{WWDH} Twofer – Risotto and Arancini

This week was my pick for Wednesdays with Donna Hay. Not only did I have one pick, I had two. My pick was the Arancini Balls on page 144 of Donna’s modern classics Book 1 but in order to make the balls you had to make the

Lemon and Parmesan Risotto first.

I have discovered that making risotto is actually quite easy. Arborio rice and lots and lots of liquid. Stir constantly. You end up with a tasty treat. In this case, Donna added Parmesan cheese and lemon zest to the mix. It was delicious. Now, take the risotto, let it cool enough to handle it and then wrap it around a small cube of cheese. Donna called for Mozzarella but I forgot to get it so I used sharp cheddar instead. It was a good sub.

Nothing better than melted cheese encased in a ball of Parm-y creamy rice and fried.

Couple of tips: make the balls small so they fry quickly. If they fry too long you end up with hard rice on the outside; make sure you use a cheese that melts easily or you will have just soft cheese inside.

These are definitely on the repeat list when I have left over risotto. And I think the little mozzarella balls would work perfectly with this.

Check with Gaye

Kayte

and Chaya for their Arancini balls.

You can find the recipes on page 140 and 144 in her book. I left links above for the online recipes I found. Buy the book. Cook with us and join Wednesdays with Donna Hay.

 

{WWDH} moussaka

Eggplant is one of my favorite veggies. I grow them every year and if I am lucky I actually harvest enough to cook with. Last year was a bust, this year, hopefuly, will be better. I have about 5 different kinds planted. Fingers crossed. And one of the reasons I am hoping I get a bountiful harvest is so I can make this again….

This was probably the easiest Moussaka I have ever made. Mostly because it did not include a Bechemel Sauce like others I have made. The meat sauce, which called for ground lamb {and I used beef because one doesn’t find ground lamb here}, was a tasty onion-y, cinnamon-y, garlic-y, tomato-y combination. I made about 1/3 of the recipe which fit nicely into a 7′ by 7′ casserole. I used one eggplant, 1/2 of the other ingredients, except the cheese – I used all of the Parm and Mozzerella Donna called for. It made a perfect 3 servings.

You can find Donna’s recipe on page 110of modern classics: Book 1.

Check out the Moussaka from

Kayte, it was her pick for the week.
GayeChaya
 

{MKMW} Liechtenstein – Käsknöpfle

Translated it means cheese dumplings. Dumplings! Cheese! How can you possibly go wrong with that? It is very much like our Mac/Cheese but with a VERY different pasta. In Leichtenstein it is one of really very few actual Leichtensteiner dishes. {I found only two initially and then ran across several more thanks to Celt Net}

Liechtenstein is a small principality bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. It is the smallest German speaking country in the world. For most of its 2000 year history it has been under the control of one country or another and its cuisine reflects that. But according to some of the web sites I visited THIS recipe is considered the national dish.

These dumplings can be made by simply dropping little pieces of batter into the boiling water or by using a special cutter They are very similar to German spaetzle.

300g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
3 eggs
1 tbsp water
1 large onion, chopped
150g mixed grated cheese {I used Gruyere and cheddar}

Place the ingredients in a bowl and mix them into a dough. Leave for 10-20 minutes. Then pass the dough through a colander or dough cutter into boiling, salted water. Leave the small pieces of dough in the boiling water for a couple of minutes, then place them in a bowl, add grated cheese, and mix together. Fry onion rings in butter until they are golden, then place these on top of the dish and serve.

I made 1/3 of the recipe and that was plenty for two healthy servings.

This was very easy to prepare and very tasty. And since these little free form noodles are so easy to make it will be served often.

Pop on over to and see what other dishes arrived from Leichtenstein. And if you want to join in just make a dish and leave a comment on the MKMW website.

 

{WWDH}Veggie Pie

It isn’t often we go completely meatless at a meal. But when we do we want something filling and TASTY!! This veggie pie fit the bill perfectly.

A simple collection of veggies went from this…

…to this…

….in just an hour.

