Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini

 

I saw this recipe in Real Simple magazine and immediately wanted to try it. I'm not a huge fan of stuffed peppers, but the contents of this "stuffing" were right up my alley, so I figured I'd give it a try. One half was enough for me, but Andrew ate two. We repeated these numbers for lunch the next day, so three zucchini was the perfect amount for us. I omitted the sun-dried tomatoes called for in the original recipe because Andrew isn't a huge fan of them.

You could easily make up the "stuffing" the night before, then just halve, scoop, and stuff the zucchini for a super fast meal. Since the weather is turning cool here, I've got fall foods on my mind and I think this would be equally good with acorn squash.

Mediterranean Stuffed Zucchini

adapted from Real Simple - September 2010

3 medium zucchini

1/2 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed

1/4 c. grated Asiago cheese

2 tbsp. pignoli (pine nuts)

2 tbsp. chopped sun-dried tomatoes

2 chopped green onions

Halve the zucchini lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and form the "bowl" for your stuffing. Place halves on a cookie sheet and set aside.

Brown the sausage in a large skillet. Drain grease and combine with remaining ingredients. I had reserved the scooped out zucchini and mixed it in at this point.

Roast at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until zucchini is fork tender. Serve with additional asiago, if desired.

Caramelized Onion & Gorgonzola Risotto

The original plan was gorgonzola polenta.  That plan went out the window when we got home from grocery shopping and I realized I was out of polenta...oops!  I had bought some fantastic cheese and was craving more, so I decided my carb-y side would have to include it.  Hence this new risotto recipe was born.  The caramelized onions add major flavor and their sweetness offsets the strong cheese beautifully.

At The Cheese Shop in West Side Market, I spent some time talking to Lisa, a veteran of the Cleveland food scene who started her career at Piccolo Mundo, working alongside many well-known Cleveland foodies, including Chef Michael Symon.  Lisa told my sister and I some great stories about the restaurant scene in Cleveland over the past quarter century while she fed us samples of fantastic cheeses.  We ended up choosing Buttermilk Blue.  Though Lisa helped us choose it as the perfect complement to our polenta, it also worked beautifully in the risotto we ended up with.


Caramelized Onion & Gorgonzola Risotto
serves 4 as a side dish


1 tbsp. butter
2 medium or 1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. arborio rice
up to 1 tbsp. olive oil
1 c. white wine
3-4 c. chicken stock
1/3 c. gorgonzola (heap it in there!) plus more for the table
salt & pepper

You've seen my risotto technique a ton of times - I'll give you the basics here, but for step by step instructions and many other risotto recipes, click the "rice" tag. 

In a medium saucepan, bring chicken broth to a simmer.  Turn heat to medium-low and allow to stay warm on a back burner.

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat.  Add onions and stir to coat.  Cook the onions until they are caramelized to a nice dark brown color - don't worry about black/brown bits sticking to the pan, we'll take care of those later.  Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the rice to the skillet.

Stir the rice, lightly toasting it in the pan.  If it is sticking, add a bit of olive oil to keep it moving.  Add the wine first, stirring to help the rice absorb the liquid.  Continue adding liquid and stirring until rice is creamy and slightly al dente in the center.

Add gorgonzola to the pan, stirring to melt throughout the risotto.  Plate and top with additional gorgonzola crumbles.

Wild Rice Stuffed Onions

The recipe for these wild rice stuffed onions was passed to me by my friend Anna the last time I was complaining that I was bored of my usual side dishes.  I've made them twice since I got my hands on this recipe, and everyone who has tried them adores them!

After cooking the rice with a mirepoix (that classic combo of carrots, celery, and onions), you stuff partly-cooked, hollowed out onions with the rice mixture, then bake in the oven.  Served in its onion shell, this side dish is pretty enough to grace a holiday dinner table, but easy enough to serve on a weeknight when you've got some extra time.


Wild Rice Stuffed Onions
makes 6 servings

6 large onions  (Spanish or Vidalia work well)
1-1/2 c. long grain wild rice
3 c. water
2 tbsp. butter
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
dried sage & dried thyme
poultry seasoning
salt & pepper


Preheat oven to 425.

Slice a very small piece off the "bottom" of the onion - that would be the end with the stringy roots.  This will make the onion sit flat in its baking dish.  Slice off a slightly larger piece of the top (the part that comes to a papery point).  Remove the skin from the top piece and set it aside.  Remove the skin from the onion.  Repeat this with all six onions.

