September 7th: oven-roasted tomatoes, rigatoni with pork ragù

Our vegetable garden is exploding with tomatoes, and I've spent three days trying to perfect an oven-roasted tomato recipe. This is a recipe that easily uses up 3-5 tomatoes, depending on their size, and when you do get it right, it's fabulous. My first batch, I completely forgot about in the oven and I was attempting to have a nap and couldn't figure out what the annoying beeping from the kitchen was: my oven timer telling me to get the tomatoes out. They were black, burnt and crispy. I ate half them anyway. My second batch I cooked at a lower temperature and had to take out before they were done because I had to leave the house. They were red, squishy and not quite done. I ate the whole pan in one sitting. My third batch was pretty close to perfection: cooked, crispy, deeelicious. I ate most of them, shared a few with my family, and packed two in a container for a snack at work.

From Farm-Fresh Recipes from the Missing Goat Farm:

Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

3-5 ripe tomatoes, any size, thinly sliced
salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 225F.*

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and lay as many tomato slices as you can fit on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake in preheated oven for about 2 hours and 20 minutes. They should look dry and should be crispy when you pick them up. You can store these in the fridge to use over a week or so.

*Part of what took me so long to get this recipe right was figuring out the right temperature for my oven, which runs cold. I found 275F to be a good one for me.

I spent a good part of Labour Day labouring (I crack myself up) over a pork ragu sauce. It was worth the labour.

From Epicurious:

Rigatoni with Pork Ragù

1 medium onion, quartered
1 carrot, peeled, cut into 1" pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 1" pieces
4 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves (I used 1 tsp dried)
1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pound ground pork
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 pound mezzi rigatoni or penne rigate
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano plus more

Pulse onion, carrot, celery, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup parsley in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Purée tomatoes with juices in processor; set aside.


Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat; add sausage and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add ground pork, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate.


Increase heat to medium-high. Add reserved vegetable mixture to drippings in pot, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until golden, 8-10 minutes.


Stir tomato paste and 1 cup water in a small bowl; add to pot. Cook, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 6-8 minutes.


Add reserved meat and tomato purée and 1 cup water.* Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, adding more water as needed to keep meat nearly submerged,** until meat is tender, about 4 hours. Season with salt.

DO AHEAD: Ragù can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool. Cover and chill, or freeze for up to 2 months. Reheat before continuing.


Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups pasta cooking liquid.


Add pasta and 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid to sauce; stir to coat. Stir in 3/4 cup Parmesan and remaining 1/4 cup parsley. Increase heat to medium and continue stirring, adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta. Divide among bowls; top with more Parmesan.

*I used up some leftover white wine in place of the water.
**I had to add quite a bit of water, probably two cups.

Supper, with Greek salad.

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.]

September 4th: Sausage Pizza Roll-Ups

I may have finally discovered the secret to whole wheat pizza dough: vital wheat gluten! I found this in the health food aisle of the grocery store, and it says on the bag that if you add 1 tbsp per cup of whole wheat flour to whatever yeast-based recipe you are making, your crust will rise, rise, rise. And it worked for me.

For starters, I made this pizza dough recipe I found on epicurious. It is an excellent dough, and may be my go-to pizza dough recipe from here on out.

With my dough ready to go, I made a variation on Sausage Roll-Ups from August 2010's Today's Parent.

I used swiss chard in place of spinach.

The crust was thin, just crunchy enough, with a delicious sausage filling. The filling is just on the dry side, so keep some salsa or pizza sauce on the side for dipping.

August 15th: sausage and corn salad

Second time around, and we decided not to keep it, but it's not bad and a different way to eat sausage: from August 2010's Chatelaine: sausage and corn salad.

May 23rd: Toad in the Hole (take 2)

Yay for success! I tried making Toad in the Hole 4 months ago but wasn't pleased with the results; tonight, I tried again and loved it! I wish I had read my old post beforehand; I made it tonight with the same tomatoes on the side, but didn't make those potatoes, which would have been a good idea. Too tired to do my research in advance.


Here's the winning recipe, pulled from the Ottawa Citizen in April:


Toad-in-the-Hole


1 1/4 cups (300 mL) milk
3 whole eggs, plus 1 egg white
1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs (750 g) sausages


With a whisk, thoroughly mix the milk, eggs, flour and salt until smooth. Let rest for 30 minutes.


Preheat the oven to 400°F. Pour the oil into a 9 x 13-inch pan and place in the centre of the oven until it is smoking, about 10 minutes. Prick the sausages and place in the pan--the oil should be hot enough to make them sizzle--and let them sit for a minute, then flip the sausages, spread them out evenly in the pan, and pour the milk mixture overtop.


