JBug's Kitchen Antics

Onion Pie and Barbecued Meatloaf

Big Guy's going to be asking "what holiday" as this long weekend comes to a close. He had quite the day yesterday! Between laying backsplash tile and several trips to Home Depot, he managed to cook breakfast as well as whip up 5 lovely individual meat loaves for our dinner last night. Talk about an overachiever!

We've shared his meat loaf recipe with you in the past but it's just too darn tasty not to make over and over, particularly now that barbecue/grilling season is upon us. Loaded with ground beef, pork and spicy hot Italian sausage along with tons of garlic, jalapeno's, sun dried tomatoes and chopped mushrooms, there's not much filler in these babies - just pure unadulterated meat.  The mushrooms really help to keep the loaves moist while they cook for an hour over charcoal flavored by alder chips and the resulting smoky flavor is absolutely incomparable. Hit this link and it'll take you to the recipe! 

I'm always on the lookout for a new side dish, so when I saw the recipe for Onion Pie in the Best of the Best of Arizona Cookbook Big Guy brought back from his Grand Canyon hike for me last weekend, I just had to give it a try.

This simple pie has got most all the same ingredients as a quiche but is much lighter thanks to an untraditional crust made from crushed saltine crackers. Baked in a 9 x 13 pan, it comes out thinner than a normal pie, but absolutely packed with onion flavor and a perfect creamy textured, mild flavored foil for the spicy meatloaf. It's definitely going on our "keeper" list. 

Onion Pie (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from The Best of the Best of Arizona Cookbook)

48 saltine crackers

1/2 cup butter, melted and divided

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 extra large onions, thinly sliced

1/2 pound grated Cheddar cheese

2 cups whole milk or half and half

3 eggs, beaten

Salt and course ground black pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Place saltine crackers into a large zip bag and crush to fine crumbs. Add all but 2 tablespoons butter to the crumbs, close bag and mix together well. Pour 2/3 of the crumbs into a 9 x 13 pan and press evenly onto the bottom.

Heat oil and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter together in a large sauté pan. Add onions and cook until onions are softened but not browned. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Arrange onions on top of cracker crumbs in pan and top with grated cheese. Heat milk in microwave until hot but not boiling. Pour slowly over beaten eggs, whisking constantly. Season with salt and coarse ground black pepper, and pour egg/milk mixture over cheese and onions in pan. Sprinkle with reserved cracker crumbs and top with freshly grated nutmeg.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before plating. Makes 8 servings.

A year ago - Buffalo Shrimp on Lemon Caesar Salad 

Two year's ago - Curried Chicken with Fresh and Dried Cranberries

Mushroom Strudel

I'm often at a loss on what to serve as a vegetable side dish other than our usual roasted asparagus or occasional cauliflower. We're a touch limited in choices because the master of the house doesn't like peas or green or yellow beans for that matter and really prefers his veggies raw while I like 'em cooked. Thankfully though he has a particular fondness for mushrooms.

Personally I could take or leave mushrooms having grown up on the canned variety which really don't do the little 'shroom much justice, but I'll be changing my tune considerably if we can have them like this more often.

Inspired by a recipe in St. Louis Souvenirs, the strudel filling includes sliced mushrooms, minced onion, and garlic sauteed in a little butter and flavored with sherry and lots of nutmeg. A touch of flour to thicken the sauce, some fresh parsley, and a little sour cream make the mushrooms creamy and a perfect tasty foil for the crisp layers of phyllo leaves.

Prepped in advance and held in the refrigerator until the very last 20 minutes before serving time, you've got to admit it looks rather fabulous with a little grilled skirt steak on the side. This Mushroom Strudel would also make a great appetizer or luncheon dish along with a salad if you're so inclined. Needless to say, we'll be putting it on our menu again in the very near future.

By the way if you have an aversion to using phyllo pastry, no worries. Just encase the fabulous filling inside your favorite pastry or some of the dough boy's croissants. Heck you could even use won ton wrappers. Dynamite!

Mushroom Strudel (inspired by St. Louis Souvenirs Cookbook)

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon oil

1/2 small onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 ounces sliced mushrooms

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 cup dry sherry

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 package phyllo pastry leaves

1/4 cup butter, melted

Dry Italian flavored breadcrumbs

Heat butter and oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until onion is softened – about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional minute stirring constantly. Stir in mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have softened and start to turn golden – about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir often. Stir in flour and cook for a minute, then add salt, pepper, nutmeg and sherry. Stir well and cook for 30 seconds, then remove from heat. Stir in parsley and sour cream. Cool mixture to lukewarm before continuing.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. Arrange 2 phyllo leaves on a work surface, one on top of the other. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with bread crumbs. Repeat with another 2 leaves of phyllo, melted butter and bread crumbs. Top with an additional 2 phyllo pastry leaves. Place half the filling in a long narrow strip on the short side of the phyllo pastry, leaving approximately 1 inch border around the outside. Fold in edges and roll, encasing filling in phyllo. Brush well with butter and place package with the seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat to make a second strudel. At this point the strudels can be refrigerated.

Preheat oven to 375. Cut slits in the top of the phyllo packages with a sharp knife. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until strudels are golden brown and filling is hot. Slice into pieces before serving. Serve warm. Serves 4.

A year ago - Fish Tacos with Avocado Cream

Two year's ago - Buffalo Chicken Balls

Pizza alla Napoletana

What better way to make use of summer's finest fresh flavors than by making a simple pizza. Did you know an authentic Italian pizza contains only a few simple high quality ingredients?

I know that may seem weird to most of us because we're used to piling a bunch of crazy stuff on pies but according to Biba Caggiano in her book, Modern Italian Cooking "good pizza should not be smorgasbord of contrasting and, very often, clashing ingredients, but rather an orchestration of well-balanced tastes that complement each other. To be good, pizza needs only three things: a crisp good dough, fresh tasting ingredients, and a light hand in using them."

As you can see, this Pizza alla Napoletana contains only a few ingredients but they've got to be stellar. It is ideal for using those perfect tomatoes fresh from your garden, if and when you're so lucky to have some. As for me, I simply squeezed the juice and seeds out of a vine ripened orb and called it garden fresh. Hey a girls gotta' do what a girl's gotta do, but some of those lovely tasty little mini plum or cherry tomatoes packed with flavor would work just as well.

Along with a couple of minced garlic cloves, a sprinkle of oregano, some fresh mozzarella as well as assorted grated Italian cheeses courtesy of Trader Joe's and a smidgen of good olive oil, last night's dinner was ready before I was. 

Incidentally, this pizza looks less "rustic" than usual because I cooked it in a number 9 cast iron pan that I warmed on top of the stove before it hit a 500 degree oven. The result was an incredibly crisp crust - relatively thin just as I prefer and cleanup was a cinch. No messy peel to wash, no cornmeal mess to sweep off the oven floor and no leftovers. Darn! 

Pizza alla Napoletana (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Modern Italian Cooking, Biba Caggiano)

2 fresh ripe tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning or 2 tablespoons fresh oregano

3/4 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese or 4 cheese blend

1 tablespoon olive oil

Pizza dough for 1 12 inch pie

Preheat oven to 500. Brush a small amount of oil onto bottom of a well-seasoned 9 or 10 inch cast iron pan. Roll or stretch pizza dough out to 12 inch size and line bottom of pan. Using kitchen shears, cut off any excess dough. Squeeze juice and seeds out of tomatoes and slice very thin. Arrange on top of pizza dough followed by garlic, oregano and grated cheese. Sprinkle lightly with olive oil. Place plan on high heat and cook for 2 minutes or until pizza starts to sizzle. Move pan to the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until crust is golden. 

A year ago - Roasted Salmon with Tomato Basil Relish

Two year's ago - Clam's Casino Casserole with Lemon Pasta

Cheater Chicken Pot Pie

I'm sure you've noticed we've been eating rather simply the past week and this chicken pot pie is no exception. I've been making it for years and years when I want a quick no fuss but tasty pie and while I enjoy one made with freshly cooked chicken with assorted cubed fresh veggies in a roux based gravy of chicken stock and cream, this version really does in a pinch.

Adapted from a recipe in my old tried and true original Purity Cookbook, it makes use of pre-cooked chicken -  I used Trader Joe's grilled version found in their freezer section, a small package of frozen mixed veggies, a cubed cooked potato and a can of cream of chicken soup jazzed up with sherry and other spices to form the base. Rest assured, I very patiently hand picked all the peas out of the frozen vegetables so I wouldn't hear a groan from you know who.

The pie was topped with a flaky cap made from puffed pastry I happened to have hiding in the freezer. The pastry was baked separately on a sheet pan so it wouldn't get all soggy on the bottom, and decorated appropriately with some chicken shaped cut outs and an ax. Yup, that rather morbid suggestion was Big Guy's idea so don't think I've gone over to the dark side on you. By the way, if you want your puff pastry to puff all over, don't do what I did and slash cutouts in it, but even with the goof, it came out looking rather interesting. 

It was all ready in no time with limited mess and delicious served with a coleslaw loaded with dried cranberries and toasty almonds.  

