A WEEK IN A DAY

I'm going back to work on Monday. I have to think ahead and prepare several meals to be ready for me to reheat or finish up when I come back in the evening. Some of the meals I am preparing have to be complete by Sunday, others I prefer to prepare until the very last step and then finish them up on the day I am serving them. The idea behind this is that for the first couple of days I will be serving the meals that are ready, mainly because I come home late and mom eats early. During the week, I will have enough time to finish cooking the other meals that I have kept aside. This time I started early: I have already a menu prepared, taking into consideration that I will use some of these meals as lunch for me to take to work. 

So today I made Koshery, the mix of rice and lentils topped with small pasta, caramelized onions and tangy tomato sauce. Even reheated Koshery is always a favorite with a salad. When I cooked the pasta, I made extra. I will use it tomorrow and make pasta al forno. Also when I cooked the green lentils, I made extra to use in a salad that I can serve at home and take with me for lunch. I also got 2 nice big eggplants to make a small moussaka. I intend to prepare the dish, keep it refrigerated and then put it in the oven the day I'm serving it. I also got a head of cauliflower. I intended to fry it as mom likes it, but my friend Lana just gave me another idea, so I might try it, especially that I have all the ingredients that her recipe require. 

CAULIFLOWER GRATIN WITH OLIVE GREMOLATA

 Lana made this dish from a recipe she got from the New York Times, and she gave me the link. I had a look at it, but, as you know, I had to do it my way. I added ingredients, cauliflower is white and even if I'm adding olives to it, I still like some more color. So I added carrots, a hint of orange is just what the dish needs. My olive gremolata has black and green olives and some capers. I also added layers of flavor first by seasoning the water where I boiled the cauliflower, then I made what we usually call a "taqleya" (literally meaning "fried"): onion, garlic, seasoning and greenery cooked in a drop of oil until fragrant. Then I eliminated fat. Instead of adding lots of cheese, I made a simple white sauce with little cheese, and sprinkled some on the top to melt and brown. I made a large amount of sauce that I used for this dish and the pasta. Also the olive gremolata will be used in the lentil salad. You'll need:

1 head of cauliflower, cut in florets
8 to 10 baby carrots cut in small rings
1/2 small onion
3 to 4 garlic cloves
1/2 bunch each dill and parsley
3 tbsp black olives, pitted and finely chopped
2 tbsp green olives finely chopped
1 tsp capers, drained and finely chopped
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 bay leaves, 
1 tsp fennel seeds, salt and pepper to taste
White sauce + Cheddar cheese

In a large pot bring some water to a boiling. Add salt, pepper (not too much, olives and cheese are salty), the fennel seeds and the bay leaves. Then add the cauliflower florets and the carrots. Cook uncovered until tender. Drain and set aside. In the small chop chop pulverize the onion, garlic some of the dill and parsley. I work by color, meaning it should not be all green or white, but a nice even mixture. In a large non stick skillet cook the mixture in a drop of oil, stirring frequently until fragrant but not browned. Transfer the cauliflower to a baking dish, add the cooked onion mixture, and mix it carefully. We don't want to break the cauliflower florets. Mix the olives with the capers and the lemon zest. Add some finely chopped parsley, and add everything to the dish. Mix again making sure that the different colors are evenly distributed. This will ensure that you have all the different flavors in every bite. Add the white sauce one ladle at a time to ensure that the dish is not overwhelmed by it . Sprinkle with grated cheese. I used Cheddar in the sauce and Parmigiano to top it. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes or until it's nice golden brown.

ELBOW PASTA AL FORNO

  While cooking the other dishes I almost had this one done. I had the pasta already cooked while making the Koshery, the ground meat was cooked for the moussaka, and all I had to do is prepare the sauce for the pasta and the  cauliflower. I made it with ingredients I had in my refrigerator: milk and half and half. I usually make it with skim milk, but I needed to use the regular milk and the half and half I had left in my refrigerator. You'll need for both dishes:

2 cups milk + 1 cup half and half
3 to 4 tbsp flour (I usually eyeball it)
Salt and pepper + a pinch of nutmeg
2 cups grated cheddar cheese

In the skillet you used to cook the onion mixture for the cauliflower, mix the milk with the flour  with a  whisk. Add the half and half and start cooking on medium heat while whisking to prevent lumps. If it thickens very quickly add a cup of water and keep stirring. I don't like a thick bechamel, so I added some more water to get the desired consistency. Add the nutmeg, then the cheese, while stirring constantly. Add a dash of salt and pepper, not too much, all the other ingredients in the dishes are already salted. In a baking dish, mix the pasta with some cooked ground meat and a sprinkle of grated Parmigiano. The ratio depends on your taste: add more or less meat to your taste. Ladle some sauce into the dish, mix, add some more and mix until the pasta is saturated. Add some more sauce on top and a sprinkle of Parmigiano. Bake in a 375 degree oven until bubbly and golden brown. 

