recipes – Page 6 – Annie DeMoranville

Holiday Prep: Christmas Eve Menu Set

Our annual Christmas Eve dinner has always been guests’ choice. And has become tradition, Spinach Lasagna is the requested main course.

We are really looking forward to getting together this year, especially with the newest addition. We are still deciding between a movie or a board game, but I have both on hand, so we don’t have to decide until after dinner.

On the board:

Spinach Lasagna
Collard Greens with Bacon
Garlic Cheese Bread
Ice Cream Sundae Bar

This recipe takes about an hour to prepare and another hour to cook. It easily serves 6 – 8. I make this the day before and refrigerate. It will need additional cooking time to bring the center up to temperature.

Spinach Lasagna

Sauce:

3-15 oz cans tomato sauce
2-6 oz cans tomato paste
14 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tsp oregano, crushed
2 tsp basil, crushed
2 tsp crushed garlic
1 medium carrot, peeled & finely grated
pinch of sugar (reduces acidity of the tomatoes)
Optional: ½ lb ground beef and ½ spicy Italian sausage, browned

Saucepan

Add all ingredients to saucepan on medium-high, stirring constantly until it begins to boil lightly. Turn to low and let simmer while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Lasagna:

1 pkg lasagna noodles (16 oz), cooked and placed in cool water until layering
16 oz ricotta cheese
8 oz package frozen spinach, thawed or 8 oz fresh, washed and dried
1 egg
12 oz sliced mozzarella cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese

13×9 baking dish (I prefer glass), lightly oiled

To prepare: Mix ricotta, spinach and egg until well blended. Ladle a layer of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish.

Cover in a single layer of noodles. Ladle sauce over noodles. Spoon ½ of the ricotta mixture evenly (if you place large dollops evenly like putting cookie dough on a baking sheet, fairly close together, it will spread as it cooks, no need to smooth it).

Layer 1/3 of the mozzarella over the ricotta. Repeat: noodles, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, noodles. On top of the last layer of noodles, add remaining sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, uncovered – I like to place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any spills as it bubbles. Place knife through the center, if it comes out heated through, remove and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. If it needs more cooking time, you can cover with foil to keep the cheese from burning and cook 10 more minutes. Let stand uncovered before serving.

Garlic Cheese Bread

I made my Crusty Slow-Rise Bread and then sliced it length-wise, slathered in garlic butter, mozzarella and Parmesan and broiled until golden brown. Yum!

I prepare the bread earlier in the day, wrap in plastic and refrigerate so when my guests arrive I can spend most of my time with them instead of food prep.

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Collard Greens with Bacon

2 large bunches of collard greens
4 ounces thick-cut bacon, chopped
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
Pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

I’m going to use the electric pressure cooker for this.

Cut and trim the collard greens, removing the tough stems. Roughly chop the trimmed greens into 1/2-inch ribbons.

Cook the bacon on the saute setting, add the onion to the bacon grease, and cook until translucent before adding the garlic.

Add the collard greens to the pot, stir until coated in bacon drippings. Stir until softened and then add the chicken broth, vinegar, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes.

Cover and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Release pressure and toss well. If there is too much liquid, use the saute setting to reduce enough to lightly coat the greens.

Toss with salt, pepper, and lemon juice just before serving.

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Dessert is our annual Ice Cream Sundae Bar – lots of vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, peanuts, almonds, walnuts and pecans. I also put out any remaining Christmas cookies leftover from gift packs.

Instant Pot Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Cool weather has settled in and I’ve had a pot of soup on most days. Today I felt like some simple, quick chicken noodle.

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

8 cups water
12 oz sliced carrots (I used frozen)
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1 lb boneless chicken breast, cubed
1/2 onion, diced
2 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp dried poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz egg noodles

electric pressure cooker (instant pot, multi-pot, etc), blender

In the blender, add 4 cups water, 1 stalk of celery, and 6 oz of the carrots, blend until smooth. Add mixture to the instant pot, along with remaining water, chicken, vegetables and seasoning. Cover and cook on soup setting for 30 minutes.

Depressurize, add egg noodles, and set to saute setting, cooking uncovered for 10 minutes or until the noodles are tender. Add more salt and pepper as needed.

x-posted at What’s 4 Dinner Solutions

How To Brown Ground Beef And Bonus Blueberry Crisp

Let’s talk about browning ground beef. I had someone tell me they hated ground beef because of the texture and flavor. But they like hamburgers…a lot.

I then assumed it was because of the way they were browning their ground beef. Often folks just put it in a pan, break it up, and heat it through until it is completely cooked. Then add it to whatever they are making: tacos, spaghetti sauce, chili, etc.

