Now that the holidays are here, we have to work quickly to make things easier for us. You have first to determine what kind of party are you hosting: is it a dinner for the whole family, family and friends children included, or is it a gathering of friends, all grown ups, with drinks and all the works?
Yesterday I hosted a big family dinner, everybody was invited, with children of all ages. This kind of gathering does not allow you to have drinks and hors d'oeuvres or elaborate dishes. You need to have everything ready when the hungry hordes arrive from the cold. Remember, the day started for them very early, when they opened their presents, fought a little bit about them to determine who got the best present, tried on the new clothes that Santa brought them, maybe had a little bite to eat, then headed out to come to your house. So you better be ready to feed them quickly. I started on Friday night: I got the ingredients out of the freezer, and made my to do list. Saturday morning I started early: I cleaned the house and got the big serving dishes out. After lunch I started cooking for the big day. I had in mind a menu that would please children and grown ups alike: lasagna, chicken osso buco and beef tenderloin with vegetables. For dessert I thought of something very easy that will surely please everybody: mixed berries and two kinds of ice cream.
EASY LASAGNA
The first time I made lasagna was two weeks after I got married. It was the first time we had invited friends to our house, and my husband asked me what I was going to serve. I gave him some options I thought about, and added "maybe I'll make a lasagna". He seemed a bit reluctant, but he asked "Did you ever make it before?". "No, I said, but it's no problem." The next day, I was up early and went directly to the kitchen. He came to check on me several times, he seemed a bit nervous around noon and was courageous enough to ask "Are you sure that this is how lasagna is made?" Later he came in to ask:"Are you sure you don't want me to call for a pizza or something?" I didn't understand what was this all about, until our guests left the house: he was worried because he thought that the career woman he married was not capable of cooking something elaborate, let alone prepare a complete dinner with lasagna! Needless to say the lasagna was a big success, and maybe this is what brought us here!
The key to make it an easy dish is to be organized: get all your ingredients ready and set a working station to have a smooth operation. Also, I usually make a big pot of sauce, and I keep the leftover to use later on. The ingredients may vary depending on the size of your baking dish: I use a regular Pyrex rectangular dish; it fits 3 lasagna strips side by side, so it's perfect for the job. You'll need:
3 lb lean ground beef
1/2 of a 48 oz tub of ricotta cheese
Ground Parmigiano
Shredded Mozzarella
1 egg
1 (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
3 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture
2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
Salt and pepper
First prepare the sauce: brown the ground meat with the onion/garlic mixture and salt and pepper. Cook until all the liquid rendered from the meat is absorbed. Add the crushed tomatoes and the can of tomato paste. Rinse both cans by filling them halfway with water and add it to the sauce. Stir and let it cook on medium high heat, until the sauce is not very liquid. Add 1 tsp of oregano and stir until done. Remove from the heat.
In a medium bowl mix the ricotta cheese with the egg and 1 tsp oregano. Set aside. In the mean time, cook the lasagna according to package directions. I prefer the curly strips. They are predictable and easy to handle with no surprises, unlike the "no-cook" sheets, who can balloon in your baking dish and go overboard. Drain the pasta, cool with cold running water and drain. Arrange the lasagna strips on a tray and get ready. With a big spoon line the baking dish with a couple of spoonfuls of sauce. Arrange 3 strips of lasagna, cover with sauce and sprinkle with about a handful of grated Parmigiano. Add 3 strips of lasagna, cover with half of the ricotta mix and sprinkle with some mozzarella or Parmigiano. Add another layer of pasta, cover with sauce and cheese, followed by another layer covered with ricotta, then another layer of pasta and top with sauce and mozzarella. You're done. How easy was that? You may prepare the lasagna a day ahead, refrigerate it and bake it the day of the party in a 375 degree oven until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Let it rest for at least 20 minutes before serving or it will be running and you'll not be able to have neat squares.
