Stromboli

In October I made an elaborate Indian meal for David and his college friends, one of whom is vegan (no eggs or dairy, in addition to no meat).  Of course, I could have made pasta with tomato sauce or black beans and rice, or some other simple dinner.  But, no . . .

Anyway, one of our side dishes was stuffed bread--individual disks filled with spiced potatoes and carrots.  It was delicious!  Joseph commented that it would be great to have bread wrapped around a filling again, especially if that filling included meat.  He was describing stromboli.

Stromboli is a specialty of my sister's husband.  He usually makes it as a side dish for Christmas dinner.  I finally obtained a copy of the recipe and made some for my family.  Here's how it goes:

Thaw a one-pound loaf (or three!) of store-bought frozen bread dough.  Let it rise until doubled, or at least soft and puffy.

Roll out the dough on parchment paper that has been cut to fit a jelly roll (~11" x 17") pan.  Brush lightly with beaten egg.  I used two eggs for three loaves.

Start layering the filling.  The recipe calls for meat, cheese, meat, and cheese. 

I used turkey Italian sausage (Shady Brook Farms tastes best.  I use hot, which isn't spicy but has more flavor than sweet.), ham, and turkey pepperoni.  Provolone and sliced mozzarella were the cheeses of choice.

Leave room on a long side for rolling up and connecting the dough.

No, that's not Parmesan on the pepperoni--it's frost!  I keep my leftover in the freezer.

Each loaf was different:  sausage/pepperoni, ham/pepperoni, and sausage/ham (our favorite).

Use the parchment to help you begin rolling up the loaf.

It may be a bit of a struggle to keep the filling in!  Muscle it along as best you can, and seal the dough.

Pinch the dough together thoroughly.

Lay your stromboli, seam side down, on the parchment on a baking sheet with sides.

Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes.  Slice and serve.

Parchment saves clean up time, and the sides of the pan prevent disaster when the cheesy goodness inevitably leaks out.  I don't know if there's a correlation, but I used shredded mozzarella on one loaf, and that one leaked the most.

Len still likes pizza better, but this was a fun dinner.  I served it with ranch dip and warm tomato sauce on the side. 

The leftovers were even better:  we heated slices (on their sides) in a skillet (use cast iron or non-stick), getting them warm and crusty, then topped them with warm sauce, making a delicious knife-and-fork plateful.

Here's the general outline, summarized:

1# loaf frozen bread dough, thawed and risen

beaten egg

meat, 2 kinds, 1/4# each?

provolone and mozzarella, 1/4# each

sesame seeds, optional

dip or sauce, optional

Roll out dough.  Brush with beaten egg.  Layer with meat and cheese.  Roll up and pinch seam.  Brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

Deluxe Eggs

Deluxe eggs have become a regular part of our Sunday morning repertoire. After 9:00 a.m. mass, we eat a big breakfast (brunch, really) of something baked (coffeecake, sweet rolls, biscuits, etc.) and something hearty (bacon or sausage or, nearly always, deluxe eggs). This is enough to keep us going until our early Sunday dinner.

What follows is more technique than recipe. Amounts vary by how many you're feeding, but the process remains the same.

Note that a non-stick pan is essential--it cleans up well, and is responsive to heat changes. Cast iron, usually a non-stick contender, holds its heat too well in this case.

Deluxe Eggs
sweet (Vidalia) onion, chopped
eggs (~1 1/2 per person)
bacon bits or chopped ham
grated cheese (We like a Mexican blend.)

Saute onions over medium heat in some butter or your favorite spread.Beat eggs in a bowl, crank the heat up to HIGH, and add the eggs to your pan.Sprinkle with (real) bacon bits or chopped ham.Let set a bit, then begin scraping and stirring.BEFORE the eggs are as done as you like, sprinkle them with grated cheese, turn OFF the heat, and cover the pan. In one or two minutes the cheese will be melted and your eggs will be perfectly done--not brown or rubbery or dried out (unless that's how you like them!).
These are great with something sweet (juice or coffeecake) and some heat (try smoked Tabasco). Enjoy!

Pesto: Summer in a Bag

There's something cheery about serving pesto in February. That bright green, that summery smell--fantastic!

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How to achieve enjoyment of this out of season treat? Well, you can buy pesto sauce in a jar (eh), or make your own with expensive grocery store basil. I prefer to harvest our basil, make several batches of sauce, and freeze it in small bags, which are easy to thaw and toss with pasta.

