Searching for culinary shortcuts that do not alter quality is one of my most delicious hobbies. This lasagna from the brilliant folks at Cook’s Illustrated has been passed on to countless friends and family members. I found this dandy back in 2002. They had me at hello with "really good lasagna on the table in under 90 minutes."
Typical feedback usually includes "It is the only lasagna I will make ever again." and "It is so easy and so good."
Before I continue gushing about my lasagna love, I will admit to my adoration of the traditional lasagna process: Make the sauce. Boil the noodles. Determine the fillings. To bechamel or not to bechamel? Mothers teaching their children the family recipe for lasagna.
But the Cook’s Illustrated recipe just appealed to my contemporary, time strapped self. I have always told Marco that lasagna is a labor of love (and Marco LOVES his lasagna). Should I let him in on my little lasagna secret? I am thinking that this may fall under the tofu clause of no harm, no foul.
So for the recipe: Make a meaty sauce enriched with heavy cream. The ricotta filling is classic, no frills. Use good quality tomatoes, mozzarella and Parmesan. My noodles of choice are Barilla, the recipe only uses 12, so you will have leftover. After 45 minutes in the oven and a bit of rest time, you are done. Seriously, could not be easier.
Make sauce: Over medium heat, warm the oil. When hot, add the onion and garlic, cook and stir for about 5 minutes. Add meat, salt and pepper, cook until onions are soft and the meat is just cooked through. Add cream, simmer until all the liquid absorbed, 4 minutes. Add puree and tomatoes. Stir well. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, Mix ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, basil, egg, salt and pepper until evenly blended. (I often add the basil to the sauce because Marco is a purist about his ricotta filling). Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Assemble lasagna: Grease a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Spread 1/4 cup of sauce on bottom of the pan. Lay 3 noodles across pan (see pic above). Drop a generous Tbsp. of ricotta mixture on each noodles and spread out. Top with 1 cup mozzarella, 1 1/2 cups sauce. Repeat this process two more times. Top with last 3 noodles, remaining sauce, remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
Spray foil with cooking spray and cover lasagna. Bake for 15 minutes covered. Take foil off and bake for more 25 until the lasagna is bubbling and cheese is nicely browned.
Remove from oven and let stand at least 10 minutes before serving.
I developed this recipe for Hannaford fresh many moons ago and it has been in our regular meal rotation ever since. I finally remembered to snap its photo for Meatless Monday.
I love the straightfoward simplicity of this recipe. Ingredient-wise, it is uncomplicated. Flavor-wise, it sings with the bright notes of Thai cuisine. Mellow yellow tofu is greatly enhanced by the sour lime and the heat of the chilies. Sweet bell pepper and onion slices mingle with fresh ginger and crunchy peanuts (or cashews). The whole dish is finished with a generous dose of aromatic, peppery basil. My mouth is watering, just writing about it. Quite frankly, this is the dish that made me embrace tofu.
Sweet and Sour Spicy Thai Stir Fry
Be sure to really press the water out of the tofu, this not only helps it to crisp up in the pan, but also helps it to absorb the flavors of the piquant sauce.
1 cup jasmine rice
1 2/3 cups water
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup Thai fish sauce (or soy sauce)
2 Tbsp canola oil, divided
1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained, patted dry, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 Tbsp.chili garlic sauce, more to taste
1 Tbsp. grated ginger
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
2/3 cup roasted peanuts (or cashews)
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
Add rice to a medium saucepan, rinse, and drain, keeping rice in pan. Add water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Stir well. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for exactly 10 minutes, then remove from heat. Do not remove lid. Set aside.
While rice is cooking, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce in a small bowl. Set aside. In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add tofu and cook until it’s lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer tofu to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
In same pan, add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil. When hot, add chili garlic sauce and ginger. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add vegetables. Cook and stir for about 3 minutes.
Re-whisk sauce. Add sauce, peanuts and tofu to the vegetables. Bring sauce to a simmer and heat the tofu through, about 3 minutes. Add basil to the stir fry and stir well to combine. Remove lid from rice and fluff with a fork. Divide rice and tofu among four plates. Serve immediately.
This past weekend Dive! Living Off America’s Trash was featured at the Boulder International Film Festival. Jeremy Seifert is my new Michael Pollan, Morgan Spurlock and Chef Ann Cooper in that he brings to our attention - for lack of a better term, an inconvenient truth: We waste too much food in this country, not just in our homes, but at the grocery store. It’s the food we don’t purchase that gets wasted.
My cousin introduced me to the concept of dumpster diving years ago. I was aghast but have come to find that he has never been sickened by the food that he has retrieved from grocery store dumpsters. Certainly if you google dumpster diving, there is an abundance of advice and information on Wikihow, Wikipedia, and Youtube. Olivia Zaleski wrote a great piece about dumpster diving on the Huffington Post. But Seifert didn’t just set out alarm folks. He really was wondering if perhaps there is a better way to distribute food that is no logner deemed safe to sell.
In San Francisco, Mary Risley, founder of the Tante Marie Cooking School felt the same way. Many years ago she founded Food Runners. She knew that you can’t put the onus on food banks to not only distribute but also pick up food from all over a bustling city. Food Runners’ mission is simple: "To help alleviate hunger in San Francisco, to help prevent waste and to help create community." With a band of volunteers, unwanted food is just a phone call away from being picked up and delivered to an organization that can distribute it to those in need. While the mission is simple, the logistics are not.