Cheater Chicken Pot Pie (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Purity Cookbook)

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted per package instructions

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

1/4 cup minced sweet onion

2 cups cooked cubed chicken

1 small packaged frozen mixed vegetables

1 medium potato, peeled, cubed and boiled for 5 minutes then drained

1 – 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup dry sherry

Dash each poultry seasoning, rosemary, sage

Coarse ground black pepper

Unfold puff pastry onto a floured board and roll slightly to remove creases. Cut into shape of casserole dish and move to a parchment lined sheet pan. Decorate as you wish and place pastry into freezer to chill until needed.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400. Grease a medium sized casserole dish with softened butter and add onion, chicken, mixed vegetables, and potato to the casserole. In a small bowl combine cream of chicken soup, sherry and seasonings. Pour over chicken/vegetable mixture and using a fork, fold it into the veggie/chicken mixture. Cover casserole with foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes (45 minutes total).  Remove pastry from freezer and brush with egg/water mixture. Bake for 15 minutes or until puffed and golden.  Take casserole from oven and remove foil. Carefully place cooked pastry on top and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

A year ago - Bacon Blue Burger with Bourbon Onions

Two year's ago - Basque Chicken with Chorizo

Onion and Bacon Tart

The consensus of last night's kitchen antics - "Totally different and absolutely delicious". We all know there's a ton of different ways to put onion and bacon to good use be it in a pasta, risotto, quiche, pizza or even just a lowly sandwich but this particular effort just made a direct trip to the top of our list.

A cross between yorkshire pudding, a Dutch baby pancake and toad in the hole it's made from ingredients most of us have on hand on a regular basis - eggs, milk and flour. Top that with 2 kitchen staples (at least in JBug's Kitchen) crispy bacon and golden caramelized onions and you've got the makings of a perfect dish. 

I guess I don't have to describe the flavor because we're all familiar with the dulcet notes of bacon and onion, but the crust is not to be believed. It plays a crunchy, tender and puffy light as air like supporting role to the simple filling and there's not an ounce of cheese to be found in the whole darn thing either.

As we wolfed it down along with a fresh green salad, I couldn't help but think it would make a fabulous appetizer all cut up into little wedges, or as a luncheon dish along with a glass of dry white wine. A sincere thanks to Saveur.com - we'll be having this again soon!

By the way, the only change I made to their recipe is that I baked the crispy crunchy flavorful wonder in a large 12 inch cast iron skillet rather than an 9 x 11 inch casserole which made for a super crunchy crust in a lot less time.  I kid you not - you absolutely have to try this!

Onion and Bacon Tart (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Saveur)

6 ounces bacon, diced

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1-1/4 cups whole milk

3 eggs

In a large heavy 12 inch skillet, fry bacon until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp. Remove bacon to drain. Reserve bacon fat in a small dish. Return pan to medium heat and add butter. When melted add onions. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Sauté onions until golden brown and lightly caramelized. Remove from pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425. Return reserved bacon fat to skillet and place skillet into oven to heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile whisk together flour, mustard and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. In separate bowl whisk milk and eggs together, then add liquid to dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth then allow to rest for a minimum of 10 minutes. Pour into hot skillet. Sprinkle with reserved bacon and onion and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. 

Other dishes you might enjoy!

Toad in the Hole                                 Dutch Baby Pancake

  

 Date and Gorgonzola Pinwheels

Pancetta and Smoked Mozzarella Pizza

Imagine a white pizza - meaning one made without a spec of tomato sauce but with a creamy buttery peppery nutmeg spiced white bechamel sauce, sprinkled with crisp pancetta and bits of smoky bacon,  sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers and pepperoncini. Kissed with smoked mozzarella as well as some of the unsmoked version, it's all hot, steamy, creamy and subtle in flavor.

The taste of the pancetta and bacon really stand out as does the smoked mozzarella. The pepperoncini add a very subtle bite of spice and the creamy rich bechamel really holds the whole thing together. It's the bomb!

There's just one little thing - I darn near drove the Big Guy nuts as he was building this beauty because I did something really stupid. Now I've made this pizza crust a b'zillion times - it's my "go to" when we're having pizza and ready in a flash because it's made in the food processor. It's really never fail, but fail it did last night. Actually to tell the full story, I can't blame the crust because the cook was at fault.

Moral of the story - measure, measure, measure. I eyeballed the flour and oil and wasn't careful with the water either resulting in a dough that was way, way too soft and hard to handle. It didn't have the crunch or consistency of our usual brag worthy version, and it was a giant pill for the Big Guy to roll out, never mind get from the pizza peel to the stone in the oven.  Sorry my darling man. I sure hope your blood pressure's back to normal!

Pancetta and Smoked Mozzarella Pizza (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

Crust:

1 cup warm water

1 package active dry yeast

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or bread flour)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

In bowl of food processor with metal blade, combine 1-1/2 cups flour with warm water and yeast. Blitz to mix well. Add 1 more cup of flour, olive oil and salt. Blitz just until dough forms into one ball and rides on top of the metal blade – about 20 seconds. Remove dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour). After dough has risen, remove to a floured board and cut in half. Form into 2 balls and cover with a bowl. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before shaping. Makes two 12 inch pizzas.

Sauce:

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1-1/2 cups milk or fat free half and half

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

In a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and whisk to combine well. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes stirring constantly. Whisk in milk and cook until thickened – about another 5 minutes, whisking often. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside to cool.

Pizza:

4 ounces pancetta, cooked until crisp

4 ounces smoky bacon, cooked until crisp

Roasted Red Pepper, diced (I used jarred)

Dry packed sun dried tomatoes

Pepperoncini (optional)

6 ounces smoked mozzarella, sliced

4 ounces grated mozzarella

Preheat oven to 500 with pizza stone on lower rack. Roll dough into 2 – 12 inch discs. Split sauce between 2 pizzas, then add rest of ingredients, ending with grated mozzarella to prevent sun dried tomatoes and bacon from burning. Bake for 12 minutes.

A year ago - Old Fashioned Lemon Pudding   Two year's ago - Mushroom and Marsala Soup

Greek Style Broccoli Cheese Pie with Patio Chicken

Yesterday was National Pie day and while most people would think to celebrate with a sweet and delicious dessert, I thought I'd be different and serve a savory version. This broccoli cheese pie isn't anything like the usual quiche variety that most of us are used to. It has all the appearance and flavors of a giant Greek spanikopeta without the spinach!

It's made from broccoli, steamed and chopped up along with sauteed onion, lots of lovely feta cheese, fresh parsley, dill and garlic of course and it's all wrapped up in a nice little crispy phyllo blanket. It's the kind of thing I personally love to eat - hot or cold; however, I'll admit I made a slight slip up yesterday and added  lemon zest and juice just because I've got a ton of them around right now. A lighter hand would have been better, as the lemon commandeered the party, so you'll notice in the recipe below I've left it out entirely. It didn't make it inedible - just different. It would be perfect on its own with a tossed salad for lunch or dinner, but as you know we don't do meatless much around here and that's where the chicken comes in.

Don't ask me why it's called "Patio" chicken because I have no clue but this one's from Celebrated Seasons, one of my collection of Junior League Cookbooks and it's really very good. I used skinless boneless chicken thighs, covered them in a spiced up crumb crust and baked them in a 400 oven for 15 minutes, after which they're slathered in mayonnaise and returned to the oven to finish cooking. 

They're very tender, moist and really flavorful - in fact, it would be fabulous picnic food, well wrapped and in a cooler of course. It'll also make an awesome chicken sandwich with sliced tomatoes and maybe a slice or two of crisp bacon -- but we digress. That'll have to be a whole different story.

Greek Style Broccoli Cheese Pie (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Celebrated Seasons, A Junior League Cookbook)

10 to 12 sheets phyllo pastry

1 small onion finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

20 ounces broccoli florets, steamed until tender, drained and chopped

3 eggs, beaten

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (I used one with Mediterranean Herbs)

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350. Heat oil in a small skillet and sauté onion until transparent. Add garlic and cook an additional minute until garlic is fragrant. Move to a large bowl to cool slightly. Add broccoli, eggs, feta, parsley, dill, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine.

Arrange 6 to 8 sheets of phyllo pastry on a board, staggering layers and brushing lightly with butter between each layer. Place into a 9 inch spring form pan, allowing the sides to overlap the edges of the pan. Pour filling into the pan and fold overlapped edges toward center of pan to partially cover filling. Arrange 4 sheets of phyllo together on a board, brushing lightly with butter in between. Using a sharp knife, cut a circle to fit the top of your spring form pan. Place circle of phyllo sheets on top of filling. Using a sharp knife, score the top sheets into 8 wedges. Brush top with remaining butter.

Place spring form pan onto a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake in 350 oven for 50 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove sides from pan and slide pie onto serving plate. Cut into wedges.

Patio Chicken (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Celebrated Seasons, A Junior League Cookbook)

2 pounds chicken – I used skinless boneless thighs

1 cup dry Italian breadcrumbs

1-1/2 teaspoons onion salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon summer savory

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray and set aside. Combine breadcrumbs, onion salt, pepper, garlic powder, summer savory and curry powder in zip top bag. Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towel, leaving a little moisture on them. Add pieces one at a time to the bag of spiced crumbs and shake to coat. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with mayonnaise, sprinkling any remaining crumbs on top. Lower oven heat to 350 and continue to bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until tender. Serve hot or cold.

A year ago - Gnocchi with Romesco and Italian Sausage   Two year's ago - Steak and Guinness Pie

Ham and Swiss Quiche uh Pie

What ended up being our dinner last night wasn't exactly on the menu. You see I had planned to make a big pot of soup so the boys and I went all over our side of town yesterday looking for one simple item - yellow split peas. They had to be yellow because you can't make my favorite French Canadian soup (Habitant) without yellow peas and I couldn't use green ones because then the soup wouldn't be "Habitant" plus the Big Guy won't eat it because he can't abide green peas.

As it turned out I couldn't find the darn things in the 5 stores we hit so I had to go to Plan B. A large chunk of ham, a dearth of eggs and a hunk of emmantal cheese ended up filling this giant quiche pan with rich, creamy goodness. I daresay we've had Ham and Cheese Quiche here before because after all we're about "everyday" food and there's been well over 1,000 every day's in this blog's lifetime but there hasn't been a quiche quite like this one.