TIP: You can follow the same recipe to make a vegetable lasagna: just substitute the ground meat with finely chopped white and cremini mushrooms (don't use fancy mushrooms, they may change the taste), brown them with the onion/garlic mixture and add the sauce just as you did with the ground meat. Assemble the lasagna according to the same recipe.
TIP: You can follow the same recipe to make a vegetable lasagna: just substitute the ground meat with finely chopped white and cremini mushrooms (don't use fancy mushrooms, they may change the taste), brown them with the onion/garlic mixture and add the sauce just as you did with the ground meat. Assemble the lasagna according to the same recipe.
ROAST BEEF WITH VEGETABLES
I thought I had a whole beef tenderloin, but to my surprise it turned out to be a whole eye round. I was a bit disappointed, because this meant a change of plans, and it worried me because as I told you before I have not yet mastered the art of cooking this cut of meat as good as I remember it from my grandma or school. So, let's go to plan B: I have to make this work. But how? "What would grandma do?" I asked myself. Well, she didn't always have an oven, and she used to cook everything on the stove. Maybe this will work. I'll make a combination of the old and the new. I marinated the beef overnight in the fridge and cooked it halfway on the stove and finsihed cooking it in the oven. You'll need:
1 whole eye round ( about 3 to 4 lb)
2 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture
salt and pepper
1 tbsp oil (vegetable or canola)
Beef stock or water
Rub the beef with the onion/garlic mixture and salt and pepper. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. The next day, put the tbsp oil in a rectangular pan that goes from stove to oven. Brown the meat on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Add about 1 cup of beef stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the meat on another side and let it cook for about 5 minutes more. Cover it again with foil and transfer it to a 375 degree oven. Let it cook, covered, for about 20 minutes for medium. If you prefer it well done (as we do), remove the cover and let it cook for 10 more minutes or until the thermometer reaches 170 degrees. Remove the meat from the pan and keep it covered with the foil until it's time to slice it. You can use the sauce in the pan as is, or if you want to make it fancy, slice some mushrooms, sautee them with a finely sliced scallion or two in a drop of butter or oil. When the mushrooms are done, add the sauce and stir. Serve on the side.
I thought of serving roasted vegetables on the side, mainly because I had the oven on, so it will be easier to put everything in, the roast, the lasagna and the veggies. But because we had children coming, I thought that roasted veggies was a bit "grown up" for them, so I opted for sauteed vegetables. It is so easy and it only takes minutes to prepare. You'll need:
Baby red potatoes
2 to 3 zucchini, depending on the size
Baby carrots
Chopped parsley
Thinly sliced scallions, white parts and a little green, about 4
1 tbsp oil (olive, canola or vegetable)
Salt and pepper and/or 2 tsp granules of chicken or vegetable stock
Boiling water
The quantities depend on how many people you are serving. Peel a strip in the middle of each potato and boil them in salted water. Drain and let cool. In the mean time cut the baby carrots lenghtwise in 2. Cut the zucchini also lenghtwise in 2, then in 1 inch cubes. If the zucchini are big, you may slice them in 3 lenghtwise or even 4. The idea is to have the pieces of vegetables almost the same size. In a large nonstick skillet, heat half tbsp oil, add some sliced scallions and stir until translucent. Add the carrots and stir. Let cook over high heat. Add salt and pepper and granules, stir, then add some boiling water. Keep cooking until the carrots are tender. Add some chopped parsley, stir and remove from heat when all the liquid is completely absorbed. Transfer the carrots to the serving dish. In the same skillet add the potatoes, sprinkle with some granules and stir. Don't add any liquid (or oil), the potatoes are already cooked, you just need to caramelize them a little bit. Sprinkle some chopped parsley, stir again and you're done. Transfer to the serving dish. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and cook the zucchini the same way as the carrots. It will need less liquid and time. Don't worry if some of the pieces are caramelized, it will give the zucchini more flavor. Arrange the veggies with the sliced roast and serve.
