Pepperoni-Provolone Crusted Lasagna

Yes, it's been quite a while since I posted up on here...this is basically my recipe blog now, where I'm going to store some good eats for everyone to enjoy.

There are approximately 17.9 trillion lasagna recipes floating around in cyberspace, and you might be overwhelmed because of this.  Don't be!  The more recipes you find, the more you realize that there's no one way to make this dish.  Rock it how you like it.  Once you get the basic concept down, you can change around the ingredients to your heart's content, to suit the preferences of you and your loved ones.

A'ight, here we go with our lasagna recipe.  We're going to lay out the ingredients in stages:  Noodles, Sauce and Assembly(Assembly requires cheese.  Lots and lots of cheese of many different varieties.  If you're not grinning at this, you might not want to follow this blog).

First, we start making the Sauce.  You will need:

@ 3# ground beef
1/2c chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp oregano
1 c water
1 bay leaf

For today's recipe, I used about 2.8lb pure ground beef, 85/15.  You can use about 2lbs beef and 1lb Italian sausage, or all sausage, or however you want to make it.

Fire up your cast iron skillet, dump in a good splash of olive oil and toss in the onions and garlic.  Saute that mix until the onions are soft.  Add your meat, whatever it may be, and brown it.  Add the next six ingredients and stir thoroughly.  Crack the bay leaf and place it in the center of the pan where you can find it later.  Cover and simmer for about one hour.

When 50 minutes have gone by, start making the Noodles.  You'll need 12 lasagna noodles; I generally make a couple more because I always end up tearing one or two.  Make them according to the directions on the package.  If you can't handle that, you might not want to follow this blog.  At this time, get your oven preheating to 350*.

Now we're going to perform the Assembly.  ( Yay cheese! )  You will need:

16oz ricotta
7oz shredded mozzarella
8oz shredded parmesan/romano
12 provolone slices
1 pkg thinly sliced pepperoni

Grease the usual 9x13 baking dish.  Throw down four noodles, layered.  Pull the bay leaf out of the sauce.

Cover the noodles with a fairly light layer of sauce, and cover that with ricotta.  Some folks swear by cottage cheese instead of ricotta, and that's OK.  Use whatever you prefer.

Throw down four more layered noodles.  Cover evenly with more sauce, mozzarella and parmesan/romano.  Once again, if you find a cheese combination you prefer, use it,  There's no right or wrong answer here.

Throw down the final four noodles , cover with the rest of the sauce.  Then layer the provolone slices over the lasagna and layer pepperoni over them.  Bake at 350* for one hour.

When it's done, let it stand for 10 minutes and serve.  If you alter this to suit your own tastes, especially if you've done something most folks wouldn't consider trying....I'd like to know!

Cajun Pesto Chicken

Do what?  Yes, it actually worked out very well, and it's one of those quick-and-dirty 10-minute recipes that you can pull off on short notice.

Serves two, multiply the ingredients as you see fit.

Take a chicken breast and slice into strips about the size of those on a chicken salad.

Season with Zatarain's or your favorite Cajun spice mix.  Cook thoroughly in a couple tsp. olive oil--about 3-4 minutes on high heat.  (Strips don't take much time.)

While this is going on, boil up a pot of water and drop in about 8 oz. of pasta.  I had some spinach linguine lying around, but you can use whatever style and flavor you prefer.  Even plain pasta will work--I promise I won't track you down and set your house on fire if you use it.  (If you're into Miracle Whip, however, we're gonna have us a talk.  Repent now.)

Once the pasta's done and the chicken's seared, drain the pasta, throw it and the chicken back in the pot and toss them with pesto.  Serve.

Sorry, no pics.  I came home from work and had to throw dinner together at the last minute, since my wife was doing something frivolous like pursuing her Bachelors' degree.  I know, I know, what a waste of time.  But this really turned out well, and I'd recommend giving it a shot if you have nothing better to do.

Mashed Cauliflower and Cajun Parmesan Chicken

Let's have dinner! 

I got the original mashed cauliflower recipe from Albert Burneko at Foodspin.  He cusses a lot, but that's because he's one of those East Coast city boys who's trying to compensate for the fact that he actually lives there by choice.  Whatever--the dude can cook.  I've tweaked his recipe a little because that's how I roll.