You see, my smaller ceramic pan cracked right in half a while ago and what I'm left with is a giant Bodum dish that I bought to make a rather large berry pie when we were entertaining a group of very hungry students. Said students have long since moved on but the two of us are here with a foot wide pan which takes some ingenuity to fill. I love it though!

Anyway, it was no problem because this particular recipe will do the trick nicely and the combination of eggs, half and half and yogurt yields a filling that is incredibly light and fluffy. Of course the trick to making any quiche that way, other than having the right proportion of ingredients for the custard, is to partially cook the crust before adding the filling then adding the scrummy stuff like onion, ham and cheese in the right order and dicing the cheese instead of grating it, so as it cooks and melts it's surrounded by soft creamy custard instead of forming a layer of melted goo with custard on top. (Is that one heck of a run-on sentence or what?)

So there's your lesson for the day and I'm sure you're left wondering what on earth two people are going to do with all that leftover quiche. Well, first - you'd be amazed how much two people can eat when something's as good as this is, plus it is fabulous cold right out of the refrigerator or newked briefly till warm to make a super lunch. It also freezes rather well but we won't have to worry about that in this house because I have the Big Guy convinced it's not a quiche. Since real men don't eat quiche and he happened to enjoy two pieces last night then it has to be a pie. Female logic rules again!

A Giant Ham and Swiss Quiche an original from JBug’s Kitchen

 Pastry for a 12 inch single crust pie

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon butter

1-1/2 cups ham cut into quarter inch cubes

1/2 pound Emmantal cheese cut into quarter inch cubes

6 eggs

1-1/2 cups half and half

1 cup plain yogurt

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425. Arrange pastry in a large 12 inch ceramic pie dish, flute edges and prick all over bottom of pie shell with a fork. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove to a wire rack and cool. Reduce oven temperature to 375.

Melt butter in a sauté pan and cook onion until softened and slightly golden. Cool. Whisk together eggs, half and half, yogurt, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and Dijon mustard until well combined.

Arrange ham cubes in bottom of cooled crust. Top with cooled sautéed onion and cheese cubes, spreading out evenly. Pour custard over top and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and dust with freshly grated nutmeg. Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

A year ago - Marinated Grilled Hanger Steak  Two year's ago - Balsamic Glazed Sirloin

 

Duck Pizza with Figs, Pancetta and Brie

One of the major pluses of cooking for two is that a lot of recipes are made for 4 servings which means that fabulous dinner of braised duck we had night before last got a reworking for dinner as the most incredible pizza ever made.

Now we've made duck pizza before but honestly I'm thinking it was just a prelude to an even better version this time. A perfectly thin and incredibly crisp crust is the basis as always, but last night's seemed thinner and crisper and absolutely more delicious than any before which makes not one bit of sense because it is the same recipe we always use.

A creamy sauce made from heavy cream and the white rinds of the brie is reduced and tops the crust, followed by leftover braised duck, pancetta pieces, juices and all and some of the figs all sliced up nice and evenly. Topped with golden brown onions jazzed up with some dry sherry and guilded with slices of brie, it all hit the pizza stone in a 500 oven for exactly 12 minutes.

Garnished with some pomegranate arils that cut some of the richness of the other ingredients just perfectly it was amazing, particularly served with a rather incredible bottle of 2006 Sagrantino di Montefalco we sprung $9.99 for at Trader Joes - which to be honest is an absolute fortune for us cheap under $6.00 a bottle winos. Heaven in a glass to go with heaven on a plate.

The bonus - I lifted barely a finger to help and I even tried to keep my "advice" to a minimum. It was the Big Guy's labor of love. Lucky, eh?

Duck Pizza with Figs, Pancetta, Grilled Onions and Brie from JBug’s Kitchen Antics inspired by Emeril Lagasse

Crust:

1 cup water

1 package active dry yeast (Rapid Rise is fine)

2-1/2 to 3 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

In bowl of food processor with metal blade combine 1-1/2 cups flour with warm water and yeast. Mix well. Add 1 cup four, olive oil and salt. Combine well until dough forms into one ball and rides on top of the metal blade (about 20 seconds). If dough is very sticky add more flour; however dough should be very soft. Remove ball of dough from processor and place in lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. After dough has risen remove to a floured board and cut in half. Form into 2 balls and cover with bowl. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before shaping. Makes 2 – 12 inch pizzas

 Sauce:

2/3 cup heavy cream

Rind from 8 ounce piece triple cream brie cut into small pieces

Combine rind and cream in a small pot. Heat over medium heat, whisking from time to time to dissolve cheese into cream. Bring to a simmer and cook until cream has reduced and sauce is thick – about 10 minutes. Watch carefully so you don’t reduce it too much!

 

For the pizza:

1 yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons medium dry sherry

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat heavy skillet over medium heat. Add butter and when melted, add onions. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until onions have caramelized and turned a rich amber color (about 30 minutes). Remove from heat and add port. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

1-1/2 cups chopped or slivered cooked duck leftover from Braised Duck

2 ounces of diced pancetta with juices leftover from Braised Duck

6 precooked leftover figs from Braised Duck, thinly sliced

8 ounce piece of triple cream brie sliced, (rind removed as above)

Pomegranate arils

Salt and coarse ground black pepper to taste

Place pizza stone in oven and preheat oven to 500. Shape crust into 12 inch pizza. Top with half of Brie sauce, and half of the duck, pancetta, figs and brie. Transfer to pizza stone and bake for 12 minutes. Garnish with pomegranate arils. Repeat for second pizza.

A year ago - Pomegranate Gelato   Two year's ago - Shaker Lemon Pie

 

Leftover Prime Rib Roast

We'll be starting a series of what to do's with the rest of our humongous prime rib roast over the next couple of days; however, if you can think of anything better than a beef pot pie, please let me know. Personally I think it'll be a tough one to top.

Last night's version is one first posted way back in 2009 and I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to showcase its powerful flavors again. Other than potatoes, carrots and one solitary monster sized parsnip, this one's a real winner with the addition of some maple smoked bacon. Mushrooms cooked in the bacon drippings until all golden and lovely become the cornerstone of a deep rich gravy courtesy of a can of Campbell's French Onion Soup and some sherry. Finished with a touch of sour cream believe you me if I could sell that gravy by the bottle, I'd make enough money to buy myself an island in the Pacific Northwest. Don't laugh ...the Caribbean can't hold a candle to it as far as I'm concerned.

Topped with what's become my new favorite pastry made from butter and shortening, the pie's about as class A as you can get. Needless to say it was HOT too when it came out of the oven, and since my Big Guy's not the most patient eater you've ever seen ... meaning he shovels it all it at the speed of light - he dumped that pretty pie upside down on his plate so it would cool off quicker and he could get the job done more efficiently. The mess he created darn near broke my heart, but hey I guess after it leaves the kitchen it's no longer my concern anyway. Is it? Next time I'll add some green peas to the mix. That ought to slow him down a bunch.

Incidentally, we've other plans for that leftover prime rib roast like sandwiches, or a big pot of beef and barley soup, or absolutely the best chili you'll ever, ever eat, or more of those lovely little cornish pasties like we've made before so stay tuned.  We promise there will be more!

Beef Pot Pie with Sherry Gravy

Pastry:

2 -1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3.5 ounces butter, cut into cubes

4 ounces shortening

1 egg beaten with 6 tablespoons cold water

Whisk together dry ingredients to mix well. Cut in cold butter and shortening until mixture has a uniform crumb about the size of small peas. Using a fork toss in the egg/water mixture and combine until must moistened. Form into a disc and chill thoroughly.

Pot Pie

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion minced

2 cloves garlic minced

2 carrots, quarter inch dice

1 potato, quarter inch dice

1 large parsnip, quarter inch dice

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup water

Sprinkle of salt

1 cup frozen peas (optional)

1/4 cup parsley, minced

3 cups cooked beef, cubed (I used left over prime rib, but steak or beef purchased from deli with do)

1 slice bacon, minced

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup mushrooms, quartered

2 tablespoons flour

1 can Campbell’s French Onion Soup

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon catsup

1/3 cup dry sherry

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup sour cream

Sauté onion in olive oil until transparent. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add diced carrots, potato, parsnip, thyme, salt and pepper and sauté for 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup water, cover pan and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, until vegetables are just tender.  Remove from pan and place into 4 individual ramekins. Sprinkle each ramekin with 1/4 cup of frozen peas and 1 tablespoon of parsley. Divide cubed beef evenly between 4 ramekins.

Cook bacon in sauté pan until fat renders and bacon is almost crisp. Add butter to pan, then add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are browned. Add flour and stir to combine well. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Add onion soup, water, catsup and stir to combine. Cook stirring until gravy thickens. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add Worcestershire sauce, pepper, sherry and sour cream and stir well to combine.  Divide evenly among ramekins.

Roll out pastry to 1/8 inch thickness and cover ramekins. Decorate as desired. Brush with beaten egg yolk. Cook in 400 oven for 35 to 40 minutes until pastry is golden and filling is bubbly.   

A Leafy Harvest of Green

Hard to believe that anything edible could be harvested at this time of year. I mean you're listening to a transplanted Canadian here and where I'm from about the only thing you could harvest right now would be the odd bottle of champagne from the snow bank. That's why it seemed important for some bizarre reason, to point out the fact that we're able to harvest some of our leafy greens to make our dinner salad last night.

Thanks to some diligent covering during recent visits from a desert dwelling old man winter, our leaf lettuce grew like crazy over the past rainy cold couple of weeks and yielded a salad of epic proportions last night along with another bag chock a block full of the stuff.

