AND FOR DESSERT....

I don't bake. I find that baking is too restrictive for my capacities..there is no room for tweaking, or changing the techniques as you please. Also, I find that our needs for baked goods are rather limited, so I did not venture into the field to start with. Sometimes I bake a cake from a mix, we never finish it and I always end up giving away a large portion of it. If we need baked goods, I buy just what we are actually going to consume, nothing more. On the other hand, I can assemble a very mean dessert: I make trifles, a large platter of sweets or fruits, a dessert table of cakes, ice cream and toppings. They are always a success when I have guests. It gives them the opportunity to make their own desserts, add or leave out ingredients. On occasion, I've made some Oriental desserts: konafa and baklava. This is the only dessert that you can tweak and change the ingredients as you wish. I usually follow the main idea, but put less butter and different combinations of ingredients or fillings. They also turned out to be a success. 

But there is one dessert that my husband liked and I couldn't make because its main ingredient could not be found in the States. The dessert is called "Oum Ali" (literally The Mother of Ali), and is basically made of a kind of bread soaked in milk and filled with sugar and nuts, then baked in the oven until browned. It is usually served hot, right out of the oven. Lately I've been thinking of Oum Ali, mainly because it is served hot. It's getting cold and I thought it would be nice if I can serve it for Christmas. So I decided to try a new version, my own version. I started early and tried several versions until I got it just right. 

The main idea of the dessert is to mix bread and milk. This particular kind of bread, called "Rokak" meaning very thin, is more like a very thin tortilla and is sold dry. You can use it to make this dessert or make a savory dish if you fill it with ground meat. Since I cannot get the kind of bread used originally in the recipe I started looking for alternatives. The obvious solution came from the idea of bread pudding. I'll use the same basic principle and see what will happen. My first experiment was with the savory version, the sausage pudding I made a few weeks ago. It was delicious, and I was encouraged to keep trying. The second try was a real Oum Ali, then another try with apples and the final one with all the works. 

I'll give you the final basic recipe to which you can add all what you want. You'll need:

6 cups Challa bread cut into 1 inch cubes

4 eggs

1 cup half and half 

2 cups skim milk

A dash of vanilla

1 to 1 and 1/2 cup sugar, depending on the extra ingredients you'll add

WESTERNIZED OUM ALI 

                                                        

                                                                                                                 

That was the second experiment. I know that the traditional recipe calls for heavy cream and milk, but I thought that would be too much. After making the sausage pudding with heavy cream (1 cup to 2 skim milk) I felt it was still heavy for our taste. So I decided to go to the other extreme: I used only skim milk. It came out OK, mainly because it was full of nuts and raisins. So you can make it with the basic recipe that I finally approved and add to it:

1 and 1/2 cup hazelnuts toasted and coarsely chopped

1 and 1/2 cups raisins

1 cup coconut, grated and sweetened

1/2 cup sugar, optional according to taste

Beat the eggs and mix them in a large bowl with the liquids, half and half and skim milk, and the vanilla. Add the sugar and stir to dilute, then add the bread. Mix to wet , then add the other ingredients. Mix to incorporate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Transfer to a low baking dish and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until set and lightly browned on top. Let stand for 5 minutes and serve.

APPLE AND RAISIN DESSERT

                                                          

With the success of the second experiment, i got the courage to try again, this time with apples.

I used 1 cup of regular milk and 2 cups skim milk. It also came out delicious, but I still thought why not try to improve it further? So I tried the last version in a dessert that I took with me to a dinner at our daughter's house. Everybody loved it. You'll need to add to the basic recipe:

3 apples cored, peeled and very thinly sliced

1 cup each: raisins and coconut

1 can crushed pineapple

1 cup extra bread cubes

A pinch of cinnamon

Follow the same instructions as above, but add the crushed pineapple to the liquids. When you mix the bread with the liquids, you may add some more because the crushed pineapple has some liquid too. We don't want the dish to be running. Add the other ingredients and follow the instructions. Serving suggestion: you may add a scoop of ice cream, it will be a la mode.

                                                   

CHRISTMAS DINNER: LET'S HAVE SOMETHING DIFFERENT

                                             

Merry Christmas everyone. We just finished dinner, watched a movie and here I am. This year I made something different. My husband first suggested that we cook the duck I bought the other day. He just wanted the regular duck we usually have with couscous and veggies. But I had other plans. My friend Batta was coming from Minneapolis with her daughter, and they were spending the day with us. Duck sounded good, and I already wanted to make something different. I was reminded the other day by an article in the NY Times of a duck recipe my mammina used to make. But as I remember, it was rather complicated. This is probably why I never tried it before. But Christmas seemed a good occasion to try something new, especially that my husband has asked for duck, and I happened to have two at home. As usual I had no intention to follow the recipe mainly because it was complicated: it called for roasting the duck pieces in the oven, then cook them in the sauce, then put them back in the oven to finish cooking. I was definitely not going to do all that. Also it kept the skin on the duck pieces, something I had decided long ago I would never do. Too much fat. The obvious solution was to tweak the recipe as much as I could in order to have duck, but my way. It came out perfect, light, tender and delicious. Most of all it was easy to make.