I started with orange cauliflower, since it was on sale, tastes the same, and has lots of that Beta Carotene that us old folks need in order to put off the day when we run our Cadillacs into the side of a building because we didn't see it.  On top of that, you'll need whole milk, or heavy cream, or evaporated milk(which I went with).  Also, a heapin' helpin' of cream cheese, some black pepper, a whole mess of grated Parmesan and a couple of tablespoons of minced garlic because, garlic.  Preheat the oven to 400.

The first thing to do is shave all the leaves and trunk off the cauliflower(which I swear has been genetically altered to be fully half leaves and trunk), and then chop it up into sections, which will reduce your steaming time.  I realized, just before I started, that I did not, alas, have a steamer pot.  However, I do have an electric wok, a large pot screen and some water, so with a bit of redneck engineering, I had it steamed in a little under 30 minutes.

Now, let's toss our steamed cauliflower in the blender with the rest of the ingredients:  about a cup of milk, 1/2 cup of Parmesan, a dusting of black pepper, a pinch of salt and the garlic.  Blend to a smooth consistency and pour into a baking dish.  Break out some grated mozzarella or whatever cheese crust you fancy, and top your cauliflower with a layer of cheese, a bit more black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.  Bake about 20 minutes, or until the surface starts to brown and bubble.

(Sorry about some of the blurry shots--my camera's apparently decided to be slow on the uptake at random.) 

Now the Cajun Parmesan Chicken.  Ramp the oven up to 450, and break out your chicken.  I'm using tenderloins, but any Boneless Skinless Chicken Parts will do.  You'll need some grated Parmesan, some bread crumbs of some sort--Panko, Italian, Plain, whatever--and Boar's Head Remoulade, which I picked up at Fry's one day and decided I'd better do something with.

(Ignore the beer, it has nothing to do with the recipe...it was what I was drinking when I put all this together.)  Mix equal parts Parmesan and bread crumbs.  Coat your chicken with the remoulade, dredge it in the bread crumbs, and toss it on a lined baking sheet.  Bake 15-20 minutes.

Jen gave it a thumbs-up, and we definitely have leftovers on the cauliflower, which will give us side dishes for the rest of the week.

A few words about beer-boiled brats

Now, let's get things clear; we're speaking of bratwurst.  German sausage.  Under no circumstances should you boil your children in anything, even if they did just wreck the new Benz.

Jen was all nostalgic for a taste of the Northland, so we did up some beer-boiled brats(pronounced "brahts").  For those who are curious about this delicacy, a few tips are in order, thus:

1)  Johnsonville is synonymous with bratwurst.  Period, end of story.  Ask anybody from Minnesota, Wisconsin or any other north-central state--if it ain't Johnsonville, it ain't a real brat.

2)  When beer-boiling, use a real, straight-up German beer, such as Beck's.  This will add something amazing and wonderful to the brats, known as "flavor."  Cooking with American corporate beer is on the level of using soda water, for all the taste it ends up adding.

3)  Use just enough beer to cover the brats in your pan/skillet/whatever.  Boil, covered, for about 10-12 minutes and they're ready to go.

4)  Brat purists top them with sauerkraut only, though some people consider relish and/or mustard to be acceptable toppings.  If you put ketchup on a brat in Minnesota, I'm pretty sure you can be legally shot.

It's a simple and hearty meal.  Give it a try sometime!

Stuffed Sweet Peppers

At a friend's birthday party last week, I came across a killer hors d'oeuvre, and just had to get the recipe.

Ingredients:

one bag of sweet peppers

1 lb.  bulk sausage
6 oz. crumbled feta cheese
8 oz .cream cheese

 



Halve, core and seed the peppers.  Mix the cheeses and sausage together, stuff them with the sausage mixture...

...and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

 

 

Oh, yeah.  Good stuff right there!!

Steak Marinade

Mrs. Wraith prefers her steaks unadulterated, but even she thinks this turned out well.

1 cup roasted red pepper-infused olive oil (You can make this yourself, or, optionally, add one chopped red pepper.)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon-style prepared mustard (Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon...?)
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper (Alternately, substitute "Lavender Pepper," available from terraverdefarms.com. [Terra Verde Farms is NOT compensating me in any way--I just like a lot of their stuff.])
1 medium onion, sliced
3-4 large cloves garlic, minced

Mix. Marinate meat. Cook. Eat.