I swear there's nothing better than fresh from your garden lettuce and all of ours came from 2 little pots on the patio. The screening you see in the pictures is there to keep the dogs from mowing it down - they'd eat every bite of it in a flash given a chance, as they'd rather have lettuce (especially romaine), than cookies ....almost. Anyway, the Big Guy harvested the goods but left the roots along with about 2 inches of stocks, and we'll be picking more of the tender flavorful greens in a scant 3 or 4 weeks.  Ah geez - sorry, I'm bragging again aren't I?

The Big Guy whipped up a salad to accompany more of the cheater meat pies like the ones we had the other night but this time instead of chicken, crans and nuts, I used leftover picadillo I had hiding in the freezer for an occasion such as this. We'll be having more of the yummy little bundles because you can use almost anything as a filling, plus we just love the darn things!

A year ago - Apple Walnut Salad with Caramelized Pork

 

Cran-Nut Chicken Bundles

We're absolutely crazy about the savory hand pies (pasties) cooked up in JBug's Kitchen over the last little while but since we're all about every day deliciousness, I wanted to come up with a quick solution for those of us that are somewhat pastry challenged.While I've had nothing but good luck with pastry lately I'm not about to get smug over my success because we all know success in the kitchen can be a fleeting thing at times.

Inspired by a recipe on the Pillsbury web site, I chopped and braised a couple of chicken thighs in butter and vermouth and when cooled, folded the cluck into some cream cheese mixed with slivered almonds, dried cranberries and a touch of rosemary. Spooned into rectangles formed by sticking some crescent rolls together, I pinched up the corners into the center then sealed the edges, brushed the bundles with butter, dusted them with panko crumbs and the pan of goodies hit the oven for 25 minutes while I made a small salad. Ya, salad - haven't seen one of those coming from our kitchen in a while have ya.

Don't ask me why it took so long to try this, because I'm pretty happy with the results from that fat little dimply "Dough Boy".  While nothing can replace the flavor or texture of a great pastry, this is a good alternative.

Meanwhile, there's some bundles left in the refrigerator waiting for you know who when he gets home ...if he ever does that is. His flights were cancelled yesterday due to fog and he had to spend another night in Fargo. Talk about a let down! Now, guess where it's foggy like crazy at the moment? Yup - it had better darn well clear up cause I'm kinda' done with this solitary existence. I know I've got the fur kids but I don't get much of a reaction from them unless I say "walk, car ride or cookie".

Chicken Bundles with Cranberry and Almond (Inspired by Pillsbury.com)

 2 small skinless boneless chicken thighs

1 tablespoon butter

1/3 cup vermouth

Salt, pepper

1 teaspoon dried onion flakes

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon butter, softened

2 tablespoons half and half

2 tablespoons finely chopped sweet onion

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1/4 teaspoon salt

Coarse ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/4 cup panko crumbs

Heat sauté pan over medium high heat and add butter. Chop chicken into half inch pieces and add to hot sauté pan. Cook until chicken is no longer pink – 2 or 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and dried onion flakes. Add vermouth, stir well to incorporate, then cover and simmer chicken for 8 to 10 minutes, until wine has evaporated and chicken is cooked. Remove to a plate and cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, beat together cream cheese, butter, and half and half until smooth. Fold in onion, cranberries, almonds, salt, pepper, rosemary and cooled chicken.

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Separate crescent dough into 4 rectangles, sealing perforations well. Scoop a half cup of chicken filling into center of dough and pull corners together joining in center. Pinch edges to seal well. Place on prepared baking sheet, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with panko crumbs. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 4.

A year ago - Shrimp and Scallop Stew with Chorizo

Turkey and Stuffing Handpies aka Cornish Pasties

We have the Brits to thank for last night's dinner but before we get to the meat of this post I need to clear something up; that's as in Cornish "pasty" and it's pronounced like "nasty" people. It absolutely nowhere near resembles the falsies used to accent what God didn't give all the A cups, if you know what I mean, and neither is it nasty in any way, shape or form.

Now, I've made these little leftover filled wonders before only in a pork version that we absolutely loved but I have to tell you the turkey kind's even better, if it's possible to beat anything pork that is. Filled with chopped raw carrots and parsnip along with leftover turkey, gravy and stuffing all in a nice neat little flaky pastry package, there's no way it should be called a "leftover".

Plated with two kinds of cranberry sauce and some coleslaw it was a meal made in heaven. So, why two kinds of cranberry sauce you ask? Well, in truth, I'm adding these to the blog so I'll know where to find them next time I'm making cranberry sauce because either one's a real keeper and I don't see myself making any other kind in the future. If you know me at all, you'll know I don't settle for making the same thing twice very often so you've gotta' imagine just how perfectly sublime the sauces are, although the pictures do them no justice.

Chunky Apple Cranberry Sauce courtesy of Country Home Magazine has cranberries and apples cooked in apple cider, sweetened with a touch of sugar and real maple syrup and spiced with a whole cinnamon stick. Finished with a touch of vanilla, it takes all of 10 minutes to whip up and is worth every second of time. It makes darn near a quart of wonderful tart but sweet, perfectly spiced sauce to jazz up any kind of poultry but I have to say it would be fabulous with pork too.

Raspberry Habanero Cranberry Sauce is a take on the Raspberry Cranberry Sauce in this month's Cooking Light Magazine. Remember about a year ago the BIg Guy whipped up some Raspberry Habanero Jelly - well, I added some to a mildly sweetened version of the recipe on the Ocean Spray package and added a cup of frozen raspberries just for good measure. The result is a supremely delicious kinda sweet, kinda' tart, raspberry flavored cranberry studded ruby colored sauce with the kick of a mule. Holy cow is it good! I can't wait to try it on a Turkey and Brie Panini which may or may not be on our list for tonight's dinner. Just sayin'.

Turkey n Stuffin’ Hand Pies aka Cornish Pasties (inspired by Emeril Lagasse, Food Network)

Pastry:

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3.5 ounces cold butter cut into cubes

4 ounces cold vegetable shortening cut into pieces

1 egg yolk beaten with 6 tablespoons ice cold water

 In a large bowl combine flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry blender cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Using a fork mix in egg yolk/water mixture just until mixture holds together. Remove to a board and knead slightly until mixture holds together. Flatten to a disc, wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Filling:

1-1/2 cups diced leftover roast turkey

1/2 cup diced peeled raw carrots (quarter inch dice)

1/2 cup diced peeled raw parsnips (quarter inch dice)

1/2 cup leftover turkey gravy

1 cup leftover cold stuffing

Mix roast turkey, carrots, parsnip and turkey gravy together in a small bowl. Set aside.

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

To make pasties, roll cold pastry out on a well-floured surface until about a quarter inch thick. Using a plate as a guide cut pastry into 6 or 7 inch circles. Brush edges of pastry with egg yolk/water mixture. Place approximately a half cup of filling onto middle of pastry. Add a spoonful of stuffing on top of filling, and then fold pastry up to meet at the top of the stuffing and crimp edges together well. Re-roll remaining dough pieces as required to make 6 pasties. Place on a parchment lined sheet pan and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400. Brush pasties with egg yolk/water mixture and cut slits in top so steam can escape. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce oven heat to 350 and bake for additional 25 to 30 minutes until pasties are golden brown and cooked through. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 6 large pasties.

Chunky apple Cranberry Sauce (adapted from Country Home Magazine)

1 cup apple cider

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 real maple syrup

3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch dice

1 12 ounce package fresh or frozen cranberries

1 stick cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine apple juice, sugar and maple syrup in medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add apples, cranberries and cinnamon stick. Cook, stirring occasionally until cranberries have popped and apples are tender – about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool to room temperature. Remove cinnamon stick. Store in glass container in refrigerator. Makes 3-3/4 cups.

Raspberry Habanero Cranberry Sauce (a creation from JBug’s Kitchen)

12 ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup water

1 cup frozen raspberries

1 cup Raspberry Habanero Jelly

Place sugar and water into a large saucepan and heat over medium high stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries and cook until cranberries start to pop – about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in frozen raspberries and cook another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in raspberry habanero jelly, stirring until jelly has dissolved. Cool to room temperature then place in a glass jar and refrigerate.

Mushroom and Fontina Quiche

Every once in a while I try and sneak a meatless meal past you know who but he's on to me, so I try not to do it on Mondays when he's almost expecting it. Last night's dinner had him buffaloed but  strange as it may seem, I was the one asking "where's da' meat". I shouldn't have though.

There's honestly nothing meatier other than meat than mushrooms (did I just say that?) and while this particular recipe from Bon Appetit called for assorted mushrooms, I used only the usual button variety instead. Loaded with mellow earthiness with just a touch of creaminess from the Fontina cheese and the full on bite of freshly grated nutmeg, this is really a manly version of a "ladies who lunch" favorite.

Who says real men don't eat quiche? Mine's even having it again for lunch today. Oh, if you just can't see yourself eating meatless, add some cooked crumbled bacon or pancetta to this one. It wouldn't hurt a bit!

Mushroom and Fontina Quiche (Adapted from Bon Appetit via epicurious.com)

1 pre baked 9 inch pie shell, cooled

1 tablespoons butter

2 large shallots, finely chopped

1 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced

4 large eggs, beaten

2/3 cup half and half

1/3 cup whole milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

7 ounces Fontina cheese, divided (6 ounces cut into small cubes, 1 ounce grated)

Heat large sauté pan over medium heat. Add butter and when melted, add shallots. Cook until softened (about 3 minutes). Add mushrooms and lightly season with salt and pepper. Cook stirring often until mushrooms are softened and just beginning to brown – about 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 325. Layer mushrooms and Fontina cheese cubes in bottom of pre baked pie shell. Beat eggs, half and half and milk together. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour over mushrooms and top with grated Fontina. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until set in the center. Cool for half an hour before slicing into wedges. Serve with salad. Makes 8 servings.  Download Mushroom and Fontina Quiche

A year ago - Lazy Lasagne in a Bowl

 

 

Pulled Pork Pizza - Deep Dish Style

Remember the oven roasted pulled pork we made a little while ago that I bragged about being the best? Well, it resurfaced from the freezer last night to form the basis for this Chicago style deep dish pizza.