ITALIAN DUCK WITH OLIVE GREMOLATA

                                                         

The basic idea of this dish is not difficult, but the original recipe is. You should roast the duck pieces in a hot oven in order to allow them to render the fat, then after you cook them in the sauce, you cook them again in the oven, and during all this process, you keep skimming the fat...that's too much work for me. Since I decided to prepare dinner the day before, my tweaking idea was just the right idea for this dish. I decided to cook it until the very last step, then finish cooking it on Christmas day. That made things easier for me: I will not be working in the kitchen while my friend sits outside with my husband and mom. I had two ducks of about 5.40 lb each. The recipe calls for duck legs, but I'll use the 4 legs and two breasts. Will it make a difference? we'll see. So, I prepared everything the night before, and left only the veggies and the gremolata for today. They will be done in minutes. You'll need:

6 duck pieces (it should be 6 legs, I used 4 legs and 2 breasts)

1/2 onion, plus 4 garlic cloves

1 and 1/2 carrot very finely chopped

1 heart of celery finely chopped plus a few sprigs of thyme

Peel of 1 small orange, no white part

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp toasted, coarsely ground fennel seeds

2 bay leaves

3 oz tomato paste, plus 1(14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with liquid

1 cup red wine, optional

2 cups stock

1 tbsp oil

Salt and pepper

Remove the skin from the ducks with a sharp knife. For best results try to do that while the bird is still firm, not completely defrosted. With sharp kitchen scissors, cut the legs and the breasts. Keep 2 breasts to use later. Make sure that you remove all the visible fat from the pieces. Use the neck, wings and carcass  to make stock while you prepare the other ingredients. Rub the duck pieces with the spices and salt and pepper, and let stand for about 30 minutes while you chop the vegetables. In the small chop chop, process the onion and garlic to a fine mix. Remove to a small bowl, then chop the carrots and orange peel. Also finely chop the celery and the thyme. In a large non stick deep skillet heat 1/2 tbsp oil and brown the duck pieces on all sides. Remove the pieces to a platter. Add the remaining oil to the skillet, add the onion and garlic and stir for about 4 minutes until fragrant. Add the carrots, celery, thyme and orange peel and cook until tender, about 4 minutes more. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Add the diced tomatoes and the wine if using it. If not, substitute with a cup of stock. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes until the sauce if formed. Add the duck pieces with any juices accumulated in the plate, stir then add 1 cup of stock. Adjust seasoning. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and keep cooking covered for about 45 minutes. Check every now and then in case it needs some  more stock. When the duck is tender when poked with a fork, turn the heat off and keep it for the next day. When you are ready, transfer the duck pieces to a low baking dish that would hold them all in one layer. Ladle the sauce over the pieces and bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven until the sauce is bubbling and the duck pieces lightly browned on top, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with olive gremolata and serve with yellow rice and a side of sauteed asparagus.

                                                    

The duck breast turned out as delicious as the leg!

OLIVE GREMOLATA

It's very easy to make. Just make sure that you prepare it not more than one hour ahead. Just mix together :

1 cup of fresh flat leaf parsley

1 can (6 oz) black olives, pitted and finely chopped

1 small jar (2.5 oz) of green olives, pitted and finely chopped

2 tbsp capers, chopped

1/2 tsp each orange zest and lemon zest

1 garlic clove very finely chopped

This may be a bit more than what you'll need to top the duck dish, but I didn't mind, I had something in mind for it. I'll use the leftover tomorrow.

                                               

TIP: If you have leftover sauce, the next day , zap it in the blender until smooth, thin it a little bit with some stock, add some angel hair pasta and cook until the pasta is done. You'll have a delicious vegetable/duck soup for lunch. I served it with a toasted slice of bread.
For the leftover gremolata: cook some green lentils in water until tender, let cool, add the gremolata, a drop of oil, lemon juice, cumin and salt  to taste. Serve with a mixed salad, and you'll have another delicious lunch.

A FISH CALLED DINNER

This is the last test for the new electronic controls of the oven: we're broiling a fish. This could be the easiest way for you to cook a fish, whole. I know that many of you never cook fish at home, let alone a whole fish, head and tail and everything. There is a myth that cooking fish will stink your house, and you may think it's yucky, but really it isn't. It is much simpler than you think, or than you've been told. And believe me once you've tried my way, you'll always like to have fish at home. You just have to know how to buy a good fresh fish, ask the fish monger to clean it for you and you're good to go. You've probably heard many pointers about how to choose a fish, but I'll say it again: the first thing to look for is smell. If a fish smells, stay away from it. Better yet: if the store smells, get out immediately and look for another one. It is not fresh. Other signs to look for: the eyes. They should be clear, not cloudy. The flesh of the fish should immediately bounce back when you put pressure on it with a finger, and finally the gills should be vivid red. Now that we know how to choose a good fresh fish, you just have to know that for this recipe you should  get one with white flesh. I chose a red snapper, but a whole tilapia or a mullet can do. The main thing is that you should get a fish at least 12 to 13 inch long. Bigger would be fine too, it will serve more people.

