Sautéed Broccoli

When I was in school and living on my own for the first time, for some reason I was really concerned about scurvy. While all the other students lived happily on ramen and frozen pizza, I’d come home and steam broccoli as a snack between classes. Unfortunately, I overdid it on the steamed broccoli, and by senior year, I’d pretty much had it with broccoli in any form.

Now I’m in grad school and on a recent trip to the dining hall with my classmates, I was reminded of how fantastic raw broccoli can be with ranch dressing – though you don’t get much more processed than dining hall ranch dressing.

Since becoming reacquainted with my old green friend, I decided to try the simplest approach of sauteing with butter, salt and lots of freshly ground pepper. It’s so simple, I wasn’t sure if it would really be necessary to post, but it was so enjoyable and for some reason, I hadn’t thought of this method until about three weeks ago. So, I decided to go for it and share with everyone, because that’s the whole point here. Allowing the broccoli to brown a bit in the butter adds a rich layer and the pepper lends a nice robust bite.

Sautéed Broccoli (sometimes the name says it all) - serves 2

2 large heads of broccoli (about 1 lb), chopped
3 T butter
1/4 t sea salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in frying pan over medium high heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the broccoli and lower heat to medium.

Cook, tossing occasionally to brown evenly, about 10 minutes.

Add the third tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper and cook an additional 5 – 10 minutes until the broccoli is tender-crisp and partly browned.

Serve hot.

Twice-Cooked Mashed Potatoes

There are hundreds of ways to make mashed potatoes. Skin on, skin off, simply boiled and mashed, butter added, cream added, garlic added, etc. There are as many variations as their are cooks and deciding which route really depends on your personal preference and what you’re serving it with.

I came by the technique of double-cooking mashed potatoes accidentally when I was re-heating leftovers once. We don’t use a microwave so everything gets reheated traditionally – either on the stove top or in the oven. In doing this, I found that leftover mashed potatoes are fantastic when reheated in the oven.

Whatever fat – butter, cream, sour cream, cream cheese, etc. – that had been added when the potatoes were originally mashed, melts down into the starch, causing the potatoes to become fluffy, the same way pastry dough becomes flaky as the butter or lard melts. I like to use whipped cream cheese because it adds a little tang and it’s easier to blend than regular cream cheese. A few pats of butter added to the top before baking forms a decadent crust.

And I’m thinking nutritionally, this recipe is not all that bad in the grand scheme of things. You’re only injecting anywhere from 65 – 130 calories and 3.5 – 7 grams of fat per serving in addition to the milk, which really, I don’t count as a bad thing at all.

Twice-Cooked Mashed Potatoes - serves 2 – 4

2 lb (6) medium golden potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 T whipped cream cheese
2 T butter
1/3 C milk (2% or higher)
salt to taste

Fill a large stockpot halfway with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, cover and simmer 20 minutes until fork tender.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain in a colander and transfer potatoes to a medium casserole dish. Mash with a potato masher. Stir in milk, cream cheese, 1 tablespoon of the butter and salt. Slice the other tablespoon of butter into thing pats and top the potatoes.

Bake for 30 minutes until a golden crust forms on the top.

Ingredient origins: Potatoes – California, Whipped cream cheese – Vermont; Butter – Maine; Milk – Vermont; Salt – Maine

Classic Meatloaf

Like many children of the 80s, my mother worked full time and cooked every dinner. Although my mother was (and is) an expert at getting home from work at 5 and having a nutritious and interesting dinner on the table by 7, it was decided at one point when I was in elementary school, that my father would make dinner one night per week, in addition to his weekend morning pancake and bacon feasts.

This meatloaf made a regular appearance when my father cooked. Despite our family’s utter lack of interest in anything sports related, my father dubbed it “football” meatloaf because of its free-form shape. What’s great about free-form meatloaf as opposed to meatloaf baked in a loaf pan, is that the air circulates around the whole loaf, preventing it from becoming soggy or saturated in its own fat.

I’ve taken it a step further and devised a drainage system by forming a little dish out of aluminum foil to catch the drippings and placing the “football” on a cooling rack to keep it off of the pan and prevent soggage. Also, I like to buy whole beef and grind it at home to insure that what we’re forming into a loaf is actually “meat” and not the odds and ends of trimmings that often compile ground meat sold in stores. Sirloin works nicely, or even just stew meat.

