love Food

ISBN:  978-1-4454-0388-5      

Recipes:  Salted Almonds – p. 14; Sautéed Garlic Mushrooms – p. 22; Oven-Baked Tortilla (omelet) – p. 142

Good Housekeeping Appetizers – Delicious Dips, Spreads, Finger Foods & More by Good Housekeeping Magazine (purchased at Arc’s Value Village Thrift Stores)

Published by:  Hearst Books

978-1-57215-705-7

Recipe:  Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip – p. 17

Perfect Party Food: All the Recipes and Tips You’ll Ever Need for Stress-Free Entertaining by Diane Phillips

Published by:  The Harvard Common Press

ISBN:  13: 9781558322608

Recipes:  Bruschetta Bar:  Artichoke Topping; Herb-Roasted Tomatoes; Wild Mushroom Spread; Oven-Roasted Caponata (Sicilian eggplant mixture) – p. 127-128

Cake Balls by Robin Ankeny and Charlotte Lyon of The Cake Ball Company

Published by:  Running Press Cooks

ISBN:  978-0-7624-4576-9

Recipes:  Chocolate Toffee Cake Balls – p. 40; Coconut Cream Cake Balls – p. 79; Gingerbread Cake Balls – p. 97

Nestle Best-Loved Cookies by Nestle

Published by:  Nestle

ISBN:  0-696-20637-4

Recipe:  Mini Morsel Meringue Cookies (a HUGE hit!) – p. 14

Bonus recipe:  Pomegranate Guacamole from Food Network Magazine pull-out 50 Easy Appetizers, November 2012

“Tis the season for holiday entertaining and this year, I found some great recipes to make that are sure to please any party guests.  In fact, so far two of my husband Andy’s male friends have contacted him for recipes so that’s saying something, especially since one of them wanted a cookie recipe!

Over the years, I have started adding magazine recipes to cookbook recipes for a couple of reasons:  one, food magazines often publish issues specifically related to holiday entertaining; two, I am reasonably certain that the recipes I choose will be successful as many of them were created by well-known, trusted chefs and third, there’s the ease of locating recipes via online searches if I have questions.  Sure, I always start stocking up on cookbooks related to party treats early in the year but to go through the other cookbooks in my collection to look for party recipes would take me all the way up to my next soiree a year from now.  When it comes to holiday entertaining, simple is better.

Before I get to the recipes, let me share some observations and tips about party planning:

1. “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” (From the movie, Jaws)  Sadly, our house is small and our potential guest list is huge.  Can the rental of the Mpls Convention Center be far behind?  That said I generally plan for enough nibbles to feed about 50 people and would rather make a variety of small-quantity dishes than redo a recipe to feed 50.  You’ll have less stress in the kitchen if you do it that way as well.
2. My friends like to tease me about my organization skills but I have planned everything from huge charity galas to small dinner parties and organization is the key.  I have spreadsheets of everything from party guests to ingredients to a calendar showing what day of the week I can start cooking.  I also have a list of post-event notes so that I can refresh my memory the next year when it comes to what I purchased and where. (Favorite local shopping venues this year:  Bachman’s (decorations); Arc’s Value Village (tableware, decorations); Bed, Bath & Beyond (serving pieces); Rainbow Foods, Trader Joes, Target and Whole Foods (groceries).
3. The French kitchen concept of mise en place (everything in place) is essential; I chop herbs in advance, put them in baggies and label them; I measure out dry ingredients for cookies and bars in advance, label them and then put them aside so that when the baking starts, we are halfway there.  Anything you can do to reduce the kitchen time (like baking all items at 350 before moving on to recipes baking at 375) will keep you sane.  I generally start making food the weekend before and freeze items if possible for later reheating.
4. Many recipes “exaggerate” the yield that you can expect.  I’ve had recipes call for 2-4 cups only to eek out a measly 1 cup, and I’ve had recipes that promised less only to end up with twice the amount.  I doubled down on only a few recipes this year, many of them after seeing the “output” from round one.  If you have time, make a second batch if needed.
5. The best time to start stocking up on basics like condiments or baking items is the day after your event! 

With that in mind, let’s look at the menu and where to find the recipes (those in bold are included in this blog):

• Chicken Meatballs with Sweet Peanut Sauce – from the magazine Everyday with Rachael Ray (go online at www.rachaelraymag.com to search for recipes).  I bake these meatballs at 400 degrees for 25 minutes rather than pan-fry.
• Chafing Dish Meatballs (the ones with chili sauce and grape jelly) – from Betty Crocker’s Hostess Cookbook; Collectible Cooking Blog Post 12/9/2009 or click the Tag “Appetizer.”
• Oven-Roasted Fingerling Potatoes (Google to find several roasted potato recipes to suit) with Horseradish-Dill Dipping sauce from the cookbook The Roasted Vegetable Cookbook.  Information on The Roasted Vegetable Cookbook can be found on my blog post from 11/4/12.
• Blue Cheese Dip with Chives from Delicious Dips; Collectible Cooking Blog Post 12/8/2011 or click the Tag “Appetizer.”
• Pomegranate Guacamole from Food Network Magazine, November 2012 (this was in a pull-out booklet “50 Easy Appetizers.”  This recipe was VERY popular but due to a bad batch of avocados (from two different stores!), it made less than I hoped and the bowl was licked clean.  Go to www.foodnetwork.com and under recipes, search for “50 Easy Appetizers;” the guacamole is number 9! (Ann’s Note:  Ah, what the heck, it’s Christmas.  I posted this as the last recipe on this blog – see below!)
• Edamame Hummus from Bon Appetit Magazine, December 2011.  Go to www.bonappetit.com and enter “Edamame Hummus” in the search field.
• Herb Coeur A La Crème (Cheese Spread) by Ina Garten, published in Food Network Magazine, September 2012.  Recipe also available online at www.foodnetwork.com.  Guests loved the lemon in this recipe.
• Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip – Good Housekeeping Appetizers Cookbook (new cookbook this year). (This was very tasty and a last minute addition seeing as how I bought the book days before the party!)
• Rye Crackers (with or without caraway) – StarTribune newspaper, November 7, 2012, (Taste Section), from my friend and uber baker, Kim Ode.
• Seedy Crisps (crackers) – StarTribune newspaper, December 28, 2011, (Taste Section)
• Salted Almonds from the book 100 Best Classic Tapas (new cookbook this year)
• Sauteed Garlic Mushrooms from 100 Best Classic Tapas
• Oven-Baked Spanish Tortilla (omelet) 100 Best Classic Tapas
• Bruschetta Bar with Four Toppings (Artichoke; Herb-Roasted Tomatoes; Wild Mushroom; Oven-Roasted Caponata) from Perfect Party Food: All the Recipes and Tips You’ll Ever Need for Stress-Free (new cookbook this year)
• Mini Morsel Meringue Cookies from the Nestle Best-Loved Cookies Cookbook (new cookbook this year)
• Coconut Cream Cake Balls; Chocolate Toffee Cake Balls; Gingerbread Cake Balls from the Cake Balls Cookbook (new cookbook this year)
• (The Barefoot Contessa i.e. Ina Garten) Lemon Bars – Barefoot Contessa Parties! Cookbook or Collectible Cooking Blog Post 12/8/2009
• Almond Bon Bons – Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook or Collectible Cooking Blog Post 12/8/2010

Whew!