BLACKENED WHOLE FISH

                                            

This is a traditional Egyptian recipe for grilled fish. In the old days, when ovens could not be found in every kitchen, they used to prepare it and send it to the bakery around the corner to be cooked there. Then it became a habit: today this dish is mainly a take out one. You go to the market, choose the fish and ask the store to broil it for you. They have everything that you need for that: the seasoning, the fresh herbs, the onion and garlic. You can even get side dishes, mainly fish rice and salads. In New York, I found some Egyptian restaurants who serve this kind of fish, but I love to prepare it at home: I like to be in control of the spices. You'll need:

1 whole red snapper, about 13 inches long

1/2  small onion

2 to 3 garlic cloves

1/2 small bunch each: parsley and dill

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp each: coriander and celery salt

Salt and pepper to taste

Bran, about 3 tbsp

Ask the fish monger to clean only the inside of the fish. Cut the fins, but leave the scales, they will protect the skin from burning. Sprinkle some salt and pepper inside and out the fish, drizzle some lime juice (about half a lime) and let stand. In the small chop chop process the onion, garlic and herbs until very finely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a small dish, add the spices, salt and pepper and the juice of the other half of the lime. Mix. Fill the cavity of the fish with the mixture. If the fish is big, you can make a cut in the thickest part of the flesh, and insert some of the mixture in it. If it is really huge, make a long cut along the spine and put some of the mixture in it too. This way you'll infuse the whole fish with the spices. Let stand until your broiler comes to the right temperature (I set it on high). Place a sheet of aluminum foil on the broiler pan, and put the fish over it. Cover the fish with bran. Pat it down to make sure that it sticks to the skin.

                                                   

 Broil for 5 minutes. Don't panic when you find that the fish is completely black, it's the bran. Carefully turn the fish to the other side. Cover with bran and broil again for another five minutes. If you have a bigger fish, give it more time. The biggest fish I made took 10 to 12 minutes for the first side and 10 max for the second. I like to serve it on its foil: this way you can remove the skin, serve the flesh and get all the skin and bones in the foil and into the garbage. No mess.

                                             

FRIED WHOLE FISH

                                                 

It's also a tradition when you serve fish to have grilled and fried. So I got another 2 whole red snappers, but asked the fish monger to clean them inside and out. And since I was cooking both of them the same day, I prepared  the ingredients together. This time get a smaller fish, but not too small, it will have more bones than meat. You'll need:

2 red snappers, whole, cleaned and gutted

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp each: coriander and celery salt

Salt and pepper

Lime juice

Flour and bread crumbs (2 to 1)

Oil for frying

Sprinkle some salt and pepper inside and out the fish, and drizzle some lime juice. Set aside.

Finely chop the garlic, add the spices and salt and pepper to it and mix. Add some drops of lime juice. Fill the cavity with the mixture, make a slit in the thickest part of the fish and fill it with the spice mixture. Mix 2 tbsp of flour with one tbsp bread crumbs, salt and pepper and spread on a shallow dish. Dip the fish in the mixture on both sides, pressing down to make sure that it sticks to the skin. Fry in vegetable oil until golden brown on both sides. Remove to a dish lined with paper towels, then serve with a tahini salad.

                                                

WHY DID I BUY SO MUCH OF THIS, MEALS

Sometimes I go overboard. Yes I really do. At the market, when I find an item that we like, I tend to get a big package of it simply because it was fresh, in season, or looked particularly good that day. You may think that this is not very economical, but believe me when you have to make less trips to the supermarket, you'll feel that your life is becoming a lot easier. My regular shopping trips for food are now reduced to once every two months, with some shorter trips to the store around the corner or the farmers' market for fresh fruit or salad. During these trips I usually get the basic staples, cleaning items and whatever I find appealing that day. I always end up with a lot of items, usually freezable, that I can use later on. I like to call them "my strategic reserve". They help me whip up a good meal in times when I did not go shopping for a while. Lately I noticed that our rate of consumption is slowing down. We started eating less, and I feel that my strategy has to change accordingly. But until then I have to think about the triple Polska kielbasa I bought during my last trip. I had used only one of them when I bought it, and now I still have 2 to go. You also have to know that it's my husband who usually goes out and get it, to have some with eggs on week-end brunch. But now that we have two of them in the fridge, he doesn't think of having eggs for breakfast anymore. The golden opportunity came today: after Thanksgiving's meal and its leftovers, we needed something new, something different. That's when my kielbasa comes in.

SAUSAGE PUDDING

                                                   

I thought of this dish mainly because it can be considered as some kind of omelet, with all the ingredients already in it, even the bread. To be honest, I've seen many cooks make a sweet version of it on TV. The dessert version reminds me of a traditional Egyptian dessert that also uses a combination of milk and bread. But I am not that much into baking desserts, so I thought of making it savory. I thought all I needed was simply to add cheese and something salty to the basic recipe and be done. Well, it worked!! You'll need:

1 whole (14 oz) Polska kielbasa, cubed (I used turkey, but I guess any kind would be OK)

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups skim milk

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced, plus some sprigs of dill, chopped

2 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture

1 tbsp oil

4 eggs

6 cups Challa or brioche bread, in 1 inch cubes

1 to 1 1/2 cup grated cheese (I used Parmigiano, but Cheddar would be OK, or a mix of both)

Salt and pepper

To cube the sausage, cut it in half, then cut each half in two, lengthwise. Cut it again lengthwise and then slice it. Cook the kielbasa in the tbsp oil, for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the celery and onion/garlic mixture. Keep cooking stirring often until slightly welted. Add the dill and stir for a couple of minutes more, then remove from heat. In a large bowl mix the eggs, the cream and milk. Sprinkle some salt and pepper (don't go overboard, the sausage and the cheese are salty enough). Add the bread cubes, fold in the sausage mixture and half of the cheese. Transfer to a baking dish and refrigerate,covered, for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the dish and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with a salad.