Using a knife, make a conical cut into the middle of the onion.  Be careful not to cut too far into it, as you want to preserve the sides and bottom as a shell.  You will want at least two rings of onion to remain so that it stays sturdy enough to hold the rice.  Remove the cone, then use a spoon to core the onion, taking care to leave at least 1/2" at the bottom.  Chop the onion that you removed from the cores, set aside.

Combine water and rice, bring to a boil.  Drop the heat to a simmer, stir, and cover the rice for approximately 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, place the onions (without their tops) in a lightly greased baking dish.  Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.  Remove the onions and drop the oven heat to 375 degrees. 

While onions are baking and rice is cooking, heat the butter in a very large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the carrots, celery, and about 1/2 cup of the chopped onion.  Reserve the remaining onion for another use.  Season with herbs, poultry seasoning, and salt and pepper. 

When the rice is cooked, add it to the skillet.  Stir to combine the rice with the vegetables, then remove pan from the heat.

 

Using a large spoon, stuff the onions with the vegetable-rice mixture.  Mound up the tops slightly.

 

 

Place the reserved "tops" onto the onions and place them back in the oven (now at 375 degrees) for about 20 minutes.  

I think these would be really good filled with stuffing for Thanksgiving, or with orzo in pesto sauce...the possibilities are endless!  Thanks again to Anna for such a beautiful recipe!

White Wine Steamed Mussels

When Andrew and I go out to dinner, one of our favorite appetizers to order is mussels.  Typically, they've been steamed in white wine, then served in some variation of a scampi sauce - white wine, butter, and garlic.  I decided it would be fun, easy, and way less expensive to make this dish at home.  Having grown up in a family that adores all seafood, I've cooked many varieties in many different ways, so I don't have that fear that a lot of other home cooks seem to have regarding seafood.  If you are one of those people who is always nervous about cooking fish or shellfish, this is a great recipe for you.  It requires very little effort and it's tough to mess up!

This recipe makes a good appetizer for 4-6 people, but Andrew and I ate it as our meal.  If you wanted, you could serve the mussels and the butter-wine sauce over linguine, and it would probably serve 4 people as well.  Andrew and I opted to eat the steamed mussels as our main course, accompanied by a sliced baguette and a green salad. 


White Wine Steamed Mussels
adapted from The Big Slice 

2 lb. fresh mussels, washed
2 tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, sliced or chopped
1-1/2 c. white wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

A tip on storing mussels:  when you buy them, the fishmonger may pack them in ice in a plastic bag for you.  If you purchase from a seafood market, they will most likely give you a bag with holes in it.  If you buy your mussels in the grocery store, they will probably put them in a regular plastic bag.  If they do this, take a pen or your car keys and poke holes in the top of the bag.  The best way to do this is to hold the bag in your left hand, and use your poking tool (I like to use an uncapped pen) to stab the loose area at the top of the plastic (where there are no mussels).  You want them to stay alive until you cook them; that is the point of packing them on ice, so don't suffocate them by skipping this step.  Put the mussels in a bowl in your fridge so the ice doesn't leak everywhere as it melts.

If you need advice on how to clean mussels (also known as "de-bearding" them), The Big Slice has a video for you.

Once they're clean, it's time to cook!  Make sure you have thrown away any mussels with open or broken shells.  Steam the mussels over 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of the white wine for ten minutes.  Discard any whose shells do not open. 

In the meantime, melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  Add the onions and saute on medium high heat so they will carmelize.  (This is an alteration - when I made this, I followed TBS's recipe exactly, and I found the onions were too white and too crunchy for my taste.)  Add the garlic, sauteeing for another minute or two.  Once softened, add the remaining cup of wine and bring to a simmer.

Continue simmering until the wine has reduced by about half.  Add one cup of the mussel steaming liquid to the pan, stir to combine.

Serve the mussels in a large bowl - pour the sauce over them, top with fresh parsley.   Accompany with plenty of crusty bread for dipping.

This is a great introduction into cooking shellfish.  If you've never tried serving seafood at home, this recipe is a fun first step.  A small ingredient list and simple preparation allow the mussels to shine.  I know you'll be satisfied with the results if you try this one!

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is a fun vegetable to cook.  It's different in texture and taste from other squashes, and the spaghetti "noodles" are easy to dress up in different ways.

This roasted spaghetti squash would be a great last minute side dish for your Thanksgiving feast.  It's easy enough to put together for a weeknight meal yet special enough for company.