So let’s tackle the new recipes from cookbooks I used this year for this shindig.

Salted Almonds

(Note:  Recipes from this cookbook, 100 Best Classic Tapas, do not list specific quantities because all serving sizes say “serves X-Y as a tapas meal.  Well, I don’t know how many tapas are in a meal because they don’t say!  So let the quantity of ingredients be your guide!)

8 oz/225 g whole almonds, blanched or in their skins – BUT NOTE:  buy blanched if at all possible.  I tried blanching them and then removing their skins and it was one.big.mess.  I went out and bought blanched almonds and called it a day!

4 T olive oil (Spanish if you have it)

Coarse sea salt

1 tsp paprika or ground cumin (optional) (Ann’s Note:  I thought the taste with paprika was bland so I added cumin.  It was better but I’ll look for a new recipe for next year)

Preheat the oven to 350.  Fresh almonds in their skins are superior in taste, but blanched almonds are much more convenient.  If the almonds are not blanched, place them in a large bowl, cover with boiling water for 3-4 minutes, then drain and plunge them into cold water for 1 minute.  Drain them well in a strainer, then slide off their skins between your fingers.  Dry the almonds on a paper towel. (Ugh – never again will I do this!  Buy blanched!)

Place the olive oil in a roasting pan and swirl it around so that it covers the base.  Add the almonds and toss them in the pan so that they are evenly coated in oil, then spread them out in a single layer.

Roast almonds in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until they are light golden brown, tossing several times during the cooking.  Drain the almonds on paper towels, then transfer them to a bowl.

While the almonds are still warm, sprinkle with plenty of sea salt and paprika, if using, and toss together to coat.  Serve the almonds warm or cold.  The almonds are at their best when served freshly cooked so, if possible, on the day you plan to eat them.  However, they can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Sauteed Garlic Mushrooms – Makes about 2 cups

1 lb button mushrooms

5 T olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Lemon juice

Salt and pepper

4 T chopped fresh parsley

Wipe or brush clean the mushrooms, then trim the stems.  Cut any large mushrooms in half or into quarters.  Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottom skillet.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds – 1 minute, or until lightly browned.  Add the mushrooms and sauté over high heat, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms have absorbed all the oil in the skillet.

Reduce the heat to low.  When the juices have come out of the mushrooms, increase the heat again and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the juices have almost evaporated.  Add a squeeze of lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in the parsley and cook for an additional minute.  (Note: If you want to serve this as a tapa meal, then garnish with lemon wedges and serve piping hot or warm, accompanied with crusty bread to mop up the juices.)

Oven-baked Tortilla – makes 70 1-inch squares (Ann’s Note:  in Spain, these tortillas – omelets – are often served at room temperature for tapas (snacks))

4 T olive oil (Spanish if you have it) plus extra for oiling

1 large garlic clove, crushed

4 scallions, white and green parts finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

6 oz potato, boiled, peeled and diced (roughly 1 large baking potato)

5 large eggs

Scant ½ cup sour cream

6 oz cheese, grated (Spanish Rocal, Cheddar or Parmesan – we used Parmesan)

3 T snipped fresh chives

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375.  Line a 7 x 10-inch baking sheet (or pan) with foil and brush with a little olive oil.  Reserve.

Place the olive oil, garlic, scallions, and bell peppers in a skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 10 minutes, or until the onions are softened but not browned.  Let cool then stir in the potato.

Beat the eggs, sour cream, cheese, and chives together in a large bowl.  Stir the cooled vegetables into the bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Pour the mixture into the baking sheet and smooth over the top.  Bake in the preheated oven 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown, puffed, and set in the center.  Remove from the oven and let cool and set.  Run a spatula around the edge, then invert onto a cutting board browned-side up, and peel off the foil.  If the surface looks a little runny, place it under a medium broiler to dry out.

Let cool completely.  Trim the edges if necessary, then cut into 48 squares (Ann’s Note:  we cut into 70 1-inch squares).  Serve on a platter with wooden toothpicks.

Ann’s Note:  I made this recipe the night before.  I also precut all the onions, peppers, etc. the night before that, reserving only the potato to cook the same day I prepped this recipe.

Roasted Pepper and Walnut Dip – makes about 2 cups

4 medium red bell peppers

½ cup walnuts

½ teaspoon ground cumin

2 slices firm white bread, torn into pieces

2 tablespoons raspberry or balsamic vinegar

1 T olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)

Toasted pita bread triangles

Ann’s Note:  This recipe calls for you to broil the peppers to roast them but since I have a gas stove, I prefer to put them on my stovetop, right over the burner, and char them that way.  It takes a little longer but with the same results (and then I don’t have to clean a pan!).

Preheat broiler.  Line broiling pan with foil.  Cut each red pepper lengthwise in half; remove and discard stems and seeds.  Arrange peppers, cut side down, in prepared pan.  Place pan in broiler, 5 to 6 inches from heat source.  Broil peppers, without turning, until skin is charred and blistered, 8 to 10 minutes.  Wrap peppers in foil and allow to steam at room temperature 15 minutes or until cool enough to handle.  Ann’s Note:  If you roast on your stovetop, do not cut the peppers.  Keep turning the pepper until the entire pepper is blackened.  Place the blackened pepper in a paper bag, seal the bag and remove the pepper(s) after 15 minutes.  The skin will peel right off!

Meanwhile, turn oven control to 350.  Spread walnuts in metal baking pan and bake 8 to 10 minutes, until toasted.  In 8-inch skillet, toast cumin over low heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Remove peppers from foil.  Peel skin and discard.  Cut peppers into large pieces.