AND NOW, THE ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS

While waiting to fix the oven, I started to lose patience and got nervous: time was running out and we were getting too close to Thanksgiving day without knowing if I will be able to cook our traditional dinner. I thought I could cook many items on the stove, even grill meat on the outside grill, but what about the turkey? A first option is completely out of the question: I cannot fry a turkey..I don't have the proper utensils, nor a big enough pot, and of course I cannot take the risk of setting the place on fire, as we see on TV. I had to think and think fast. I have a rotisserie, but it's rather small, it can take two chicken, but a very small turkey. So, no good. Can we have something else? No way, said my husband. Even so, I will still need an oven. So, one day while reading the Sunday papers and carefully studying all the ads and fliers that come with them, I came upon something very interesting: an electric roaster big enough to cook a 22 lb turkey. It seemed to have many other functions, but what caught my eye was this huge capacity. The next day at work I was talking about it with my dear friend Sonia, who immediately offered to get it for me. She insisted that the store was close to her place, that it wasn't a problem for her to bring it over. She did, and I had the machine at home two days later. The next week-end I decided to give it a try. It was really big, looked like a slow cooker, probably it has also this function, and had a rack inside it to hold the turkey. I had a rather huge chicken ready to start the experiment. All I did was rinse it inside out, remove the extra visible fat, and sprinkle some Adobo seasoning inside it and on it. I set the roaster on 350 degrees, put the chicken in and covered it. I went on with my life, to prepare a nice side dish. I didn't touch it for a whole hour. Then my curiosity prevailed. I removed the cover to check on it. The chicken was barely pale yellow. I returned the cover, feeling a bit let down. Was it going to work? I really didn't know. But I decided to give it more time. I gave it 40 more minutes. A quick peek confirmed that it was done. The result? Fantastic. The meat was falling off the bones and it tasted delicious. Mom said she never had chicken like that before, "it was like butter", she said.

                                            

BLACK AND WHITE FRAGRANT RICE

I had thought of this dish for Thanksgiving, but when I told my husband about it, he insisted that I make my regular fragrant rice with nuts. It's tradition, he said. OK, can we have it today? I asked. He agreed and promised that he'll give it a chance. Actually if you know how to cook rice, you'll be able to do this. It's very easy, it doesn't even need a recipe. It all depends on your taste: you can use a little more of this or a little less of that. The only thing you have to take into consideration is the ratio of wild rice to regular rice. Wild rice tends to expand when cooked, so it has to be in a smaller amount than the white rice. You'll need:

1/2 cup wild rice
1 and 1/2  cup white rice (I used long grain)
2 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture
4 to 5 baby carrots, pulverized in a food processor
1/2 small bunch each: parsley and dill, very finely chopped
1 container white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

In a sauce pan, cover the wild rice with water and bring to a boil. Add some salt to the water. Keep cooking until the rice has opened up and is al dente. You will have to add more water to obtain the needed result. Drain and set aside.
In a non-stick pot cook the onion/garlic mixture in the oil for 3 minutes, then add the carrots and stir. Cook for another 3 minutes and add the dill and parsley. Rinse the white rice, drain and add to the pot. Stir for a couple of minutes, then add liquid (water or stock) according to package directions and salt to taste. Cover  and let cook over high heat, until all the liquid is absorbed. Add the sliced mushrooms and stir to combine. Lower the heat and let it cook for a couple of minutes before adding the cooked wild rice. Stir to combine. Let it cook over very low heat, preferably using a heat diffuser under the pot, until the rice is tender and done.

NOTE: I had tried a different version of this rice before, but made the mistake of adding the mushrooms when I added the other vegetables. I ended up with a barely visible sliced mushrooms. When you add them when I did this time, they will cook and you'll be able to see them with the colorful specks of green and orange from the other veggies.

SIDE DISHES, THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

                                               

Happy Thanksgiving everyone...I hope you all had a wonderful day filled with love and plenty of good food. I know I did. We had a number of very dear friends and as one of us noted we were representing five generations, from nineties to preteens,  but we all got along fine.. it was indeed a very nice evening. I think it's too late now to give you pointers or how-to-do instructions about the turkey, you probably heard that all over the place and read it in every paper or magazine you  had in hand during the whole month. What I am proposing today are some side dishes that you may wish to consider next Thanksgiving, or even the next time you have company. It might be helpful especially if you have any vegetarian among your guests..we had two, and it was nice that they found something special to have while we ate the turkey.

On the menu: Turkey, of course, a whole tenderloin of beef with my special mustard sauce, baked cheese ravioli, Waldorf salad, mixed salad, fragrant rice with nuts, vegetable pot pie and for dessert everybody chipped in, so we had sweet potato pie with pecans, a chocolate dessert and trifle (very good after a heavy meal).

You can find the recipes for the turkey, the tenderloin, the sauce and the rice on previous blogs.