As common as it is these days to make updated or “grown-up” versions of old classics, the idea makes me cringe sometimes. Why mess with perfection? Sure harissa, truffle oil, sun-dried tomatoes and chipotle peppers have their place. Just not in my meatloaf. Because once you start updating comfort food, it’s no longer comfort food. It then becomes a bizzaro, exaggerated carnival act of what had been a comfort food. And sure you could make a glaze, but free-form meatloaf forms a crust on its own. And it’s not a cake, okay? So just back off.

This recipe is the classic, quintessential meatloaf intended to be served with buttery mashed potatoes and (gasp!) perhaps a bit of ketchup.

No truffle oil (which by the way, is kind of 7 years ago). No garlic. No herbs. Nothing new-agey (not that truffle oil, garlic or herbs are new-agey). Just plain old meatloaf and mash.

Classic Meatloaf – serves 4

2 lb freshly ground beef
1/4 C bread crumbs
2 T tomato paste
1/2 t salt
1/4 C finely diced or grated onion
1 T Worcestershire sauce

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

To create the little dripping catcher, cut foil into a square about 12″x12″. It doesn’t have to be exact. Fold up the edges and fold the corners into themselves to create walls. Place the foil onto a baking sheet and place a cooling rack over the foil.

Using your hands, mix the ground beef with the other ingredients. Form the meat into an oval loaf and place on top of the cooling rack.

Bake for 1 hour or a little longer until it gets to 160 degrees in the center. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving. Serve with buttery mashed potatoes and a green salad.

Ingredient origins: Organic Beef – unknown; Bread crumbs – New Jersey; Tomato paste – California; Salt – Maine; Onion – California; Worcestershire Sauce – California

Vegetarian Lasagna

Making lasagna is like planning a wedding. There are thousands of varying traditions and just as many ways to go about it. Some say location and food are most important, others say music and color scheme. In the end, you just need to decide what’s most important to you.

Some prefer their lasagna with lots of veggies, others like it with beef. I like lasagna to be really saucy and cheesy – stuffed with ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella and basil.

After years of trying various recipes, and never getting the cheesy result that I wanted – always too noodley, too saucy, too vegetabley – I finally decided to set out on my own. Another thing (and then I promise to get off my lasagna recipe roasting soap box) is that every recipe I’ve ever tried calls for either too many or too few lasagna noodles. Too many and you then have to scramble to mix up more ricotta to make a second batch in whatever other baking pan you have lying around. Too few and you end up with a soupy lasagna.

My lasagna uses a count of twelve 12″ lasagna noodles (you’ll end up with a few in the cabinet later, but it’s a small price to pay for a good lasagna). This recipe also uses more ricotta cheese than most, as well as a good amount of Bechemel. The result is that rich, thick lasagna that you’d find in a good Italian-American restaurant. Great for winter when fresh veggies aren’t available, because the sauce can be made with either fresh or canned tomatoes.

Vegetarian Lasagna – serves 12

12 – 12″ lasagna noodles (this length is pretty standard)
3 cups tomato sauce (see recipe below)
3 cups Bechemel sauce (see recipe below)
1 – 32 oz tub of Ricotta Cheese (I prefer full fat over skim which can become chalky)
1/4 C fresh chopped basil
2 eggs
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
2 T olive oil

Start off by make the sauces (instructions below).

While the tomato sauce simmers and the Bechemel gradually thickens over a very low heat, cook the lasagna noodles about 2 minutes less than instructed and be sure to not allow the water to get to a rolling boil. This ensures that the pasta does not over cook and the decorative ruffles stays intact. Drain and rinse.

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, basil and parsley.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Begin the layers by spreading the bottom of a 13×9 inch lasagna pan with half of the Bechemel sauce. Arrange lasagna noodles at the bottom of the pan so that they overlap – 4 per layer. It’s okay if the noodles are a little short. Just center them and they will continue to grow as they cook and absorb more liquid.

Spread one half of the ricotta mixture over the lasagna noodles. Top with half of the tomato sauce. Cover with another layer of lasagna noodles.

Arrange half of the mozzarella slices over the noodles. Cover with the rest of the Bechemel and then ricotta mixture. Top with the last four lasagna noodles.

