Freezable | I Can Cook That

Corn Chowder

I have so much corn, it’s getting ridiculous. For the past three weeks my CSA share has come with 6 ears of corn and well, I’m corn-ed out. So I decided to make a corn chowder that I plan on freezing to enjoy when I’m craving corn in non-summer months. I’m hoping the texture of the chowder doesn’t change after freezing. I found this recipe on Simply Recipes, and chose to make it without the bacon. I also had green bell peppers from my CSA share, so I used that instead of buying a red pepper.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 large carrot, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

1/2 celery stalk, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

3 ears of sweet corn, kernels removed from the cobs (about 2 cups), cobs reserved

1 bay leaf

3 1/2 cups milk, whole or low fat

1 medium Yukon Gold potato, or Russet, peeled and diced

1/4 green bell pepper, chopped (about 1/4 cup)

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Prepare all your vegetables.

In a large saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until soft.

Add the carrot and celery and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes.

Cut the corn cobs in half and add them to the saute pan.

Add the milk and bay leaf.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a light simmer (low heat, maybe even the “warm” setting).

Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Do not boil; make sure it is just at a light simmer. This is to prevent the milk from burning.

Remove the cobs and the bay leaf. Turn the heat up to medium. Add the potatoes, green pepper, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper, to taste.

Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

Increase the heat again and add the corn kernels and thyme. Bring to a boil. (Last time) reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

I had a bit of this just to make sure it turned out alright, and it was really good! I wish I had cut the vegetables much much smaller, I found it to be a bit too chunky. This is a hearty colder weather dish, so I can’t wait to break this out when the leaves begin to change.

Garlic Scape Pesto

I’m sure you read this post title and was wondering why I’m making Garlic Scape Pesto.

This week, I received garlic scapes with my CSA half share. What the heck is a garlic scape you may ask?

When garlic is growing, the scape is the green shoot that pops out of the earth. Farmers need to trim these so that the garlic can continue to grow. But the actual green shoot also packs in a bunch of garlicky goodness, although more mild and with a touch of grass smell.

The scapes are kind of scary looking but I was willing to try using them, who knows when I’ll come across these again! Because they are a more delicate version of garlic, scapes are best used raw.

I came across a recipe for Garlic Scape Pesto on the blog In the Kitchen and on the Road with Dorie which seemed like a good way to use a bunch of the scapes. I substituted walnuts for the almonds, mainly because my poor boyfriend is allergic and I didn’t want to mistakenly serve him something with almonds in it, and I added in some basil to help cut some of the scape flavor. I also cut the recipe in half to test it out, I can always make more later!

Ingredients:

5 garlic scapes, finely chopped
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Salt, to taste

Continue reading Garlic Scape Pesto

Creamy Baked Penne and Chicken with Artichokes, Tarragon and Lemon

I have no idea why the concept of a food swap stresses me out so much. But trying to find a recipe for this month was so difficult! I finally found this recipe from a blog called The Bad Girl’s Kitchen; she has a whole section of freezer-friendly meals.

Ingredients (I was making 10 servings):

Salt

2 pounds penne

8 tablespoons olive oil

6 cans of artichoke hearts, rinsed and chopped

1 medium onion, minced

8 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 8 teaspoons)

Zest from 1 lemon

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup dry white wine

2 cups heavy cream

2 pounds chicken thighs

3 bay leaves

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

16 ounces shredded Italian cheese blend (about 2 cups)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Ground black pepper

3 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves

that’s quite a few ingredients

To cook the pasta, boil water in a pasta pot over high heat. Add a tablespoon of salt and the pasta and cook for 5 minutes (it will be very al dente– they will cook fully in the oven later). Drain pasta in a colander and toss with two tablespoons olive oil. Set aside.

Prep your artichokes, onion, and garlic.

In a large pot, heat 6 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the artichokes, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until the artichokes are lightly browned (about 10 minutes).

Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth, wine, and cream.