All the pictures on the blog today were taken by the children. I think they came out OK.

CURRIED VEGETABLE POT PIE

  

                                         

I remember posting this recipe on a previous Thanksgiving day blog. It was a suggestion to a friend who had to cook a thanksgiving dinner for a group of vegetarian friends. Today I made a new version of the recipe, proving once again that it is very common to cook the same recipe in many different ways. Usually I know the main idea, then I tweak it according to taste or, actually, to what I have in my pantry or fridge. It turned out that the new recipe was a big success: when I started cooking and the aroma filled the house mom got really excited and wanted to know what was smelling so good in the kitchen. Once seated, I was happily surprised that everyone liked it. Even my husband said that it looked really good and promised that he would try it with the leftovers.. I'll believe it when I see it. You'll need:

4 to 5 medium potatoes (I had red ones, about 2 inch in diameter)

4 cups frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans and corn) thawed

3 to 4 stalks celery, finely chopped

3 scallions finely chopped white parts and some green

2 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture

1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk

8 ounces sour cream

1 tbsp oil (I used canola)

3 tsp curry powder + a pinch of ginger

1 tsp garam masala (at Indian stores)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 ready made frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed

1 egg plus 1 tbsp water (egg wash)

Peel and cut the potatoes in small cubes. In a large pot cook the frozen onion/garlic mixture in the tbsp oil until translucent. Add the celery, scallions and potatoes, and stir  over medium high heat. Add the spices and keep cooking until fragrant, about 4 to 5 minutes. You may add some water to the pot if the veggies are not as tender as the frozen ones you just thawed. The idea is that when you add the frozen veggies, they should have the same  consistency as the ones cooking in the pot so that they all cook at the same time when put together. So, if you added water, keep cooking, stirring often until the liquid is absorbed, then add the frozen vegetables. Stir to combine and heat through, then add the coconut milk. Let it simmer on low heat until the liquid thickens, then fold in the sour cream. Remove from heat and transfer to an oven proof dish.

Beat the egg with the water, roll the puff pastry sheet and cut it about 1/4 inch bigger than your dish. Brush the puff pastry with the egg wash, then cover the dish with it, egg wash side down. Secure the edges of the pastry to the dish and brush the top with the remaining egg wash. With a knife, make a couple of slits on the top to allow steam to vent.  Bake in a 375 degree oven until the crust is golden brown.

WALDORF SALAD

                                                  

                                              

I used to love this salad. I can't remember why I didn't make it for a while. But lately I developed a tendency to have an apple plus something salty as a snack, or even dinner if I had a good lunch. So when the opportunity came and I had to think of something new to make as a vegetarian side dish, I immediately thought of this salad. I know I had the "official" recipe of the salad somewhere, but I also knew that I was going to tweak it anyway, so let's not insist on finding the recipe. One good thing about this salad is that the next day, you can chop some leftover turkey over it and you'll have a completely new dish, a nice lunch to take to work with you. You'll need:

4 to 5 green apples, depending on their size, peeled, cored and chopped in 1/2 inch cubes

2 red apples, peeled, chopped the same size

3 endives, sliced in 1/4 inch rings

1 heart of celery, chopped

1 small red onion, very finely chopped

1 and 1/2 cup raisins

1 to 2 cups walnuts, toasted and lightly chopped

1/3 cup mint leaves or dill, finely chopped, (optional)

2 tsp curry powder, plus salt and pepper to taste

2 heaping tbsp mayo

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Chopped lettuce and whole leaves from the heart

In a large bowl, combine the chopped apples, the onion and the celery. Toss with the vinegar and refrigerate for 30 minutes covered with plastic. Add the endives and the mint or dill, the spices and toss. Add the mayo and mix to coat. Then add the raisins. Arrange the whole lettuce leaves around the serving platter, make a bed of the chopped lettuce and spoon in the salad. Sprinkle the walnuts and serve.

RAVIOLI AL FORNO

This is one of the easiest dishes you can make if you have company: Just get a bag of cheese ravioli, cook the amount you need (al dente) according to package directions. Make a tomato sauce by cooking 1 tbsp of frozen onion/garlic mixture in a drop of oil, add 1 can of crushed tomatoes and sprinkle some dried oregano. Drain the ravioli, then layer them in a baking dish alternating with sauce and a sprinkle of Parmigiano between layers and on top. Cook in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

                                            

I made 3 layers, each of 15 large ravioli.

WE'RE BACK IN BUSINESS, BABY

Oh yes, finally my oven is working again. After weeks waiting for the precious electronic control panel, out of the blue, and right before the storm gets into full gear, I received a phone call from the technician announcing that he got the piece and that he'll come to install it in a few minutes. Oh how happy I was to hear that. Just in time for Thanksgiving. I was already making alternative plans and thinking of ways to cook the turkey without an oven. Of course frying it was out of the question, but I had other ideas. I might explore them later, when I have the time and when we finish all the leftovers from the big day. Of course I started using it right away, just to make sure that it worked properly. So the first day we had pasta al forno, then I cooked some sweet potatoes. I still have to broil something. But that's not urgent. Yesterday, I cleaned the freezer and dug out the fish fillets that I've been harassing my husband about: I was sure we had them in the kitchen freezer, he kept opening it and insisting that we did not have any fish at all. We had cod, salmon and tilapia fillets. The choices are multiple, so I chose the tilapia.