This can leave you with gummy, flavorless pebbles in your meal. Instead, let’s use the Maillard Reaction to create better ground beef. (See a good explanation here)

To make a flavorful ground beef with good texture, start with the raw meat.

Season it with salt, pepper and whatever spices you’ll be using in the meal – Italian spices, Chili spices, taco seasonings, etc. and generous amounts of salt and pepper. Mix it into the beef well.

Next, spread the mixture into the skillet – flatten it like you’re making a very large hamburger and turn on the heat. Medium-high.

Important – leave it alone! Let it cook on one side until it has a deep crust on it – reduced to medium heat if it looks like it might burn. You want it browned, not burned.

Once it’s completely browned with a nice crust, turn it over. I usually break it into three to four pieces to flip easily. Now repeat the browning process. Once it is fully browned on both sides, use a spatula or a metal pastry cutter to create larger crumbles of meat. These will be full of flavor and a good texture to complement any sauce or seasoning.

I wanted to make Crisp to celebrate Autumn. I went with Blueberry Crisp (recipe here) because I was enjoying slicing and eating my apples. I’ll pick up some Macintosh if I can find them for crisp next week.

x-posted at What’s 4 Dinner Solutions

September Grilling: Cantanzaro Chicken and Tuscan Panzanella Salad

Tonight’s menu features the Cantanzaro spice mix. Cantanzaro is a city in Italy. So there are a lot of herbs this Italian girl recognizes: marjoram, basil, thyme, rosemary and oregano. And garlic, lots of garlic. But the kicker is the lemon and lemon peel.

It’s all very fresh for late summer/early fall harvest and great for grilling. Then I’ve added a fresh take on how to use the last of those fresh tomatoes. And just because I’m feeling ambitious, I included Gelato recipes.

On the board tonight:

Grilled Cantanzaro Herbed Chicken Breasts
Grilled Potatoes and Peppers (recipe here)
Tuscan Panzanella Salad (recipe here)*
Gelato (recipes here)

*the recipe calls for bread bowls, but with this meal, I served it over a bed of bibb lettuce.

Grilled Cantanzaro Herbed Chicken Breast

1 to 1-1/2 lb boneless chicken breasts
2 tsp each: garlic powder, dried marjoram, basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary,
1 tbsp lemon peel
1 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

grill, marinade container

Butterfly chicken breasts (slicing them open down the center so they lie flat like butterfly wings). Place them in between two pieces of plastic wrap, and pound until they are about 1/2 inch thick – you don’t want them much thinner because they will dry out on the grill.

Crush together the dry herbs. You can do it with your fingers or use a mortar and pestle. Combine with the lemon peel.

Place chicken breasts in a shallow container with a lid (I love my pyrex containers for this). Sprinkle 1/2 the herbs over the chicken, flip, and sprinkle the remaining over the other side. Cover with lemon juice (start with 1/2 cup and use up to a cup to get coverage).

Marinate for at least 30 minutes to an hour.

Grill quickly over high heat to get a good sear on both sides, reduce heat (or remove the chicken from directly over a coal fire, to the side of the grill), and grill over low heat until the internal temperature is about 160 degrees F. Once removed from the grill, tent loosely with foil and it will quickly reach an internal temperature of 165 without drying out. Because they are thin, this will not take long, so keep an eye on them.

x-posted at What’s 4 Dinner Solutions

Life Is Short…Eat Ice Cream!

Ice Cream or Gelato? Why not both?!

Yummy Vanilla Nut Crunch can be found here.

And two Strawberry Ice Cream recipes here.

I have also made plenty of gelatos. It is definitely one of my favorite styles of ice cream. Smooth, creamy and not as heavy as many full cream styles.

Pictured above, Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato – one of my favorites. Recipe here.

Gelato starts with a good base that you can then add any number of flavors to:

Gelato di Crema (Gelato Plain Base)

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolk
2/3 cup sugar

In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the milk and cream. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn’t form, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches a temperature of 170°F.

Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually whisk in the sugar until it is well incorporated and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Temper* the egg yolks by very slowly pouring in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously. Return the custard to the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and it reaches a temperature of 185°F. Do not bring to a boil.

*The best way to temper is to add a tablespoon at a time until you’ve added about 1/4 cup. Then you can add a full ladle at a time, slowly.

For Vanilla Gelato: Just before freezing the gelato, mix in the vanilla and then add to the ice cream freezer. Use 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla extract depending on how intense you like your vanilla flavor.