Roasted Spaghetti Squash

1 large spaghetti squash

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

olive oil

salt & pepper

To start, you'll need to slice the squash in half the long way.  I find this difficult to do with such a hard, large squash, so I microwave it for 5-7 minutes to make it easier to cut.  Poke the skin of the squash with the tip of your knife before you put it in the microwave so the steam can escape.

 

 

Once you've cut your squash in half, use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp.  

Pile the onions and garlic in the hollowed out squash.  Drizzle with olive oil, add salt and pepper.  

Roast at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, or until squash is tender.  Use a large fork to scrape out the "spaghetti".  Toss with the roasted onions and garlic and serve.

Autumn Sausage Casserole

I made this recipe about a month ago, but it has been languishing in my "to post" file.  I'm not sure why I let it hang out so long, since Andrew and I both really enjoyed it, and it's such a seasonal recipe.

The flavors and colors of this "autumn inspired" dish meld beautifully for a comforting one pot meal.  I got the recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking - Stephanie had taken a recipe she found in A Taste of Home and adapted it for her crockpot.  Well I "unadapted" it back to a stove top recipe.  It's much simpler that way, and honestly, there's no reason to slow cook it.

I did still keep the recipe pulled up on my laptop while I cooked (and drank!)

Autumn Sausage Casserole
adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking

1 lb. spicy Italian sausage
1 large (or 2 small) apples, peeled and chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. raisins
3 c. cooked rice (I used brown basmati)
1 tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. chicken broth

Brown sausage in a large skillet until cooked through.  Drain in a colander - leave a little bit of the fat in the pan, let sausage rest in colander for now.

Add apples, onions, raisins, and carrots to saucepan.  Once carrots soften and onions are translucent, add the brown sugar, parsley, and cinnamon.  Next, mix in the rice, sausage, and chicken broth, stirring to combine all ingredients.  Serve in bowls.

As the Crockpot Lady advises, this is more of a fried rice than a casserole.  Since there isn't really a binder, the dish has the consistency of a stir fry.  I loved the substitution I made of spicy sausage - it makes for a great contrast to the sweetness of the apples, carrots, and onions.  This is a fun, easy weeknight dinner that celebrates the colors and flavors of fall. 

Cheater's Homemade Pizza

Though I'd love to make my own pizza dough every time I have a hankering for pizza, that doesn't always cut it in the "quick weeknight meal" category. Especially if I end up making Andrew put the pizzas together! Plus, you may remember from this pot pie recipe how much I appreciate an easy meal.

I love Boboli breads. Nonnie and my mom tell me I'm pronouncing it wrong - I say "Bub-oh-lee" and they say "Bahba-lee". I'm not sure which way is right, but they are yummy. I recently picked up a two-pack of the large whole-wheat pizza crusts so that Andrew and I could have pizza for dinner with leftovers for lunches.

For this round of pizzas, I went with simple ingredients - homemade sauce, shredded cheese, pepperoni, and sliced onion.

I made an Italian Feast a few days before, so I had sausage left from the sauce. I cut it into coins for Andrew's pizza. (See the giant pot in the background? It's yummy sauce!)

To make the pizzas, simply spread sauce to about 1" from the edge of the pizza. Top with shredded cheese, pepperoni, onions, sausage, and any other toppings you can think of. Sprinkle a little more cheese on! I like to add "pizza seasonings" - oregano, basil, parsley - but it's definitely optional.

I don't like sauce, so you can see my pizza on the right - I just drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over the crust.

Bake according to the package directions - I think mine was 425 for 10 minutes. An easy weeknight dinner with minimal effort, plus plenty left over for lunches the next day!

Seafood Linguine

Andrew and I have been married since June 2008. Even though we now have a wedding anniversary to celebrate, I think it's fun to celebrate our "dating anniversary" too. There are so many sad days in life, don't you think it's nice to celebrate every happy occasion you can think of?

Monday marked six years that Andrew and I have been together. Instead of going out to dinner, we decided to make a dinner we both love - seafood linguine. We stalked the seafood section of our local grocery store, then put together a simple scampi sauce. The meal turned out beautifully, and the anniversary was pretty great too!

Seafood Linguine

1 medium onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb. sea scallops

1/2 lb. large shrimp

2 cans minced clams

1-1/2 lbs. mussels

1 lb. linguine

1 c. white wine

1 bottle clam juice

olive oil

salt

red pepper flakes

To start, drizzle olive oil into a large saucepan. Saute onions, garlic, and red pepper over medium heat unti onions are soft. At the same time, put a large pot of salted water on to boil for your pasta.