TILAPIA FILLETS WITH VEGETABLES

                                                          

Growing up, we used to have this dish a lot, especially on Fridays, when we had the famous fish meal that included several kinds of fish, grilled, fried and "in a pan", as we used to call it. I was not very fond of it. Maybe because I couldn't digest the idea of having fish and veggies in the same dish? Maybe because they usually made them with whole fish, and I didn't like the fact that I had to fish out the bones? Or was it because they usually used a lot of oil in it? As a matter of fact, I discovered that I did not like a lot of dishes as a child simply because they had a lot of fat in them. Now that I can cook, I discovered that by reducing the fat content, I actually love these same dishes. I remember that I used to pick up the potato slices from the pan. I loved them, they were lemony, crispy on the outside and tender inside. Well, today I'm in control, I have clean fillets of fish and I can do whatever I like with the dish. You'll need:

3 whole fillets of tilapia

1 medium onion

5 medium potatoes (I used red ones)

! large carrot

3 stalks celery

2 medium cloves of garlic

3 to 4 sprigs dill

1 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp lemon juice, plus round slices of lemon or lime (optional)

2 tbsp white wine or water

Salt, pepper and cumin to taste

Sprinkle salt, pepper and some lemon juice over the fish, and let stand. Peel the potatoes, the carrot and slice them in 1/4 inch slices. Put each vegetable in a pot, add some salt,cover with water and bring to a boil. The idea here is to cook them until al dente so that they would take the same time as the fish in the oven. Remove from heat and drain the vegetables. Peel the onion and thinly slice it. Also slice the garlic and chop the celery. In a non-stick rectangular pan, drizzle some oil and turn it around to cover the bottom. Arrange the onion slices on the bottom of the pan, add celery and garlic. Sprinkle some salt, pepper and cumin. Now arrange the fish fillets, drizzle another drop of oil and sprinkle some cumin. Top with the carrot and potato slices. Alternate with lime slices if you are using them. I prefer adding only the lime or lemon juice. Sprinkle salt, pepper and cumin, and add the dill. Sprinkle the rest of the lemon juice, the wine if using it, or water. Cover with foil and cook in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and give it 10 minutes more.

FISH EN COCOTTE

You can use the same recipe if you are cooking for one, or two, to have individually wrapped fish. Just cut a rectangle of foil, arrange the ingredients the same way, close the foil to make a pouch, and cook it in the oven as above. Just be careful when you open the pouch, it usually has a lot of steam. Cod fillet is best for this recipe: they are thicker and will not flake easily when you transfer the content into a platter.

                                                       

Lazy and bored? That's not an excuse.

In a previous entry I told you that I was feeling lazy and bored lately. I still feel the same. I guess it's a phase that will take it's time and eventually I will go back to my usual creative self. The oven is not fixed yet, we are still waiting for the piece that the technician had to order twice because the first time, against my advice, he ordered the wrong one. I hope it will come soon, because the holiday season is approaching very fast, and, lazy or bored, I have to take care of business, so I must have an oven ready. Still, we have to eat, and we do. I thought I should tell you, as I usually do, how we are doing, how we are getting through this phase. Actually I am not that upset about it. I am taking my time. If I want to cook I do, if not, I just find some easy solution. Of course the hurricane that hit New York made things easier for me. I know, I hate to admit it, but we were from the lucky few who did not lose power, so we were glued to the TV all the time and did not think about food. How could we? 

Today I took my time having breakfast and reading the papers, then, before I ask my usual question, I got an idea. What if we try something new? I had some chicken defrosting in the fridge, so I decided to cook them in a completely different way. I decided to make 

CHICKEN STROGANOFF

                                               

Why not? We make it with beef, so why not with chicken? Is it going to taste bad? How could that be? It's chicken, mushrooms and a creamy sauce..how can that be bad? With that thought,I went to the kitchen and started cooking. It turned out to be one of the easiest meals I ever made. I started by putting a pot of water to boil for the pasta. In the mean time I prepared the chicken. Everything was ready by the time the pasta was cooked. You'll need:

10 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless, visible fat removed

1 pint of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

2 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mixture

2 tbsp flour

1/2 container (16 oz) sour cream

1 or 2 tbsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

With a sharp knife cut the chicken in strips, about the size of your finger (2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide). Transfer all the chicken strips to a large non stick skillet. Drizzle the chicken with the lemon juice, add the onion/garlic mixture, salt and pepper, and sprinkle 1 tbsp of flour over it. Mix to coat. Start cooking the chicken on high, turning frequently so that it doesn't brown too much, but allowing it to cook through. When the chicken strips are no longer pink, add the mushrooms and stir until they welt down. Reduce heat, continue cooking until it's almost done. Mix the remaining tbsp of flour with the sour cream and add it to the skillet. Stir to mix and adjust seasoning if need be. Let it cook for a couple of minutes more and you're done. Serve over pasta.

You may have noticed that I did not add any oil or butter, that's because I think that thighs, even with all the visible fat removed, still have some more fat left in them. The addition of the sour cream is fat enough for me. 