In food processor with knife blade attached, process walnuts until ground.  Add roasted peppers, bread, vinegar, olive oil. Cumin, salt and ground red pepper; puree until smooth.  Transfer to serving bowl.  Cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours.  Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.  Serve with toasted pita triangles.  (Ann’s Note: Trader Joe’s has mini pita breads – regular and whole wheat- that we bought and then cut in half.  They were the perfect size for serving.  And speaking of Trader Joe’s, they also had bags of mini peppers – red, yellow and orange – that, when cut in 4’s, were the perfect size for dipping into the party dips I made.  I LOVE Trader Joe’s!)

Bruschetta Bar with Four Toppings:  Artichoke, Herb-Roasted Tomatoes, Wild Mushroom and Oven-Roasted Caponata (Eggplant)

Here’s an important point you need to know right off the bat:  Bruschetta toppings are meant to be chunky but I like them “pulsed” a bit in the food processor to make them easier to serve and to increase the yield if need be.  The Artichoke Topping yield should be two cups but instead it made double that (and the recipe itself was only “okay”).  The Herb-Roasted Tomatoes should have yielded 4 cups but I’ll be damned if it didn’t make just one lousy cup so I made the recipe again, this time achieving about 2 cups (and it was outstanding!).  The Wild Mushroom Spread yields about 2 cups if you make the entire recipe but I halved it and it yielded a generous 1 cup and that was fine – some people are “meh” when it comes to mushrooms.  The Oven-Roasted Caponata yields 3 cups and that is more than I wanted but I forgot to halve the ingredients.  No worries on my part—my family loves Caponata and used to go through jars of it over the holidays.  It’s a Sicilian thing for sure!

By the way, those expecting a creamy artichoke dip topping (like many restaurants serve) will be disappointed as this is meant to be a fresh spread with no baking involved; don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Artichoke Topping – makes 2 cups

Two 6-ounce jars marinated artichokes, drained and coarsely chopped

¼ cup olive oil

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

¼ cup pine nuts

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

In a medium size bowl, combine all the ingredients. (That’s it!)

This recipe can be made and refrigerated for up to 4 days; bring to room temperature before serving.

Herb-Roasted Tomatoes – makes about 4 cups (Nope, not if you don’t double it!  Even then, it yields about 2 cups and that is if you pulse it in the food processor—and you should!)

Two 28-ounce cans peeled whole tomatoes, drained and juice reserved (Ann’s Note:  you can toss the juice as you won’t need it at all.)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, crushed

½ cup chopped red onion

6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line a jelly roll pan with a silicone liner or aluminum foil.

Cut the tomatoes in half and put in a large glass bowl.  Stir in the olive oil, basil, rosemary, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, being careful not to tear the tomatoes.  Pour onto the prepared pan, spreading it out in a single layer.  Bake until the tomato liquid is absorbed and the tomatoes have firmed up and turned a deep red color, 1 to 1 ½ hours, checking to make sure that the tomatoes and garlic don’t brown.

Transfer the tomato mixture to a clean glass bowl and let it mellow at room temperature for about six hours.

Ann’s Note:  I pulsed each batch (I made two) in the Cuisinart until it was of a chucky consistency (not quite tomato paste, but close) and the crowd went wild!

This recipe can be made ahead and refrigerated for up for 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.  Serve at room temperature.

Wild Mushroom Spread – makes about 2 cups

2 pounds assorted fresh wild mushrooms, such as shiitake, oyster, porcini, Portobello, or cremini, stems removed or trimmed and caps halved or quartered, depending upon their size

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Put the mushrooms on a baking sheet lined with a silicone liner or aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.  Pour over the mushrooms, toss to coat well, and roast for 20 minutes.  Let cool, then, using a slotted spoon, transfer the mushrooms to a food processor and pulse a few times to chop coarsely.

This recipe can be made and refrigerated for up to 3 days.  Bring to room temperature before serving.

Oven-Roasted Caponata – makes about 3 cups

2 medium-size purple eggplants (about 1 ½ pounds), ends trimmed and cut in half lengthwise

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic

½ cup coarsely chopped onion

½ cup coarsely chopped celery

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

2 tablespoons each balsamic vinegar and firmly packed light brown sugar (or you can make Balsamic Vinegar Syrup found on page 480 and use ¼ cup for the recipe in place of the brown sugar and vinegar)

One 15.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil

½ cup drained and chopped pitted green olives

¼ cup drained and chopped capers

½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preheat the oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with a silicone liner or aluminum foil.

Drizzle the cut side of the eggplant with a little olive oil, and lay, cut side down, on the baking sheet.  Place the garlic on the baking sheet and drizzle with some of the oil, serving the remainder for the next step.  Bake the garlic and eggplant until the eggplant is tender, 25 to 30 minutes; a knife should pierce the skin easily, with no resistance.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Then peel off the skin of the eggplant and coarsely chop the flesh.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat and add the eggplant.  Squeeze the garlic from its skin into the skillet and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing to coat with the oil.  Add the onion, celery, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes if using and cook, stirring, until the onion and celery begin to soften a bit, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the balsamic syrup, tomatoes, and basil and simmer the mixture for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat and stir in the lives, capers, and parsley.  Allow the caponata to cool to room temperature, then taste and adjust the seasonings.

You can make and refrigerate this recipe for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Mini Morsel Meringue Cookies – makes 5 dozen cookies

4 egg whites (*Note:  we substituted Deb El “Just Whites,” dried egg whites and they worked perfectly)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 cups (12-ounce package) NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels

*Egg whites can be tricky to work with and rather than cross my fingers and hope for the best, I suggested my husband (enlisted into being Mr. Baker for this party) use dried egg whites that I had on hand and they whipped up perfectly.  I don’t know as I’d make this recipe any other way after that!

Beat egg whites (or the dried egg white equivalent) and cream of tartar in small mixer bowl until soft peaks form.  Gradually beat in granulated sugar until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold in morsels, 1/3 at a time.  Drop by level tablespoon onto greased baking sheets.

Bake in preheated 300F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until cookies are dry and crisp.

Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.  Store in airtight containers.  Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Ann’s Notes:  I checked online and found I could make these up to 2 days ahead of my party so I did.  That said we are still enjoying these over a week later.  They were the hit of the party and some gluten-free friends were grateful that I made something they could eat.