Our usual pizza dough whizzed up in 30 seconds flat in the food processor morphed into the perfect crust to fill a 12 inch spring form pan. Barbecue sauce formed the next layer, followed by pepper jack cheese, golden brown onions, sauteed mushrooms with a touch of garlic and lots of black pepper, followed by that perfect pulled pork. Pickled jalapeno topped it along with fresh mozzarella and a little more pepper jack. Our mouths were weeping with anticipation!

Twenty minutes in a 500 oven while we celebrated Pink Mountain Friday and there you have it ....dinner! We spoil ourselves don't we?

Speaking of spoiled, the Big Guy's off to enjoy his usual Saturday bowl of menudo followed by grocery shopping. I'm off the hook on that today because the Maxer dawg picked midnight to dance the seizure jig and it doesn't look like he's quite finished yet. We're certainly not complaining though because he made it 9-1/2 weeks between jigs, and that's almost a record. As of this moment he and Finnigan are enjoying the morning sun, watching the world go by from the den window.  It's a good life Charlie Brown!

Pulled Pork Pizza – Deep Dish Style

Crust:

1 cup warm water

1 package active dry yeast

2-1/2 cups bread flour (or all purpose)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

In bowl of food processor with metal blade, combine 1-1/2 cups flour with warm water and yeast. Blitz to mix well. Add 1 more cup of flour, olive oil and salt. Blitz until dough forms into one ball and rides on top of the metal blade – about 20 seconds. If dough is very sticky add more flour and mix again, however the dough should be very soft. Remove dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour). After dough has risen, remove to a floured board and punch down lightly, cover with bowl and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

Filling:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion

2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced

Coarse ground black pepper and salt

1/3 cup barbecue sauce

1-1/2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

1 cup pulled pork

1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapenos

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced

Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high in a large sauté pan. Add onions and cook until softened and just starting to turn golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside. Add remaining oil to pan, heat and add mushrooms. Sauté until browned. Add garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook for a minute more. Remove from pan and cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 500. Spray a 12 inch spring form pan with cooking spray and place all of dough into center. Working with a small roller or your fingers, spread dough evenly onto bottom and up approximately 1-1/2 inches on the sides of the pan. Spread barbecue sauce over dough on bottom of pan and sprinkle 1 cup of pepper jack cheese on top. Add onion and mushrooms followed by pulled pork and jalapenos. Finish with mozzarella cheese and the remaining pepper jack. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until crust is browned and filling is bubbling. Remove from oven to a board. Remove sides of pan and slide pizza from bottom disc onto board. Slice and serve. Download Pulled Pork Pizza

A year ago - Braciole, Italian Stuffed Beef Rolls

Cornish Pasties - The Ultimate Hand Pie

If you're looking for a savy way to use up some leftovers then by gosh, I think we've got it. Cornish Pasties have been making the rounds in the British Isles since before Charles Dickins was a twinkle in his daddy's eye and they're really the ultimate way of recycling a stew.

Now, for those of you who know me best you'd know that in the past I haven't been into the leftover scene. Usually when something remained from dinner, if it didn't make it to a lunch menu, it hit the garbage can with a resounding thunk. However in this economy with food prices rising to ridiculous levels, it makes sense to find delicious ways to make what's old new again so I'll be adding another category to the index you see on your right under "Leftovers".

Normally made from raw diced meat, potato, onion and turnip or rutabaga, I took the liberty of using some of the leftover pork and apple cider stew that hit the freezer last week. I chopped the meat up along with the potato and added some finely diced raw parsnip, carrot and onion then mixed the whole thing together with a bit of the leftover stew gravy. It was the perfect moist, meaty and flavorful filling for these yummy little pies.

The crust, an Emeril recipe, is a pastry made from butter and shortening along with a little touch of confectioners sugar for sweetness. As you can see, you can make them flat or stand the pies up on the baking sheet - whatever you want. While extremely tender, flaky and delicious, in my opinion it would have made a better pie than a hand pie because it wasn't quite the sturdy pastry I remember belonging to a pasty, having noshed a few during my travels in Britain. It means we'll just have to do this again so I can show you a new and improved version. Such a pity isn't it?

Cornish Pasties (inspired by Emeril Lagasse, Food Network)

Filling:

1-1/2 cups diced cooked meat (I used leftover cooked pork stew)

3/4 cup diced cooked potatoes

1/2 cup raw onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup raw carrots, quarter inch dice

1/2 cup raw parsnip, quarter inch dice

1/2 cup gravy from leftover stew

Coarse ground black pepper

Toss ingredients together and set aside.

Pastry:

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 ounces cold butter cut into pieces

4 ounces cold vegetable shortening cut into pieces

6 tablespoons ice cold water or more as needed

Egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon water

Place flour, sugar and salt into a medium sized bowl and whisk together to combine. Using a pastry blender cut in butter and shortening until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Using a fork, mix in water a tablespoon at a time, tossing liquid into flour mixture just until mixture holds together. Remove dough to a board and knead slightly just until it holds together. Flatten to a disc and wrap well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours, or overnight.

To complete pasties, roll cold pastry out on a well-floured surface until approximately a quarter inch in thickness. Using a plate as a guide, cut pastry into 6 or 7 inch circles and brush edges of pastry with egg yolk, water mixture. Place approximately a half cup of filling onto middle of pastry and fold over, pressing edges together to seal. Crimp as desired. Place pasties on parchment lined sheet pan and cut slits in tops to vent steam. Brush with remaining yolk/water mixture. Bake for 20 minutes in preheated 400 oven. Reduce heat to 350 and continue baking for additional 25 to 30 minutes, until pastries are golden brown and cooked through. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 6 large pasties.   Download Cornish Pasties

A year ago - Beef Fajitas with Blackened Tomato Jalapeno Salsa

Keepin' It Simple Steak Salad

We've been dining much too fine lately - at least that's the excuse I thought I could fool you with but the truth of the matter is the cook just didn't feel like cookin' last night. Don't worry, it wasn't due to illness or any such thing, just pure and simple laziness. The question of the day was "what could I make that demanded the least amount of effort?"

A quick check of the resources and I eyeballed the leftover steak hiding in the freezer from the weekend, along with some lovely fresh beets in the refrigerator, so a glorified salad made the dinner list. Crisp and tender butter lettuce, red onion, steak with a dab of horseradish, roasted beets and ranch dressing - I mean what could be better than that, right?

Well, if you know me at all, you'd know I always have to take things one step further even when I've been bitten by the lazy bug. Since I also had a sheet of puff pastry in the freezer, I made up these wow little pinwheels from pastry brushed with dijon mustard then loaded down with caramelized onion, crisp bacon and grated swiss cheese. Rolled up like a jelly roll and sliced into 1 inch pieces, they baked in a hot 400 oven and 15 mintues later came out crispy, oozing cheese and full of bacon/onion flavor. Talk about scrumptious giant croutons!

A year ago - Rustic French Meatloaf

 

Tomato Cobbler

We love cobbler around here and I've been known to make it often as our sweet treat of the week particularly during berry season; however, I'd never made a savory version before last night.

Apparently we have Martha Stewart to thank for the original, but I've seen different versions on several blogs that I visit during the past couple of weeks. While I just had to go check Martha's out, I trust Mary from One Perfect Bite to give me a version that will suit our taste buds to a "T" and believe me her Tomato Cobbler didn't disappoint.

I used an assortment of large and small pearl tomatoes, along with a little less garlic than called for, a little more red pepper flakes and a lot more basil. Our basil plant is producing like a mad thing since the weather's cooled a tad and I just can't be satisfied using a mere tablespoon of the pungent green herb. The tomatoes, pepper flakes, basil and garlic keep company in the gratin dish with some golden caramelized onions as well as a good amount of coarse ground black pepper and sea salt, and the whole thing's covered with a moist, tender, flakey, cheesy dropped biscuit. It is awesome.

While the dish would be perfect on a Meatless Monday menu, we had our cobbler along with some sweet Italian sausage because there's no way I could pass such an obvious vegetarian dish by my resident carnivore without hearing a roar or two.

I'm sending you to Mary's site for the recipe since the only other thing I did was cut it in half but it's so darn tasty I really wish I'd made the whole recipe so we could enjoy it again and again; however, just so you know the half recipe made a very generous 4 servings so at least we'll have some for lunch today.

By the way, I also used Madragal cheese rather than Gruyere just because we love the stuff, but you really could use a nice sharp cheddar, a swiss or even crumbled blue and the topping would still be superb. Oh, and if you're not into the time it takes to caramelize the onions to a nice sweet finish, just saute them till tender and add a smidge of sugar to the tomatoes instead. I think it would work fine.

A year ago - Oxtails braised in Red Wine

Salmon Pot Pie

In my opinion pot pie is the epitome of down home comfort food. Although it can be a humble sort that makes use of those darn blankety blank leftovers, it can also morph into an elegant dish worthy of the fanciest of dinners. Take this salmon pot pie for example.

