May 20th: Slumgullion, AKA Spaghetti Lasagna

From "Lost Recipes": Slumgullion, which is essentially a simple lasagna made with spaghetti and Cheddar cheese. I made this one for Greg and Olivia, and Greg's parents were here to enjoy it too. I did not. Way too much salt. The recipe has a pound of Cheddar cheese, and Cheddar is so salty on its own, if I make this again, I'll omit all the salt in the recipe and see if it makes a difference. I'm including the recipe because everyone else raved about it:


Slumgullion:


1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra as needed
1 onion, chopped fine
1 sweet pepper, chopped
1 lb ground beef
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
(salt)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb spaghetti
1 lb extra old Cheddar cheese, shredded (4 cups)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs
2 tbsps unsalted butter, melted


Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish.


Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and pepper and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in ground beef and cook, breaking up any large pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.


Stir in garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, broth, (1 tsp salt), and pepper, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until mixture is thickened but still saucy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.


Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add pasta and (1 tbsp salt) and cook, stirring often, until al dente; drain pasta. (If drained pasta sits for longer than 5 minutes, toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil.)


Spread 1 cup sauce into prepared baking dish. Spread half of cooked pasta into baking dish, then spoon 2 cups sauce over top and sprinkle with half Cheddar and half Parmesan. Repeat layering with remaining pasta, sauce, Cheddar and Parmesan. Combine bread crumbs and melted butter and sprinkle over top. Bake until filling is bubbling and topping begins to brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving.


Serves 6-8.

May 18th: Banana Macadamia Nut Muffins

To date, these are the best banana muffins I have made. From Epicurious: Banana Macadamia Nut Muffins. My bananas were way rotten, so I reduced the white sugar from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup. Good idea. I like my muffins to taste like muffins, not cake. The website says they have a hint of the tropics, which I assume is supposed to come from the nuts, but I didn't find this to be the case. I bought my macadamia nuts a few months ago, maybe that's an issue? The nuts  didn't have much flavour at all. I'm thinking of adding coconut on top next time. I wonder what coconut milk in place of cow's milk would taste like...

Bed night snack

Breakfast of champions: including Grandma's crabapple jelly.

May 13th: Vanilla Butter Cupcakes

Olivia has been asking recently if we could make a cake with Smarties on top. I don't know where she got the idea - we've never done this before - but I thought it sounded like fun. I decide to make cupcakes instead, because I like them better. This was our Mother's Day activity. A recipe from May 2007's Chatelaine: Vanilla Butter Cupcakes. The recipe has almond extract in it, which gives the cupcakes a hint of cherry flavour. Feel free to omit if that is not to your fancy. Yum yum.

May 12th: Sausage Soup

After the success of the scalloped potatoes, I decided to give another recipe from "Lost Recipes" a go.  This one, Sausage Soup, I chose because I figured my husband would love it (he did) and my daughter would like it (she did). I thought it was alright too, although neither sausage, tomato nor macaroni are on my list of favourites. Greg declared: "It's a keeper. Instantaneous." That is so not how it works.


Sausage Soup


1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Italian sausages, casings removed
2 onions, chopped fine
4 celery ribs, chopped fine*
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic, drained and juice reserved, OR 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained and juice reserved, plus 3 minced garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon dried basil or oregano
4 cups chicken broth
3 1/2 cups water
4 ounces elbow macaroni (1 cup)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed**
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving


Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook sausage, breaking up any large pieces with a wooden spoon, until it is well browned, about 5 minutes; transfer to bowl. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat left in pot, add onions, celery, and tomatoes and cook over medium heat until softened and lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes.


Stir in browned sausage, reserved tomato juice, broth, and water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Stir in beans and cook for 5 minutes longer, or until pasta is just cooked. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with grated Parmesan cheese.


Serves 8 to 10.


*My celery was freakishly huge. I used 3 ribs.
**The original recipe called for 2 cans beans. I reduced the amount because we are not bean lovers.


[ACK!! No picture. Baby brain.]

May 8th: Scalloped Potatoes

My friend Kat brought me a lovely "new baby" present, and was thoughtful enough to include a present for the big sister (who sort of expects to get something) and one for me (who doesn't). My part of the present was a cookbook of "Lost Recipes" from the TV show Cook's Country, which I don't know, and from the editors of Cook's Illustrated, which I do.