Cake Balls (general instructions)

If I printed out all the instructions for the three cake balls we made for our party, I’d be here all night.  These are not necessarily hard to make but they do take some time.  So in general, here are some tips before I give you the three recipes:

Bake the cake as directed in the recipe (and on the box if using a box mis), allow to cool then crumble until you don’t see any cake lumps.  Add the frosting as directed in the recipe, form into balls and freeze for two hours.  Melt the chocolate needed per the recipe and taking a toothpick, dip the chocolate and let dry and set.  Cover the toothpick hole with additional chocolate. Decorate as indicated.

Due to time, I used boxed cake mixes and canned frosting rather than creating my own cake and frosting mixes from scratch.  If you want to make the cake and icing from scratch, then please see pages 30-34 of the book, Cake Balls.

For this party, we made Chocolate Toffee Cake Balls; Coconut Cream Cake Balls and Gingerbread Cake Balls.  Each recipe makes about 45-50 cake balls so be prepared!  The authors suggested using candy paper cup liners (just like muffin cup liners only smaller) for serving and not only were they tres elegant but I was able to plate them without having to deal with the cake pop stick!  I’m all for ease in serving.

Chocolate Toffee Cake Balls

For cake and icing

1 (18.25-ounce) box vanilla cake mix (or from-scratch cake mix – see p. 31)

½ to ¾ cup cream cheese icing (from a can or from scratch – your choice)

1 cup English toffee bits

For coating and decorating

24 ounces milk chocolate, for coating

About ½ cup English toffee bits, for decoration

Ann’s Notes:  chocolate is expensive but the authors say that you can melt a candy bar if you’d like or chocolate chips if you’d like or high-end chocolate if you’d like – your choice.  I bought a huge bar of chocolate from Trader Joe’s and it worked out great.  Just be careful when you melt it to not scorch it (especially if you use a microwave which I don’t recommend) or get water in it or it will seize.

If using a box cake, follow the directions on the box; if from scratch, see page 31 of the book.

While the cake is cooling, prepare the cream cheese icing (p. 34) or open your store-bought icing.

After the cake has completely cooled, follow the cake ball method instructions (page 17 of the book or see above).  After the cake balls are dipped in milk chocolate, drizzle them with fine lines.  Do one at a time and sprinkle with toffee bits to add more crunchy toffee flavor. (Andy skipped the chocolate lines and just added the toffee bits.)

Coconut Cream Cake Balls

For the cake and icing

1 (18.25) box vanilla cake mix or basic vanilla cake (p. 31)

1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk (see the Asian section of your grocery store)

1 ½ cups sweetened flaked coconut

½ to ¾ cup basic vanilla icing (p. 33) or store-bought vanilla icing

For coating and decorating

24 ounces milk chocolate, for coating

About ½ cup sweetened flaked coconut, for garnish

Mix together the ingredients for making a vanilla cake, substituting the coconut milk for water, if using the box version, or for the milk, if making the cake from scratch.  After the ingredients are fully combined, stir in the flaked coconut.

Follow the instructions for baking the cake (per box, if using a mix) and while the cake is cooling, open the store-bought frosting or make your own if desired.  (Scratch cake directions are on page 31; icing on page 33).

After the cake has cooled, crumble, add frosting, freeze, etc. as stated above.  Dip the balls in milk chocolate, drizzle them with fine lines of chocolate and sprinkle with flaked coconut.

Gingerbread Cake Balls

For the cake and icing

1 (18.5) ounce box yellow cake mix or basic yellow cake (p. 34)

 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 cup molasses

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ to ¾ cup basic vanilla icing (p. 33) or store-bought vanilla icing

For coating and decorating

24 ounces white chocolate for coating (*this does not melt very well.  I almost considered using almond bark even though it’s not the same thing)

About ½ cup crushed gingersnap cookies for garnish

Mix the ingredients for the yellow cake (as directed by the box or using the from-scratch instructions) then add sugar, molasses, ginger and cinnamon.

Bake the cake as directed, prepare your frosting, make the cake balls (see above) then after all that is done, dip the cake balls in white chocolate, drizzle them with fine lines of chocolate and top with the gingersnaps (or use candied ginger, candied orange peels, cinnamon candies, etc.).

Upon further review…even though it is not from a cookbook, this recipe was a huge hit so here’s the recipe for Pomegranate Guacamole from Food Network Magazine, November 2012:

Cook 3 tablespoons peptias (pumpkin seeds) in 1 T olive oil until toasted; season with salt  Mash 2 avocados with ½ cup chopped cilantro, ¼ cup finely chopped onion, the juice of ½ lime, 1 finely chopped jalapeno and ¼ teaspoon salt.  Top with pomegranate seeds and the toasted pepitas.  Serve with tortilla chips. (The biggest challenge you will have is to find fresh avocados that haven’t gone south on you.)

"Dining Out at Home" - Beef Stew for Men

Date I made this recipe:  November 4, 2012

Dining Out at Home by Sophie Leavitt

Published by:  Stackpole Books

© 1966

Recipe:  Beef Stew for Men – p. 60

You wouldn’t necessarily think that a recipe titled “Beef Stew for Men” would set off a firestorm within me, but it did.  Call me sensitive, but after hearing some very interesting things coming out of some politicians’ mouths this election season, I feel like women’s lib has been pushed back into the dark ages.   I mean, come on – “binders of women?” 

So then along came this recipe and I have to say, at first I laughed - “Beef stew for men?  So what—I can cook it but I can’t eat it? Suddenly I was thrust back in time to an Irish Spring commercial from the 70’s featuring a woman picnicking with her man (boyfriend, husband – not sure). (And they’re both Irish which of course makes perfect sense for an Irish Spring commercial.) He says that the bar of soap features “two deodorants to help keep a man clean and fresh” and then she utters the famous tag-line:  “Manly, yes, but I like it, too.”

So in the spirit of the Irish Spring commercial, I just had to ask myself just what about this recipe made it “manly?”  Was it the fact that it contained glazed carrots (Ooh fancy, fancy)?  Was it the addition of wine?  Was it that beef is something only men enjoy? (If you think that’s the case, you clearly haven’t seen me tuck in a filet!) 

Suddenly my snort upon seeing this recipe turned into a rant.  My poor husband started backing out of the room as I went on a mini tirade about this recipe:  “Oh sure, women end up cooking it but it’s intended for men?  What the hell is that all about, huh, huh? And did you know that for years and years most professional chefs were men, not women?  So what recipe do women get to make, Baked Chicken for Women….”

If we had a dog, I’m pretty sure the dog would have been halfway down the alley while I was having this “discussion” with my beloved.