This particular version starts with duxelles which is just a fancy term for minced mushrooms sauteed in butter along with garlic, salt and pepper. Layered on the bottom of a couple of ramekins, the sauteed mushrooms are covered by a rich, flavorful sauce constructed from golden brown onions, white wine, vegetable stock and cream and jazzed up with chopped fresh parsley and dill. Topped with blanched asparagus and chunked up salmon (I used a leftover plank cooked fillet), it gets a puff pastry lid before it hits the oven.

Using the mushrooms and the cream sauce, the pie can really be made from any kind of seafood you wish - shrimp, scallops, cod whatever and if you're not into seafood chicken would work wonderfully well too. You could also change out the dill in the sauce and use fresh tarragon instead and as for the pastry top - keep it simple and use mashed potatoes if you'd rather. Personally I'm a tad partial to pastry in any form, but use your imagination and add whatever turns your crank. You'll be amazed and so will your dinner partner. Mine sure was!

Salmon Pot Pie (inspired by High Plains, Cinda Chavich)

1/4 cup butter, divided

1 cup minced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

1 medium onion, minced

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup vegetable stock

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

8 ounces pre-cooked salmon

8 asparagus spears, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces and blanched

A sheet of puff pastry, thawed per package directions

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a sauté pan over medium heat and add minced mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring until mushrooms are tender and dry – about 10 minutes. Remove to 2 ramekins that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Spread evenly on the bottom and set aside. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and add onion. Cook until onion is golden brown and tender. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute, then slowly whisk in wine, vegetable stock and whipping cream. Season with salt and pepper and cook until sauce is thickened – about 3 or 4 minutes. Stir in chopped parsley and dill. Pour sauce on top of mushrooms in ramekins. Top with asparagus and salmon chunks. Preheat oven to 400. Place ramekins on a sheet pan and top with puff pastry. Decorate as you wish, then cut slits in top of pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until top is golden brown and pies bubble. Serves 2. (Note, may use uncooked salmon – just cut into one inch cubes, and make sure all bones and skin has been removed. Cook for 30 minutes).

A year ago - Stacked Pizza and Fried Ravioli

Onion and Smoked Salmon Tart

Last night's dinner was really an excuse to have more of our home smoked salmon. To be honest, it's more of a "ladies who lunch" kind of dish, but with a big green salad along with a couple of tall cool gin and tonics (each), we called it dinner.

I know it's early for us to be into the G & T's already this week because we usually save 'em for Pink Mountain Fridays, but we needed to de-stress and celebrate a bit. You see Max made it through yet another surgery yesterday. It appears as though his mast cell tumor has returned although we'll know the results for sure next week when the lab finishes with the analysis.

About the tart, made with a puff pastry shell filled with lightly caramelized onions, coarse ground black pepper, eggs, sour cream and goat's cheese after 20 minutes in the oven, it's garnished with lovely sweet chunks of smoked salmon just before serving, along with a touch of red onion and a splash of dill. The filling is creamy without being cloyingly rich or cheesy which means the salmon really shines as the main event. It's quite wonderful.

When the Big Guy called on his way home last night to ask what his tastebuds were in for, we were trying to name a country of origin for the dish but had to be satisfied that it was a tart fashioned by a Canadian, with pastry from France, out of smoked salmon popular with the British and all made in America. After reading all of that if you think we might have too much time on our hands, you may just be right. LOL 

Smoked Salmon Tart (inspired by Coastal Living Magazine)

2 tablespoons butter

1 large sweet onion, chopped

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup soft goat cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1-1/2 teaspoons coarse ground black pepper, divided

6 ounces smoked salmon, broken into chunks

1/4 cup minced red onion

Fresh dill for garnish

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Lightly roll out sheet of puff pastry onto parchment paper, smoothing out folds in pastry. Roll approximately half an inch of pastry edges to form a lip on the tart. Refrigerate until needed.

Meanwhile melt butter in large sauté pan. Add onions and cook until onions are lightly caramelized and a golden brown. Set aside to cool. Beat together sour cream, goat cheese, eggs and 3/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Fold in cooled onion mixture.

Preheat oven to 425. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 teaspoon of black pepper over pastry shell. Evenly spread onion mixture over top, leaving approximately a quarter inch of space between filling and crust edge. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until crust is golden and filling cooked. (Filling may puff up during baking, but will fall as it cools. Top with salmon and red onion. Garnish with fresh dill. May be served warm or at room temperature. Download Smoked Salmon Tart

A year ago - Hunter Style Chicken (Cacciatore)

Two years ago - Peach and Blueberry Cake

Individual Chicken Pot Pies with Bacon and Marjoram

Chicken pot pie is one of my absolute favorite comfort dishes so I'm always up for trying a different version. I found this recipe on line at epicurious.com and it certainly qualifies as another quick and easy "cheap chicken" dinner, although I admit I made a couple of changes to it.

As you've likely figured out by now, we tend to enjoy stronger flavors in this household and don't go for the namby pamby so I upped the herbs a bit and added a touch of marsala wine too just because I had it, though sherry would work just as well. I also used some of the chicken tenders I bought the other day, although the recipe calls for purchased roasted chicken. For all the time it takes to dice and cook a couple of tenders, I'm not sure I'd bother buying a pre-cooked bird.

So what was the verdict you ask? Well, of course anything with bacon in it has got to be good, but I'm thinking this recipe might need a little more work. It's OK, in fact it is tasty enough, it's just isn't "special" at least in my opinion.

1. Although I'd used some Wondra to thicken the sauce a bit before adding the creme fraiche, in the end the sauce was rather thin anyway.
2. As well, I'm not sure I'd bother using creme fraiche again in the first place for a couple of reasons; I'm too cheap to spend the bucks, too lazy to make it from scratch although with all the fresh berries available right now I may change my mind on that; and more importantly the flavor just didn't come through in the end so heavy or sour cream would work just as well.

If I were to make it again, I might use tarragon instead of marjoram and asparagus and mushrooms as the vegetables. Saying all of that there's plenty of other versions of pot pie on this site that I'd recommend before this one but you be the judge, OK?

Individual Chicken Pot Pies with Bacon (adapted from epicurious.com)

3 slices applewood smoked bacon, diced

3 chicken tenders, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

1 medium onion, chopped

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tablespoons dry Marsala wine

2 tablespoons Wondra instant blending flour

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables

1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons crème fraiche

 

1/2 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed per package directions

Spray 2 large (10 ounce) ramekins with cooking spray and set aside. Cook bacon over medium low heat until crisp and fat has rendered. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onion to the pan and sauté until softened and just starting to turn golden. Add chicken tenders, marjoram and rosemary and cook until tenders are no longer pink (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add Marsala and sauté until wine has evaporated, approximately 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with Wondra, stirring well to incorporate. Add chicken stock and cook until thickened. Add vegetables, and cook for another minute. Remove from heat, cover pan and allow to sit for 5 minutes to allow vegetables to continue cooking. Stir in half cup of crème fraiche. Fill ramekins with mixture and sprinkle bacon on top. Cut puff pastry into 2 equal sized squares. Cut an “x” in center of each square and prick all over with a fork. Place on top of ramekins allowing edges drape over sides. Brush top of each crust with a teaspoon of crème fraiche. Bake in preheated 425 oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling bubbling. Makes 2 servings. Download Individual Chicken Pot Pies with Bacon

A year ago - Pan Grilled Salmon With Red Pepper Salsa

Clam's Casino Pizza, Frozen Yogurt and Normal

We're back to normal - kinda' sorta'. The Big Guy's back in town for a few days before he leaves on another trip and of course we're on a count down to our Oregon vacation. I'm not excited at all - not one bit. Ya right!

Dinner last night was a special request from the man of the house who's been craving clams. It's not as if he isn't going to get his fill of them in a few short weeks; however, together we put together this fabulous Clam's Casino Pizza in an attempt to satisfy his craving until we can hit the coast for a fresh batch of bivalves.

I know we've bragged about this pizza before so I'll just send you to the original post for the "how to's". It's a trifle labor intensive, but it's a tasty morsel and worth every minute it takes to prep.

As you all know, I've been exceptionally good as far as limiting calories or trying to in the past couple of days, but enough is enough. Without a spec of ice cream in the house and with an exceptionally large amount of plain yogurt in the refrigerator, not something that either of us is particularly fond of - I figured I'd best get busy and come up with something a touch more edible.

Thus, this light as air, mildly strawberry flavored frozen confection was born. Just be forewarned - it takes some time to get it together but very little effort. The liquid must be strained from the yogurt through cheesecloth which thanks to gravity and time - isn't a problem but one does has to plan in advance (a little more in advance than I did, mind you). Then a little sugar, a pint of so of strawberries, a touch of rum, a little cream and a daiquiri flavored strawberry yogurt is the result.

Here it is all soft and creamy, directly from the ice cream maker. Hey, we weren't in the mood to wait for it to firm up in the freezer but who cares. It was absolutely to die for delicious.

Here's a spoonful directly from the freezer this morning. It tastes wonderful but the texture is very hard and a touch grainy which proves we should have darn well eaten the whole kit and kaboodle last night! Actually, I think it would be about perfect after a couple of hours in the freezer, but I'll have to make another batch to find that out for sure. Give it a try and see what you think, OK?

Strawberry Daiquiri Frozen Yogurt (inspired by David Lebovitz)

5 cups plain whole milk yogurt

1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)

2/3 cup sugar

1 pint fresh strawberries

2 tablespoons light rum

Place a doubled sheet of cheesecloth into a strainer and place strainer in a bowl. Scrape yogurt into cheesecloth, gather the ends and fold over the yogurt and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. In blender or food processor combine hulled strawberries, sugar and rum and pulse until berries are pureed and sugar dissolves. Add strained yogurt and cream and pulse to combine well. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve immediately as a soft serve or freeze for 3 or 4 hours before serving. Makes approximately 1-1/2 quarts.   Download Strawberry Daiquiri Frozen Yogurt

A year ago - Stromboli Mexicana

 

 

Curried Lamb Samosa Pie

I know what you're thinking, or at least I have a pretty good idea and yes, you're right. We have been eating our share of curry lately. As you can tell, we happen to like the stuff.