                                                     

A FEAST FOR THREE

A year has gone by and here we are back at the big "meat day": Eidul Adha. We celebrate the day God asked Abraham to sacrifice his first born, then gave him a big ram to sacrifice. In this day, we do the same thing: every family starts the day with this ritual, then divide the meat into three parts: the first part to be given to the poor, another to friends and the last third to feed the  family. Growing up, this was a very big thing, all the family would come to our house early in the morning and after the prayers celebrating the Eid, we would all start cooking, eating or playing, depending on who is doing the activity and when. Of course I have kept the tradition as much as I could, gathering  all the family on this day and cooking different kind of meats and organs. Don't say ewww, some are really delicious, you just have to know how to cook them and have an open mind about "bizarre foods". But this year we decided to have a quiet celebration just for the three of us. Actually the oven is still not fixed, I have to go to work during the week, and everybody is somehow busy traveling, or doing something very important! So I decided to go with the flow and have a quiet dinner with the least possible effort. It has to have a meat dish, preferably a healthy version of something we usually have, with some vegetables and minimal work. The best choice was a beef round cooked in the slow cooker with a side of veggies. It can be the easiest meal you can cook, it even almost doesn't need a recipe: you can make it with what you have, and the quantities depend on what you like and the combination of colors that you prefer. I usually go for a mix of whites, greens and reds: potatoes, celery and carrots.

You'll need:

1 whole beef eye round, about 3 1/2 lbs, fat trimmed

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced

5 to 6 medium potatoes (I used red ones), peeled and diced

10 baby carrots cut in 3 pieces

2 stalks of celery, sliced

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp canola oil

1 cup stock (or granules dissolved in hot water)

Salt and pepper to taste (I use Adobo seasoning)

All you need to do is to slice and dice the vegetables; it will take you about 15 minutes max. Put the vegetables in the slow cooker, add seasoning and mix to distribute it.

                                                    

Season the meat with salt and pepper, and sear it on all sides in a nonstick skillet in one or two tbsp oil. Make some space for the meat in the cooker and let it rest over the veggies, add  the stock, cover and set it on high and let it cook for 4 hours undisturbed.

                                                

In the mean time you can cook some orzo in the same skillet where you seared the meat, adding stock until it's tender.

Slice the beef and arrange it on a serving platter with the vegetables on the side. You can use the remaining liquid in the pot to make gravy: just melt a small slice of butter in a sauce pan, add a tbsp of flour, stir to cook the mixture for a couple of minutes then add the liquid, stirring frequently to avoid lumps. Let it simmer and reduce to the desired thickness. 

You may also keep the liquid to use later as a base for soup or any other dish.

                                       

                                            

Really, nothing to eat?

I was very lazy lately..we went through a period of "whatever and anything" as answer to the age old question:"what are we going to eat today?" So it was a multiple repeat performances of everyday recipes, nothing special: a pasta dish today, some salad tomorrow and take out after that. Maybe it had to do with the oven still being broken.  I usually don't use it that much to cook everyday. But it's still a good excuse. Anyway that was our life for two or more weeks. Now I am back to work and this gave me some energy to think of something extra to have ready for when I come home. A good home cooked meal. I didn't go shopping for a while during the lazy period, but I am sure I have something in my freezer and my pantry to help me whip up something nice. Actually I found a beautiful cut of beef and some veggies...this could be the beginning of a delicious meal.

BEEF WITH CARROTS AND OLIVES

                                               

                                               

I remember cooking this dish years ago when I first got married and was trying to reduce my husband's intake of red meat. He ate it, probably to be nice to me, but then he gently made it clear that he prefers his steak big, in one piece, and medium rare. But lately he's been open to suggestions, so I thought maybe he will not object to it anymore. I like it because it has some vegetables in it and you can have it as a complete meal. Also when you cook beef on low heat you end up with moist and tender beef cubes that everybody will love, children and grownups alike. You'll need:

2 lb beef top round steak, 3/4 inch thick

1 medium onion cut into wedges, (or a large one if you love onions)

12 to 15 baby carrots, cut in half
1 garlic clove crushed and thinly sliced

1 can (6 oz) black pitted olives

1 to 2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp canola oil
1 cup red wine (optional) + 1 cup water, or 2 cups water or stock

Chopped parsley for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the beef in 3/4 inch cubes and sprinkle them with salt and pepper and flour to lightly coat.
In a nonstick skillet cook the beef cubes in the oil on medium high heat until well browned on all sides. Add the garlic, stir and then add the wine if using it and the water (or stock). Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 50 minutes. Add the onion wedges, the carrots and the olives. Let cook for another 40 minutes until meat and veggies are fork tender. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley. (Sorry, we were so hungry, they didn't give me time to do this last step. We're lucky I got to take a picture of the end result!!)
I served it with some bow-tie pasta with asparagus, mushrooms and carrots.

                                                   

It's very simple: cook the mushrooms in a drop of oil with 1/2 tbsp onion/garlic mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. When the mushrooms welt down, add the asparagus cut in the pasta size. Stir, then add 1 tbsp of water. Meanwhile cook the pasta in boiling salted water, and before it's done add the carrots. (You may want to slice them lengthwise). Drain the pasta, add it to the veggies, mix and transfer to a serving bowl.

Week-end meals.