Burgers!

Best enjoyed with a cold beer, IMNSHO.

This is simply a base. Mrs. Wraith has serious stomach issues, but considers this flavorful and not painful. Feel free to add your choice of hot sauce and other stuff.

For every one pound of ground meat, add:

3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp horseradish

Mix thoroughly, cook to taste(I prefer rare), and then try to tell me your guests and family don't love 'em!

Indian/American Chicken

Got some chicken defrosted but you're at a loss for a recipe? Take heart. I just put together an Indian/American fusion dish that turned out pretty good.

Get a casserole/baking dish large enough for the chicken to lay flat. Grease well and fill with chicken. Salt/pepper chicken to taste.

Preheat the oven to 375, and grab a large mixing bowl.

Dice one small to medium yellow onion.

Add it to the bowl, along with:

One can of Cream of Chicken soup.

Two cloves of finely chopped garlic (or two tsp. minced garlic).

Two tsp. hot curry powder.

One tsp. Dijon mustard.

Mix ingredients thoroughly, and coat chicken with mixture. Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Mrs. Wraith liked it, but said it had a touch too much fire(I used garlic jalapeno mustard in place of the Dijon, though). If spice isn't your thing, substitute mild curry powder.

Any suggestions for new ingredients to try are more than welcome.

Southwestern Curried Tater Tot Hot Dish

Anyone who's ever lived in the Northern Midwest is familiar with the "Hot Dish," or what strange other tribes call a "Casserole." It's some good stuff, as comfort foods go. It's easy to make, it's filling...and it's more bland than Mitt Romney eating a cucumber and white bread sandwich in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. So, in my own inimitable style, I decided to fire it up a bit with an American/ Indian/ Southwestern fusion vibe.

Southwestern Curried Tater Tot Hot Dish

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 chopped white onion

3 tbsp bread crumbs

3 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp rubbed sage

1 tsp cayenne (red) pepper

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1/2 soup can milk

1 32-oz pkg Tater Tots


Preheat oven to 375. Crumble beef and garlic salt into 9x 13 baking dish, add onion, sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Combine the rest of the ingredients, mixing well, and pour over meat mixture. Top with closely-spaced Tater Tots and bake for 1 hour.

Comfort with a kick...you betcha!

Mozzarella Tilapia

Mrs. Wraith thinks it's a keeper.  A very quick and simple recipe, and it's even healthy.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. curry powder
1.5 tsp. dried parsley
salt & pepper
basil olive oil
2 tilapia fillets

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400*.  Combine the first four ingredients in a shallow dish.  Season fish with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and dredge in the ingredient mixture.  Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes.

As always, feel free to experiment with different variations.  If you've come up with a good one, let me know!

Crispy Creole Chicken

Okay, folks, we're gonna rock some chicken breasts today.  Here's what you'll need:

1/2 c bread crumbs(I use the Kroger plain variety)
1 clove of garlic, minced, or a spoonful of pre-minced garlic
1.5 tbsp creole seasoning(Zatarain's.  Period.)
4-6 chicken breasts
Italian dressing

Get a big Ziploc bag and marinate the chcken in the Italian dressing for about an hour.  When 50 minutes have passed, preheat the oven to 325* and start preparing the coating.

Mix the Creole seasoning, bread crumbs and garlic in a shallow bowl.  Coat the chicken with the mixture, arrange in a cooking-sprayed baking dish, and bake for 45-50 minutes.

We ate well tonight.

Guinness-Braised Beef Brisket

This is how we roll around Casa del Wraith on St. Paddy's Day.  It's crockpot cooking, so it's easy--just toss it all together, set it and forget it.

2 cups water
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
1 12oz. bottle of Guinness stout
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh or 1 tablespoon dried dill
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can low-salt beef broth
6 black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
1 (3-pound) cured corned beef brisket, trimmed*


Combine first 11 ingredients in a large electric slow cooker, stirring
until well blended; top with beef. Cover and cook on HIGH 8 hours or
until beef is tender. Remove beef; cut diagonally across grain into
1/4-inch slices. Discard broth mixture.

The great thing about this dish is that, if you find a good deal on brisket, it's dead cheap.  OK, you might have to buy a whole six of Guinness, but that means you'll just have to drink the other five yourself.  Boo hoo.  So eat hearty, be merry and wear something green today.


*  Briskets usually come with a spice packet.  Remember to make sure it doesn't go into the crockpot with the beef.  DAMHIK.

New to the blogrolls

Cookrookery, featuring, at times, the culinary stylings of Christopher Baldwin, creator of the awesome webcomic SpaceTrawler.

I promise, I'm not abandoning CC&C...I work very long hours most of the week, and therefore have little time to do anything other than snarf down some fast food and a couple of beers, shower, pass out, wake up and do the whole thing over again.  But, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, Guinness-Braised Beef Brisket is coming up.  Stay tuned.

Cheesy Bacon Dog Casserole

Hey, we all gotta die sometime, and if it's by cholesterol poisoning, so be it.  You make this at your own risk.  Not responsible for heart conditions, colon blockage or expanding waistlines.

Wraith's Cheesy Bacon Dog Casserole From Hell

3 cups cooked macaroni
4 hot dogs, sliced 1/4"

4 strips of bacon, sliced in thirds

1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 cup shredded cheese

6-8 slices pepper jack cheese
4-6 oz. crushed Doritos

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  While the oven is heating, cook, drain and crumble the bacon.

In a 9x13 baking dish, combine macaroni, bacon, hot dogs, shredded cheddar cheese and soup.  Top with pepper jack slices.

Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbling.  Sprinkle with crushed Doritos and bake for another five minutes.  Serve. 

Duck the objects your wife throws at you for blowing her diet.

An old standby

Mrs. Wraith had a bad day yesterday, so the obvious solution was comfort food.  Tuna casserole, anyone?

Wraith's High-Class Tuna Casserole

3 cups cooked macaroni (I used shells)
1 can tuna, drained(give the juice to the cats)
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 garlic clove, minced
3-4 oz. black olives
1/2 onion, diced
olive oil

Heat oil in a small pan, saute the onions and garlic for 3-4 minutes.  In a 9x13 baking dish, combine onion, garlic, olives, soup, tuna and macaroni.  Mix well, top with cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I've got a hotdog casserole in the works.  Stay tuned.

Breakfast

During World War Two, Hawai'i discovered one of the most vilified meat products in history...and, having no culinary prejudices on the subject, developed a great taste for it.

Yes, fried Spam long ago became a staple of Hawai'ian cuisine, particularly in regard to breakfast.  The usual accompaniment would be straight scrambled eggs, along with a papya or grapefruit half, or a serving of pineapple.  I spent the first decade of my life on O'ahu, so, when I make a Hawai'ian breakfast, I call it a "Local Boy."

This time, however, I'm replacing the scrambled eggs with my Dirty White Eggs, so I guess this is a "Dirty Local Boy."  You'll need Spam, pineapple rings, eggs, an egg separator(or not, if you can actually do it by pouring it back and forth between the shells--I'm not that coordinated), sage, white pepper, oregano, curry powder and red pepper flakes.

I came up with Dirty White Eggs in an attempt to make things a little healthier at the breakfast table.  The ingredients vary a bit each time, as I'm always experimenting with new combinations, but this is the standard starting point.  I prefer a 4:1 ratio, so for every four eggs' worth of whites, I use the yolk of one.  After this picture, I cracked a whole egg into the bowl.

So, we have the Dirty Local Boy: 

the whites of four eggs
the yolk of one egg
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
dusting of white pepper(be careful--it's very fine and you can end up overdoing it)

Mix thoroughly and set aside.  Heat up a nonstick or oiled skillet on high heat.  Start cutting your Spam in 1/4" slices...

 

 

...and fry them about 2-3 minutes on each side.  They'll turn a deep crimson color and get crispy pretty quick.  Remove from pan and fry your pineapple rings...

 

 

...for about a minute each side.  Then scramble the egg mixture to desired consistency and serve.

 

 

So, if you can't be in Hawai'i, you can at least pick yourself up in these cold and dismal months with a bit of island flavor.  Shaka, brah!

Spicy Sake Ahi

I gotta admit, I love Trader Joes.  Great folks, good food and unbeatable prices.  When one opened up here, I wondered what all the fuss was about, but when Mrs. Wraith insisted we go, I found myself amazed at the selection and value.

