Category Archives: Recipes

Affogato: Quick, wonderful dessert

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Affogato at Pasta Pomodoro in El Cerrito

My son’s friend, Ed, introduced him to affogato a few years ago, and I’m glad.

Affogato means “drowned” in Italian, and involves pouring a shot of hot espresso over a scoop of vanilla gelato or ice cream, and is quite delicious.  I’m glad to have learned about it because it’s an easy way to serve a lovely dessert on the fly.

If you don’t have an espresso machine, a very strong shot of regular or good instant coffee works, but, really, you can go to Marshall’s or Ross and get a stove top espresso maker for around $10.  You don’t need some expensive job from Sur La Table.  One can of Illy and a quart of decent ice cream in the freezer will make you dessert-ready.

Ideally, serve the ice cream in a cup and the espresso on the side in a little silver pitcher or creamer, allowing your guests to pour said espresso over said ice cream.

The photo above is of a mini-affogato we had recently at Pasta Pomodoro in El Cerrito – which you can generally order even when it’s not listed on the menu.

Potato & Cabbage Gratin

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Serving of potato cabbage gratin on blue fiestaware

An oozing casserole is a great thing to have for din-din on a cold winter’s eve.

While a potato gratin may be the perfect form of this, I like to add a little something else to the mix.

Awhile ago I adapted Tyler Florence’s “ultimate” recipe to what I give you here – having added the booze, changed the type of cabbage, altered the proportions and simplified the bacon process a bit.

You’ll need an oblong casserole – something like 13″ X 9″ and deep enough to hold 5 layers.

Have this with some crusty bread and a bold red.  That is all.  I tell you this because I first made it as a side and was told not to make anything else next time – just lots of gratin.

Shredded cabbage

Shred the cabbage by hand so you get a hearty result

Potato & Cabbage Gratin with Bacon
   Serves 4 – 6 as a main dish with bread

8 ounces bacon, cut into small dice or pieces
2 tablespoons butter plus extra to butter the casserole and drizzle on top
1 very small head green cabbage (or half a medium head), medium shred
2-1/4 cups heavy cream
1 shot dry sherry
1 teaspoon ground thyme
3 or so huge Russet potatoes, sliced on the thin side – at an angle (don’t peel)
1-1/2 cups shredded Asiago or Parmesano Reggiano cheese
Sea salt
Ground black pepper

1).  Fry the bacon in a medium saucepan until it’s just about browned and remove from heat for a moment.
2).  Return to a low flame and add the butter.
3).  Add the cabbage and a little salt and pepper (depending upon bacon) and saute for about 10 minutes, keeping it moving a bit.
4).  Cover cabbage and set aside.
5).  Butter your casserole and shingle in a layer of potatoes – like the photo below.
6).  Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese on top – evenly.
7).  Add another layer of potatoes and 1/4 of the cheese.
8).  Spread the cabbage out as its own layer.
9).  Add another 2 layers of potatoes and cheese.
10).  Whisk the thyme, sherry and a little salt and pepper into the cream.
11).  Pour the cream mixture into the casserole (find a spot in the middle – don’t douse the whole top).
12).  Sprinkle a little melted butter on the top.
13).  Cover very well with foil and bake at 350 deg. F for an hour.
14).  Remove from oven and test middle with sharp knife.  When potatoes are tender, jack temp up to 400 deg. F and bake until brown and bubbly – without foil – but watch carefully to avoid burning.  You’ll need about 15 mins or so at this higher temperature.  If you need more browning, just broil for a couple of minutes.
15).  Allow to rest for 10 mins before serving.

Layer of shingled potatoes for gratin

This is how to shingle potato slices for the gratin

Potato cabbage gratin in a glass baking dish ready for the oven

Gratin ready for the oven – just needs foil cover

Gratin done and out of the oven

Gratin done and ready to serve

Little Crab Casseroles

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Individual crab casseroles in little fiestaware ramekins

Here’s an easy recipe for decadent little creamy crab casseroles I developed based on a couple 1950’s dip recipes.

They work very well if you are having people over and want to serve a comforting, hot appetizer.

Do me a favor, though:  buy decent ingredients.  Good mayo, like Best Foods/Hellmann’s, Raley’s or the new Costco version, and real cream cheese without gums, fillers and all the rest of the garbage in popular brands.  Gina Marie is good, and is available at some Costco locations in addition to upscale and natural markets.

