Creamy Baked Fettuccine with Asiago and Thyme

I participated in another recipe swap this week, and I'm so glad I did. I've been in a rut lately when it comes to cooking. Poor hubby! This forced me back into the kitchen, and it turned out to be absolutely amazing. I debated on whether to halve the recipe or make the whole thing, and I'm so glad I made the whole thing. It made a great dinner (along with garlic breadsticks) for a few nights. I loved the addition of thyme, but my man said he could have done without it.

The recipe originally calls for creme fraiche, but my grocery store doesn't carry that. I had to make my own, which was pretty easy (and probably cheaper). See the recipe at the bottom of this post if you choose to make your own creme fraiche (I doubled the recipe).


Creamy Baked Fettuccine with Asiago and Thyme

Ingredients:
1 pound fettuccine pasta
2 cups grated Asiago cheese, plus 1/4 cup (I bought a 0.54 ounce block)
2 (8-ounce) containers creme fraiche
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375-degrees F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but not firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

In a large bowl, combine the 2 cups Asiago, creme fraiche, Parmesan, thyme, salt, pepper, cooked pasta, and pasta cooking liquid. Gently toss until all the ingredients are combined and the pasta is coated.

Place the pasta in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Let sit for at least 5 minutes, and serve.

Source: Sweet Beginnings, originally from Giada De Laurentiis

Creme Fraiche
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons buttermilk, room temp
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:
Heat heavy whipping cream over very low heat until it reaches body temperature (not to exceed 100-degrees F). Remove from heat and pour into a glass bowl or jar. Add buttermilk, and give it a couple of stirs. Seal the bowl or jar with a lid, and let it sit in a warm place (about 75-degrees) for 12 to 36 hours until it thickens.

Stir the thickened creme fraiche and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Source: Ehow Food

Baked Southwestern Spaghetti

I'm a sucker for anything with a southwestern flair, and I've been thinking about this recipe ever since I first saw it on Blog Chef.  The meal came together pretty quickly since I was able to do most of the prep work as the noodles were cooking. This will definitely be a meal that I make again. The southwestern spices give the beef a nice flavor, and I love the cilantro sprinkled on top.

I haven't tried to freeze it yet, but I would imagine that it would freeze pretty well if you freeze it before baking. I like to make several small individual casserole dishes for this reason (and for portion control.... and I need portion control with this meal!).

Baked Southwestern Spaghetti


Ingredients:
8 ounces spaghetti noodles, cooked according to package directions
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Cilantro, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425-degrees.

In a large bowl (or in the pot you boiled the spaghetti in), combine the drained cooked noodles with milk and egg. Mix well. Spray a 9x13-inch (or several individual) casserole dish, and pour the noodle mixture into the bottom.

In a large skillet brown ground beef, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Drain. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook for 2 more minutes.

Spread the meat sauce over the spaghetti noodles. Top with cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Makes about 6 servings.

Source: Blog Chef

Braciole

I received this recipe in my email inbox for an Italian themed recipe swap. I was super excited to try a new recipe that I've never even heard of, and I knew my meat-loving man would be happy about this one. To be honest, I was skeptical of stuffing my meat with hard boiled eggs among other things. The thought was foreign to me, but I braved it out. I'm so glad I did because it added a different texture and flavor to the Italian food I'm used to. It also added more protein, making it more filling.  The meat has to cook for a long time, but it pays off when you don't even have to use a knife.

I substituted several of the original ingredients in order to use up what I already had available. The original recipe also uses pine nuts (pignoli), but I substituted almonds since I'm deathly allergic to pine nuts. Next time I make this, I'll probably cut down on the stuffing ingredients since I had a lot left over. It may have been because my cut of meat was smaller; I'm not quite sure.


Braciole

Ingredients:

beef
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
3 Tablespoons whole milk
3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
3 Tablespoons slivered almonds (toasted)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs, hard boiled, chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
3 large slices (about 1 pound) beef bottom round, already cut into braciole slices by butcher, or cut and pounded thin.... I couldn't find this cut, so I used beef loin boneless top sirloin steak, pounded thin
2 thin slices Prosciutto or ham
2 chunks of Provolone cheese
Salt and pepper
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sauce
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper


Directions:

Place bread crumbs in a bowl and add milk a little at a time. Make it so the bread becomes damp but not too wet. Stir in the eggs, parsley, Parmesan cheese, almonds, and garlic. Mix well and set aside.