I am not a feminist per se but having grown up during the dawn of the women’s movement (the 60’s and particularly the 70’s), I get particularly irked when I see what appears to be dings at all the strides women have made over the ages.  Never mind that this recipe is from 1966 – I’m making it now, damn it!  I am not a binder, I am woman, hear me roar!  (Okay, true confession time:  I appreciate Helen Reddy’s battle-cry, I Am Woman, but as a singer, I thought the song ended on a weak note instead of a powerful one, and Helen seemed almost apologetic as her voice faded away into the night.  Think about some of today’s kick-ass female vocalists like Pink or Gwen Steffani or even Beyonce and oh yeah, no apologies there.  And if Whitney Houston had gotten a hold of it well, can I just say whoa?  Talk about a roar….)

Speaking of roaring about women’s issues, comedienne Ellen DeGeneres, who cracks me up to no end, went on a particularly funny rant of her own in the past couple weeks against the Bic pen company.  Having worked in marketing, I can tell you that every company lives, breathes and dies with selecting the right product for the right market, and the Bic [pen] company is no exception. Ellen announced that we’ve made a lot of progress toward equality but something made her think that we still have a way to go and then announced – true story – that Bic had made a line of pens for women called “Bic for Her.”  In classic Ellen fashion, she said “I know what you’re thinking – it’s about damned time.”  She’s right – that was my very first thought besides What the Hell??

So okay, now we have Beef Stew for Men and Bic [pens] for Her.  Wow, I’m feeling so…special.  I mean, men get their beef stew and we get pens (in women’s colors of pink and purple).  We HAVE made strides, haven’t we?! ;)

So one more comment about women before I actually get to the recipe…for men…and that is that whereas once upon a time, a woman chef in the kitchen was about as rare as roast beef, these days women are making strides.  As you may imagine, I watch a lot of cooking shows and I am pleased to see more and more women competing in some of the chef competitions.  Last night, I watched the next iteration of the Food Network’s The Next Iron Chef Redemption and hey, a big whopping four out of ten competitors were women.  So we should be pleased, right?  Well…perhaps if the numbers were half and half, or even better, the majority of cheftestants were women I’d be happier but then again beggars cannot be choosers.  A woman in the kitchen competing alongside men is a good thing.  (And can I just say that I have met Alex(andra) Guarnaschelli who kicked butt and won the evening’s competition?  Oh yeah, she rocks it.).  I cannot wait to see if some of these cheftestants make Beef Stew…for Men!

Despite all this gripping and ranting, the recipe was pretty tasty but then why wouldn’t it be?  The cookbook was written by a woman and cooked by a woman.  Oh yeah—I am woman, hear me roar….(and get the hell out of the way of my chef’s knife [for her?!].  You’ve been warned…)

PS—tomorrow is Election Day.  Get out and vote!

Beef Stew for Men – serves 8

4-lb chuck roast, 2-inch pieces, room temperature (I cut the recipe in half and used two pounds of stew meat)

8 carrots, each cut into 3 pieces

1 T fat to glaze carrots (I used Crisco)

1 ½ T sugar

4 T fat as needed (to brown the meat)

4 T flour

3 cups strained, canned onion soup or dehydrated onion soup as per instructions or 4 bouillon cubes, diluted with 3 cups water

1 cup red burgundy wine

3 T tomato sauce

4 allspice (I happened to have whole allspice on hand but if you don’t, then I would use ground allspice but sparingly)

2 large bay leaves

1 tsp thyme

3 large garlic cloves

¼ tsp pepper to taste

1 ½ tsp salt or more to taste

Glaze carrots by melting fat, adding sugar over carrots, shaking, rolling them around until glazed; then set aside on a plate, getting all the glaze up with a rubber spatula.

Wash out skillet, heat with 1 T fat, brown beef, adding fat as needed; avoid crowding, so as to brown better.  Place in casserole; remove fat from skillet but leave brownings in; set aside while you sprinkle 2 T flour over beef in casserole, shake to distribute, heat in oven over 5 minutes, sprinkle other 2 T flour and shake, heat 5 minutes.

Pour rest of ingredients into skillet, scraping up brownings, and bring to boil.  Pour over beef in casserole adding carrots, bring back to boil before putting in the oven with a lid on.  Reduce heat to 300 degrees.  Cook, stirring once in a while, 2-2 ½ hours.  Correct seasonings.

  

"A Chicken in Every Pot" & "The Roasted Vegetable" - Chicken Baked in Cider & Roasted Beet Salad

Date I made these recipes:  October 28, 2012

A Chicken in Every Pot by Edith Vanocur

Published by:  Thomas Y. Crowell Company

© 1976

Recipe:  Chicken Baked in Cider – p. 22

The Roasted Vegetable by Andrea Chesman

Published by:  The Harvard Common Press

ISBN:  1-55832-169-1

Recipe:  Blue Cheese, Roasted Beet and Endive Salad with Orange Vinaigrette – p. 93-94

I was feeling in a fall kind of mood this weekend.  The weather has turned colder, Halloween is around the corner and so why not bake and roast and just hunker down for the day (especially with Hurricane Sandy bearing down on the east coast as we speak?)

Selecting today’s entrée was really easy (how convenient that the cookbook’s cover was a lovely shade of orange just in time for Halloween) and the dish itself took no time to assemble.  It’s a basic dish of chicken with apples, onions and a sauce of frozen apple cider concentrate mixed with Calvados (French apple brandy).  What I didn’t expect though, was that the apples would completely disintegrate, turning my lovely apples into applesauce.  No matter, we ate it anyway. (This gives new meaning to the term “October surprise,” usually used in politics.)

Finding a dish to accompany my chicken proved to be more challenging.  I wanted to do something with onions (I have a cookbook devoted to onions, onions and more onions) but my husband nixed that saying he wasn’t that fond of onions.  Say what?!  I think he feared I was going to make French onion soup, a threat I keep throwing at him and for whatever reason he is just not keen on that concept.  Silly rabbit—what is not to like about an onion soup topped with cheese and croutons?  That wasn’t what I suggested but he wrinkled his nose anyway and so I put that cookbook aside and brought out The Roasted Vegetable cookbook instead.

The challenge with this cookbook was not a lack of good recipes because there were plenty, but rather finding something that complimented my chicken.  At last I found something he could get behind – a roasted beet salad.

Michelle Obama was recently asked how she felt about beets and she said you’re either a beet person (with a beet “gene”) or you’re not and she’s not.  We are.  We love beets and he especially loves beets and blue cheese and so when my man’s eyes lit up when I read this recipe, we had ourselves a side dish. 