                                       
                                                   
For the lentil salad you just have to mix the cooked lentils with chopped celery, the olive gremolata and the onion/herbs mixture we just made, some oil, salt, pepper and cumin, all to taste. Serve on a bed of lettuce, or better yet on top of a mixed salad.                                                        

                                        

A SIMPLE DINNER AFTER THE HOLIDAYS

By now I think we are all partied out, well fed and should be trying to go on with our regular lives. The holidays are over. Some may even have made new year's resolutions, mainly about eating better and having a healthier lifestyle. Good for you. How is that going until now? Are you sticking to your diet? To tell you the truth, I've been through all kind of diets. They work. But you have to be on a diet all your life if you want them to keep working for you. My final decision? I changed my whole way of eating and my general approach to food. This worked. I never feel I am on a diet or that I am depriving myself of something. You may have noticed that from my way of cooking: I tweak recipes, simplify them and rarely use "diet" ingredients. I prefer the original ingredients, and if they have too much fat for example, I use them in moderation and find something else to add to the dish so that we don't miss on anything. I see a lot of cooks trying to give us "healthier" recipes by substituting light cheese to the regular one called for in the recipe. It doesn't work. If I am committing the crime, it should be the perfect crime, maybe with just some attenuating circumstances, hence the tweaking. I've looked into the diet or reduced fat cheeses. They are almost all plastic. There is no other way to describe them. Only the mini Baby Bell (the small red balls) and the Laughing Cow (the triangles of soft cheese) passed the test. So if your are trying to make healthier choices in your diet, go for the real thing, in moderation, and don't skimp on the veggies.

When I thought of a simple menu for this period where we are all "turkeyed" out, I thought of vegetables and eggs.

VEGETABLE SOUP

                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

I rarely have soup outside. I am never sure how it is made, and it is usually loaded with fat. Sometimes at work we find soup in the cafeteria, I never come near it. In this particular case I am afraid of what's in it. Soup in a big kitchen can be made of all the leftovers. In a small one too. But in my kitchen I know what's in my soup. I make my own stock, have my own way of making the soup creamy without adding fat, and I add a lot of vegetables, healthy grains and layers of flavor. Even if it has some leftovers in it, my soup will be definitely made from the best ingredients. Today I am making a very simple vegetable soup. It doesn't need a recipe. Remember the turkey bolognese sauce we made the other day? I used some of it to top a pasta dish and still have some left. This will be the base of the soup. You just have to peel and chop about 4 medium potatoes, 2 handfuls of baby carrots and 4 stalks of celery. Cook them in 2 or 3 cups of broth or even water  then add the sauce and stir. Add a can of chick peas and some small pasta that you have cooked separately. I like to be in control of the liquids. When you cook the pasta in a separate pot you are not obliged to keep all the starchy water in your soup. I served it with a sprinkle of finely chopped parsley and dill that I had from the frittata I made the same day. You can also add a sprinkle of grated cheese.

                                                

VEGETABLE FRITTATA

Call it frittata or omelet, it's the same for me. This is my basic recipe for the frittata. It's my go to dish when we are in a rut, and don't want to eat anything. But we have to eat, so it's frittata for dinner. In this recipe I use one egg substitute container plus real eggs, one per person. This way, you'll have a bigger frittata with less eggs. You'll never notice the difference. Beat the eggs and add some salt and pepper. Finely chop 1/2 small onion, 1 tomato and about 2 tbsp each: parsley and dill. In a large non stick skillet, cook the onion in 1 tbsp oil until tender, then add the tomato and herbs. Cook until the tomato is wilted. Add the eggs and with the spatula keep bringing the edges of the frittata to the center of the skillet. Lower the heat. With the spatula cut the frittata in 4 wedges so it will be easier for you to flip each one separately to the other side. Cook until it's not running anymore and it's golden brown.

                                                       

EXTRAORDINARY DINNER ON A VERY ORDINARY NIGHT

When I am not working, I usually cook two or three times a week. Saturday, we clean the house, so it's leftovers day. Sunday is a very good day to cook several dishes, especially if I am working the following week. I have to have many dishes ready for me to finish up or reheat when I come home. During the week I prefer to concentrate my cooking activities on Wednesdays and Fridays. This week I thought of something extra for our dinner. I wanted to have something new, not really new new, but something we didn't have for a while. Something that my family would love for sure. I thought of several menu options, but because I've been at home for a while now, we have gone through a lot of them already. So I dug into the kitchen freezer, I found a whole veal heart. My husband was excited and asked to have it with some liver and kidneys. Unfortunately we had only that lonely heart. It will be for next time, when I go to the butcher and complete the set. But since he went that way, let's have option 2: the same items, but chicken. We call this dish Mazalika. I think it comes from the Greek name. It's a mix of veal hearts, kidney and liver, and when it's made with chicken parts it's liver, hearts and gizzards. Please don't say "ewww". If you tried it you'll love it. Be adventurous, try something new. 