Creamy Crab Casseroles
   Makes 8

8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup grated Asiago cheese
A few drops of chili oil and a couple dashes of white pepper OR a little regular old pepper
16 oz crab meat
1 tablespoon butter
8 ramekins (about 3/4 cup capacity)

1).  Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl and mix with a stiff spatula or spoon until softened.
2).  Mix in sour cream, mayo, cheese and chili oil/white pepper or black pepper.
3).  Carefully fold in crab meat.
4).  Lightly butter the ramekins.
5).  Distribute crab mixture evenly among ramekins and smooth out tops.
6).  Bake at 325 deg F. until a bit bubbly – about 20 minutes.
7).  Broil for a minute or two to brown tops, but carefully so as not to burn!
8).  Serve with good crackers or some crusty bread.

Leftovers: Roast ‘taters with Cheese & Short Rib Gravy

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Roast potatoes and butternut squash with aged cheddar and short rib gravy

Roast potatoes and butternut squash with aged cheddar and short rib gravy

Anyone who knows me or reads my blog knows I’m big into leftovers.

If I make something or go out to eat I don’t care what’s left, how much or how little, I put it in a container and eat it the next day or incorporate it into another meal.  We can’t afford to waste food, particularly animal products, because animals have died for what we are eating!

It always amazes me when people throw leftovers away, and I’m often surprised by the kinds of people I see do this:  greenies, nouveau hippies – though I guess they’re really pseudo-hippies, animal rights activists.  Maybe it’s because the people in my circle who fall into those enlightened groups have more money than my poor friends (for example, other bloggers and artists) who can’t afford to throw away a scrap.

When I see this I’m reminded of the line from the Staple Singers’ song, Respect Yourself:

“Keep talkin’ ’bout the president, won’t stop air pollution
Put your hand o’er your mouth when you cough, that’ll help the solution”

Saving the world starts at home.

One thing to have hanging around is a wide variety of containers – especially little ones.  I buy these at Ichiban Kan, or other Asian housewares shops.  They tend to carry food grade plastic containers in sizes from an ounce to a gallon.

If you have lots of them in the half-cup or so size, you can freeze little containers of sauce from whatever you’re making:  braises, like short ribs or shanks, and tomato-based saucy dishes, like chicken cacciatore.  You’ll be well-fixed to bust out a little sauce to serve with those fries you brought home, or leftover potato pancakes from the night before.

One little tip is to make lots of extra roast potatoes when you’re having them as a side to serve as a future dish with salad, as follows:

Roast your potatoes like so, perhaps.  Feel free to add some butternut squash, which roasts up nice and sweet.  Eat dinner and then save the leftovers.

Next day toss them with crumbles of a good, aged cheddar and bake, covered, or microwave, until all is hot and cheese is melty.

When you take the ‘taters out of the oven, microwave some of your frozen short rib or other gravy until it’s very hot, and pour it over the potatoes and cheese.

Serve ASAP.  You will not be sorry!

Stuffed Peppers with Ground Meat, Farro & Feta in Lemon Sauce

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Stuffed peppers with farro, ground meat and feta with lemon sauce

Stuffed peppers with farro, ground meat and feta with lemon sauce

The gist of this post is:  farro better than rice in stuffed peppers, in my opinion.

My Mom always used rice, lots of tomato product and green bell peppers in her version, which I still love, but I do something different that addresses three issues for me:

1).  Rice can be mushy.  It does not hold up and it does not offer any kind of contrast to the ground meat.  Farro, on the other hand, is firm and chewy, even when overcooked.
2).  Too many tomatoes.  I have allergies and do better with a lesser quantity.
3).  Green bell peppers are not sweet.  They don’t caramelize well because they are not mature enough to have developed a significant sugar content.  I believe older people keep using them exclusively because they (the peppers) were the only ones readily available way back when and they (the older folk) are used to them.  Don’t break my limbs for saying that.  I can tell you something else about older people:  as a general rule, Americans 70 and up are the ones who order coffee at the beginning of a meal and drink it the whole time.  Ask your server friends – they’ll tell you.  When you hang out now and again with a group of older East Bay bowling ladies, you learn quite a bit.  Ask me how many deviled eggs and Jell-O rings show up at their potlucks.  Anyhow, I use red bell peppers because they turn out nice and sweet.

Back to the farro.

Farro, a type of wheat that is the mother of all grains, is catching on again after having fallen out of favor for quite some time.  This ancient grain, apparently first cultivated in Egypt some 6,000 years ago and then catching on with the Italians, is not so easy to grow, and yields a small take.  It was left in the dust in favor of easier, higher-yielding crops.

Nowadays, though, people are rediscovering its quality.  Not only low in gluten and high in fiber, protein and vitamin B, farro has a chewy texture and is the perfect chameleon -readily absorbing surrounding liquid and flavor.  Frankly, I prefer farro to that other Really Big Thing Now, quinoa.  Quinoa can be dressed up enough to taste good, sure, but it’s finicky and spindly compared to the big-ass nature of farro, which easily works as comfort food.

When you shop, look for farro perlato, which means that the hull has been removed and it does not have to be pre-soaked.

Stuffed peppers ready for the oven

Stuffed peppers ready for the oven

I warn you now:  this is a really, really good stuffed pepper.  Yes, there is lots of meat in there, but half a pepper with a nice salad and maybe a roll provides a substantial din-din.  A really big eater, like my slender hubby, Steve, can eat two, but only if he eats nothing on the side.

I provided a recipe for a large quantity because these peppers improve with age.  They make great leftovers a day or two later.  Don’t fool around with two measly peppers – go all out.

This is a frugal dish.  You’ll even use the excess farro cooking water to make your sauce.  If you get the meat at a good price, you can feed a number of guests without spending a fortune.

Stuffed peppers right out of the oven

Stuffed peppers right out of the oven

I use ground beef, and sometimes a mix of ground beef and ground pork.  Ground lamb is luxurious and tastes wonderful in this dish, but not everyone likes the strong taste and it amps up the cost.  That said, if you like lamb, go for it.  Ground poultry lacks richness, aka fat.  If you insist on using it, add at least 1/4 cup of olive oil to the stuffing to help combat dryness.

Stuffed Peppers with Meat, Farro & Feta in Lemon Sauce
   Makes 10 servings

6 cups chicken stock
2 cups farro perlato
5 extra large red bell peppers
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon ground marjoram
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (plus more for sauce)
Sea salt – to taste (I use 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons)
3 pounds ground beef  (no leaner than 90%)  see text above for meat discussion
1/2 cup olive oil
2 large eggs
Juice of 1 large lemon
8 ounces cubed/crumbled Feta cheese

1).  Bring stock to a boil and add farro; cook 25 minutes, or until done.
2).  While farro cooks, put tomatoes, spices and sea salt in a large bowl (large enough for all the stuffing) and mix, so the dried spices can open up.
3).  Drain farro and reserve stock for sauce.
4).  Add drained, hot farro to bowl with tomatoes and spices; mix/fold in well with spatula, and let sit for 30 mins on counter.
5).  While farro mix is cooling, rinse peppers and cut in half, lengthwise.  Try to leave the half-stems intact as they look nice.  Removes seeds and trim veins, but do not puncture peppers.
6).  Dry peppers well and place on two sheet pans (you want some breathing room on the sheet pans).  Have olive oil and a pastry brush handy.
7).  Fold meat into farro with a spatula after the 30 minutes are up.  Do not overwork mixture, but be sure it’s well combined.
8).  By hand, stuff each pepper half generously.  Ball up the stuffing, pack it in and mound it up.  Pat stuffing smooth and round for each pepper.
9).  When you have your five big stuffed halves on each pan, put 1/4 cup of olive oil in each pan.
10).  With a pastry brush, brush the outside of each pepper with oil – but not the stuffing.  Brush the bottom of the pan where the peppers are sitting, too.  Make sure peppers have some room.  You don’t need oil or breadcrumbs on the stuffing; the tops will get crispy and brown as-is.
11).  Bake at 350 deg. F. for a hour to an hour and a quarter, or until the internal temp is 165 deg. F.
12).  Move peppers carefully (with tongs and a large spatula for support underneath) to a broad casserole dish.  Make sure there is a little room between peppers.
13).  Strew feta on top of, and between, peppers and place casserole in oven (which should be off but still pretty hot).
14).  Place your reserved stock, which will be cool and nice and starchy from the farro, into a small saucepan and whisk in the eggs and the lemon juice.  If you have less than 1-3/4 cups stock left, add some stock or water to reach that level.  You will only need to add a little sea salt if you used a low-sodium stock.
15).  Whisk over a very low flame (really low, please) until the sauce thickens and is hot.  Turn off flame right when it starts to simmer and mix in a little freshly ground pepper.
16).  Pour sauce over and around peppers.

Starting to cook lemon sauce for the stuffed peppers

Starting to cook lemon sauce for the stuffed peppers