#1 - Ragu alla Antonio

ragu [ra-GOO, rah-GOO]
A staple of northern Italy's Bologna, ragu is a meat sauce that is typically served with pasta. Though different than the French RAGOUT, both are derived from the verb ragoûter , which means "to stimulate the appetite." Ragu usually contains ground beef, tomatoes, onions, celery, carrots, white wine and seasonings. (1)

Many of the food blogs and recipe books I read have variations on beef with mixed vegetables, sometimes with cheese, sometimes without, usually with tomatoes. Most of them have at least one ingredient that either I or Dorothy won't (or can't) eat(2), so I decided to make my first of Fifty New Things be an exercise in creativity. I went for cheese but no tomatoes to get a less saucy, more gooey texture.

Ragu alla Antonio
1 cup (4 oz) dry elbow macaroni
1 cup diced onion
1-2 cloves diced garlic
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon Cumin
8 oz can whole kernel corn
4 oz can green chilies
10oz shredded cheddar and jack cheeses
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta to al dente. Preheat oven to 300°. While pasta is cooking, cook the sofritto of onions, garlic and celery in a tablespoon of olive oil until the onions are soft, translucent, and beginning to brown (about 5 minutes).  Add ground beef and cook with chili, cayenne, salt, and pepper until the meat is fully browned. Add corn and mix completely.

Turn off heat and stir in pasta. Once everything is thoroughly mixed, add all but 2oz of the cheese and stir to combine. Top with the remaining cheese and place in the oven for 12-15 minutes to melt the cheese.

Makes four servings of approximately 520 calories each.

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(1) © Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbs, as found on Epicurious.com

(2) Like mushrooms. Blech!

Happy New Year!

Had a lovely neighborhood New Year's gathering last night. I have awesome neighbors and we enjoy doing stuff together, but as our kids get older and have activities of their own, it gets harder and harder to get together, so these parties are always great. I made a batch of pumpkin bread, then decided that everyone needed a chance to try the new pretzel recipe. But while the large pretzels make great meals, they aren't so great for party snacks. So I made a double batch, then portioned each batch into a full dozen pieces (instead of just six) and made great mini-pretzels. Since they rolled out to the same diameter, they cooked in the same time, but made perfect little finger foods. Everyone loved them, and they went great with the queso dip!

So here we are in the new year, and resolutions are the big thing at this time of year. I don't usually bother, but this year I have two: The first is pretty standard for people my age: to resume my food logging and exercise as I can to maintain my weight and maybe even lose a bit more. My back trouble makes the exercise part difficult, but I'll do what I'm able.

The other is more personal. I am a creature of habit, and tend to find things I like and stick with them. I read a number of cooking and foodie blogs, and have amassed a collection of bookmarks of things I want to try. So my resolution this year is to try them. My theme for this year is going to be "Fifty New Things". This year I plan to make fifty new recipes. Breads, entrees, soups, sauces ... some big, some small, but all new. I picked the number fifty because that comes out to one new recipe a week, with two weeks off.

Today there's a New Year's Day party, then I'll be going through my bookmarks to pick my first new thing. It's going to be a good year!

Mmmm Pretzels!

I absolutely love soft pretzels. Last night while reading my food blogs, I came across this recipe, and literally went straight to the kitchen to make them. The recipe is below, slightly altered to match my particular way of working.

Perfect Pretzels

1 cup milk
1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) yeast
3 tbsp packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp butter, softened
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon fine salt

1/3 cup baking soda dissolved in 3 cups water

Additional butter for basting (2-3 tbsp)
Kosher salt or grated parmesan for topping

Warm the milk to about 110°(1) then add the yeast to proof. Once the yeast is bubbly, put it in the stand mixer and stir in the brown sugar and the first cup of flour. Once that is worked in, add the butter, and salt, then work in the remaining flour in two batches. Once the flour is all incorporated, lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out. Knead in just enough additional flour to make the dough into a smooth, slightly sticky ball. Place into a buttered bowl and set in a warm place to rise for one hour.

Once the dough has doubled in bulk, Preheat the oven to 450°. Punch the dough down then divide it into six parts. Roll each part into a rope about 30" long, and shape into pretzel shape.

Dissolve the baking soda in the water in a wide bowl. If using salt or cheese topping, put the topping on a plate in a thin layer. Submerge each pretzel in the baking soda bath then shake off the excess. If using topping, lay the pretzel on the topping and press down to coat, then place on the baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until they have a nice dark brown color.

While the pretzels are baking, melt another 2-3 tablespoons of butter. When the pretzels come out, baste each one with butter then set aside to cool. 

We devoured the entire batch, so today I made more. They are that good.

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(1) From the refrigerator, 80-90 seconds in the microwave does the trick nicely

Practice makes perfect, and makes dinner, too!

Tonight I decided to throw a few things together while trying out some new techniques. First, I've been working to master the art of cheese sauce. My previous attempts have not been successes: first, my bechamel failed; then, once I had a good bechamel, once I added the cheese I got a grainy goo. Fortunately, our local Whole Foods happens to have a wonderful cheese specialist who gave me a key fact: cheddar, on its own, is not suited for sauces. It tends to clump and turn grainy even in the best base. To make a good sauce, you have to mix the cheddar with a better melting cheese. She recommended Italian fontal in an equal ratio with the cheddar. With that in mind, I got a lovely, smooth sauce. Now that I have that worked out, next I will work on different flavors with different cheese blends.