Last time we went, we ended up bringing home some ahi steaks, and I decided to make an experimental marinade.

 

Here's what you'll need:  Ahi steaks, a Ziploc bag, green onions, soy sauce, chili garlic paste, sake, ground ginger...

 

 



...and ground mustard.  Chop the green onions, reserving some of the tips for garnish.

Add 1/2 c soy sauce, 1/3 c sake, 2 tsp chili garlic paste,

And 1/2 tsp each of the ground ginger and ground mustard.

 

 



 

Close the bag and shake well to mix.  Add the ahi and marinate for a couple of hours.  Sear each side, then cook about 10 minutes on medium-high heat.  Garnish with onion tips.

Cookin' it Old School: Pork Chops in Sour Cream Sauce

When my mother passed away, I had about six days to travel 1600 miles to another country, get everything squared away, and get back.  I couldn't take nearly everything I wanted to, but I made sure to grab her cookbooks, which included some very old ones. I find it fascinating to see how folks cooked when they were closer to their food, before the days of instant this and microwave that.

We did a Costco run the other day and came back with, among other things, a 9-pack of pork chops, each one of which is the approximate size of a Cadillac. So I broke out this gem:

(Sorry...I've no idea why my phonecam keeps rotating things and getting all weird.)

...and found a great recipe.  My changes are annotated below the copy.

Pork Chops In Sour Cream Sauce

4 shoulder, rib or loin pork chops or pork steaks*
1 1/2 tsp instant minced onion or 2 tbs chopped onion*
1/8 tsp instant minced garlic or 1 clove garlic, minced*
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup catsup or chili sauce*
2 tbs brown sugar
1 bouillon cube or 1 tsp instant bouillon*
2 tbs flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sour cream

In fry pan, brown chops on both sides.  Add onion, garlic, 1/2 c water, catsup, brown sugar and bouillon.  Cover and simmer 30-40 min until tender.

Combine flour with 1/4 c water.  Remove chops to heated platter, add flour mixture to cooking liquid.  Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and thickens.  Reduce heat, add sour cream.  Heat, but do not boil.  Serve over meat along with noodles or rice.

*  So, we only used three of these chops...the damn things are about 1.5" thick, and it's more than enough for us.

For onion, I had some shallots that were almost past their prime, so I minced and substituted them.  Shallots are right there in the onion family, if a little stronger.  Should have a little more bite, but nothing too drastic..

For garlic, I tossed in about 2 tsp of pre-minced garlic, because, well, garlic.

The choice between ketchup and chili sauce was obvious; when cooking from a mass-produced American recipe book, use the highest heat they recommend.  For Thai, Vietnamese, Indian and other cuisines, use caution.  Chili sauce it is.

I did the bouillon cube, since I wasn't going to open a can of beef stock for a freakin' teaspoon.

Verdict?

It made a very nice, understated but enjoyable and filling meal.  A thick, comforting sauce with a noticeable sweetness blanketing the whole experience.  I'm thinking of tossing in some hot sauce or hot curry powder next time to spice it up a bit, though Mrs. Wraith isn't sure about the idea.  Either way, it's a keeper.

First try at Korean cooking: Dakjim (닭찜)

Well, we had some chicken defrosted, so I got my honky self over to Maangchi's site for some ideas.   On Sunday, I tried my hand at making Dakjim, Korean braised chicken and vegetables.

There were a few alterations necessary.  Mrs. Wraith misunderstood when I asked her to pick up dried red peppers, so I tossed in some red pepper flakes at the beginning.  I also left out the cucumbers and sesame seed garnish.  And I ended up using bean stock for noodles(hey, you try finding starch noodles in Prescott).

So how was it?  Excellent!  Just enough fire; a kaleidoscope of subtle flavor, and very filling.  But if this is considered 'four servings,' I'm amazed your average Korean doesn't weigh 500 pounds.  We didn't even have it with rice, and we had leftovers for half the week.

"Ko mab sub ni da," Ms. Maangchi--I can't wait to try more of your recipes!  고맙습니다.

I gotta try this

Looks like a great way to cook stovetop steaks.  Welcome Off The Meat Hook to my Cooking blogroll...!