The first recipe I tried was for Spring Potato Casserole, essentially scalloped potatoes. I have a scalloped potato recipe I love, which I obviously haven't made in a long time, since it is not featured on this blog. I decided to try this new one for fun. Good idea.


Spring Potato Casserole


3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 Vidalia onions, halved and sliced thin
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream (35%)
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
175 grams Gruyere cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)


Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish.


Heat 1 tablespoon butter and oil in large skillet over medium heat until butter is melted. Add onions, thyme, honey, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until onions are softened, 5 to 7 minutes; remove thyme.


Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in cream and broth, bring to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons chives, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.


Spread 1/2 cup sauce into prepared baking dish. Layer half of potatoes in baking dish, then sprinkle with half of Gruyere and half of onions.


Layer remaining potatoes over top and sprinkle with remaining Gruyere and onions. Pour remaining sauce over top and press with spatula to compact.


Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil that has been lightly oiled and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and continue to bake until fork can be inserted into centre of casserole with little to no resistance, about 1 hour longer.


Let casserole cool or 10 minutes, then sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon chives, and serve.


Serves 8 to 10.

This is seriously delicious. Served with Herbed Chicken with Mint-Pepper Salsa.

Cinco de Mayo: Tostadas De Tinga De Pollo

Greg and I have a thing for celebrating Cinco de Mayo, though we have no links whatsoever to Mexico. It's a good weekend to kick off summer, even if summer is still six weeks away. In Ontario, the heat comes early and while there is no guarantee, there is always a good possibility the weather will be warm enough for an outdoor party in early May.

I spent a few hours slicing and dicing.

This year, we kicked the party up a notch. In March, we took a Mexican cooking class at The Urban Element, and learned how to cook some authentic Mexican dishes, not just fajitas from a box. We had some friends and neighbours over and the result of the party was that the main dish was a runaway hit. Credit is due to Maria Amalia Garza, the wonderful chef who taught our class. Here's the star dish, essentially a chicken and sausage stew:


Tostadas of Shredded Chicken with Tomatoes, Onions and Chorizo


4 skinless chicken thighs
1 large onion, cut in chunks
2 cloves garlic


1 tbsp oil
200 grams chorizo, crumbled
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp Mexican oregano
2 bay leaves
2 canned chipotle chiles, minced, with 1 tbsp adobo sauce
salt to taste
Tostadas, to serve


Garnish:
onion rings, thinly sliced
avocado slices


In a large pot, place chicken with onion and 2 garlic cloves and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to cool, and reserve broth. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken.


In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add chorizo and fry for about 5 minutes. Discard excess oil. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add chicken, tomatoes, oregano, bay leaves, chiles and adobo sauce, and about 1 cup of the reserved broth.


Simmer, uncovered, until the flavours blend, about 15 minutes. Add more broth if mixture dries too much. Discard bay leaves and season to taste with salt.


Serve on tostadas, garnished with onion and avocado.


Serves 4.

Best food I've made in months.

Maria had recommended we find chorizo at Mercado, a Latin grocery store in Vanier. I checked my regular grocery store first, but with no luck there, Greg went to Mercado. The chorizo he bought was cured sausage, and I think the recipe intended for fresh, as the sausage we had did not crumble and we had to use the food processor to break it down. The taste was fabulous, however. I used regular oregano instead of Mexican oregano, and I'm glad I decided not to make the trip to Navan to get Mexican oregano at Chilly Chiles, because apparently the store is closed! That is too bad. Perhaps if I had supported them this wouldn't have happened. I found tostada shells at the grocery store in the Asian & Latin American aisle. The chipotle peppers were close by. Taco shells would also work, but would need to be heated first. The only issue I had with the recipe was that my mixture was way too runny. I tried to boil off the liquid, but to no avail, and we had to serve it with a slotted spoon.


Note that this is really, really messy to eat. Napkins are required. So, so delicious though. I had four on Saturday night, and four more Sunday morning for breakfast. On Sunday, the flavour was even better, and I added some sour cream on top (likely NOT traditional Mexican!).