A simple pie crust filled with potatoes, sweet potatoes, yellow squash (didn’t have zucchini), mushrooms, red bell pepper and asparagus. ANd if I had had some eggplant, it would have gone in, too. But not just veggies. There is also ricotta, cheddar, and Parmesan cheese thrown in as well.

So good!!!

You can find the recipe on page 164 of Donna’s Modern Classics Book 1. And check with Gaye and Kayte and Chaya to see what they did with this pie.

 

Sausage and Spinach Alfredo

Mac and Cheese is the ultimate – to me – comfort food. For years we ate The Blue Box for many years and it was a fav. Nowadays I make my own but am always looking for new ways to make it. When I saw this recipe from Martha Stewart I saw great potential for a new fav in the house. So I changed it up some, then added her ingredients for the Alfredo. Kinda!

Coarse salt
1/2 pound rotini macaroni
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s seasoning (or comparable)
4 cups shredded mixed cheddar cheese
1/2 ounce Parmesan, grated (1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 ounces baby spinach
Shredded Mixed Cheddar, for serving

n a large pot of boiling salted water, cook macaroni according to package instructions. Drain.
In pot, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is pale golden and has a nutty aroma, about 4 minutes.
Whisking constantly, slowly add milk. Cook, whisking along bottom of pot, until boiling, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon butter, mustard, Chachere’s seasoning, and cheeses. Stir until cheeses are melted and sauce is smooth; season with salt. Add rotini to sauce and stir to combine.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat olive oil over medium. Add red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add sausages and red-pepper flakes and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, 8 minutes. Add macaroni and cheese to skillet, gently stirring to combine. Stir in heavy cream and spinach, and cook until spinach begins to wilt, 4 minutes. To serve, sprinkle with Shredded Cheddar Mix.

 

{WWDH} spinach and cheddar soufflé

Ah, the Soufflé. According to most cooks/chefs through the years one of the hardest things to make. Or at least make successfully. I have always wanted to try them so when it came my time to pick a recipe for Wednesdays with Donna Hay I took advantage of it.

The hardest thing about a soufflé is getting the rise to stay risen. The rule is, do not open the oven door – ever!! Which is exactly what Donna said. So I didn’t. The soufflé rose nicely and stayed that way for about, oh, 3 minutes. Just long enough to snap and pic and then BAM!! down they went.

The soufflé conained cheddar cheese, spinach (which I harvested from the garden – so cool!), as well as the usual butter, flour, milk, etc.

While these were fun to make, I found them to be somewhat bland. I would add more seasoning next time. Maybe a little garlic? And seasoning salt rather than just salt and pepper.

So I have made soufflé with some degree of success. I will try them again.

The recipe is on page 80 of Donna’s Classics Book 1

Visit Chaya, Kayte, and Gaye for their soufflé.

 

{WWDH} roast veggie frittata

I admit it. I have never made a frittata! Quiche? Yes! Omelet? Yes! but Frittatas always sounded rather dry to me. Not so!! And thank you Donna for letting my first one be a good one!

A frittata is basically a quiche that has been finished under the broiler to give it a nice brown top. That is why I thought it would be dry. The trick is to let the dish only partially set on the stove on low heat before you finish it off. If you cook it all the way through first it WILL be dry.

While Donna listed new potatoes, red bell pepper, zucchini and sweet potatoes she also said we could really use what ever we liked. Opportunity! I replaced the zucchini with asparagus and eggplant. Good choices. Next time I will use some gruyere with the cheddar as well.

It did take a little longer for my veggies to roast but it was all well worth the wait.

Visit with Gaye and Chaya to see what they made. And you can find the recipe, Chaya’s pick, on page 73 of Donna’s modern classics book 1

 

{WWDH} smoked ham and cheddar quiche

Quiche! Such a simple dish. And so adaptable. You can put anything, just about, in a quiche. Change veggies. Change meats or go meatless. Change Cheese. As long as you have the crust (and you don’t necessarily need that) and the eggs you can make any Quiche you like.

This one from Donna Hay’s Modern Classics Book 1 is simply filled with smoked ham and cheddar cheese with a little parsley and Dijon (just plain here) mustard. Simple. Tasty. And 1/2 a recipe left me with 4 4″ minis for lunch.