Cheese sauce (Cheddar/Fontal)

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

1 cup whole milk, cold

4 oz cheddar, shredded

4 oz fontal, shredded

Shred and blend the two cheeses so that they are evenly mixed and set aside.(1)

Heat a heavy saucepan on medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pan. Once the bubbles have stopped, add the flour and stir. Continue stirring while the roux cooks for 4-5 minutes.  Add the milk and continue stirring for another 5-10 minutes to thicken the bechamel. Do not let the milk start to boil, and keep stirring to prevent burning on the bottom. Once the sauce starts to thicken, remove from the heat and begin adding the cheese a little at a time. Allow each addition to melt and completely incorporate before adding the next. If the sauce cools too much, put back on medium heat for a bit, but take off the heat again before adding more cheese.

The second new technique I wanted to practice was "baked" rice. According to one site I read, cooking rice in the oven rather than the stovetop produces more predictable and better results. My theory is that the oven provides more even heating (rather than all the heat coming from the bottom of the pot). As a side bonus, the pot was easier to clean, too! I usually have at least a little rice stuck/burned on the bottom but not this time. And the rice was well cooked, just a little sticky, and full-flavored. For this batch, I added some onion and garlic, and next time I think I'll try putting some spices in as well.

Oven cooked rice

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups white rice

3 cups water

1 cup onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

Preheat oven to 350°

Heat an oven safe pot with a tight fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add the oil to the hot pot and turn the pot to coat the bottom. Add the rice and stir for 2-3 minutes to coat the rice in oil and toast lightly. Add the onion and garlic, then all the water. Once it comes to a boil, stir once then put the lid on the pot and put into the oven. Cook for 13 minutes, then remove the pot from the oven and set it aside for another 5 minutes before removing the lid. Fluff and serve.

As I said, this worked like a charm. The water was completely absorbed, the rice was perfect, and clean up was a breeze!

To go with my rice and cheese sauce, I decided to brown some ground beef and stir up a casserole.

Cheesy Beef and Rice Casserole

1/2 pound ground beef, with cumin and chili powder to taste

1/2 cup pureed black beans (2)

2 cups cooked rice

3/4 to 1 cup cheese sauce

1-2 oz shredded cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook the ground beef and drain the fat. Stir the meat and rice together, then add the beans and cheese sauce and combine thoroughly. Place in an oven safe casserole dish or pot and top with the shredded cheese. Bake to heat through(3) then turn on the broiler for 3 minutes to get the top bubbly.

Yum! We were both pretty hungry, so Dorothy and I ate the whole dish between us for dinner. As part of a larger meal (or if we had eaten more at lunch) this might have been three servings.
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(1) Mixing the cheeses evenly is key. According to Jeaneane (Cheesemonger extraordinaire), this is the way to make sure that the clumping qualities of the cheddar are properly diluted and get a smooth sauce.
(2) Last night was burrito night; for black bean burritos I drain a 15oz can of beans and run them through my food processor with a bit of chili powder and cumin. This is every bit as good as any "refried" beans I've ever had, and doesn't have the added fat of refritos .
(3) In my case, the rice and cheese sauce were still warm from having just been cooked, so it only took 5 minutes to heat the casserole through. If your rice or cheese don't start out warm, you'll need to allow more time to heat it up.

Soup is good food!

As I was driving home in the dark, dreary, cold rain, I pondered (as I am wont to do in such times) dinner. It occurred to me that this was such a day as my dear wife would enjoy soup. Soup! Just the thing to warm the body and the spirit! But what sort of soup? Again, my thoughts turned to my dear wife, who happens to be partial to potato soup in its various forms. And lo! There are potatoes in my pantry!

I consulted the Interwebz, and was provided with a number of recipes, this one using cream, this other milk, and still another calling for a white roux. The potatoes should be red, and boiled; no, they must be baked russets!

So with a staggering variety of options, I decided to blaze my own trail. The result was quite yummy, and well received by the aforementioned dear wife.  Yay!

Potato Soup
4 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
water to cover
1/2 cup milk
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 strips of bacon. cooked and crumbled

Put the potatoes, onion, and garlic in a soup pot and cover with water. Add salt and pepper and bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer until the potatoes are soft (about 20 minutes). With the heat on low, add the milk and stir to begin breaking up the potato cubes. Add about half of the cheese a little at a time, stirring each addition until it is fully melted and incorporated. Serve in soup bowls topped with additional cheese and bacon.

YUM!

Did someone say "Dessert"?

I just spent three days in Gamer Geek heaven: BoardGameGeekCon, put on right here in DFW by the good folks at BoardGameGeek. This annual event always scores  three of my vacation days, and while it is loads of fun, it also means three days where I don't really see my lovely wife and amazing child, as I come home after they are in bed and either sleep in until after they leave for work and school, or get my sorry butt out of bed and back into the fray early. Either way, they graciously allow me to be absent for a long weekend, for which I am quite grateful.

So grateful, in fact, that I made sure to make time on Sunday to bake for Dorothy's office "Dessert Buffet", with plenty left over to keep for the Big Feast coming up this week (at least, I hope they'll last that long ...). I made two items for her to take along: one family recipe for which I have become well known among my friends, and one I found at the awesome Buns In My Oven blog.

I'm strong to the finich, cuz I eats me spinach!

... but not that nasty, slimy stuff you get in a can. I suspect that eating that stuff is how Popeye's eye got that way.

No, the way to eat spinach is fresh, and combined with things to help the texture and provide a flavor contrast. Spanakopita is one favorite way, but I just learned a new one. Wil Wheaton made a comment about a spinach wrap from Trader Joe's and linked a recipe; this is my version of that: