Preserved Lemons

Remember those meyer lemons that I had a few weeks ago? Well I preserved them for future use. I cut them into quarters, but not all the way through,  liberally salted them inside and out with kosher salt , packed them tightly into a sterilized jar, added more lemon juice to cover and refrigerated them for a few weeks.  Now when I need a little lemon I can take out a piece, rinse it and use the rinds for a recipe.  Good to have when you're out of fresh.  (works with regular lemons too)

Bar Cheese

Make your own Win Schuler's sort of cheese spread with staples you probably have in the house.

2 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
3 Tbl prepared horseradish
2 cups finely grated medium cheddar cheese
1/3 cup mayo
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce

Mix all ingredients together until the cheese appears to meld into the mixture.  Chill a couple of hours before serving with crackers or melba toast rounds.  Easy and good!!

Not Too Cheddary Mac And Cheese (with a little spinach!)

I was looking for a mac and cheese that was creamy without all that cheddar bite..ricotta fit the bill!



6 Tbl butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups whole milk
A few gratings of nutmeg ( or a pinch)
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 cup grated medium cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1  1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
2 Tbl chopped fresh basil
3 handfuls ( or more) fresh baby spinach leaves
8 ounces ziti or shells, cooked al dente
1/2 cup grated medium cheddar for the topping

In a medium sauce pan melt the butter and whisk in the flour to make a light roux.
Over medium heat, slowly add the milk while continually whisking.  Whisk until the mixture thickens.
Add the nutmeg, cayenne, basil, salt and white pepper and stir.  Stir in the ricotta and cheddar until melted.
Stir in the spinach and continue stirring until the spinach wilts.
Combine the cooked pasta with the cheese spinach mixture and turn into a small shallow casserole dish.  ( I used a nine inch round ceramic baking dish) Sprinkle the 1/2 cup cheddar over the top.
Bake at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly.

Flaming Cheese

Make your own Saganaki, that wonderful flaming cheese, at home. We especially like to do this in the summer as an appetizer to the Kebapcheta that I wrote about earlier.It's a fun way to impress your kids or grand kids...just make sure that they stand back....OPA!!


1 cup flour
1 tsp dried oregano
2 slices kasseri cheese, about 4 inches in diameter and cut 1/2 inch thick
2 Tbl olive oil
3 Tbl butter
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 lemon, halved
3 ounces inexpensive brandy

Mix the flour and oregano in a shallow bowl and set aside.
Beat the eggs and milk in a shallow bowl.
Wet the pieces of cheese with water and coat each with the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and then back into the flour.
In a heavy saute pan or cast iron skillet, melt the butter and olive oil until the butter starts to foam.
Place the cheese into the pan and fry on both sides until golden and the cheese starts to soften.
Quickly take the pan outside, pour in the brandy and ignite, yelling OPA!
Let flame for effect for a few seconds and then squeeze a lemon half over to douse the flame( the second half is "just in case").
Serve immediately spread on country bread.

Retro Pork Chop And Potato Casserole

Let's go back in time when this was standard weekly fare...we all used canned soups in everything... and turned out delicious meals. Use either bone in or out chops, the thicker the better.

4 pork chops
4 Tbl olive oil, divided
salt, black pepper, and paprika
1 medium onion, sliced
8 ounces sliced mushrooms, sliced ( or 2  4 ounce cans mushrooms, drained)
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup milk
2 tsp instant flour (Wondra)
4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
Grated cheddar or those fried onions in a can for garnish ( either is optional)

Season the chops with salt, pepper and paprika, and in a large saute pan brown them on both sides in 2 Tbl of the olive oil. Remove from pan and arrange in a shallow casserole dish.
In the same pan, add 2 more Tbl olive oil ( if needed) and saute the onions and mushrooms until the onions soften a bit. Stir in the instant flour. Add the soup and milk and combine thoroughly.  Season with a little more salt, pepper and paprika.
Arrange the sliced potatoes around the chops and pour the mushroom soup mixture over the whole thing.  Bake, covered, at 325F for 50 minutes.  Remove cover, raise oven temp to 400F and bake 15 minutes more, sprinkling the onions or cheese over the top at this point.


 

Red Lentil Pasta Sauce

Last night we decided to go meatless for dinner.  I had found beautiful red lentils and Greek #2 spaghetti ( like bucatini) at the Mediterranean market near my house. The red lentils are packed with protein and become very creamy when cooked in the sauce.  I served this with some thawed frozen garlic bread topped with sauteed spinach and garlic, sprinkled with mozzarella and then baked in the oven at 400F for 10 to 15 minutes.

Sauce:
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1 carrot , roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1/4 green pepper, chopped
5 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
3 Tbl olive oil
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 cup dry red lentils
1  28 ounce can good Italian plum tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 - 4 cups water
1/2 cup minced parsley
5 or 6 sliced fresh basil leaves
Parmesan for garnish ( optional) 

Place the celery, carrot, onion, green pepper and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until very fine.
In a dutch oven or soup pot saute the vegetable mixture in the olive oil until soft and fragrant.
Add the red pepper, salt , black pepper, and Italian seasoning and stir for a minute or two over the heat
Add the lentils.  Crush the tomatoes with your hands and add them along with their juice.
Add 3 cups of the water, bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Check after 30 minutes..If the mixture seems too thick, add another cup of water and simmer another 15 minutes or so. Simmer a few more minutes even if you don't add the extra water.
Just before serving, stir in the parsley and basil.
Serve over your favorite pasta.

Greek Seasoning

Last night's chicken

A while back I promised myself that the next time I made the Slow Roasted Lemon Chicken I would come up with an alternative to the Cavender"s Greek Seasoning used to rub the bird.  We had this chicken last night and I used 3 Tbl of this seasoning :

2 Tbl salt
1 Tbl coarse black pepper
2 Tbl granulated garlic
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme


Place all ingredients in a spice grinder or a mini processor and process until fine. Store any unused in a covered container.  Makes almost 1 cup.