My little sister is graduating college and her party is next weekend. She asked me to make a cake for her and I couldn’t say no. So I decided to do a test batch this week to make sure I like the recipe (she asked for yellow cake with chocolate icing). I naturally can’t just buy cake in a box, so I’m going to make yellow cake with dark chocolate ganache with raspberries.
Ingredients for cake (this makes enough for 2 9-inch cake pans):
1 cup unsalted butter
2 ½ cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ½ cups buttermilk
3 ¾ cups cake flour (you can use all-purpose flour as a substitute)
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
Cooking spray
Ingredients for ganache:
16 ounces chocolate, finely chopped (I used dark chocolate)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
This is a double layer cake, so I also needed icing for in between the two layers. You can just buy chocolate icing in the store and use that, but I only want to deliver the best for the little sister.
Ingredients for chocolate frosting:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 stick of unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
A friend sent me this recipe from Food & Wine, and I somehow had all of these ingredients on hand (yes, including the saffron and golden raisins… don’t judge me). This recipe said it would take 30 minutes, so I thought it would be a great weeknight meal, plus any time I can make something somewhat healthy, it’s a win.
Ingredients:
1 cup water
10 ounces baby spinach
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
Kosher salt
Pinch of saffron threads
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
Two 15-ounce cans chickpeas with their liquid
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large tomato—peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
Crusty bread, for serving
To cook the spinach, boil the water in a pot and add the leaves. Stir frequently until wilted (about 2 minutes). Drain the spinach in a strainer, pressing the leaves against the sides to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Coarsely chop the spinach and set aside.
In retrospect, I feel like using frozen chopped spinach that has been defrosted would work just as well, and save some time.
Using the flat side of a knife, mash the garlic into a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the saffron.
kind of coarse, but oh well
In a small bowl, mix the garlic paste, paprika, cumin, cloves, and black pepper and mash until combined.
Stir in 1/4 cup of the chickpea liquid.
To seed the tomatoes, cut the tomato in half and use a spoon to remove the seeds.
I decided not to peel the tomato because I wanted the pieces to retain their shape. Feel free to peel them, it will make for a more soft and more incorporated into the dish.
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a dutch oven or pot. Heat over high heat and add in the onion and tomato, (I forgot about the onion, oops) and stir occasionally until soft, about 3 minutes.
Add the spiced garlic sauce to the pot and cook for 1 minute.
Add the chickpeas and the liquid they came in to the pot. Add the raisins and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add the spinach, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top and serve with some crusty bread.
This didn’t have as much hit-you-over-the-head flavor as I was expecting (when cumin is in a recipe, I tend to prepare for some kick). But, the more I ate, the more I really enjoyed it. If I make this in the future, I will probably use more tomato, I was really craving more. Also, I hope to remember to use onion next time! Darn me. This is one of those dishes that will probably taste better the next day, when all the flavors have time to meld. (Update: it was delicious the next day!)
This weekend I was given quite the culinary challenge: make a meal for ten people without breaking the bank. I would be feeding everyone at the beach, so my mind immediately went to Shish Kabobs with Rice (I want summer and barbecues to be here so badly!). This is a great option for vegetarians as well, always a plus.
Living in the city does not mean you can’t enjoy this recipe. If you have a little indoor grill, that will work just fine. Due to the poor weather we had this weekend, we actually ended up broiling the shish kabobs in the oven, which worked just fine.
Ingredients (serves 10):
3 pints cherry tomatoes
1 bag of pearl onions, peeled (quick tip below)
2 green bell peppers
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
2 8 oz packages of whole mushrooms (I used cremini)
1 large zucchini
2 large summer squash
5 lbs top sirloin steak, cut into cubes
10 cups chicken stock (ideally, use vegetable stock to keep veggies truly vegetarian)
5 cups rice
Ingredients for marinade:
1 tablespoon salt
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 heaping tablespoon of the following dried spices: thyme, basil, oregano, marjoram
2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup oil
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 2/3 cup red wine (an inexpensive table wine is fine)
I have been feeling exceptionally lazy and have been avoiding food shopping at all costs. Thankfully, the latest Food & Wine magazine allowed me to go one more day without getting more groceries. I happily had all of these ingredients on hand.
Ingredients:
6 ounces bacon, diced
2 cups frozen baby peas, thawed, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced (I used 1/2 of a leftover onion I had)
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
7 cups simmering chicken stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
I forgot to put the wine in this photo. Whoops
Warm the chicken stock in a saucepan on the stove over low heat.
In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft, 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until the rice is evenly coated with the oil. Add the wine and simmer until almost evaporated, 3 minutes.
In another saute pan, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp, about 6 minutes.
Drain the bacon on paper towels; reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat.
While the rice is absorbing the wine, puree half of the peas (1 cup) with 1 cup of water in a food processor. (I used my trusty Magic Bullet. Best Christmas present ever.
Not terribly appetizing..
Once the wine is absorbed, add enough hot stock to just cover the rice and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the stock has been absorbed. Add more stock, enough to cover the rice.
You can tell I burnt some of the onions…
Continue cooking and stirring, adding more stock as it is absorbed, until the rice is creamy, about 25 minutes.
The rice really expands!
Add the pea puree, the remaining peas and the bacon and cook, stirring, until hot.