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Elizabeth gave me this recipe many years ago. The only changes I've made are to put "Ever Fresh" in to save the bright color and to add some salt at serving time.

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Pesto Sauce

2 1/2 cups fresh basil, washed then spun or patted dry

1/2 cup walnuts

4 large garlic cloves, pressed

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp "Ever Fresh" or equivalent (ascorbic acid), dissolved in 1 Tbsp water

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Put everything in the bowl of a food processor (a double batch fits well). Process until smooth. Store flat in pint-size freezer bags, being sure to press out all the air. To serve:

1 pound pasta (reserve 2 cups cooking water)

1/2 tsp salt, optional

2 ounces cream cheese, optional

1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated

• Cook pasta in boiling water.
• Meanwhile, thaw pesto in a container of hot water, then scrape into a serving dish. If desired, add salt and cream cheese. Mash and mix to combine, adding some pasta water as needed. Reserve more pasta water before draining.
• Drain pasta and add to the sauce. Toss to coat, adding water as needed. Sprinkle with half the grated cheese, toss, add remaining cheese, and toss again. Serve with a smile.

(Better Than) Manicotti

For years, I've stuffed pasta shells with a ricotta & spinach filling, great for baking that day or freezing for later. Not everyone was a fan, though; some folks (okay, kids) ate the noodle and left behind the big blob of filling.

Well, one of my sisters pointed out a Cook's Illustrated recipe for baked manicotti (January 2007). It's wonderful, though not truly manicotti, which is a pasta tube that gets stuffed rather like my old shells. This version is made with no-boil lasagna noodles rolled around the filling. The technique is quicker and easier, and the product is tastier, with a better pasta-to-filling ratio. I follow CI's instructions, but not their recipes, using my own filling and sauce from a jar (gasp!). Here's the "how to":

Prepare one box of no-boil lasagna noodles at a time. Pour 1 inch boiling water into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, then add noodles one by one. Soak them for five minutes, separating frequently with the tip of a knife to keep them from sticking together. Remove noodles from water (I drain, then add cold water so I can pick them up) and place in a single layer on clean kitchen towels.

Put 1/4 cup (#16 scoop) of cheese mixture on the short end of each noodle. Spread evenly three-fourths of the way up. Roll into a tube shape. Done!

Now it's time to decide where to put your creation. I usually make a huge batch, layering tubes on a baking sheet (separated by plastic wrap). These are frozen until hard and then transferred to plastic bags, from which I can remove a little or a lot, depending on the size of the crowd to be served.To serve fresh or frozen manicotti, I place the tubes on top of pasta sauce in a greased pan. Ideally, arrange the frozen tubes in the pan a day ahead so they can thaw overnight. You can cover with more sauce if you like (I usually don't).

Cover the pan with foil and bake until at least 140* internally. The time depends on how cold the pasta was and what oven temperature you choose--this food's not fussy.When the pasta is nearly done, sprinkle with Parmesan and return to the oven (uncovered) to melt the cheese.

This is a great Friday night dinner with sauce straight from the jar (I like Barilla). And if you use a nice meat sauce, the dish tastes just like lasagna. Mangia!

Here's my filling recipe. The last time I used it, I filled 55 noodles (about four dinners here). Cutting in half is simple, if you'd like to start with less.

(Better Than) Manicotti
Barilla no-boil lasagna noodles, about 55
4 (10 oz. each) packages frozen chopped spinach
5 # part-skim ricotta cheese (use 2# for a half batch)
2 # shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
4 eggs, slightly beaten

Thaw spinach. Squeeze out excess moisture and combine with cheeses and eggs. Assemble by rolling 1/4 cup filling onto each soaked noodle (see instructions above).

One more picky note: As I got near the end of the filling, I pre-scooped it to figure out how many noodles I would need to soak from the final box.

Chenna (Indian Cheese)

This is from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant, page 297. It can be used in savory dishes or desserts.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

2 quarts whole milk
3-4 Tbsp strained, fresh lemon juice

In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the milk to a rolling boil, stirring often to prevent sticking. Remove from the heat and stir in 3 Tbsp of lemon juice. Return the pan to low heat and stir gently until white curds separate from the yellowish whey. If this doesn't happen within 15 or 20 seconds, add an additional Tbsp of lemon juice.

Pour the curds into a strainer or colander lined with a piece of thin, damp cloth or several thicknesses of cheese cloth. Let it drain until cool enough to handle, then gather up the cloth and squeeze out any remaining liquid. Now you have chenna.