Clean mussels by washing them and removing their beards and any loose barnacles. The nice lady at the seafood counter was kind enough to pack the mussels on ice for me, since I wasn't planning to use them until the next day.

Add wine, clam juice, and mussels to pan. Bring to a simmer and cover.

While the mussels are cooking, prepare the other seafood. Don't forget to put the pasta into your boiling water!

The sea scallops we bought were really big, so I cut each one into six small chunks.

I like canned clams. I LOVE fresh clams, but they are tough to get at a decent price here in Ohio, and honestly, it would take SO much work to get the same amount of fresh clams that you get in a can.

So anyway. Crack the two cans. Drain one. Add both cans of clams, one with juice, to the saucepan.

Andrew helped me peel and devein the shrimp. This is NOT a pretty process, so I did not photograph it for you. I'm trying to entice you with my food, not gross you out. I chopped the shrimp, then added the shrimp and scallops to the pan. These only need to cook for two or three minutes, until the shrimp turn pink and the scallops turn opaque white.

Drain the pasta whenever it's done cooking. If the timing isn't perfect, just let it sit in the colander for a moment while you finish prepping the seafood.

Pile your cooked pasta into the pan.

Get your husband, neighbor, local superhero, or weightlifting pal to lift up that super heavy pan and dump it into a large bowl. Make sure you scrape out all the onions, clams, and other yummy goodness.

Get your garlic bread ready. You can find my recipe here. If you're comfortable with the broiler, you can prep your bread in the two minutes that the shrimp and scallops are cooking and broil it while you are mixing the linguine and serving it.

All in all, it's a pretty simple recipe that yields fantastic results. If you're a seafood fan, this is one that's definitely worth adding to your list of "special occasion" menus.

Braised Beef

This is another recipe from Samantha - when I get a recipe from her, I always know it's going to turn out delicious, and this was no exception. After being braised, the meat is incredibly tender and flavorful. You could serve it any way you like - I decided to serve it over egg noodles. You can see that I made this recipe my own by omitting ingredients that I didn't have (or that we don't care for!) - I know that Samantha's recipes are never exact, and they're usually pretty flexible in terms of measurements and required ingredients.

Braised Beef

One huge ass beef roast (Samantha's words, not mine!)
5-6 cloves minced garlic
1/2 c. diced onion
1/2 c. diced carrot
1/2 c. diced celery (I omitted)
1/2 c. diced mushrooms (I omitted)
3 tbsp. tomato paste
Half a bottle of red wine
3 c. chicken broth (or beef if you prefer)
1 tbsp. each basil, oregano, tarragon
1/2 tsp. each rosemary and thyme (I omitted because I didn't see this line until I was retyping this recipe just now)
a bay leaf (I never have one, so I skipped it)

Season all sides of the roast with salt and pepper. Go a little heavy on the salt - you're going to need it. As Andrew said - "That's a big piece of meat!"

Heat a little bit of olive oil over high heat in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Sear the meat on both sides until brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add veggies and garlic and saute until onion is translucent. You may need to add a bit more olive oil - I did.

Add the tomato paste and stir.

Now, pour in the wine, chicken broth, and spices.

The original recipe calls for 2-3 cups broth - I used 2 cups to start, then ended up adding another cup to cover the beef.

Of the spices listed in the recipe, I used basil, oregano, and tarragon. I missed the line about rosemary and thyme - oops!

Add a bit more salt and plenty of pepper. Bring to a boil and taste. It should be just slightly under-salted. Yummy!

Submerge the roast in the liquid. If it is not covered, add more wine and broth until it does and reseason to taste. Cover and simmer for at least 45 minutes. The longer it simmers, the more tender the beef will be. As Samantha says, "It's done when you get tired of waiting or when it falls apart when you try to lift it."

I braised the beef for right around the recommended 45 minutes. It wasn't falling apart, but it was beautifully tender and rare. The edges were cooked all the way through, but the middle was a gorgeous bright pink.

I sliced the beef and served over buttery egg noodles. Once the noodles were cooked, I added a little bit of butter and garlic powder, Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, and parsley.

To serve, make a bed of noodles:

Then, top the noodles with the sliced beef:

Ladle the veggies and broth over the beef and noodles:

This is a hearty, comforting meal that is easy yet impressive. It's a perfect Sunday night dinner, reminiscent of Grandma's pot roast, but more flavorful and even more delicious.