You know the rice with nuts that I usually make when I have guests? Its original recipe calls for a topping of mazalika, be it veal or chicken, very thinly sliced and served over the rice with the toasted nuts and raisins. It's delicious. Why didn't I make it before? Simply because I usually have some vegetarian guests and I like to keep it simple for them. I don't like to have separate dishes, it makes them feel uncomfortable; but this way they feel they are eating the same things with all of us, and just keep away from the meat.

CHICKEN MAZALIKA

                                                         

Instead of a side dish or a simple topping, today our main dish is chicken mazalika. When I cook a whole chicken, I usually keep the liver and gizzard for later. I freeze them and when I have enough I cook them. You can also find them in your supermarket. They come in small tubs and you can choose one or two, depending on how many people you are feeding. One thing though: don't tell me that because this seems to be a bit bizarre for you, that you're not willing to try it. You'll need:

1 lb gizzards

2 tubs chicken livers, about 2 lbs

1 tub chicken hearts, about 1 lb

1/2 small onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves finely minced

1 tbsp butter

Salt and pepper

Start by cleaning your ingredients: it's better done under running water. First the gizzards. This is basically a part of the digestive system of the chicken (again, no eww). It looks like an 8, with two small mounds and a connective tissue between them. On one side you may find some traces of fat, remove it. Now turn the gizzard to the other side to check if it was properly cleaned. To know that, you should not find a thick yellowish-olive membrane. If you find it, remove it, the flesh under it is a nice pink. Transfer the gizzards to a non stick skillet, add the chopped onion and garlic and start cooking them on medium high heat.

Now clean the hearts: some of them may come in their sack (oh, grow up it's not that bad) remove it with your fingers and any large blood clot and/or artery. They are very easy to remove, you don't even need a knife. By now the gizzards are browned with the onion, add a cup of water to the skillet, scrape the bottom and sides and keep cooking. Remember that gizzards are meant to digest corn and other grains, so they're tough and have to be cooked for a longer time. When the liquid is absorbed, add the hearts, stir and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the liquid is absorbed and the hearts are also browned. Add another cup of water and keep cooking covered, while you clean the livers. Check each liver for traces of bile: it's a dark green pouch in the middle of the liver. It is usually removed beforehand, but it's good to check or else it will ruin your dish. If you do find it, remove it with your fingers very carefully not to break it. And do that away from the other pieces: if you happen to burst it you will not contaminate the other pieces. Bile is very bitter, not poisonous. By now the liquid is all absorbed, so add the livers, stir until browned. Cut the butter in small pieces and add it to the skillet. Add another cup of water, adjust seasoning and keep cooking on low until everything is tender and the sauce has thickened. Serve with a side of mashed potatoes and a simple mixed salad.

                                                

YOU STILL WANT TO TALK LEFTOVERS?

Now that the holiday season is over, many friends are still asking about the leftovers. They had turkey for Thanksgiving and for Christmas, and they are fed up with the usual way to deal with all the leftover turkey they have. They are right. How many turkey sandwiches can you eat in a relatively short period of time? If you had turkey on both occasions, it is perfectly understandable that by the next day after Christmas, you don't even want to hear the word "turkey". The first rule of handling leftover turkey is to go at it as soon as your guests leave: slice the large pieces, clean the carcass and wrap it in aluminum foil to use it to make stock the next day, decide how much turkey you'll keep refrigerated for sandwiches, salads or soup the next couple of days, and wrap the rest in foil and freeze in a Ziploc bag to use later. One friend said that she had turkey sandwiches for three consecutive days after Thanksgiving, then she had to give away the remaining leftovers because she can't eat anymore and she refuses to keep cooked meat in her fridge for more than three days. We were having lunch at work, everybody had brought his own, so I asked her, while digging into my turkey salad bowl:"Why didn't you make a salad?" "Oh, she said, I didn't think of that!". So you see, turkey leftovers are not only good for sandwiches, you can do a lot  with them. I know, you can go from a very simple sandwich, just two slices of bread and some mustard, to an elaborate double or triple deck club sandwich, but it's always going to be a sandwich nevertheless. There are a lot of options out there for things to do with cooked turkey. We can start with a simple yet delicious curried turkey salad. It's exactly like the chicken salad I made and posted during summer (July and August), but using turkey instead of chicken. You can make a chef salad, with slices of turkey, cold cuts, cheese and hard boiled eggs on a bed of lettuce with a couple of green pepper slices and tomato wedges. Hey, you can even combine both ideas and make a turkey salad sandwich if you want, with a side of pickles. 