Once again, we'll have recipes that some may consider elaborate or time consuming, but let me assure you, the result is worth the trouble, if you consider a little more time spent preparing your meal trouble.

As a rule, I try to simplify my ways of cooking, and this is what I usually call week nights meals. But sometimes you have to accept the fact that a dish needs a little bit more time to prepare. These are the dishes I try to make on week-ends. They are not difficult nor exceptionally elaborate, they simply need more time to cook, not your usual 30 or 45 minutes.

STUFFED POTATOES

I don't remember when or where I first had this dish, I only know that I love it. But since it requires some effort, I don't make it as often as I should. In fact, I made it once, and it immediately became a favorite in our home. When I make it, people feel they are getting a special treat; and I like to make it because it's a one dish meal, all I have to do is serve it with a salad. Also it's basically meat and potatoes which everybody loves, but everybody agrees that we should not limit ourselves to meat and potatoes and should try to diversify our meals, eating more vegetables and less meat. But, hey, this is meat and potatoes with a twist, it has tomato sauce and ground meat.. so maybe it's healthier? Yeah, maybe.

Some people boil the potatoes first before frying them, I think that's an extra step I can do without. Maybe we can boil them and not fry them at all, but that will make them very mushy when cooked in the sauce and they will not hold their form. If we ultimately have to fry the potatoes, so be it, and this is enough treatment.

You'll need:

About 30 small white potatoes (the size of a ping pong or golf ball)

3 cups browned ground meat

1 (15 0z) can tomato sauce

2 tbsp tomato paste (1/2 of a 6 oz can)

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable oil for frying

If you cannot find the small potatoes, or just happen to have bigger ones at home, no problem: just cut the potatoes in pieces as big as a golf ball, this will also help keep them in place when you arrange them in your pan, since their base will be flat. Get a big bowl, fill it with water and add some salt to it. This will keep the peeled potatoes from turning brown while you carve them. With a vegetable peeler, the one like a knife with a slit in it, not the large one, carve each potato from the top to get a big enough cavity that you will fill later with meat (if you used bigger potatoes, you'll have something  shaped like a mini volcano). You will also get small cones of potatoes, keep them, they will be used as well. Just be careful not to pierce the potato while carving it.

I always keep some browned ground meat in my freezer or refrigerator, and we've done it before: mix ground meat with 2 tbsp frozen onion/garlic mix, add salt and pepper and cook stirring with a wooden spoon to separate the meat chunks until it browns and all the liquid is absorbed. Set aside for later.

Heat the oil, drain the potatoes and fry them until they become light yellow. Don't over cook them. Keep them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the extra oil. Make sure that you empty the cavity of the potatoes from the frying oil before you remove them. Also fry the small cones, they are a nice snack or you can add them to your dish.

In a large pan, pour the tomato sauce, rinse the can once with water, add it to the pan, add the tomato paste and dissolve it in the sauce over medium heat. When it comes to a boil, turn off the heat.

Stuff each potato with meat and arrange in the pan. You can arrange them in 2 layers. If you have some leftover meat, sprinkle it around the potatoes as well as the small fried cones to fill the spaces in your pan. Cook over medium high heat, covered at first, and then remove the cover. They don't need too much time, since all the ingredients are already cooked.
TIP: This dish is traditionally cooked in the oven, so if you choose to do that, simply assemble the potatoes in an oven safe dish big enough to hold them in one layer, putting some sauce on the bottom, then arranging the stuffed potatoes in it, and finally covering the whole thing with sauce. Bake in a 350 degrees oven until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

THREE CHEESE PASTA

                                                           

There is maybe a thousand ways to make pasta al forno, or baked pasta. Some people make it with beshamel sauce, which is already an elaborate step, others add more cheeses. You've definitely heard of 5 cheese pasta. They are all good, but sometimes I feel that this is overkill: because either you choose cheeses that have somehow similar taste, which is redundant, or completely different taste, and risk that they may clash. Being an "accidental cook" which means that I don't necessarily stick to the rules, assuming of course that I know them  all, I opted for the middle road to get a cheesy, creamy and delicious result. It's basically fat free, since there is no substantial amount of extra fat added. The cheese is enough. You get the good result because you'll give it some time to properly mix the ingredients, that's why I tend to make it on week-ends. You'll need:

1 and 1/2 cup parmigiano cheese, grated

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/3 of a 48 oz  tub of ricotta cheese (I buy in bulk and freeze it)

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

1 2 oz can anchovies in olive oil

3 garlic cloves 

1 lb penne rigate cooked according to package directions

In a nonstick skillet cook the drained anchovies on medium heat  to dissolve them (the drop of oil that is left in them is enough). Use a garlic press to smash the garlic into the pan. The pulp will come out of the holes on one side, and it is easily dissolved in the sauce. Add the tomato sauce and cook until it bubbles. Remove from the stove. Start adding some of the ricotta cheese to the sauce and stir. Keep adding until you have no more ricotta. In a baking dish, pour some sauce, add some of the cooked pasta and some parmigiano. Mix. Keep adding sauce, pasta and parmigiano and mixing until all the pasta is mixed with the sauce and 2 cheeses. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella on top. If you still have some sauce left in the skillet use a spatula to pour it in the center of the dish over the mozzarella. Bake in a 375 degree oven until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.