Finally, cover the top with the rest of the tomato sauce and artfully arrange the rest of the mozzarella slices. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Bake for 45 minutes. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

Bechemel Sauce – makes about  2 1/2 cups

1/4 cup salted butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it bubbles, add flour. Stir over medium heat to form a golden paste. Lower heat and gradually add milk 1/2 cup at a time, whisking each addition until smooth. Keep on very low heat, as you prepare the other lasagna ingredients, whisking occasionally to keep from separating or turning lumpy. Raise heat and whisk to thicken just before assembling the lasagna.

Yankee Cook’s Quick Tomato Sauce – makes about 4 cups

1 T olive oil
1/4 C chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, pressed or smashed and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1/3 C vegetable or chicken stock
1 t sugar

Heat olive oil in a 2 quart saucepan over a medium flame. Add onions and cook until transparent, but not browned. Add garlic and carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, stock until well combined.  Stir in tomatoes. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Ingredient origins – Lasagna Noodles – Italy, Canned organic tomatoes – California; Olive oil – Italy, Organic onion – unknown; Garlic – Chile; Carrot – unknown; Tomato paste – unknown; Vegetable stock – my own; Sugar – Florida; Butter – Maine; Flour – Vermont; Milk – Vermont; Ricotta – Wisconsin; Basil – Massachusetts; Eggs – New Hampshire; Parmesan Cheese – Italy; Mozzarella – Vermont

Yankee Cook’s Chicken Soup

Somehow, whenever I’m feeling under the weather, no matter how tired I may feel, I find myself in the kitchen making this soup. Partly because for me, cooking is a relaxing activity and I hardly notice the effort, but also because I see chicken soup as a valid cold remedy. Honey doesn’t hold a candle to schmaltz in soothing a sore throat.

The thing with using chicken soup as a cold remedy is that not just any chicken soup will do. Opening up a can of chicken soup isn’t going to cut it. It has to be homemade. Simmering fresh vegetables and chicken into a stock creates a deep steep of flavors, fat and chicken essence that will clear the head better than any over the counter decongestant. Boneless, skinless chicken breast isn’t going to cut it either, because the end result misses the beneficial extracts from the chicken’s skin and bones.

I like to use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs to get the benefits of simmered chicken bones, but ease of removal once the stock is complete. I also like to utilize larger, tougher vegetables for the stock and save the smaller, sweeter ones for the soup. The thinner carrots and inner ribs of celery are much sweeter, more tender and make for a better texture in soup. A quick ten minute simmer once the soup is assembled, rapidly braises the vegetables without cooking all of the vitamins away.

Noodles add texture and act as a vehicle for all of the goodness, and along with hearty morsels of chicken and sweet vegetables, you have a what may be the closest thing to a cure for the common cold. Up next, Yankee Cook creates a recipe for world peace…

Chicken Soup -Makes 8 – 10 servings

2 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh
4 celery ribs – two tougher outer ribs and two soft  inner ribs
1 celery heart (the inside of the celery bunch, leaves and all)
4 carrots – 1 large and 2 thin carrots
2.5 quarts water
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
6 sprigs of parsley
1 t sea salt
2 cups fine egg noodles

Begin by making the stock. Loosely chop the two outer celery ribs and the large carrot. Rinse the chicken if desired and place in a large stockpot. Add celery, carrots, three sprigs parsley, salt and water.

Cover and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and adjust the lid so that steam can escape. Simmer for 1. 5 hours.

While the stock simmers, prepare the vegetables for the soup. Peel the two thinner carrots, split lengthwise and cut into 1 inch strips. Split the celery ribs and also cut into 1 inch strips. Remove leaves from the last 3 sprigs of parsley and finely chop.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the thighs from the water to a cutting board to cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile uncover the stock and simmer on medium for an additional 15 minutes. Remove vegetables and discard. Season to taste. Allow to rest off heat for about 5 – 10 minutes to allow the excess fat to rise to the top.

Remove the skin from the cooled chicken thighs and discard. Harvest all meat and loosely chop.

Using a ladle or spoon, remove any excess fat from the top of the stock. Raise heat to medium. Add chicken, noodles and vegetables. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.

Serve hot and feel better.

Ingredient origins: Organic Chicken – unknown; Organic celery – unknown; Organic carrots – California; Onion – unknown; Parsley – Massachusetts; Sea salt – Maine; Egg noodles – Missouri