Zucchini Pie

 

After an unfortunate hiatus due to a death in the family, I am back to blogging. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed by, and the summer is almost over. I’m begrudgingly coming to accept that it’s time to stock up on school supplies, but hopefully we’ll get in a few more trips to beach—after Hurricane Irene passes through, of course!

Here’s a summer recipe that I return to again and again when I need a no-brainer type of dinner—quick, easy and comforting—which is exactly what I needed these past few weeks. Hope you enjoy it, too!

Ingredients:

1 ready-made, unroll-and-fill pie crust

4 c. zucchini, sliced

1 c. onion, chopped

Extra virgin olive oil

¼ tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

A couple of turns of freshly ground black pepper

¼ c. fresh basil, julienned

2 Tbsp. fresh Italian parsley, minced

1 tsp. fresh oregano, minced (or ¼ tsp. dried)

3 eggs, beaten

8 oz. mozzarella, shredded

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375°. Prick the pie crust. Saute the zucchini and onions in olive oil over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Add the garlic powder, salt and pepper, and remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the basil, parsley and oregano. In a large bowl combine the eggs and mozzarella, and then fold in the zucchini and onions.  Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake for 45 minutes.

Quick Stir-Fry Paella

 

This is a simple, speedy version of preparing paella that is totally yummy. To save even more time, buy shrimp that’s already peeled and deveined. This recipe also freezes well, so you can eat some now and save some for later! When I make this recipe, I omit the tomatoes because my daughter hates them, but with the tomatoes this is a truly beautiful, vibrant dish that's great to serve to company.

• 1 8-oz. package of yellow rice mix
• 1 c. frozen petite peas, thawed
• 4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 4 oz. smoked chorizo sausage
• 1 large yellow onion, ½-in. diced
• 1 orange bell pepper, ½-in. diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 tsp. Spanish paprika
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ lb. medium shrimp, peeled & deveined
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley for garnish

Prepare yellow rice according to package directions, but omit any butter the instructions might call for. The rice should be al dente, so you may need to undercook it just slightly. Remove the rice from the heat and stir in the peas; set aside.

Quick stir-fry paella (sans tomatoes!)

Heat 2 tsp. of the olive oil in a wok or 12” skillet over med-hi heat. Stir-fry until browned; transfer to plate. In the same pan, add remaining oil and stir fry onion, bell pepper, and garlic until soft or about 3 minutes. Add the paprika and stir-fry for another minute.

Return sausage to wok along with tomatoes and shrimp. Stir-fry until shrimp are just cooked through and pink; about 2 minutes. Add the rice and peas to the wok and cook, stirring until ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

Season with salt and pepper. Top with parsley and serve. Serves 4 and can be doubled.

Freezing spring vegetables

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Do you have a bonanza of broccoli, a plethora of peas or a bumper crop of broad beans? Freezing is a great way to preserve these spring vegetables, along with asparagus, haricot vert, cauliflower and runner beans. When properly frozen, these vegetables can retain much of their flavor and nutrients.

In a large pan of rapidly boiling water, blanch a handful of vegetables at a time for 2 - 3 minutes. Blanching them will help stop the enzymatic process and keep them from going brown when frozen. Using a slotted spoon, quickly scoop them out of the boiling water and into a large bowl of iced water.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Drain the cooled vegetables well and spread them in a single layer on shallow trays or pans. Place them in the freezer till firm, then remove and quickly pack them in labeled freezer bags. Squeeze any air from the bags before sealing and place them immediately in the freezer.

With this method, your vegetables will not freeze into a solid block and will remain loose so that you can take just what you need from the freezer bag and reseal it. When you’re ready to eat the vegetables, cook them in a large pan of boiling water. Do not steam them, as they tend to go soggy.

Mushroom Barley Soup

This delicious vegetarian soup is so hearty and also easy to prepare. Best of all, it freezes really well so you can make it once, eat some and store the rest for another meal!

·      2 tsp. olive oil
·      1 leek, trimmed to leave 3 in. green, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise, washed well
·      1 c. diced celery
·      8 c. vegetable broth
·      1-1/2 c. each turnip and peeled carrot (1/2” diced)
·      2 tsp. minced garlic
·      ½ tsp. each caraway seeds, dried thyme and black pepper
·      1 bay leaf, broken in half
·      1 c. quick-cooking barley
·      ¾ lb. sliced mushrooms
·      1 14-½ oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
·      4 c. fresh spinach leaves, shredded

In 5 qt. heavy stockpot, heat olive oil. Add leek and celery; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Add broth, turnip, carrot, minced garlic, caraway seeds, thyme, pepper and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Stir in barley; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add mushrooms and tomatoes with their juice; simmer 5 minutes until barley and veggies are tender. Stir in shredded spinach; simmer 1 minute or until spinach is wilted. Remove bay leaf halves.

Half of a batch serves 4; you can freeze the remaining soup in a 2 qt. freezer container for up to 3 months.

Easy Cottage Pie

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This is another go-to recipe for me because it's freezer friendly. I usually make two of these at a time and freeze one to keep on hand for those crazy, busy days when I don't have time to cook. 