***If your meat isn't already pounded thin*** With a meat mallet, pound each slice of beef to a thickness of about 1/4-inch.

Arrange one of the pounded meat slices in front of you and top with prosciutto. Spread some of the stuffing over the prosciutto, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Place a stick of provolone, then fold the side borders in to overlap the edges of the stuffing. Roll into a compact roll. Secure with cooking twine or toothpicks (I found that cooking twine was much easier). Season with salt and pepper.

Put oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat with chopped garlic and add beef rolls. Turn after first side is seared, about 1 minute. Keep turning and searing until all sides are seared. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and all of the seasonings. Stir together carefully (work your spoon around the meat), turn heat down to low, and cover. Cook for at least 2 hours (the longer, the better), stirring occasionally. Serve with pasta.

Source: slightly adapted from  I Was Born To Cook

Beef Stroganoff ... the lighter version

I've made ground beef stroganoff several times, but this is the first time I made it the "real" way. Well, the real-lighter way. This is a WW recipe that I found on Pinterest (my other addiction... I seriously think I need to go to Pinterest-anonymous).

I like to have a bed of egg noodles underneath the stroganoff because that's what I grew up with, but lots of people put it on a bed of rice. Either way would be delicious. I'll definitely be making this again. The beef was so tender, and all of the flavors came together nicely. My man even went back for seconds. I think fresh thyme works really well with beef, so I threw a little bit on top to enhance the flavors.

WW Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
3 ounces wide egg noodles
10 ounces lean boneless beef loin, cut into 1/2" strips
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon reduced-calorie tub margarine
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup light sour cream
fresh thyme, to garnish

Directions:
In large pot of boiling water, cook noodles 5-6 minutes, until tender; drain, discarding liquid. Set aside; keep warm.

In medium nonstick skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat, stirring frequently,
3 minutes, until no longer pink. Remove beef from skillet. Wipe skillet clean; set beef aside.
Spray same skillet with nonstick cooking spray; heat. Add onions; cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, 7 minutes, until golden brown. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring frequently, 6 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove vegetables from skillet. Wipe skillet clean; set vegetables aside.

In same skillet, melt margarine; sprinkle with flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until bubbling. Continuing to stir, gradually add broth,
mustard, paprika, salt and pepper; cook, stirring constantly, 4 minutes, until mixture is thickened. Stir in sour cream.
Return cooked beef, onions and mushrooms to skillet; stir to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is heated through.
Divide warm noodles evenly among 4 plates; top each portion of noodles with one-fourth of the beef mixture. Serve garnished with fresh thyme.

Makes 4 servingsServing size (3/4 cup beef mixture; 1/2 cup noodles)

Nutritional Info (per serving): 258 Calories, 9 g Total Fat, 3 g Saturated Fat, 68 mg Cholesterol, 393 mg Sodium, 24 g Total Carbohydrate, 2 g Dietary Fiber, 22 g Protein
WW: 7 points (point plus)

Source: Weight Watchers

Bow-Tie "Lasagna"

If you are looking for a quick and filling weeknight meal, you'll have to give this recipe a try. It took me about 20 minutes to cook this meal from start to finish. The result was creamy delicious
bite-size pieces of lasagna. Aubrey isn't a big fan of fennel, so next time I'll probably make my own Italian seasoning sans fennel. This makes a ton of pasta, but it reheats really well. I just put it in an individual pasta bowl, add a little water, and cook it in the microwave for a couple of minutes.


Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
5 cups Bow Tie pasta
3 cups of your favorite Marinara sauce
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:
Brown the beef in a skillet and drain. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. After pasta is cooked, drain and drizzle with olive oil. Mix in your spaghetti sauce.
Add your meat, seasonings, cheese, and sour cream. Fold together and allow it all to combine and melt together over low heat for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Source: Pioneer Woman - Tasty Kitchen

Chicken-Ham Lasagna

Aubrey and I have been enjoying this lasagna for the past couple of days. It reminds me a lot of chicken cordon bleu, which I love. Cooking Light really did a great job thinking outside the box and making a traditional recipe into a non-traditional one. I took Elizabeth's advice and added 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese. Even though the Mozzarella added extra calories, I'm glad I did it. If you want to keep it "light," just omit the Mozzarella cheese. This would be perfect to serve at a dinner party since it serves several people and it looks very elegant on the plate.
I'd never worked with the "no bake" lasagna noodles before this, but they sure are easy to work with. It also looks more like fresh made pasta.

Ingredients:
2 cups fat free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces, divided
3 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1 1/2 cups (6-ounces) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Cooking spray
12 no-cook lasagna noodles (8-ounces), divided
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, divided
8 ounces thinly sliced 96% fat-free deli ham, chopped, divided
Chopped fresh parsley (for garnish)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Place broth and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Add chicken; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan with a slotted spoon; set aside.

Combine milk, flour, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl; stir well with a whisk until smooth. Add milk mixture to broth in pan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup Parmesan cheese and parsley, stirring until cheese melts.

Spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over sauce. Spoon 3/4 cup sauce evenly over noodles. Top evenly with one-third ham, one-third chicken, and one-third Mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers twice, ending with noodles. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil very lightly coated with cooking spray; bake at 350-degrees for 30 minutes. Remove and discard foil; bake 10 minutes or until the cheese lightly browns. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings

Nutritional Info (per serving, without the Mozzarella cheese): 260 calories; 7g fat; 1.9mg iron; 57mg cholesterol; 295mg calcium; 18g carbs; 740mg sodium; 28.9g protein; 0.8g fiber

Source: Cooking Light and Elizabeth's Edible Experience

Linguine with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I'm a big fan of sun-dried tomatoes, but a little bit goes a long way. Aubrey snatched one out of the jar and ate it just to find that out. He said that eating them is like drinking straight liquor... you just can't do it.
I'm also married to a man that loves meat, so if I make this again (which I probably will) it will be with a piece of grilled chicken on top. I substituted almonds for the pine nuts so I wouldn't go into anaphylaxis shock.


Ingredients:
1 (16-ounce) package linguine
1 (7-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1/4 cup pine nuts (I used almonds)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 (4-ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
2 Tablespoons thin fresh basil strips

Directions:
Prepare linguine according to package directions.

Drain tomatoes, reserving 2 tablespoons oil. Cut tomatoes into thin strips.

Heat pine nuts in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, 5 minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Remove nuts from skillet.

Increase heat to medium, and saute garlic in 2 tablespoons reserved oil and olive oil in skillet 1 minute or until garlic is fragrant. Stir in tomatoes, and remove from heat.

Toss together tomato mixture, hot cooked pasta, feta cheese, and basil in a large bowl. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

Source: Southern Living

Fettuccine Alfredo with Bacon

I absolutely love Fettuccine Alfredo, but I refrain from ordering it because of the artery-clogging properties it has. I was really excited when I saw this recipe in the Cooking Light magazine. The nutritional value looks much better than the original versions. The Alfredo sauce gives the pasta a creamy texture and the bacon adds a rich flavor.
You may be wondering why my fettuccine looks so skinny... Well, it's because I had to use linguine. My grocery store was out of the Fettuccine.


Ingredients:
1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated fresh fettuccine
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
2/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I used thyme since it's what I had already)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.

While pasta cooks, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings. Add garlic to drippings in pan; saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Sprinkle flour over garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly; cook 2 minutes or until bubbly and slightly thick, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low. Gradually add cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Stir in salt and reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Add hot pasta to pan; toss well to combine. Sprinkle with bacon, parsley, and pepper.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

Nutritional Info (per serving): 339 calories; 11.7g fat; 17.3g protein; 38.4g carbs; 2g fiber; 22mg cholesterol; 0.5mg iron; 833mg sodium; 291mg calcium

Source: Cooking Light

Szechuan Noodles

I had some leftover tahini from making hummus, and I decided it would be the perfect time to make this dish. I was so excited to try this because it's a recipe from Barefoot Contessa, and I've never been let down by her recipes. While this was a good one, I wasn't as impressed as I've been with her other recipes. Maybe I got my hopes up too high??? The dressing is so rich, and it filled me up really quick (maybe that's not a bad thing).
On the other hand, Aubrey came home really late from working and had a huge bowl of it. He loved them.