Yesterday I ground up a lamb shoulder roast with my trusty Kitchen Aid grinder attachment, added some onions and spices, a cooked mashed spud and came up with this large and crispy samosa pie. Granted it looks pretty and didn't taste bad either but in my opnion it could use some improvement.

The flavor is great but the texture could use some help, maybe with the addition of almonds for crunch and some raisins for sweetness. A more substantial pastry would be preferable to the phyllo crust too so while I'm posting the recipe below, I do so with some reservations. Just sayin'.

Curried Lamb Samosa Pie (inspired by epicurious.com)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 pound ground lamb

1/4 cup dry white vermouth (or white wine)

1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock

1 russet potato

1/4 fresh or frozen peas (optional)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 package phyllo dough, thawed per package directions

1/4 cup melted butter

Heat oil in a large sauté pan until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened. Add garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, Garam Masala, cayenne, curry powder and cumin. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add ground lamb and sauté stirring to crumble lamb until it is no longer pink. Add vermouth and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a slow simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile prick russet potato with a fork and cook in microwave until done. Scoop cooked potato from jacket and mash well. Remove simmered lamb from heat and stir in mashed potato and frozen peas. Set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray. Quickly arrange phyllo pastry in layers of 2 sheets each, brushing each layer with butter. Be sure to overlap pastry over sides of pan by at least 4 inches. Repeat layering until there are only 3 sheets of phyllo remaining. Place filling in center of tart pan and fold pastry over to meet in center. Loosely fold up remaining individual sheets of phyllo and arrange on top of tart as a garnish. Brush well with butter. Bake in preheated 400 oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until pastry is a rich golden brown. Serves 6. Download Curried Lamb Samosa Pie

A year ago - Tortellini with Roasted Cauliflower and Tomatoes

Bacon and Onion Pie

My very old and well used 9 inch quiche pan finally cracked in two the other day and so I'm left with a giant Bodum beauty that not only makes a wonderful gratin, but when you need a pie for a crowd it's the pan to use.  It does take some finagling to come up with the right quantities to fill the darn thing up. I was up to the challenge last night and made a giant sized bacon, onion and cheese pie for dinner.

OK, so by another name this is really a Quiche Lorraine but I can't say the "quiche" word in this house without the Big Guy getting shivers. He did however eat two pieces of the "pie" and he's got more in his lunch box today. Funny isn't it? What a curfuffle for nothing.

Filled with some of our homemade bacon pieces, golden brown sauteed onions and gouda cheese, last night's pie also made good use of some egg whites I had on hand from making ice cream. Speaking of cream, I was a little short on the stuff but I added yogurt instead and honestly it didn't seem to make a difference as far as taste or texture. The end result was still light, creamy and fluffy all at the same time and with a salad, great dinner fodder on a hot June night. 

Quiche Lorraine (a JBug’s Kitchen original)

1 – 12 inch pie shell

1-1/2 cups crisp bacon pieces

1 large onion, finely chopped and sautéed until soft and golden brown

1-1/2 cups Gouda cheese cubes (1/4 inch cubes)

4 eggs

4 egg whites

1-1/2 cups half and half

1 cup plain yogurt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Prick bottom of pie shell and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly golden. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven heat to 375.  Sprinkle bacon pieces on bottom of cooled crust followed by sautéed onion and cheese cubes. In a large bowl, beat together eggs and egg whites. Add remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour over bacon, onion and cheese. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until knife inserted into center comes out clean.  Makes 8 to 10 servings.

A year ago - Vietnamese Pork and Shrimp Meatballs

 

Pork n Apple Sausage Rolls

Remember the lamb sausage rolls we had a little while ago? Well they were so good I just had to do it again in another version.

This time a pound of ground pork is revved up with the addition of sweet onion, and grated apple along with some sage, poultry seasoning, lots of black pepper and garlic, all wrapped up in a lovely little tender pastry blanket. Baked in a hot oven, they make your kitchen smell divine and your tastebuds do the happy dance.

Just so you know, this particular batch were hiding in the freezer, uncooked, ready for just this occasion. I cooked them directly from frozen and they turned out perfectly as you can see. Good grub. Darn good grub! Wouldn't you just love to have some of these ready for your next munchie night?

Thankfully our tradition of Friday night munchies and special libations was intact last night because we certainly needed a little down time. It's been a rather trying week but here we are, survivers at best. The Maxer's doing well - why he even played with Dillon his favourite toy for a little while this morning before he conked out again. The Big Guy's got all his marking done and toasted the end of yet another school year. Today is graduation day and 6 weeks from now we'll be through Los Angeles, over the Grape Vine and on our way to God's country. Life is good. Very good!

Pork ‘n Apple Sausage Rolls (a JBug’s Kitchen original)

1 pound ground pork or country style sausage

1/2 cup sweet onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated

2/3 cup panko crumbs

1/2 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon ground poultry seasoning

Coarse ground black pepper

Dash of salt

1 egg

Combine above ingredients and refrigerate covered for 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.

 

1 package frozen puff pastry thawed per package directions

4 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Roll a sheet of puff pastry on a floured board to a 10 inch by 10 inch square. Cut in half. Coat pastry with a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. Divide prepared filling into 4 and form into 10 inch long cylinders. Place a meat cylinder along one side of pastry piece and roll pastry over to enclose. Press firmly to enclose meat in pastry and place seam on the bottom. Move to a baking sheet and repeat with remaining pastry and filling. Refrigerate until firm (about half an hour). May be wrapped individually and frozen at this point to be baked later.

Preheat oven to 400. Cut rolls into desired size (2 inch pieces). Brush with egg/water glaze and bake for 20 to 25 minutes (30 to 35 if cooking from frozen). Cool slightly before serving. Serve with coarse grain or honey mustard as a dipping sauce. Makes 24 rolls.

 

Nacho Pie on Corn and Black Bean Salad

This is nacho ordinary pie. Sorry I just couldn't resist. Quick, tasty and darn near exactly like a plate of nacho's, this one's inspired by Taste of Home and has the makings of a new favorite in this household.

Loaded with ground beef and onion jazzed up with taco flavors, topped with creamy sour cream and lots of cheese with the crunch of crushed tortilla chips, well it's just darn near got it all wouldn't ya' say? Not only is the filling easy to put together, the crust is simply a tube of storebought crescent rolls unrolled and fitted on the bottom. I cooked ours in my favorite cast iron pan and I'm so glad I did because it made for a crunchier crisper finish without a doughy bite in sight.

As for the filling, why you're only limited by your imagination. In fact, next time instead of using beef I may have to try chicken along with some green chiles too and maybe even a couple of black olives on top. Whatever you enjoy in your plate of nachos you can have here as well.

We had our pie nestled on top of a corn and black bean salad - a real "Joseph's coat" of color and burst of flavor. Talk about a marriage made in heaven; the flavors of the corn, black beans, sweet onion, and red pepper sauced with lime, cilantro and salsa verde really made dinner an absolutely perfect fiesta of Mexican flavors.

Darn it all anyway, I just realized I missed the wedding! Oh well, they always make me cry anyway and heaven's knows I've enough of that going on. Max's had a string of seizure days starting 48 hours ago and is one restless little heap of fur and bones so sleep has been a tad minimal. Here's hoping he gets his shakey dances over with soon so Momma can get some sleep because Momma's waterworks go into overdrive when she's tired and grumpy. Oh dear - poor Papa!

Nacho Pie on Corn Black Bean Salad (inspired by  Taste of Home)

1 pound extra lean ground beef

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional)

3 teaspoons chile powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 Tablespoon Wondra instant blending flour

1 – 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1/4 cup water

Salt and pepper to taste

1 – 2.5 ounce package of Nacho flavored tortilla chips, crushed

1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 cup sour cream (lite is fine)

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

In a large sauté pan, cook crumbled ground beef and onion until meat is no longer pink and onion is softened. Drain off any fat. Add garlic powder, cumin, oregano, chile powder, cayenne pepper and Wondra flour and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes. Add water and tomato sauce, bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes until sauce is thickened. Set aside.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 inch cast iron pan or pie plate with cooking spray. Unroll crescent rolls and separate into 8 triangles. Place in bottom of pan with points toward the center and press onto bottom and up sides of pan, sealing any cracks to create a solid crust. Sprinkle half of the crushed nacho chips on top of crust. Top with cooked meat mixture spreading it evenly then spread sour cream carefully over meat. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining crushed nacho chips. Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve on or beside Corn Black Bean salad.

Salad:

1 -  15 ounce can black beans, drained rinsed and drained again

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper

1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion

1 cup quartered cherry or mini plum tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup purchased salsa Verde

Juice of 1 fresh lime

Combine all ingredients together and serve at room temperature. Download Nacho Pie on Corn Black Bean Salad

 

 

Lamb Sausage Rolls

If you recall, I've been bragging about the lamb we purchased from the U of A Meat's Lab a while ago. Needless to say most of the more tender cuts of it have been devoured leaving a couple of leg roasts and the least tender of the bunch - shoulder roasts. Yesterday I took the liberty of rippin' into one of them and made some ground lamb courtesy of my trusty KitchenAid and it's multi use attachments.

A pound of the very lean freshly ground meat went into the making of some lamb sausage loaded with shallots, garlic and fresh parsley and flavored with fennel, orange zest and coriander. Wrapped in a pastry blanket they were perfect Friday night specials along with our libations and a salad of course.

Sausage rolls are extremely popular in the British Isles and there's barely a bakery in Canada that doesn't sell a version of them as well. They're perfect for whipping up and hiding unbaked in your freezer for when unexpected guests drop by because they take no time to bake from frozen and smell glorious when they're in the oven. They can be made bite sized for appetizers or more substantial as lunch or dinner items with a little dipping sauce on the side. We used our Kicky Kumquat Marmalade as well as some grainy mustard but they're just fine on their own too.

Incidentially, if you're not into lamb you can certainly make the rolls with ground pork, beef or even chicken but the lamb really gives them a fabulous flavor all their own. Should you want to forget the pastry, the sausage would be just lovely formed into little patties or meatballs and fried or as a filling in ravioli or won ton's too.

Lamb Sausage Rolls (adapted Canadian Living Magazine)

1 pkg. frozen puff pastry thawed per package directions

1 pound lean ground lamb

1 egg plus 1 egg white (save yolk for later use)

1/4 cup panko crumbs

1 shallot, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon coriander

Grated zest of 1 large orange

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Combine lamb, egg, panko, shallot, garlic, parsley, fennel, coriander, orange and salt and pepper. Set aside.  Roll a sheet of puff pastry on a floured board to a 10 inch by 10 inch square. Cut pastry in half making two 5 by 10 inch strips. Coat pastry with a thin layer of Dijon mustard and place a strip of meat along the 10 inch side of the pastry. Roll pastry over to enclose filling, pressing firmly to enclose meat in pastry and place seam on the bottom. Move to baking sheet and repeat with remaining pastry and filling.  Refrigerate until firm (about a half hour). May be frozen at this point and baked later.

Preheat oven to 400. Cut rolls into desired size (2 inch to 3 inch pieces). Brush with egg/water glaze and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. If baking from frozen, do not thaw first and add additional 10 minutes to cooking time. Makes 12 large rolls or 24 smaller ones. Serve with coarse grain mustard as a dipping sauce. Download Lamb Sausage Rolls with Orange and Fennel

Friday Night Special Stromboli

Picture this. Soft fresh mozzarella cheese and provolone melting through marinara moistened hot Italian sausage, sauteed onions, roasted red peppers and sundried tomatoes all wrapped up nice and tight in a crunchy on the outside and soft fluffy on the inside dough with every bite made better with a sliver of fresh basil right from the herb garden. The flavors explode in your mouth and the cheese drips down your chin. The first piece goes down so fast you've hardly tasted it but the second one, oh my ...and as for the third...well...It's a race to the finish!

That's what we had for our Friday night special last night, along with a bottle of Willamette Valley Pinot - it was blissful. Best thing is, we somehow managed to leave a third of it for lunch later today. Aren't we special!

Friday Night Special Stromboli (a JBug’s Kitchen original)

Crust:

1 cup warm water

1 package active dry yeast

2-1/2 cups bread flour, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

In bowl of food processor with metal blade, combine 1-1/2 cups flour with warm water and yeast. Blitz to mix well. Add 1 more cup of flour, olive oil and salt. Mix until dough forms into one ball and rides on top of the metal blade – about 20 seconds. If dough is very sticky add more flour and mix again; however the dough should be very soft. Remove to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour). After dough has risen, remove to a floured piece of parchment paper, cover with cloth and let rest for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes has passed, roll dough out to approximately 14 x 17 inches.  Spread the following filling in the middle, on the long side.

 1 pound hot Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled and well drained

1/2 cup marinara sauce

1 large onion, sautéed until soft and golden

2 roasted red peppers, sliced

1/3 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, drained

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese sliced

4 ounces sliced provolone

Sprinkle of freshly ground pepper, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning, dried basil

Coarse ground sea salt

Using parchment to assist, fold in ends of stromboli, then sides to have dough meat in the middle. Pinch well to close. Move parchment paper onto large sheet pan and sprinkle stromboli with course salt. Bake in preheated 375 oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Drain any excess liquid from pan and remove Stromboli to wire rack to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Clams Casino Pizza

Ah Friday night - pink mountains, martini, no fuss dinner. Did I just say "no fuss dinner"? In your dreams people, because this one has a ton of prep but oh my goodness, it is some KGB (kinda' good boy).

If you like the flavor of clams casino, just imagine all of that good stuff like crispy bacon, sauteed onions and garlic, gorgeous Oregon coast gaper clams chopped and cooked in white wine all on a bed of nutmeg flavored bechamel, displayed on a crisp crust garnished with sun dried tomatoes, roasted peppers and a mixture of mozzarella, provolone, parmesan and fontina cheeses. A touch of fresh basil and parsley, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes and I mean honestly, this might just be the best thing we've had since our duck pizza from a few months ago.

We can thank that sexy studfmuffin Tyler Florence for the inspiration and I say inspiration only because I butchered his version to suit our preferences, but here's the link to his recipe anyway in case you'd rather make it HIS way than MY way and oh, by the way, it kind of blows the theory of "no cheese with seafood" right outa' the water. Wonder what other kitchen rules I can break before I hang up my apron.

Clams Casino Pizza (inspired by Tyler Florence at foodnetwork.com)

Pour yourself a glass of wine and relax, because this pizza takes a fair bit of kitchen time to prep, but it is worth every second.

Crust:

1 cup warm water

1 package active dry yeast

2-1/2 cups bread flour (or all purpose)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

In bowl of food processor with metal blade, combine 1-1/2 cups flour with warm water and yeast. Blitz to mix well. Add 1 more cup of flour, olive oil and salt. Blitz until dough forms into one ball and rides on top of the metal blade – about 20 seconds. If dough is very sticky add more flour and mix again, however the dough should be very soft. Remove dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour). After dough has risen, remove to a floured board and cut in half. Form into 2 balls and cover with bowl. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before shaping. Makes 2 – 12 inch pizzas.

Sauce:

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1-1/2 cups milk or fat free half and half

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

In small saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour and whisk to combine well. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk and cook until thickened (another 5 minutes). Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.

To assemble pizza:

1/2 pound bacon, cut into strips

1 small onion, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups chopped raw clams

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 teaspoon old bay seasoning

1/2 teaspoon oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

3/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers

1/2 cup slivered sun dried tomatoes

2 cups grated Italian 4 cheese blend (mozzarella, provolone, parmesan and fontina)

Fresh parsley and basil for garnish, and red pepper flakes if you wish

In a large sauté pan, cook bacon over medium heat until done and just starting to crisp up. Move to a bowl and set aside. Add onion and garlic to pan and cook, stirring often, until onion is softened. Remove to a bowl and set aside. Add butter to pan and when melted add clams, wine, old bay seasoning, oregano, salt and pepper (be careful with the amount of salt you use because the clams are naturally salty). Cook for 2 minutes until clams are just opaque. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Preheat oven to 500 with pizza stone on lower rack. Roll dough into 2 – 12 inch discs. Split sauce between the two pizzas, and then add cheese, sautéed onions/garlic, clams, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers. Top with a sprinkle of more cheese to protect sun dried tomatoes from burning. Bake for 12 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and basil. Makes 2 – 12 inch pizzas. Download Clams Casino Pizza

Date and Gorgonzola Pinwheels over Greens

I came across this recipe on the Pepperidge Farms site and thought we really needed to give it a go. I mean what's more interesting than combining dates with blue cheese and bacon, unless it's figs with blue cheese and bacon. I don't know about you, but I get tired of the same old flavor combinations so I'm usually game to try something new. Just don't tell the big guy or he'll have me eating some of the javalina languishing in the freezer from this year's hunt that Big Bad John left for us to "enjoy". Darn and here I thought I was off the hook!

There's croutons people and then there's the flavor filled totally addictive puffy crispy wheels of yummy goodness we had on our greens last night. As we were enjoying them, we could think of a bunch of combinations using different ingredients like proscuitto, sundried tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, garlic and pinenuts, or chicken with hoisin and green onions, or even pears, brie and pecans but the balsamic soaked dates over bacon with crumbled gorgonzola all wrapped up in puff pastry were absolutely stellar.

They'd be superlative as an appetizer with a glass of sherry before dinner, or with fruit and port after or just as we enjoyed them with some of the big guy's fabulous barbecued ribs and a glass of wine. One thing I know for sure...we haven't seen the last of them in our house. Put 'em on your list to try. I guarantee you'll think you're really on to something!

 

Flatbread Pizza

Yesterday was one of those days. Why is it inevitable that when the big guy's out of town bad things happen around the house? Record cold temperatures in this man's country meant there was no water coming out of the shower yesterday morning due to frozen pipes but thanks to a little luck and a long conversation with our neighbor Donna who has dealt with the same problem before, hot water was flowing by noon. Praise be.

Unfortunately during the whole episode I managed to somehow wrench some muscles in my lower back which makes getting into or more importantly getting out of the Miata impossible and with the cupboard darn near empty, ingenuity was on the menu last night. 

I have to admit I didn't suffer much, other than having to bend down with the big guy's BBQ tongs in my hand to fish the garlic naan bread out of the bottom of the freezer and some finagling to get it into and out of the oven. Topped with a little leftover cheese sauce, mozzarella, cooked crumbled Italian sausage and jarred roasted red peppers, dinner was on the table in a flash. It was news to me, since I've never made a pizza on anything but a pizza crust before but I have a feeling I'll be doing it again really soon.

As for today - well things are getting a little more serious. I'm still gimping. There's no coffee in the house which is one issue, but there isn't any wine either and that's even more important. Wonder if Sprouts will deliver?