The recipe is on page 164. And while you are waiting for your book to come in, you know you want it, visit with Chaya and Gaye for their quiches. {Kayte is on Hiatus for a while.} Oh, and Gaye found it on Donna’s site.

If you would like to join us for Wednesdays with Donna Hay just leave any of us a comment. Small group, lots of cooking.

 

{FFwD} Mushroom and Shallot Quiche

This was one of the best quiches I have made in a long time. I don’t know what made it so different. Eggs, cream, shallots, thyme, shallots, and gruyère….wait… that’s it. The Gruyère. This is the first time I had had this particular cheese. I don’t know why, but from now on it will be a staple in my kitchen. The slightly nutty taste of the cheese is what made the difference. It didn’t overwhelm the other flavors, it enhanced them instead.

I only made 1/2 of the total recipe which resulted in two 4′ mini quiches in little tart pans. I did use more gruyère and that was a definite plus. One quiche was perfect for lunch, and since I am the only one who eats mushrooms the other one is for me, too.

This delicate little quiche is on page 162 of Dorie’s around my french table. You should get the book. And make this quiche.

And visit the other members of French Fridays with Dorie and check out their quiches as well.

 

World Bread Day – Tomato, Basil, & Garlic Filled Pane Bianco

Two years ago Natashya found a great bread on the KAF site. We were going to make it ‘together’ but life got in the way. I had all my ingredients but never got to make it because B had surgery the week before. So I never got to make it – until now. It seemed like the perfect bread for World Bread Day!

This one is a basic bread dough that is filled with lots of goodies – sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil, lots of Italian cheese and garlic.

The dough is rolled out into a rectangle, covered with all the goodies, rolled up and then split down the entire length. Oh, My!!

1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 cup warm low-fat milk
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons salt
6 cups King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour
1 (8 1/2-ounce) jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
1 1/2 cups shredded Italian blend cheese, divided
2/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1) Combine the water, sugar, yeast, milk, olive oil, eggs, salt, and flour, and mix and knead ? by hand, stand mixer, or bread machine ? until you’ve made a cohesive, soft dough. If you’re kneading in a stand mixer, it should take 5 to 7 minutes at second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. In a bread machine (or by hand), it should form a smooth ball. Place the dough in a greased bowl, and turn to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 45 minutes.

2) Meanwhile, thoroughly drain the sun-dried tomatoes; lay them on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Using kitchen shears, finely chop the tomatoes.

3) Line two baking sheets with parchment. Gently deflate the dough and divide it in half. Roll one piece into a 22″ x 8 1/2″ rectangle. Sprinkle on half the garlic, cheese, basil, and tomatoes.

4) Starting with one long edge, roll the dough into a log the long way. Pinch the edges to seal.

5) Place the log seam-side down on a baking sheet. Using kitchen shears, start 1/2″ from one end and cut the log lengthwise down the center about 1″ deep, to within 1/2″ of the other end.

6) Keeping the cut side up, form an “S” shape. Tuck both ends under the center of the “S” to form a “figure 8″; pinch the ends together to seal. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, 45 to 60 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough.

7) While the loaves are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.

8) Bake the first loaf for 35 to 40 minutes. Tent the loaf with foil after 15 to 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. Bake the remaining loaf.

9) Remove loaves from their pans; cool on racks. Store any leftovers well-wrapped, at room temperature.
Yield: 2 loaves.

What you end up with is a swirl of flavor through out the bread.

Little nuggets of tomato and basil. A layer of melty cheese. A hint of garlic. Toasting brings out the flavor even more.

But with every bite I took I kept wanting more – more flavor, more cheese, more tomato, more garlic, more basil. I made 1/2 of the recipe and wish I had kept the filling the same on one loaf of bread. I also think I would have put some roasted garlic IN the dough itself. Oh, and maybe add in some chopped Kalamata olives…..

Please stop by the World Bread Day Website and check out all the beautiful, wonderful breads there. I may run out of pins for them all!!!

This is the 7th World Bread Day and the second one I have been able to participate in. It is so so much fun to find a new bread to try for the occassion and so interesting to see all the different breads people have made.