Do you have an organization like this in your community? Tell us about it. If you want to see Seifert’s movie, his website has viewing times. The video below is the trailer for Dive!
We have found a new favorite "anytime" cake chez Shafroth. I still love the Aspen Apple Cake but this recipe takes apple cake to another level. I found the recipe on Cook’s Country. They called it "Blue Ribbon Apple Cake" but I think upside down is a better descriptor.
Not all the recipes on Cook’s Country are stellar but this one caught my eye and has now won my heart. The sliced apples on top are reminiscent of homemade applesauce and the light batter below is the perfect compliment.
Apple Preparation
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices
(an apple peeler is perfect for this)
4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
Heat a heavy pan (not cast iron) and add the butter. Once the butter stops foaming, add the brown sugar and cook until it turns a dark color, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the apples and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the apples are soft.
Meanwhile, prepare a 9-inch cake pan by buttering the sides and the bottom. I think a springform pan works best. Once the apple are cooked, spread into the bottom of the cake pan and allow to cool.
Cake Batter
1/2 cup sour cream (or creme fraiche), divided
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour, sifted
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 stick of butter, at room temerature and cut into small chunks
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together 1/4 cup of sour cream, egg and egg yolk and vanilla. Set aside. Place dry ingredients into a large bowl and blend well on low speed with an electric mixer, adding the remaining 1/4 cup of sour cream and softened butter.
Once that is well incorporated and the dry ingredients are moistened, increase the speed to medium and add the egg/sour cream mixture. Mix for about 1 minute. Pour over the apples and spread evenly.
Bake for 40 minutes. Test for doness with a toothpick. It should come out clean when inserted in the center of the cake. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and gently release the springform. Invert the cake onto a plate.
Allow the cake to rest inverted on the plate for about a minute. Give it a gentle tap and carefully remove the pan bottom. If some of the apple comes off, it is easily replaced. This cake is best served slightly warm, but I also loved it the next day for breakfast.
This post could also be entitled "True Confessions of a Recipe Tester." Here’s the story: Marion is a very skilled soup maker who lives in NY State; she is also a Hannaford customer and two of her recipes were featured in the January/February issue of Hannaford fresh. Her recipes came through my kitchen last summer for basic testing.
As I read through the recipes, a few culinary red flags went off. What - no olive oil? no saute? Seasoning salt is the only seasoning? No broth, only water? Hmmm…What will I do with all the leftover soup?
Well, I tip my chef’s hat to Marion. This recipe, chock full of veggies, bright with tomatoes and studded with toothsome barley, has been made three times this winter. We have enjoyed this soup in the straight vegetarian version and with pulled rotisserie chicken meat. Slices of pre-cooked chicken sausage also worked great
Everyone who has tasted this soup agrees with my evaluation. This recipe is a winner, seasoning salt and all. Marco is especially fond of this soup. As he accents his bowl with way too much grated Parmesan, he likes to exclaim "See I do eat vegetables!" I like to portion it out for quick lunches from the freezer. I might add that this soup is very budget-friendly. Skip the take-out soup and brown bag it!
Scroll all the way to the end of this post for a slow cooker preparation.
1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
2 tomato cans of water (about 7 cups)
1 tsp. seasoning salt, more to taste
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
4 small onions, peeled and finely chopped
6 celery stalks, finely chopped
3 large carrots, peeled, halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick
2/3 cup barley (rinsed and picked over for stones)
1 (16-oz.) pkg. frozen mixed vegetables
12-oz cooked chicken, cooked ground beef or fully cooked chicken sausage (optional)
good quality extra-virgin olive oil (optional for drizzling on finished soup)
In a large stockpot, combine tomatoes, water, seasoning salt, onions, celery, carrots, and barley. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir well and reduce heat to low. Simmer covered, for about 1 hour. Vegetables should be tender.
Add frozen mixed vegetables, increase heat to medium, and simmer until frozen vegetables are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
The soup is ready to be served at this point. If desired, add the cooked meat or poultry. This soup is thick. Thin with a little water if desired. Serve hot. For extra flavor, drizzle a very small amount of fragrant olive oil over the soup.
Cook’s Note: This recipe could easily be adapted for your slow cooker. Layer the carrots, onions and celery into the slow cooker. Sprinkle the barley and seasoning salt over the veggies. Add the tomatoes and 6 cups of water. Do not stir. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours. Thaw the frozen veggies on a plate on the counter while the soup cooks. To finish the soup, stir in the thawed vegetables and meat if using. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until veggies are tender and meat is warmed through. Add additional water if needed to thin out the soup. Adjust seasonings.
I whipped up this pie for a pot luck party and I did not bring home any leftovers. Creamy, sweet with white chocolate and kissed with vanilla, this pie is a winner. Dorie Greenspan featured this recipe on her blog back in November and I filed it away to try. Canned sour cherries took the place of the bananas with much success, their tart bite offset by the dreamy filling.
4 oz. white chocolate (preferably imported), finely chopped
1/2 lb. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream, chilled
1 banana, thinly sliced (or 1 cup of drained canned cheeries)
1 (9-inch) ready-made chocolate cookie crust (or homemade)
1. Warm the chocolate in a bowl set over a pot of lightly simmering water. Remove from heat when only partially melted; stir to melt completely.
2. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Beat in the chocolate, then the sour cream. