Sneaky Tofu

I let him take the first bite.

"How is it," I asked.

"Very good!!" he replied, mouth full.

"Rock on," I thought. "I'm glad you said that," I said.

He paused the TV and looked at me. I explained that rather than use ricotta, like most filled pastas, I'd used tofu. I promised that the recipe actually called for tofu, because there is absolutely no way I would ever thought to do it on my own.

I admit, I had reservations. I watched the whole mess come together and I was nervous. Sure, he was in the very same kitchen with me when I popped the tofu into the food processor (he is a mostly oblivious type), but would it be good? I'm so pleased with it, I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow night's leftovers. I might not yet be wondering what else I can slip tofu into, but its a start!

While I'm at it, I think I'll submit this for this week's Presto Pasta Night. I'm either really really early, or super-late. I'll let Ruth decide. :)



Baked Stuffed Shells
http://food.cookinglight.com/cooking/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1215893

Stuffing:

1/4 cup boiling water

6 sun-dried tomatoes

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 (14-ounce) package reduced-fat firm tofu

1 egg, lightly beaten

18 cooked jumbo pasta shells

Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 ¾ cups chopped onion (about 1 large)

1 cup chopped green bell pepper (about 1 medium)

1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 medium)

3 garlic cloves, minced

Cooking spray

¾ pound low-fat turkey breakfast sausage, casings removed

¼ cup red wine

2 tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt 1 (28-ounce) can organic crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons grated fresh

Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare stuffing, combine 1/4 cup boiling water and sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl; let stand 20 minutes or until tomatoes soften. Drain and finely chop. Combine tomatoes, mozzarella, and next 6 ingredients (through egg) in a food processor; process until smooth. Spoon 2 tablespoons stuffing into each shell. Set stuffed shells aside.

To prepare sauce, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté 6 minutes or until tender. Place onion mixture in a bowl.

Coat pan with cooking spray; return pan to heat. Add sausage, and cook 6 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add wine; cook until wine is reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 3 minutes). Stir in onion mixture, tomato paste, and next 5 ingredients (through tomatoes); bring to a simmer. Cook 25 minutes or until slightly thick.

Spread 2 cups sauce over bottom of an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange stuffed shells in a single layer in pan; top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over sauce. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes or until bubbly. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 3 stuffed shells and about 1 cup sauce)

See the recipe...

April Supper Club!

Wednesday night, my friend Liane hosted our April Supper Club. We decided that night that we should name ourselves, but haven't nailed one down. We've had almost-monthly suppers since October, so its high-time we had a name. Suggestions?

As hostess, Liane chose the theme: Tapas. She'd gotten these adorable tapas plates for Christmas and was itching to use them. (I would be too - they're great!!) She and I both had gotten this lovely tapas book for xmas as well - so we were well prepared. (Not that either of us actually chose recipes from it, but whatevs!)

I'm not sure how we do this every month, but its very six-degrees-of-kevin-bacon. You can start with a dish and connect them through to almost every other dish, everything always goes so well. Even more surprising because only half the members decide what they're making more than a day or two ahead of time. We're connected, Ladies!

I'll start with the bottom left hand corner and go clock-wise around:

Marcie has a supper club rule: goat cheese. Thus far, every single recipe has included goat cheese. I also blame her for my current goat cheese addiction. Her Venetian Sausage Bites were tasty little mouthfuls - the sausage is poached, sliced, browned, and then simmered in balsamic vinegar. Yum!! I knew I'd love them, their sausage/balsamic/goat cheese charms were too much to resist!

Next, we have Sara's Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms. (sausage-sausage) Sara is our newest member, brought by Stephanie last month and she liked us well enough to come back (and host next month! Thanks again!!) Her stuffing was the perfect mesh of sausage and cheese and had a really great texture (due to the cream cheese?) When you bit into it (assuming you didn't just pop the whole thing into your mouth) it didn't crumble into bits, instead giving you two great non-messy bites. They reheated really well, to boot (yay leftovers!)

Top left corner were my Chorizo Puffs with Chipotle Sauce. (sausage-sausage) I'd never done that whole dough-made-on-the-stove thing, as you would with cream puffs, and I found it much easier than I thought. The "puffs" were less puffy and more dense, but it was still a nice contrast with the sausage bits. The sauce was nice and spicy and still creamy, and couldn't have been easier to make in the food processer.

Top right corner you'll find Rachel's Chick-Peas and Spinach Tapas. (connectionless - you just had to be different, didn't you? :)) She served them with pitas, and it was just perfect. Her tapas were light and refreshing, and I really enjoyed the pop of the chickpeas. Rachel has opened my eyes to spinach (I previously disliked it, but she served us a terrific spinach salad at an earlier dinner) and for that, I thank her!

On the spoon is one of Stephanie's Polenta Bites with with Caramelized Mushrooms. (mushrooms-mushrooms) She said it was the first time she'd made polenta that didn't come from a log, and I'm glad she did! These bites were creamy and delicious! I've never made polenta in any fashion, but these little bites sent me out to the store for some polenta! Yum!

Bottom right, you'll see Sara's second dish. (goat cheese-goat cheese) She spoils us. When asked what she called them, she said "Apricot Goat Cheesy Things." I'll take it!! They were yummy, happy little bites, perfect as a snack, an appetizer, or a light dessert! Sara made the point that you should use medoterramean apricots, rather than californian, because they are more tender. Go out and get some - now! :)


We finished the evening with Liane's flans. She made two, but somehow I only have a photo of one. They were creamy and delicious. I think I could have happily eaten an entire flan in one sitting all by myself. And I don't think I was the only one. ;)

Chorizo Puffs (BunUelos de Chorizo)
Recipe courtesy Pilar Sanchez

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_12011,00.html

1/4 pound chorizo sausage, skinned and finely chopped
Bunuelo Dough
Oil, for frying

Bunuelos Dough:
1 cup water
3 tablespoons butter
3/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
2 eggs

Sauté the chorizo in a skillet for a couple of minutes until it starts to give off its oil. (Drain off some oil if there is a lot.) To make the dough, place in a saucepan over medium heat the water, butter and salt. When the water comes to a boil and the butter has melted, add the flour all at once. Lower the heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Continue cooking and stirring for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and beat in the eggs 1 at a time. The dough will separate, then hold together again. (This step may be done effortlessly in a food processor; once the flour has been added and forms a ball, transfer the dough to the processor. Process for 15 seconds. Add both eggs and beat for 45 seconds.) Combine the Bunuelo dough with the chorizo. (This can also be done in the processor.) (May be prepared ahead.) In a skillet heat the oil at least 1/2-inch deep to about 380 degrees F. Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls into the oil and fry over medium hear, turning occasionally, until puffed and golden. Drain on paper towels. (May be kept warm in 200 degree F oven up to 30 minutes.)

Chipotle Dipping Sauce

Gourmet Magazine

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/101573

2 large egg yolks at room temperature
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups olive or vegetable oil or a combination of the two
3 canned chipolte chilies or to taste, minced (wear rubber gloves) plus 3 tablespoons of the juice, or to taste
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup sour cream

In a bowl with an electric mixer or a whisk beat together the egg yolks, the vinegar, the mustard, and the salt, add 1/2 cup of the oil, drop by drop, beating and add the remaining 1 cup oil in a stream, beating until the mixture is emulsified. Stir in the chilies with the juice, the lemon juice, and the sour cream and chill the dipping sauce, covered, for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Makes about 2 1/4 cups.

Venetian Sausage Bites
Marcie Patchett, April Supper Club

Adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_32411,00.html

6 sweet Italian sausages
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup balsamic vinegar
5 ounces goat cheese

Fill a large, deep skillet 1/2 way with water. Bring the water to a steady simmer and add the sausages. Poach the sausages for 6 to 7 minutes, until firm.

Drain the sausages and slice into bite-size pieces. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. When hot, add the sausage and cook until brown. Drain off the fat and add the balsamic vinegar. Simmer until vinegar is reduced and syrupy. Top sausage rounds with goat cheese.

Serve immediately.

Polenta Bites with Caramelized Mushrooms
Stephanie Wright, from April Supper Club
Adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_32410,00.html?rsrc=search

For the polenta:
3 cups heavy cream
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt, preferably gray salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 cup polenta
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish

For the mushrooms:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound button or cremini mushrooms, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
Finely ground salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley leaves

Cook the polenta: In a medium, heavy pot over high heat bring the cream, stock, salt, and nutmeg to a boil. Add the polenta gradually, whisking constantly. When the mixture thickens, switch to a wooden spoon and adjust the heat to maintain a bare simmer. Cook, stirring often, until thick, smooth, and creamy, about 15 minutes. Add the Parmesan and stir. Keep the polenta warm over low heat, stirring occasionally. If the polenta gets dry as it sits, stir in about 1/4 cup of warm stock or cream.

Sauté the mushrooms: In a medium skillet over high heat, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, sprinkle in the mushrooms and onions in a single layer. Let them sizzle until they have caramelized on the bottom, about 2 minutes. When the bottoms are caramelized, toss them once and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Continue for about 5 minutes. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper. Add the butter and cook until it begins to brown, then add the garlic. Continue to cook until the garlic begins to brown. Add the thyme and cook for about 10 seconds. Add the lemon juice and cook until the liquid evaporates. Add the wine, and simmer until the mushrooms are glazed with the sauce. Add the parsley. Then stir and remove the pan from the heat.

Place or pipe about 1 tablespoon of warm polenta onto a spoon. Place about 1/2 teaspoon of the mushroom on top of the polenta. Garnish with grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Coffee Flan
Liane Jones, from April Supper Club

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/233813

3/4 cup sugar
1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)
3 3/4 cups whole milk
5 large eggs
4 1/2 teaspoons instant-coffee granules dissolved in 4 teaspoons hot water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Cook sugar in a dry small heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar melts into a deep golden caramel. Immediately pour into a 9-inch round ceramic or glass baking dish or metal cake pan (2 inches deep) and tilt dish to coat bottom (use caution, dish will be hot). Cool until hardened, 10 to 15 minutes.

Blend remaining ingredients in a blender, in 2 batches if your blender is small, until smooth. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve over caramel in dish, then transfer dish to a 17- by 11-inch roasting pan lined with a kitchen towel. Cover dish loosely with a piece of foil, then pour enough boiling-hot water into roasting pan to reach 1 inch up side of dish. Bake until custard is set but still wobbly in center when gently shaken and a knife inserted in center comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Transfer dish to a rack to cool completely, about 40 minutes. Chill flan, covered, until cold, at least 8 hours.

To unmold flan, run a thin knife around edge of dish to loosen flan. Invert a large platter with a lip over dish. Holding dish and platter securely together, quickly invert and turn out flan onto platter. Caramel will pour out over and around flan.

Cooks' note:
Flan can be chilled up to 1 day (before unmolding).

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Creamy Caramel Flan

Liane Jones, from April Supper Club

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Creamy-Caramel-Flan/Detail.aspx

3/4 cup white sugar
1 (8 ounce) package cream
cheese, softened
5 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can
evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a small, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, cook sugar, stirring, until golden. Pour into a 10 inch round baking dish, tilting to coat bottom and sides. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Beat in condensed and evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour into caramel coated pan. Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place baking dish on towel, inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven 50 to 60 minutes, until center is just set. Cool one hour on wire rack, then chill in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight. To unmold, run a knife around edges of pan and invert on a rimmed serving platter.

Chick-Peas and Spinach Tapas
Rachel Zurowski, from April Supper Club
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_12090,00.html

10 ounces fresh spinach leaves, rinsed, or 1 (10-ounce) package frozen leaf spinach
19-ounce can (2 cups) chick-peas, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
1 to 2 lemons, juiced or to taste
1/4 to 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pita, for serving

If using fresh spinach: Cook the spinach in a saucepan with the water clinging to its leaves, stirring, until wilted. Drain, squeeze dry, and finely chop. If using frozen spinach, follow package directions, drain, squeeze dry, and finely chop.

In a bowl combine the spinach with the chick peas, pepper, chives, lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper. Serve as is or chilled with toasted bread or as a filling for pita pockets.

Sausage-Stuffed Mushrooms
Sara Mies, from April Supper Club
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/107246

3 Italian hot sausages, casings removed
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1 large egg yolk

Olive oil
24 large (about 2-inch-diameter) mushrooms, stemmed
1/3 cup dry white wine

Sauté sausage and oregano in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until sausage is cooked through and brown, breaking into small pieces with back of fork, about 7 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage mixture to large bowl and cool. Mix in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder, then cream cheese. Season filling with salt and pepper; mix in egg yolk.

Brush 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish with olive oil to coat. Brush cavity of each mushroom cap with white wine; fill with scant 1 tablespoon filling and sprinkle with some of remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange mushrooms, filling side up, in prepared dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake uncovered until mushrooms are tender and filling is brown on top, about 25 minutes.

Makes 24.

Goat Cheese Bites
Sara Mies, April Supper Club

Mediterranean Apricots
Plain Goat Cheese
Caramelized Walnuts

Assemble apricots on a serving plate, spoon a dollop of goat cheese on each apricot. Top with a walnut.

See the recipe...

Eating the Pantry

First, let me introduce myself. I am Katie, and I over-grocery-shop. (Hi, Katie!) I love to grocery shop. I love making lists and picking items out and coming home to make whatever dish I've been thinking about all day. I am Katie, and I have a problem. More on this later.

This past weekend, we emptied out our pantry, freezer, and spices cabinet. We took stock of what we had, and then we put it all back. A few items were left out, stray things like the box of hamburger helper and the mix to make beer bread (like from those parties), the boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese, yadda yadda, you get the point. Stray foods... things we used to eat way back when.

I also went though my piles of recipes - either printed from the internet or ripped from a magazine and never tried... I had piles. Big piles. Hidden under the oversized chair in the living room big. I think I kept a stack a fifth the size... of recipes I KNEW I'd try.

What accomplishing both these tasks means is that we can try to live off what we have. I need to tame my grocery store beast, and live out of the pantry and freezer. I know I can do it. I know, because as I was going through my stacks, I found this recipe for risotto - and all I needed to get was the italian sausage. It was fate. And fate was tasty.


Tomato and Sausage Risotto
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=1ca8ad948aa0f010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=tomato%20and%20sausage%20risotto&rsc=ns2006_r1

1 (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, in juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 small onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (10 to 14 ounces) flat-leaf spinach, washed well, tough stems removed, chopped (about 7 Cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
2 tablespoons butter

In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute.

Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total (you may not have to use all the liquid).

Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools), and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.

See the recipe...

Gnocchi Bolognese

So what if the last two real dinners we had were gnocchi? Are you counting?

Well, thats my hangup. I find something new, and I make it over and over again - 3 or 4 times over a couple of weeks. Just to make sure... its research!

When I mentioned to my (Italian) friend Stephanie that I was going to toss the two together, she seemed shocked. WHY would I mix gnocchi and bolognese??? My favorite Italian place, Filomena's, has it on their menu that way, and its the only thing I've ever had there. And I'm very much ok with that. :)

I had the extra gnocchi frozen from a couple of nights ago... and I was in the mood for bolognese. This particular recipe makes A LOT of bolognese... I just put away 5 baggies of it for future dinners, AFTER we'd already had our dinner. Mind you, its just the two of us. Dave loves it, and its an easy dinner down the road. Woohoo!

Now, totally by chance, I grated enough parm that I had enough rind to trim off and add to my collection in the freezer. As I was putting the bag away, I thought, why not actually use some of these cheese rinds? Why am I freezing them if I'm not going to use them? So, for the first time ever, I threw three in the sauce (near the end). They mostly dissolved... and I can't say that I notice a difference. I've never used parm rinds before, I don't know if I used them in the right dish, so if you have any rind experience/guidance, let me know.

PS: Turns out that Steph misunderstood me, and thought I was having (ruining) my gnocchi with bearnaise, rather than bolognese. Explains the horrified look she gave me. :)

Adapted from:
Spaghetti Bolognese
By: Emeril Lagasse
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_28747,00.html?rsrc=search

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces bacon or pancetta, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
3/4 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pound ground beef or ground veal
1/2 pound pork sausage, removed from the casings, or ground pork
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes and their juice
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup beef or chicken stock or broth
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 pound spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until browned and the fat is rendered, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the beef and sausages, and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, to deglaze the pan and remove any browned bits sticking to the bottom of the pan, and until half of the liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and their juices, the tomato sauce, beef broth, and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the sauce is thickened and flavorful, about 1 1/2 hours. Add the cream, butter, and parsley, stir well, and simmer for 2 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and return the water to a low boil. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent the noodles from sticking, until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain in a colander.

Add the pasta to the sauce, tossing to coat. Add 1/2 cup of the cheese and toss to blend. Divide among pasta bowls and serve with the cheese passed tableside. (Alternatively, toss only the desired portion of pasta with a bit of the sauce at a time in a serving bowl, reserving the remainder for another meal.)

See the recipe...