Ingredients:
Dressing
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil (I used chili paste)
1 Tablespoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salad
1 pound thin spaghetti
2 bell peppers (red, orange or yellow), julienned
4 scallions, sliced diagonally


Directions:
Place the garlic and ginger in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until finely minced. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the remaining dressing ingredients and puree until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator while preparing the pasta.

Cook the spaghetti until al dente according to the package directions. Drain the pasta in a colander, transfer to a serving bowl, and while still warm toss with about half of the dressing. Add the bell peppers and scallions; toss. Add remaining dressing to taste and serve warm or at room temperature. (I only used 1/2 of the dressing)

Source: Annie's Eats... Recipe originally from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

Daring Bakers March Challenge

Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna

The March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper as the challenge.



I was so excited to see that the March Daring Bakers challenge was one I could make for dinner. I was a little hesitant about the pasta because Aubrey doesn't really like spinach very much. He said the dough looked like alien food. The end result was amazing with both of us going for seconds. Aubrey even said that I could sell this in a fine Italian restaurant.
I'm lucky to have a pasta maker (thanks to Santa), so I didn't have to do all of the rolling by hand. Whew! However, I did do all of the kneading by hand.
I love the white sauce in it, and the meat sauce was probably the best I've ever had. I've never ground my own meat before, but it was simple as pie.
I halved the pasta recipe, but I made the full recipe of both sauces. I actually used the whole white sauce recipe, and I had a little of the meat sauce left over that I froze.

Lasagne of Emilia-Romagna

(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6 to 8 as a main dish)

Preparation Time: 15 minutes to assemble and 40 minutes cooking time

10 quarts (9 litres) salted water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe follows)#1
1 recipe Bechamel Sauce (recipe follows)#2
1 recipe Country Style Ragu (recipe follows)#3
1 cup (4 ounces/125g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Method Working Ahead:
The ragu and the béchamel sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The ragu can also be frozen for up to one month. The pasta can be rolled out, cut and dried up to 24 hours before cooking. The assembled lasagna can wait at room temperature about 1 hour before baking. Do not refrigerate it before baking, as the topping of béchamel and cheese will overcook by the time the center is hot.

Assembling the Ingredients:
Have all the sauces, rewarmed gently over a medium heat, and the pasta at hand. Have a large perforated skimmer and a large bowl of cold water next to the stove. Spread a double thickness of paper towels over a large counter space. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Oil or butter a 3 quart (approx 3 litre) shallow baking dish.

Cooking the Pasta:
Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop about four pieces of pasta in the water at a time. Cook about 2 minutes. If you are using dried pasta, cook about 4 minutes, taste, and cook longer if necessary. The pasta will continue cooking during baking, so make sure it is only barely tender. Lift the lasagna from the water with a skimmer, drain, and then slip into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When cool, lift out and dry on the paper towels. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked.

Assembling the Lasagna:
Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of about four overlapping sheets of pasta over the béchamel. Spread a thin layer of béchamel (about 3 or 4 spoonfuls) over the pasta, and then an equally thin layer of the ragu. Sprinkle with about 1&1/2 tablespoons of the béchamel and about 1/3 cup of the cheese. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with béchamel sauce and topping with a generous dusting of cheese.

Baking and Serving the Lasagna:
Cover the baking dish lightly with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagna. Bake 40 minutes, or until almost heated through. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until hot in the center (test by inserting a knife – if it comes out very warm, the dish is ready). Take care not to brown the cheese topping. It should be melted, creamy looking and barely tinged with a little gold. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the lasagna rest for about 10 minutes. Then serve. This is not a solid lasagna, but a moist one that slips a bit when it is cut and served.

#1 Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)
Preparation: 45 minutes
Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.

Ingredients:
2 jumbo eggs
10 ounces fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 and 1/2 cups all purpose unbleached (plain) flour

Directions:
Mixing the dough:
Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.

Kneading:
With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Stretching and Thinning:
If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.
Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.
Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagna, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm).

Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

#2 Bechamel

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all purpose unbleached (plain) flour
2 and 2/3 cups milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

Directions:
Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Sift over the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg.

#3 Country Style Ragu (Ragu alla Contadina)

Preparation Time: Ingredient Preparation Time 30 minutes and Cooking time 2 hours

Makes enough sauce for 1 recipe fresh pasta or 1 pound dried pasta)

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 ounces pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium onion, minced
1 medium stalk celery with leaves, minced
1 small carrot, minced
4 ounces boneless veal shoulder or round
4 ounces pork loin, trimmed of fat, or 4 ounces mild Italian sausage (made without fennel)
8 ounces beef skirt steak, hanging tender, or boneless chuck blade or chuck center cut
1 ounce thinly sliced Prosciutto di Parma
2/3 cup dry red wine
1 and 1/2 cups chicken or beef stock
2 cups milk
3 canned plum tomatoes, drained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Working Ahead:
The ragu can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. It also freezes well for up to 1 month. Skim the fat from the ragu before using it.

Browning the Ragu Base:
Heat the olive oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Have a large saucepan handy to use once browning is complete. Add the pancetta and minced vegetables and sauté, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 10 minutes, or until the onions barely begin to color. Coarsely grind all the meats together, including the prosciutto, in a food processor or meat grinder. Stir into the pan and slowly brown over medium heat. First the meats will give off a liquid and turn dull grey but, as the liquid evaporates, browning will begin. Stir often, scooping under the meats with the wooden spatula. Protect the brown glaze forming on the bottom of the pan by turning the heat down. Cook 15 minutes, or until the meats are a deep brown. Turn the contents of the skillet into a strainer and shake out the fat. Turn them into the saucepan and set over medium heat.

Reducing and Simmering:
Add the wine to the skillet, lowering the heat so the sauce bubbles quietly. Stir occasionally until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Scrape up the brown glaze as the wine bubbles. Then pour the reduced wine into the saucepan and set the skillet aside.Stir ½ cup stock into the saucepan and let it bubble slowly, 10 minutes, or until totally evaporated. Repeat with another ½ cup stock. Stir in the last 1/2 cup stock along with the milk. Adjust heat so the liquid bubbles very slowly. Partially cover the pot, and cook 1 hour. Stir frequently to check for sticking.Add the tomatoes, crushing them as they go into the pot. Cook uncovered, at a very slow bubble for another 45 minutes, or until the sauce resembles a thick, meaty stew. Season with salt and pepper.

Creamy Cajun Venison Pasta

Aubrey and I have been eating on this venison sausage for several days now. I made the red beans and rice a few days ago with this sausage. Once it disappeared I had to find another recipe. I was really impressed with this pasta that I found on Cara's blog. I made a few changes to the recipe to fit the ingredients that we already had. We really enjoyed this, especially since it was such a quick meal with easy clean up.

Ingredients:
8 oz. uncooked spaghetti
About 8 inches of Venison sausage, sliced into 1/4 inch discs
2 Tablespoons Smart Balance "butter"
8 oz. package pre-sliced mushrooms
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon all purpose flour
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon any other spicy seasoning you have (I used a venison seasoning)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup skim milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
Bring medium pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions.
In a skillet over medium high heat, cook sausage pieces. Remove from pan and keep warm.
Melt the butter in the same skillet. Add mushrooms, and saute 4 minutes or until moisture evaporates. Add flour, seasoning, and salt to pan; saute 30 seconds (will be thick). Stir in milk; cook about two minutes until sauce thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
After draining pasta, combine pasta, sauce, cooked sausage, and fresh parsley.

Asparagus & Chicken Carbonara

I saw this recipe in a Real Simple magazine. It's actually a Cooking Light recipe AND took only 45 minutes to cook (including preparation). I went a little heavy on the pepper because I love it.... and I think it made the dish. I usually boil chicken breasts when I make dishes that call for chicken, but never again. Well, never say never, but it sure made it a lot easier... and there is some leftover in the fridge to add to a salad or another dish. I'll definitely make this again because it's so good and easy.