Ground Beef Filling

1.5 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 Tbsp. ketchup

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (or to taste)

2 tsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

1 c. cooked vegetables  (any combo of diced carrots, peas, corn, chopped broccoli, lima beans, diced turnips and diced parsnips would work well)

Mashed Potato Topping

4 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

Milk, butter, salt and pepper

½ c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375°. Put water on to boil for potatoes.

Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet until beef is browned. Drain. Add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, basil, oregano, salt and pepper and mix well. Stir in vegetables, remove from heat and fold into a 9” deep-dish pie plate. Place in oven and cook for 20 minutes.

Boil potatoes for 20 minutes or until cooked. Add warm milk, butter, salt and pepper and mash till smooth and creamy. Adjust butter, salt and pepper to taste. Spread mashed potato topping over beef filling and place a few thin slices of butter on top. Sprinkle with cheese and put back in the oven until potatoes are golden in spots and cheese is melted. Slice and serve.

Split Pea Soup

We didn’t have a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner on St. Patrick’s Day this year, but we did have something green—split pea soup! This recipe is great for working moms because it freezes well. I usually double the recipe and freeze half. Also, I usually prepare the stock one day and then make the soup the next day. Do note that in order to make the stock you’ll need a smoked ham bone, so next time you have ham make sure to freeze the leftover bone until you’re ready to make pea soup.

Stock: 

Place one large ham bone in a stockpot or large dutch oven, and add water to the pot so the bone is fully covered plus 2” more. Add two peeled and roughly chopped carrots, one peeled and quartered onion, 1 stalk of celery with leaves, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp. thyme, 1 small pinch of whole cloves and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 3 hours and strain.

Soup: 

Sauté 2/3 c. finely diced celery, 2/3 c. minced onion, ½ c. diced carrots and ½ c. diced turnips in 3 Tbsp. of butter for five minutes. Stir in 3 Tbsp. of flour until mixed through. Blend in 1.5 quarts of hot ham stock and 1.5 cups of split peas. Simmer for one hour, and then add salt and pepper to taste. Puree soup and serve in individual bowls, garnished with croutons. Enjoy! 

 

Banana chocolate chip muffins

With all the heavy snow and ice we've had lately, it's hard to get out to the supermarket. But it isn't always a storm that can cause the pantry shelves to empty out, leaving you scurrying for something to feed your family. Often times, it's just a really busy schedule.

I like to cook ahead and freeze for times like these. These scrumptious banana chocolate chip muffins are a great example. I usually double the recipe, freeze them in a heavy ziplock bag and take them out a few at a time. To eliminate greasing the muffin tins (and to help the environment), use unbleached cupcake liners.

½ c. butter

½ c. brown sugar

¼ c. white sugar

2 eggs

½ tsp. vanilla

3 ripe bananas, mashed

2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ c. chopped nuts

2/3 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in eggs, vanilla and bananas. Blend in flour and baking soda. Stir in chips and nuts. Pour into muffin tins and bake for 30 minutes. Yum!

Sunday Tomato Sauce

There’s nothing like the smell of tomato sauce simmering on the stove to make a home feel a little more like, well, home. Even if you didn’t grow up in an Italian-American household like I did — where food equals love — chances are you adore the aroma of sautéed garlic and onions, savory herbs and plump, juicy tomatoes all the same. It's like old-fashioned aromatherapy, and cooking a large batch of sauce is a time-saver too. This recipe makes about 2½ quarts of sauce plus lots of meat. I usually freeze half of it and get two meals out of the rest!

Ingredients

2 – 28 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes (use good quality tomatoes - I like Cento brand)

2 - 28 oz. cans of tomato puree

1 c. water

2 large bay leaves

2 Tbsp. dried basil

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

1 Tbsp. salt

½ Tbsp. dried marjoram

2 tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. sugar

1 c. olive oil

6 – 8 pork spare ribs

8 hot Italian sausages, sliced

Meatballs made from 1 lb. of ground beef (or beef/veal/pork mix, if you prefer)

1 medium onion, chopped

8 garlic cloves, minced

¼ c. chopped fresh parsley

1 c. red wine

Pour the tomatoes, puree and water into a stockpot, add the next seven ingredients, stir to combine and place stockpot on the stove over low heat. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and lightly brown the spare ribs on all sides. Remove them to paper towels or a brown paper bag to drain, then do the same with the sausages and meatballs. You may have to brown the meatballs in a few batches. Add the meat to the tomato mix.

Pour off the oil and fat from the frying pan, leaving enough to sauté the onions and garlic on medium heat. Sauté for about 3 to 4 minutes till light golden (do not brown). Then, deglaze the pan for 4 to 5 minutes with the red wine till the wine is reduced by half. Add the garlic, onion and wine mixture to the stockpot and stir.

Simmer on low for a minimum of 4 hours, stirring frequently, till the meat on the pork ribs is very tender. Stir in the chopped parsley and let it sit uncovered off the heat for about 15 minutes, while you shred the meat from spareribs and place it back in the sauce, discarding the bones. Adjust the spices to taste and serve over a hearty pasta, such as rigatoni, spaghetti or orecchiette. 


Note: this recipe can be cooked in a crock pot. Reduce the water to ½ cup and cook on low for about 8 hours.