Add the chicken and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken registers 160 degrees.

Remove from heat and discard the bay leaves. Remove chicken and set aside to cool. When cooled, shred into bite-sized pieces. Stir the chicken back into the sauce, adding the pasta, peas, 2 cups cheese and lemon juice. Stir until combined and season with salt and pepper.

I transferred these into tupperware dishes. I included a freezer bag of cheese and put them in the freezer.

To cook, thaw the meal in the refrigerator (about 24 hours). Add to a casserole dish and top with the cheese.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover with aluminum foil sprayed with vegetable spray. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with tarragon and serve.

Whew. I heated up a tiny portion of this, just to make sure it was edible. Well, it was more than edible, it was really quite good! I was impressed with how much flavor was in the dish. Thanks for such a great recipe Bad Girl’s Kitchen!

Irish Stew

I joined a food swap, and the first swap is coming up next week, so I decided to make Irish Stew.

While researching Irish Stew, I couldn’t find a recipe I liked, so I decided to wing it.

I also have yet to attempt to use my slow cooker, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to do so. Here’s hoping it turns out ok…

Ingredients:

3 medium-size onions, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon garlic powder, or 3 garlic cloves, minced
4 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into chunks (can substitute in beef)
7 carrots, chopped
3 leeks, chopped
3 tablespoons pearl barley
5 cups beef stock
1 bottle of Guinness
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 bouquet of parsley, thyme, and bay leaves, plus more parsley for garnish
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped (leave this to prep last)
1 cup frozen peas

the ingredients took up my entire counter

Lasagna

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

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

4 cups whole milk at room temperature

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (recipe below)

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound ground chuck beef

1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese

3 large eggs

1 pound lasagna sheets, cooked al dente

1 package (16 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

4 cups shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Ingredients for Tomato Sauce:

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 can pureed tomatoes

Salt and pepper

2 dried bay leaves

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.

so. many. meals.

Tomato Soup with Chickpeas and Pasta

I try to bring my lunch into work at least four times a week, but sometimes I am just too exhausted at the end of a week day to think about and prepare a lunch for the next day. Soups in general are great for these days; you can make a huge batch on Saturday, freeze it in single portions, and then grab when on the run. Food and Wine had a “fast” soup recipe listed so I thought I’d try it out (most soups take at least an hour to prepare).

The original recipe is linked above. I made a few substitutions, based on what I already had in my house.

Ingredients:
7 cups diced tomatoes with their juice (two 28-ounce cans)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 /2 teaspoons dried sage
2 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
2 cups water
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup orzo
2 cups drained and rinsed canned chickpeas (one 19-ounce can)
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

First puree the tomatoes with their juice in a food processor or blender. Feel free to puree at much or as little as you want. If you like your soup a bit chunky, only pulse the blender a few times.

In a large pot (and I mean large– my Dutch Oven was almost too small!), heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (The original recipe called for 1 whole onion. That seemed like quite a lot of onion for my tastes, so I used half of the onion in my ingredients photo.) Stir in garlic.

Add the pureed tomatoes, sage, broth, water and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta and chickpeas. Bring the soup back to a boil.

Reduce the heat and partially cover, stirring occasionally.

Partially covered? Sure

Cook for 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir in the parsley, pepper, and grated Parmesan. Serve topped with an additional sprinkle of Parmesan.

Finished Dish

I was impressed with how quick this recipe was, maybe 35-45 minutes from start to finish. What made it even more manageable was during the down time (10 minute cooking of onion, waiting for it to boil, etc) I was able to clean up the mess I was making.

The soup was really tasty and deceptively fresh tasting (that parsley really helped!). If you like a little kick, I think a few drops of hot sauce during the final boiling stage would be a nice addition. If you don’t have and dried sage on hand, the recipe suggests substituting rosemary or marjoram.

This dish would be great to sop up with garlic bread or even a cheesy toast. I’m excited to have this for lunch some time next week!