Ingredients:
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
2 cups (1-inch) slices asparagus (about 1 bunch)
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 small onion)
1/4 cup dry vermouth (I didn't have this, so I used cooking Sherry)
2 cups chopped skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast meat
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (...or pepper, to taste)
4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Directions:
Cook pasta in boiling water 10 minutes or until al dente; add asparagus during final 2 minutes of cooking. Drain pasta mixture in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/3 cup cooking liquid. Combine reserved cooking liquid, egg substitute, and milk, stirring with a whisk.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and onion to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add vermouth; cook 1 minute. Add pasta mixture; stir to combine. Remove from heat; stir in milk mixture, chicken, and cheese. Place pan over medium heat, and cook 4 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in parsley, salt, pepper, and bacon. Serve immediately.
Yield 5 servings.

Nutritional Info (per serving): CALORIES 416(23% from fat); FAT 10.8g (sat 3.7g,mono 4.4g,poly 2g); IRON 3.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 60mg; CALCIUM 236mg; CARBOHYDRATE 41.9g; SODIUM 700mg; PROTEIN 34.7g; FIBER 3.1g

Mushroom Rigatoni Bake

Recipe from Cooking Light:
This pasta was pretty good. Aubrey said he'd eat it again, and I agreed. However, I think next time I'll probably just use 8 ounces of mushrooms (total). I'll also mix some Mozzarella cheese with the Asiago. The Asiago is pretty strong like Parmesan, and you can easily substitute Parmesan cheese if you can't find Asiago.


Ingredients:
8 ounces uncooked rigatoni or radiatore pasta
1 tsp butter
1/4 cup shallots (1 large shallot)
8 ounces sliced shiitake mushroom caps
4 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
1 TBSP chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP dry sherry
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk (I used skim)
1 cup (4-ounces) grated Asiago cheese, divided
Cooking spray
Thyme sprigs (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well; set aside.
3. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; saute 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic; saute 8 minutes or until mushrooms are tender. Add sherry; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
4. Place flour in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat; add 1/2 cup cheese, stirring until melted. Add pasta and mushroom mixture to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired. Yield: 4 servings (Serving size: about 1 and 1/2 cups)

Nutritional Content (per serving):
Calories 474; Fat 16g; Protein 21.8g; Carb 61.4g; Fiber 3.3g; Cholesterol 40mg; Iron 3.9mg; Sodium 745mg; Calcium 386mg

Spaghetti with Bolognese Sauce

Aubrey and I had some spaghetti noodles that were left over from this week when we made pasta. I found this recipe on marthastewart.com, but we cut the recipe in half and made a few changes (in red). It turned out good, and I like the carrots in there. You can't taste them, but it's good to know we're getting our veggies.

serves 4

Ingredients:
1 TBSP olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped (3 cups)
3 carrots, finely chopped (1 cup)
6 cloves garlic , minced
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork (omitted)
1/4 cup tomato paste
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup dry white wine (we had white cooking wine on hand)
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes in puree
1 cup milk (we used skim)

Garlic powder, to taste
12 ounces spaghetti
Finely grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions:
Make sauce: In a Dutch oven (or 5-quart saucepan), heat oil over high heat. Add onions, carrots, and garlic; cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add beef and pork; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook 1 minute. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Add wine and tomatoes. Bring sauce to a simmer; cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 1 hour. Add milk; simmer until completely absorbed, about 15 minutes more. Season again with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
When sauce is almost done, cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package instructions; drain. Toss pasta with half the meat sauce; save remaining sauce for next day. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

Homemade "Cheese-y" Lasagna

Aubrey and I decided to have a cooking night together and try out the pasta maker that he gave me for Christmas. I'll admit that I have a fear when it comes to making dough, but that's Aubrey's specialty. When I cook, I have to go exactly by the recipie (of course, there are some exceptions). I'll blame that on all of my Chemistry classes. Aubrey, on the other hand is the kind of cook that just "dumps." Somehow his dough always comes out perfectly. I insisted that we do the recipe just like the recipe said, but I made a mistake in telling him how much flour to use. Long story short.... he had to start dumping the ingredients until it got to the right consistency. He did a perfect job! He also made up the recipe for the fillings (he just wanted lots of cheese).

We had to roll the dough through the rolling machine several times to knead it. After kneading it, we made the lasagna noodles.