Don’t ask me why I was hell-bent on roasting a vegetable though.  It just seemed like the right thing to do despite the fact that I have many, many other cookbooks that I could have selected.  When the weather turns dour (“dour” is anything that is less than 75 degrees and it’s cloudy and gloomy), I hit the books that bring me comfort and roasting (and the warmth of ovens) gives me comfort.

The beauty of these two recipes is that they both cooked in a 400 degree oven so that made is easy—I hate adjusting oven temperatures.  And when I realized that my apples had turned to applesauce, I just turned that into a potato topping and went about my way – no fuss, no muss, no bother.

Enjoy fall.

Chicken Baked in Cider – serves 2 or 3

1 whole fryer

Salt and pepper

2 medium-sized onion, peeled

4 tart apples, peeled and quartered

¼ cup Calvados (optional)

1 6-ounce can frozen cider concentrate

Season the chicken inside and out.  Place the onions in the cavity of the chicken.  Place the apples in the bottom of a casserole and the chicken on top of the apples.  Mix the Calvados and cider and pour over the chicken.

Cover the casserole tightly and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour or less, until tender but not quite “done.”  Baste once or twice during baking.  Uncover and bake 10 more minutes, basting frequently.  The sugar in the liquids will glaze the chicken a beautiful brown.

Blue Cheese, Roasted Beet, and Endive Salad – serves 4 to 6

3 or 4 medium-size beets (about 1 pound), tops and roots trimmed to 1 inch

4 heads Belgian endive, sliced crosswise into 2-inch pieces

2 ounces Roquefort or other blue cheese, crumbled (about ½ cup)

¼ cup slivered almonds or chopped walnuts, toasted

½ cup Orange Vinaigrette (p. 94)

For Orange Vinaigrette – makes about ½ cup

¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

White or freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons grapeseed, sunflower, or canola oil

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Place the beets on a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil and wrap to form a well-sealed packet.  Roast for 1 to 1 ¼ hours, until the beets are tender.  When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 2-inch matchsticks.

In a large salad bowl, combine the endive, blue cheese, and nuts.  Toss lightly.  Add the beets and toss again.  Drizzle the dressing over the salad, toss and serve at once.

To make the vinaigrette, combine the orange juice, orange zest, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl to taste.  Slowly whisk in the oil until emulsified.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.  Use immediately.

"The Flavor of the South" & "Deep South Staples - Grits and Grillades

Date I made these recipes:  October 21, 2012

The Flavor of the South – Delicacies and Staples of Southern Cuisine by Jeanne A. Voltz

Published by:  Greenwich House

© 1978; 1983 reprint

Recipe:  Grillades – p. 32

Deep South Stapes – how to survive in a southern kitchen without a can of cream of mushroom soup by Robert St. John

Published by Different Drummer Press

ISBN: 0-9721972-2-2

Recipe:  Garlic Cheese Grits p. 34 (Creole Seasoning Recipe p. 252)

“I’m in a southern kind of mood,” I told my husband, “so we’re having Grits and Grillades for dinner.”

“Grits and what?” said the man I married. 

“Grits and Grillades.  Grillades.  You know – grilled meats.  It’s French.  You speak French, remember?  We’re having grits and grilled meats for dinner. Sheesh.”

Actually, a quick look at Wikipedia confirms that this is a staple dish in New Orleans.  When it comes to the south, I’ve always had the impression that there’s New Orleans, a region unto itself, and then there’s everyone else.  And having been to the region and to New Orleans several times, I can tell you that there is indeed a difference in attitude, in culture and in food. (And drink but I won’t bore you with my cocktail stories from my last sojourn to that city!)

Any who…while I can appreciate and have eaten most southern and New Orleans’ specialties, I am still on the fence about grits.  My first, close encounter with them was on a family trip to Florida way back in the 60’s.  We stopped off in Mississippi and Georgia and naturally, grits were on the menu.

Shall I just tell you that I was not impressed?  Grits looked like Cream of Wheat (yum!), complete with the requisite pat of butter, but when I tasted them….ew?  And I mean ew.  So I never ate them again on the rest of the trip.

Fast forward to 1992 when my husband and I took a driving tour of the south, ending in New Orleans, when once again, we encountered grits on the menu.  This time around we ordered them at the Waffle House, a place I have to say usually gets pretty decent reviews for their food and their grits.  But again, the people spoke (“people” meaning me and Andy) and we’re back to “ew.” 

A friend of mine, Tex, who as you might imagine, is from Texas, told me that the secret is a lot of butter and a lot of salt.  I wasn’t buying it.  But once before, I made a grit recipe that called for cheese to be added and I tell you what, that just opened up a whole new grit world for me!  Because cheese is good with just about anything, grits included.

So in my search for grits to go with my grillades, I found this recipe for garlic cheese grits that was loaded with cheddar and cream cheese (a 2’fer) and thought I should try them.  And they were good.

But when I emailed Tex and another friend, Ann, who goes by the nickname, TEA, she came back with an emphatic “’No’ as in “No, no, no, no, no!”  TEA lived in the south for 5 years and never did experience grit love.  I tried to tell her that the cheese made all the difference and she responded with the statement that this was a perfectly good waste of perfectly good cheese.

Being a Libra, I always see both sides and so will let you decide for yourself whether or not these grits pass muster but I liked them and so did Andy. We’re trying to get out of our comfort zone of Great Northern Food, but this grit experience wasn’t too bad and certainly not painful like the other couple go-rounds.

Before leaving this fascinating discussion about grits, let me tell you that any time I think of grits, two things come to mind:  1) the song Grits Ain’t Groceries written by Titus Turner, covered by Little Milton and Van Morrison and 2) the movie My Cousin Vinny.  So let’s discuss.

For years, I thought the song Grits Ain’t Groceries was really “Grits and Groceries” but I was wrong.  Blame it on my ear wax.  The lyrics are “Grits ain’t groceries, eggs ain’t poultry and Mona Lisa was a man.”  Hahahaha.  Well, that’s the south for you!

As to My Cousin Vinny, was there ever a funnier moment than when Vinny said “Grits?  What’s a grit?  I think not.  An even funnier exchange took place when Vinny had Mr. Tipton on the witness stand talking about grits as part of his defense of his cousin, Bill Gambini, and Bill’s friend, Stan Rothenstein.  Vinny asks Mr. Tipton how he likes his grits and Mr. Tipton says “Regular, I guess.”  Vinny then says “Regular.  Instant grits?” and Tipton gives the best line that I believe summarizes the entire Southern “grit-eating world” (as Vinny called it):  “No self-respectin’ Southerner uses instant grits.”  You shouldn’t, either.