Cook for 20-30 minutes, until the batter is puffed up and a deep golden brown.


Makes 4 servings.

Not the most attractive dish to look at, but oh, so tasty.

Happy Victoria Day!

May 3rd: roasted-potato, pepper and sausage hash

This is a yummy repeat from May 2010's Chatelaine: roasted-potato, pepper and sausage hash.  Roasted potatoes and pepper, fried sausage, all mixed up together, sprinkled with cheese and baked, then topped with green onions and fried eggs. This is meant to be a brunch dish but makes a pretty tasty supper too. Going into the keeper book!

April 13th: strawberry smoothie, sausage risotto

Olivia has taken to calling smoothies, "smooth-a-lies," which I enjoy. I've been making them everyday this week before work, and remembering why these stints never last long--I swear, I spend my night in the kitchen, first making supper, then making lunch, and now making breakfast too. It is no wonder people buy packaged foods or buy lunch at work all the time. What a lot of work. Today's smoothie recipe is one I've had for years and it's quite good, though I seem to have a mild allergy to raw bananas that makes me hesitant to make it too often:


Strawberry-banana-maple smoothie


1 cup (250 mL) strawberries, sliced
1 banana, sliced
1/4 cup (50 mL) milk
1 tbsp (15 mL) maple syrup
2 ice cubes


Either the strawberries or the banana should be frozen, but not both. Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serves 1.

For supper, inspired by a dinner party avec Brendan and Justine last weekend, I decided to take my risotto recipe and add some sausage into the mix. Instead of making the double mushroom version risotto, I made the Classic Risotto from November 2009's Chatelaine, but started by frying 3 diced sausage before adding leeks to the pan. Yum, yum and yum. (Not quite as good as B's but good enough for a Wednesday night!)

March 7th: sausage and egg puff pastry pie

Have you ever wondered what that picture at the top of my blog home page is? Tonight, I retried this one, from February 2010's Today's Parent: sausage and egg puff pastry pie.

I find it a little meat heavy, and I'm thinking of trying it again, leaving out the ham, taking away one of the sausages, and adding in some onion and diced sweet pepper. I made it this time around with pre-rolled puff pastry, which I don't think is quite as good, but does save a few minutes.


When I made it last year in February, it turned out so beautifully I simply had to take pictures. Now, looking back, that lovely picture up there was taken before the plate (and all my other plates!) acquired chips along its side. I need to invest in some good quality plates that won't chip. Add it to the list!

January 11th: Toad in the Hole & Oven-Roasted Grape Tomatoes

You know Nigella Lawson, right? Beautiful, sensual, food-loving goddess? How could I not cook this recipe of hers that was in the Ottawa Citizen back in November? The name is everything Nigella is not: Toad in the Hole.* How disgusting does that sound? As it turns out, it is simply sausage patties with a popover crust, baked in the oven. A simple variation on a meat pie. Apparently this is not a traditional Toad in the Hole, but I've never had any version with which I can compare it. It comes from Nigella's latest cookbook (not that I have any), Nigella Kitchen. To accompany, I made Onion gravy, for which I have included the recipe below, mashed potatoes** and roasted tomatoes. For the latter, I followed this recipe from December 2010's Canadian Living: Oven-Roasted Grape Tomatoes, which were recommended as a side to sausage patties. Seemed like a good fit.


*N.B.: temperature and weight conversions included at bottom of recipe on N's website (N, because we're practically best friends)
**I am on some crazy mashed potato kick recently. I have not enjoyed mashed potatoes for the past 15 years or so, yet recently I am making them all the time. What is up with that?

The verdict? Good, not great. The popover tasted much like the dumplings my mom used to put in stew when I was a kid and sorry, Mom, I love almost all your food, but I've never liked dumplings. G&O liked that part best. I thought the gravy was good, and O ate up her onions (yay!) but G found the gravy too onion-y and the onions too sweet (my bad; I forgot to buy onions so used a Spanish onion that was kicking around, and I shouldn't have added the sugar but wasn't thinking about the higher sugar content of the onion itself). The tomatoes were a definite hit. So, sorry N, but I'm tossing your recipe. Here's the gravy recipe, included in the newspaper but not on the website, hmm:

Onion gravy
Warm 2 tbsps oil in a skillet; cook 2 onions, peeled, halved and very finely sliced, until soft (about 10 minutes). Add 2 tsps sugar, and let the onions cook, caramelizing a little, 3 minutes. Stir in 4 tsps flour, then 2 cups chicken broth. Leave to warm and thicken, stirring occasionally.