Finished Product

Ingredients:

Pasta-
4 large eggs
1 TBSP water
3 and 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp salt

Filling-
About 6-9 large lasagna noodles
16 ounces tomato sauce
15 ounce container part skim Ricotta cheese
1 pound bag Mozzarella cheese
About 4 ounced freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
Pasta-
Place eggs, water, flour, and salt in Kitchen Aid mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater. Turn to speed 2 and mix 30 seconds.
Exchange flat beater for dough hook. Turn to speed 2 and knead 2 minutes. Remove dough from bowl and hand knead for 1-2 minutes. Let it rest for 20 minutes. Divide dough into 4 pieces before processing with pasta sheet roller attachment. We cut our dough into several pieces so it would work better in the pasta machine. Once pasta is rolled out into lasagna noodles, cook in salted boiling water for about 6 minutes or "al dente."

Lasagna-

Preheat oven to 400.

Put 1/4 of the tomato sauce at the bottom of a rectangular baking dish. Put a layer of noodles on top of the sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Layer with 1/3 Ricotta and 1/4 Mozzarella and spread another 1/4 tomato sauce on top. Continue to layer with noodles, cheese, and tomato sauce until the last layer of noodles are on top. Top with the last 1/4 tomato sauce and the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes covered with aluminum foil. Take foil off and broil for about 3 minutes or until the cheese browns.

***We had some leftover dough, so we used our spaghetti maker and made spaghetti noodles. We are drying them on paper towels and storing in an air tight container for an easy dinner this week.

Ground Beef Stroganoff

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light

Today was a really long and hard day at work, so I'm really glad I had the ingredients to make this quick and easy meal.... well, almost all of the ingredients. I didn't have mushrooms, which would have made this even more wonderful. I got home at 6:30, and I had to get supper ready before American Idol came on at 7:00.... Yes, I'm obsessed. I'm typing during commercials. Anyway, I'll definitely make this again.

Ingredients:
8 ounces egg noodles, uncooked
1 pound ground round
3 green onions, sliced or 1 cup chopped onion
1 (8-ounce) package sliced fresh mushrooms
1 (12-ounce) jar fat-free beef gravy
1 (8-ounce) carton fat-free sour cream
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 TBSP dry sherry (optional)

Directions:
Prepare noodles according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
While noodles cook, cook meat, green onions and mushrooms in a large nonstick skillet until meat is browned, stirring until it crumbles; drain.
Return meat mixture to skillet; add gravy and next 3 ingredients, stirring well. Cook over medium heat 3-5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in sherry, if desired. Serve over drained noodles.
Yield: 5 servings.

Per Serving: Calories 367 (19% from fat); Fat 7.6g (sat 2.4g); Protein 31.1g; Carbohydrate 42.9g; Fiber 3.9g; Cholesterol 98mg; Sodium611mg. Exchanges: 3 starch, 3 lean meat.

Chicken Tetrazzini

This recipe makes enough to feed 8-10 people. It also freezes great, so it would be a good dish to make for new parents or for future meals for your family.
I made 2 casserole dishes tonight. One dish is for Aubrey and me, and the other is for some friends of ours that just had a baby. It freezes really well. Once frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Bake at 350 for 35 min.


Ingredients:

2.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup butter
1 medium green pepper, chopped
4 1/2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
2 ounces of jar chopped pimentos
1 clove garlic, minced
1/9 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp cooking sherry
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup slivered almonds
8-ounces thin spaghetti noodles

Directions:

1. Place chicken in saucepan with water covering them. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is tender and cooked throughout (15-20 min). Remove chicken, and reserve broth. Dice chicken into small chunks.

2. Melt butter in large sauce pan over low heat. Add green pepper, and saute' until tender. Add flour and stir constantly until smooth and then an additional minute. Gradually stir in milk. Add soup, pimentos, garlic, garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce, sherry, chicken, and 3 cups cheese; Stir well.

3. Cook noodles in boiling broth until done. Drain and rinse.

4. Combine chicken mixture with noodles (need a very large bowl). Divide mixture into two lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dishes. Sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over casserole; top with almonds. Bake at 350 for 20 min. until heated through.

Source: Betty Ann Colburn