Throw Together Pasta: Version 2

You know I love my pasta, and you may even know that I'm good at throwing things together at the last minute. What you may not know is that I put together a random pasta dish almost every week, and it's never the same twice. I wanted to post tonight's dinner so you can get an idea of how I come up with these meals.

Unlike my last version, this throw together pasta is not vegetarian. Andrew is not a fan of meals that don't include meat, so I try to keep certain items (like bacon and shrimp) in the freezer at all times. I stick to bacon and shrimp for a few reasons: they are quick to thaw, easy to incorporate into any dish, fast-cooking, and most importantly, I like them. See, I'm a little devious that way.

Throw Together Pasta: Version Two

The Fridge & Freezer Version

6 slices raw peppered bacon, chopped

1 lb. pasta (*see note below)

12-15 frozen shrimp

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

1 c. fresh mozzarella, diced

1 egg

salt & pepper

red pepper flakes

To start, crisp the bacon in a large pan over medium high heat. It's okay if it doesn't get completely crispy, it will have more time to cook. I didn't need to, but depending on the quantity and type of bacon, it may be necessary to drain some of the fat.

Add the onions, peppers, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, and saute until vegetables soften.

In the meantime, put a pot of water on to boil for your pasta. I used cresti di gallo, a pasta shape that made the best mac & cheese ever - served at a restaurant I waitressed at here in Ohio. I never knew the name of the pasta shape until today, when I googled "ruffly elbow noodles" to try to find out what they were called. It didn't even say what it was on the box, so research was necessary.

Once you drop the pasta, throw your shrimp into the bacon/veggie pan, ladle in some pasta water, and put a lid on the pan. I used uncooked frozen shrimp straight from the freezer, shells on. Usually I thaw them, remove the tails, and devein them, but I was in a hurry and Andrew was hungry, so we peeled them ourselves while we ate.

While the pasta cooks, beat one egg in a small bowl.

Give the bacon/veggie mixture a stir, then dice the fresh mozzarella.

Drain the pasta - see how pretty?

Combine all ingredients in the pasta pot - the bacon/veggie mixture, the egg, the mozzarella, and the pasta. Stir to coat the pasta with the egg and evenly distribute the bacon, veggies, shrimp, and cheese.

Serve in bowls topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Andrew and I have come to love pasta night - I get to be creative, we get to use up various items in our fridge and freezer, and we always end up liking the results. Try your own throw together pasta next time you're short on time, ingredients, and ideas. Trust me, you'll like whatever you come up with.

Sausage Grinders

So, if you're from Connecticut, chances are you read the title of my post and thought "yum, sausage grinders!" If you are from anywhere else, you probably read the title of my post and thought, "um, what's a grinder?" If there's one thing I've learned living in the Midwest, it's that nobody else calls it a grinder! Well, let me clear this up for you people: a grinder is also known as a hoagie, a sub, a footlong, a sandwich, and on and on!

Throughout high school and college, I worked at a pizza restaurant - Teddy's. My very first job there was as a pizza girl. My life consisted of making the pizzas and grinders, taking orders over the phone, and working the cash register. It was a fun job and we were allowed to eat pretty much whatever we wanted. Some of the most popular grinders we offered were the "parms" - chicken, eggplant, and sausage. Now, Andrew loves a good sausage sandwich, and I thought I could put together a sausage parm grinder for him that would knock his socks off.


I started out by sauteeing three peppers and two onions, sliced into hefty strips, in a little bit of olive oil. I wanted to get a good char on these veggies before I added them to the sauce, so no salt yet! Salt will cause them to start breaking down and releasing their water, which will make them take much longer to blacken up nicely.

In the meantime, I added the sausage to a pot of homemade sauce. If you don't have any in your freezer, or you don't like to make your own, use your favorite brand of *gasp* jarred sauce.

Once the veggies are soft and blackened, I add those to the sauce pot too.

Simmer away!

I let this sit on the stove for several hours, mostly because I cooked this on my lunch break and we weren't eating it until dinner time.

Now, time to prepare your sandwiches! Slice grinder rolls lengthwise, leaving the roll connected on one side. Sprinkle one side of the bread with grated mozzarella and Italian seasonings. Broil for a few moments. Try not to forget you put the rolls in the oven.

Add a sausage link to the roll, then top with peppers, onions, and sauce. Feel free to add more cheese if you want!

Andrew was really happy with his grinders. I think he was just as happy to hear someone else around here calling them grinders! Whatever you want to call them, these sandwiches are yummy, easy, and hearty enough that they can be a simple weeknight dinner when paired with a salad.