As to grillades, well, class, these are simply grilled cuts of meat all gussied up with a sauce of tomatoes, onions and green peppers.  “Grillades” just sounds better though, doesn’t it?  And if you have any aggressions you want to get out (and you do, don’t you?), then this is your dish.  According to the recipe, you’re supposed to pound your round steak into ¼-inch thick pieces.  So okay, I did that because I follow directions but despite really taking a whack or two or twenty at the meat, I still didn’t get it as thin as I liked.  The solution, you ask?  Cook it longer!  (Might I also say that this pounding thing is kind of a messy endeavor—have a dish rag handy.)  I put the lid on my large fry pan, turned the flame down really low and went back to watching the Amazing Race for an additional half an hour until I was satisfied they were done. (Let me digress for just a moment:   Why, CBS, did you move The Good Wife to Sundays?  You know damned well that the football games you broadcast are always late, making 60 Minutes late, making the Amazing Race late therefore making The Good Wife late.  This is rude.  Stop it!)

Now most grits and grillades recipes call for putting the grillades and sauce on top of the grits but I kept mine separate so I could better appreciate the flavors.  I cannot say that I liked the pairing of these cheesy grits with this grillades recipe but that is perhaps just me and my Yankee palate.  You should also know that this dish is typically served for brunch and I would not be my mother’s daughter if I didn’t raise an eyebrow over that concept; this dish is heavy and so I decided it was best suited for an evening repast.

And that folks is all y’all need to know about that.  So give grits a chance and make this recipe and if you are so inclined, get your French Creole on and serve it up with some meat that you pounded the hell out of and y’all feel better about life as you know it.

Grillades – makes 4-5 servings

1 ½ pound sound steak, ½ inch thick (pounded to 1/4 inch thick)

Salt

Cayenne

1 tablespoon oil

2 onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon flour

1 green pepper, chopped

2 tomatoes, sliced, or 1 cup canned

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 cup hot water

1 bay leaf, crumbled

¼ teaspoon thyme

Pound steak with meat mallet or edge of heavy saucer to break up fibers and flatten to ¼ inch thick.  Cut in 4-inch squares.  Season well with salt and cayenne.  Brown in oil in heavy skillet.  Remove and keep warm.  Add onion and garlic to pan drippings and cook until tender but now browned.  Add flour and cook and stir until browned.  Add green pepper, tomatoes, vinegar, water, bay leaf, and thyme.  Stir until well mixed.  Arrange grillades in sauce.  Cover and simmer until tender.

Garlic Cheese Grits – yield:  8 servings

1 T Bacon grease or oil

1 T Garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

2 cups milk

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup Grits

1 tsp Creole Seasoning (recipe page 252 – see below)

1 tsp hot sauce

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

4 oz cream cheese

For Creole Seasoning (Makes 1 cup – 1 used scant amount of each ingredient for my recipe)

½ cup Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

2 T onion powder

2 T Paprika

1 T Cayenne pepper

1 T white pepper

1 T plus 1 tsp garlic powder

1 T black pepper

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp oregano, dry

1 tsp thyme, dry

Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Store in an airtight container.

Melt bacon grease or oil over low heat in a 1-1/2 quart saucepot.  Add garlic and salt and cook for 1-2 minutes being careful not to brown the garlic.  Add milk and broth and increase heat.  Bring to a simmer and slowly pour in the grits.  Lower heat and cook grits for 15 minutes, stirring often.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir until cheeses are melted.  Serve immediately.

"The Italian Table" & "Cooking with by Sisters" - Classic Polpettine (Meatballs) and Lasagna with Meat and Cheese

Date I made these recipes:  October 14, 2012

The Italian Table – Eating Together for Every Occasion by Ron Suhanosky

Published by:  Kyle Books

ISBN:  978-1-906868-56-7

Recipe:  Classic Polpettine (Meatballs) with Ricotta and Creamy Polenta – p. 98-99

Cooking with My Sisters by Adriana Trigiani

Published by:  Random House

ISBN:  1-4000-6259-4

Recipe:  Trigiani Lasagna with Meat and Cheese – p. 62-64

It’s October!  On the 8^th, we celebrated Columbus Day, the day that Christopher Columbus, a native of Genoa, Italy, discovered America.  Naturally, it only follows that Italian food became extremely popular with the American public, am I right? 

And on October 9^th, this half-Sicilian gal celebrated yet another birthday but with a busy schedule, I was unable to get my “Italian” on until the weekend rolled around. (Truth be told, I was at my community band rehearsal, prepping for a big concert on the 23^rd.  Oh yeah, we’re talking about birthday excitement!!).

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t have an inordinate amount of Italian cookbooks in my collection, probably because as I’ve mentioned before in this blog, I am kind of a regional snob when it comes to Italian cooking – no white sauce, no gnocchi, no pesto.  These items are just not found in Sicilian cuisine.  But I do so love red sauce and meatballs and ricotta cheese and so these recipes fed my birthday soul.

Oddly enough, there was a Minnesota connection in both books even though neither author is from here.  So let’s start with the first book, The Italian Table.

Now, I don’t want to sound picky, but [author] Ron Suhanosky’s name does not sound like an Italian name.  For the record, neither does mine although let me assure you that it is a) Italian (it means “worm”) and b) it’s the un-altered last name of my grandfather, Arcangelo Verme.  Oh yeah, now that name works, doesn’t it??  Well, turns out Ron has street cred:  his great-grandmother’s name was Rose Carbone and grandma’s name was Rachel Gaudino.  So the guy gets a pass and that helps a lot.

But here’s what really drew my eye as I was looking at this book (sold at Common Good Books in St. Paul, owned by author and MPR radio star, Garrison Keilor):  the author’s wife’s grandfather was Joe Piazza who owned and operated Café di Napoli, an Italian restaurant (read:  institution) in downtown Minneapolis for many years.

I loved that restaurant.  I loved the leather booths, I loved the classic Italian (red-sauce) food and I loved the murals of Italy that adorned the building.  So when I saw a photo in this cookbook of the Café di Napoli booths, and read the Café di Napli story (p. 96) as I was looking at this book in the bookstore, I decided that I had to have it in my collection right then and there.  And then I decided to make the meatballs on the page following the photo because well, why wouldn’t I?  What I did not make though, was the polenta as that is just not in my Sicilian-cooking wheelhouse.  Instead, I made Adriana Trigiani’s family lasagna and had the meatballs on the side as we often did at my family table.