Another option is to go for soup: you can make a potato-carrot- celery and wild rice creamy soup with bits of turkey (Posted in a previous blog with chicken), or a simple

VEGETABLE TURKEY SOUP

                                                   

You don't actually need a recipe for this soup. Just cut the turkey meat in small cubes, heat some stock, add small pasta, orzo or crushed angel hair pasta, wait until it's almost al dente, then add some frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans and corn) and the turkey pieces. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for a couple of minutes. The ratio veggies/turkey/pasta actually depends on your preference and how much turkey you have at hand. I usually make 2 cups each turkey and veggies to 1 and 1/2 pasta. I also like to add some fresh items: a couple of potatoes and some celery. In this case add them just after the pasta. They might need a longer cooking time that the frozen veggies and the turkey.
TIP: You can make stock by boiling the carcass with the wings. Add some celery salt, onion powder, ground cardamom, salt and pepper.

PASTA, TURKEY AND VEGETABLES IN A SKILLET

                                                         

You must have guessed that this was another obvious option. All you need to do is boil two and a half cups of rotini or penne pasta in salted water. While you wait for it to come close to al dente, chop a cup of each: carrots and asparagus the size of the pasta. Also chop about 2 cups cooked turkey in strips the same size. Dissolve 2 tbsp of flour into 1 cup of milk. In a large non stick skillet cook the asparagus in a drop of olive oil for 2 minutes. Add a sprinkle of salt while cooking. Add the turkey and toss to reheat through. Add the chopped carrots to the pasta just before it is done so that they can finish cooking together. Add the milk to the asparagus, and keep stirring to form a white sauce.Add some grated parmigiano to it, then add the pasta and carrots. If you think the sauce is too thick add some pasta water to get the right consistency. Sprinkle with some more grated cheese and serve.

TURKEY TATER TOTS

                                               

My grandma used to make these for dinner in cold winter nights.  I used to love them a lot, especially when she made them with ground meat. They were these delicious melt in your mouth meatballs that she made for us with love to keep us warm while doing our homework. I still remember when I used to sit beside her in the kitchen and she would give me the first ones to taste. I was discussing leftovers with my friend, Batta, and she told me that she usually makes turkey meatballs with 2 tbsp of bechamel sauce and a mix of onion and garlic. I was going to follow her recipe, then I remembered the tater tots. I thought that was a better idea, especially if you also have some leftover mashed potatoes. As usual I added some fresh elements to have a completely new dish.  You can tweak the recipe according to the ingredients you have. You'll need:

2 cups cooked turkey, white and dark meat
2 tbsp onion/garlic mixture
2 tbsp each celery and carrots pulverized in a food processor
1 tsp each parsley and dill very finely chopped
3 tbsp mashed potatoes
2 tsp bread crumbs
Oil for frying

In a food processor liquefy the onion and garlic. I used 1/2 a medium onion and 3 garlic cloves for this recipe and the sauce below. Remove to a small bowl, then pulverize half a large carrot, then a heart of one celery head. Use what you'll need for the tater tots and leave the rest for the sauce. Give the turkey pieces a pulse or two to finely chop them. Transfer all the ingredients to a large bowl, add the mashed potatoes, the parsley, dill and the bread crumbs. Mix to combine, adjust the seasoning if you need, then form balls by pressing a small amount in the palm of your hand to get an elongated ball. Fry in oil until browned. Serve with a salad.
TIP: If you don't have any mashed potatoes left, you can use the dried product that comes ready to make. Just add the liquid and some salt and pepper, no butter.

TURKEY BOLOGNESE

                                                    

Still have more turkey? No problem. We'll make a nice Bolognese sauce to top any pasta and get a delicious easy dinner. The main idea is to cook some onion, garlic, carrots and celery, add  the meat and tomato sauce. Depending on the quantity of turkey you have left, you can determine the quantity of veggies. I had about 1 and 1/2 cup of turkey cooked and ground, so I added: 3 tbsp onion/garlic mixture, and 1 cup each carrots and celery. I actually made the sauce the same day I made the tots, so I processed all the veggies at the same time. 
In a large non stick skillet, cook the onion/garlic in a tsp of oil, then add the celery and carrots. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and when the veggies are tender, about 4 minutes, add the ground turkey and stir for 2 minutes more. Add 1 can (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes and 1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste. Add water to half of both cans and add it to the sauce. Bring to a simmer, then keep stirring on low until the sauce thickens. Serve over pasta.