Remove the risotto from the heat and stir in the butter, reserved bacon fat, cheese and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
This was very satisfying, especially for not having to buy any ingredients. I think I’d like it with a bit more cheese, just as a topping upon serving. To take advantage of the spring season’s fresh vegetables, you could substitute in asparagus, or maybe just add some fresh asparagus to the dish.
Risotto is a great go-to meal on week days because it always takes about 30 minutes to make. I haven’t typed up many risotto recipes yet, but you can expect them in the future.
Whelp. I’m sick. Which means that my culinary excursion has come to a screeching halt. Darn me for not making a huge batch of chicken noodle soup when I was feeling fine! So I am going for the next best thing (honestly probably the better thing):Famous 4th Street Deli’sfamous chicken soup.
The famous Chicken Soup comes with: matzo ball, kreplach, bow tie noodles, rice, kasha, onions and carrots. The matzo ball is the size of a softball. The one in the photo above is cut in half so it could fit in my bowl. Kreplach are small dumplings that can be filled with ground meat or other filling. Kasha is a soft grain, usually buckwheat. If I could figure out how to make this, I’d be one super happy person.. maybe one day.
Needless to say, this is the best medicine I’ve had so far for this cold/flu/sickness/whatever I have. I have a ridiculous amount of soup (one order of the soup feeds 2-3 people) so I expect to live off of this for the next day or two.
If you haven’t picked up on this yet, I’m quite the fan of salmon. It’s easy to make, tastes great, and is good for you. To add to my lovely salmon repertoire, I thought I’d give Food & Wine’s Pan-Fried Salmon with Citrus Vinaigrette (and Asparagus) a try.
Ingredients:
1 pound asparagus, stalks trimmed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 medium shallot, minced
2 tablespoons snipped chives
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 6-oz skinless salmon fillets
Ok. So I cut corners & bought OJ. shh
1/4 cup lemon juice ends up being about 2 lemons
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice is equal to about one lime.
Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat. When the water is boiling, drop the asparagus in, and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Pat dry and transfer to a plate. Drizzle some olive oil over the asparagus and toss.
In a small saute pan, mix the orange, lemon, and lime juices and simmer over medium heat until reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
Pour into a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Whisk in the shallot, chives, and 1/4 cup olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper
Add to the saute pan, skin side up.
Cook for 3 minutes and flip. The salmon should have a nice browned sear.
Cook for another three minutes until cooked through in the center. Transfer the salmon to plates and spoon some of the citrus vinaigrette on top. Serve the salmon with the asparagus.
Ah. I love any kind of citrus with asparagus and salmon, and this was no exception. It was a quick and easy recipe too, easily made on week days. The citrus vinaigrette would be great on raw spinach as well.
Lasagna. It seems like such a simple dish that will result in many freezable meals (9 to be exact). Always looking for a way to have already-prepared lunch or dinner options, I decided this weekend was the time to conquer the classic Italian food. I mean, how much work can layering different ingredients be?
Three hours later, I ended up with this:
Not too shabby. Just a long process!
Ingredients for Lasagna:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons for the lasagna
1 tablespoon each of dried: thyme, oregano, basil, rosemary and parsley
The tomato sauce takes a good hour itself, so start this before anything else. While making the sauce, leave the milk on the counter so it can reach room temperature. Also leave out the frozen spinach to thaw.
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add cans of tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and the rest of the spices (bay leaves through parsley). Simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Remove bay leaves and remove pot from heat.
Feel free to use just some store-bought sauce. I personally can’t do it. Who told all the sauce companies that sugar should be a main ingredient? Gross. So yeah, the 25% of me that is Italian absolutely cannot handle sauce out of a jar. I digress…
Next, to make the béchamel sauce, melt 5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in another pot. When the butter is melted, add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes.
um. “smooth”? yeah, I don’t know what happened
Gradually add in milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps. Continue to simmer and whisk over medium heat. Make sure the heat isn’t up too high; you don’t want the milk to burn! Stir until thick and creamy, about 10 minutes.
it should coat the back of a wooden spoon, like this
Remove from heat and add to tomato sauce. Stir until well combined. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
While the sauce is cooling, cook the lasagna according to the package directions. Lay lasagna pieces out individually on a tin foil so that they don’t stick together.
In a sauté pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When almost smoking, add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Break up large clumps to make sure all parts of the meat are browned, until there is no more pink meat. Remove from heat and drain any excess fat. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
In a medium sized bowl, mix the ricotta and eggs. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
To assemble (in a lasagna pan):
line bottom with lasagna sheets
add 1/3 of bechamel sauce
add all of the ricotta mixture
add all of the spinach
another layer of pasta sheets
add all of the meat
add half of the mozzarella cheese (1 bag)
add another 1/3 of the bechamel sauce
one last layer of pasta sheets
add the last of the bechamel sauce
top with remaining mozzarella cheese
add Parmesan cheese and thin slices of 2 tbsp of butter
To cook, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the lasagna pan on top, cover with tin foil and place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake until the top is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for another 15 minutes.
woo! finally done!
Allow to cool if you plan on putting into individual containers (as I did). I find it hard to believe that something with this much cheese, pasta, and sauce could honestly taste bad. But seeing how much not-so-good-for-you things went into this, I think I’d sub in some “less” bad ingredients next time (skim milk, partially skim cheese, low fat ricotta, ground turkey).
Although this was quite the task, I think it was totally worth it. I’ve already had this for lunch one day this week and have plenty more stored away in my freezer for future meals. Yum.