Author Adriana Trigiani’s Minnesota connection hits close to home:  her grandfather, Carlo Bonicelli, immigrated to New York from Italy and then decided to head to Minnesota and Minnesota’s Iron Range in Chisholm, Minnesota, to start a shoe shop.  It is often a surprise to non-Minnesotans that there are a lot of Italians up on the Iron Range but many of them went to work in the mines and if they didn’t work in the mines, they ran businesses catering to the miners and their families.

Well, never mind that I am a huge fan of Adriana’s to begin with but her latest book, The Shoemaker’s Wife, loosely based on her grandparent’s story of coming to America, made me cry.  I am a sucker for an immigrant story, and this book made me think about the similar struggles my grandparents had when they came to America from Sicily.  You should run, not walk, to a bookstore to pick up a copy of that book and while there peruse the shelves for some of her other “family” stories, like my favorite, Lucia, Lucia.

Since I was already launched on my Italian theme, I decided to throw Adriana’s cookbook into the mix, making her family’s lasagna recipe to go with my meatballs (or was it the other way around?!).  Both recipes were simply scrumptious and earned a rousing “molto benne” from me and my husband; we are now enjoying leftovers as we speak.

So I’m getting everything prepped for these recipes and damn it all, I ran out of bread crumbs for both recipes and I also realized that I forgot mozzarella for the lasagna, a near-tragedy in this household. (Where.was.my.head?) Lucky for me, my husband volunteered to go to the store while I continued my prep while watching the NY Yankees, my favorite baseball team, battle the Detroit Tigers; Michigan is my home state but I just don’t have the loyalty to them like I do to New York where my father is from.  Both cookbook authors also live in Manhattan and so I felt like the circle was complete with my recipe cooking and baseball viewing!

The only warning I will give to us with regard to the meatballs, is that I needed more sauce so I added some chopped tomatoes from my panty to what I already had on hand rather than adding water as the recipes calls for.  The meatballs, with their unique filling of ricotta and Parmesan cheese, were also a little soft and crumbly, prompting my husband to call them Meatball Sloppy Joes, but they were tasty and so who cares?

By the way, there’s a group shot of Adriana’s family on the same page as the lasagna recipe with a caption:  “A party in Grandmom’s basement.  Italian-Americans love to give parties in their basements and garage.  Please don’t ask why.”  I have almost the exact same photo of my family taken in my aunt’s basement and I can tell you why—because in New Jersey in the summer it is hotter than Hades and so to the cooling basement we go. No sense packing in lasagna and meatballs and raviolis and pizza while sitting in the sizzling heat!

When it’s time for dinner in my family, we use our family battle cry to signal it’s time to start eating:  “A Mangia!”  Enjoy these recipes.

Classic Polpettine with Ricotta and Creamy Polenta – serves 6 to 8 (Makes about 16 2-inch meatballs or a whole lot of 1-inch ones!)

3 pounds ground veal

2 cups whole milk ricotta

1 cup dried unseasoned bread crumbs

2 large brown eggs

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Pinch of red pepper flakes

½ cup fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, finely chopped

2 teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Two 28-ounce cans whole San Marzano tomatoes, pureed by passing through a food mill

Creamy Polenta (note:  this requires 2 hours advance prep)

6 cups water, at room temperature

2 cups coarsely ground cornmeal (polenta), soaked in water for 2 hours in advance and drained

1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

About ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

To make the meatballs:

Preheat the oven to 400F. 

Combine the ground veal, ricotta, bread crumbs, eggs, one-half of the minced garlic, the Parmigiano-Reggiano, red pepper flakes, parsley, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl.  Use your hands to thoroughly mix and work all the ingredients together.  Form and roll the mixture into somewhat firm meatballs 2 inches in diameter; these quantities should yield about 16 meatballs.

Position the meatballs 2 inches apart, so they are not touching, on a large sheet pan.  Bake until they are slightly brown and firm, 30 to 35 minutes.

Place the grapeseed oil (I used olive oil) in a heavy-bottomed casserole or cast-iron pot over high heat.  Lightly sauté the remaining garlic.  Add the pureed tomatoes and 1 tomato can of water.  Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 3 ½ hours.  The meatballs should remain submerged to braise in the tomato sauce; add a small amount of water to the sauce if necessary.

To make the polenta:

Place the water, cornmeal, garlic, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of the red pepper flakes in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Whisk continuously until the ingredients are fully incorporated and a smooth, lump-free consistency is achieved.  Continue to stir.  (At this point, you may want to switch from a whisk to a wooden spoon.)  Continue to cook, while stirring continuously, until the polenta pulls away from the side of the pan, 15 to 18 minutes total.  Add the butter and the Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Adjust the seasonings, adding salt and red pepper flakes to taste.

Ann’s note:  I did not make the polenta, substituting the lasagna instead.  I don’t add red pepper flakes to my food—it’s not my family’s way of cooking and I used some of the sauce for my lasagna recipe to cook my meatballs instead of his recipe as they were pretty close in ingredients. 

Trigiani Lasagna with Meat and Cheese – makes 9 entrée portions or 12 side portions

Sauce

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 ½ cup crushed tomatoes

12 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Ricotta Cheese Filing

15 to 16 ounces ricotta cheese

5 ounces shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

4 ounces bread crumbs

½ teaspoon salt

4 to 5 sprigs of Italian parsley, finely chopped

Meat filing

1 pound very lean ground beef

Salt and pepper to taste

Pasta

12 lasagna noodles, either oven-ready or precooked

Sprinkling cheese

10 ounces shredded mozzarella (use 5 ounces in the layers and 5 ounces for the topping)

5 ounces shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

Make the sauce by combining the sauce ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer until the tomatoes have been liquefied, 20 to 30 minutes.  While the sauce is simmering, mix the ingredients for the cheese filling.  Brown the ground beef, season with salt and pepper and dry.  Set aside.  Cook the pasta noodles.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coast a large roasting pan with live oil, lightly.  Assemble the lasagna as follows:

Layer of pasta

Thin layer of sauce

Meat

5 ounces mozzarella

Ricotta cheese filling

5 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano

Layer of pasta

Thin layer of sauce

5 ounces mozzarella

Bake for one hour, covered.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.  Slice into squares and serve.