December 8th: Sausage, peppers and peas + Brussels sprouts and bacon

Crazy Chatelaine had this sausage recipe (from December 2010's Chatelaine: Sausage, peppers and peas) calling for one sausage, but making 4 servings. Granted, it was intended to be a side dish. I wanted it to be my main, so I upped the sausage number to 5 (a whole package), and added half a white onion. I didn't use chorizo, but rather German sausages, which meant the cooking time was a bit extended from what the recipe recommends. With no fat or flavouring other than what the sausages supplied, this was a delicious meal. To accompany, I made one from Epicurious: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Bacon. This was a re-try from some past time (can't remember) and I don't know that I loved it quite as much this time. I do love Brussels sprouts though, so can't say too much against it. I skipped the salt called for in the recipe, as I think the bacon supplies quite enough.

All three of us loved this meal. Is this a weird thing though? I felt unsatisfied by the fact that everything in the meal was pre-chopped. It seemed like toddler food, and I wanted to be a big girl and use a knife. Hmm.

November 23rd: Make ahead meal: Manicotti

Verdict:
Toss: manicotti
Try Again: sausage tomato sauce

Here I am, still alive. That's an enjoyable place to be.

The last couple of weeks, I've been dedicating some weekend time to preparing food to put in the freezer, in preparation for surgery week (that's now!). Two days ago, I pulled the first meal out of the freezer and left it in the fridge for two days to thaw, and tonight we had, from Cook's Illustrated: Streamlined Manicotti. At least, that's what they're calling it. Let me tell you, this was a labour-intensive project on the prep side, and a time-intensive project on the cooking side. This recipe will not be kept, which is unfortunate after all the work I put into it. I'm attaching a link, but it doesn't work because (annoying) they don't post all their recipes online for free. I would type it out for you, but hey, it sucked, and right now I'm not interested in promoting Cook's Illustrated.

Here's what I wrote the night I made it, a Sunday night a few weeks back:

I was tired tonight because I spent two hours making manicotti after Olivia went to bed, which is going in the freezer to eat in a couple weeks' time. More on that later. My feet and calves are killing me. Bed calls.

I have problems with both oven-ready noodles and ricotta. This recipe promises to streamline the process of making manicotti. It took me two hours of prep, prior to cooling, freezing, defrosting and cooking. That, to me, is not streamlined.

And, sure enough, after eating:

I haven't liked ricotta in the past, thought I'd give it one last try, and have now vowed never to buy it again. The oven-ready noodles (lasagna noodles rolled up to form manicotti) came out mushy. Even after 40 hours of defrosting in the fridge, the dish took way longer in the oven than the recipe called for. Every time I checked it, the centre was still cold. One of my least favourite things to do as a mother is tell my 2 year old that supper will be "a little longer." If a recipe tells me it will take 75 minutes to bake, and it takes 105, I turn into a cranky mama.

Okay, we all know I'm not a pasta fan, right? It behooves me to say that G & O did like supper tonight, however, it was agreed we would toss the recipe. And alright, I will give the recipe this: delicious sauce. I opted for the sausage version, which goes like this:

Sausage tomato sauce
2 (28-oz) cans diced tomatoes in juice
2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
2 tbsps chopped fresh basil leaves

1) Pulse 1 can tomatoes with their juice in food processor until coarsely chopped, 3 or 4 pulses. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining can tomatoes.
2) Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook sausage, stirring to break it into pieces, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes.
3) Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant but not brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 tsp salt and simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Stir in basil; season with salt to taste.

October 5th: Spaghetti bolognese

Verdict:
Toss: spaghetti bolognese

Because I just love pasta and questionable meat so much, I cooked it for two days in a row! Last night's chicken meatball miso soup noodles was not a winner, and tonight's recipe is getting tossed too. BUT. Tonight's meal was a re-try from last year; from October 2009's Chatelaine: Spaghetti bolognese. Last year I jotted, "V. Good" on the recipe, and this year I think I would say the same, but it is just not quite good enough to keep. Greg and Olivia may differ in opinion on this from me. It's on the spicy side as far as flavour goes, but without a lot of depth; no onions and garlic, and what is cooking with no onions and garlic? Especially where pasta is involved? Fairly easy in preparation, though you can't trust Chatelaine when they say things like, "Cook the meat for 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, chop veggies." Trust me: chop the veggies before embarking on meat-cooking. Oh, and the recipe says it makes four servings. You can easily feed more than four people with this recipe. Do we need to eat 1/4 lb of pasta each?

Oh dear, I sound quite negative. That's likely just because I am writing this when I should be sleeping and my alarm is set to go off in 5 hours. But no worries, I slept in Olivia's bed for 2 hours earlier tonight! Hopefully tomorrow night's meal is more pleasing to my palate: chicken and sweet potatoes!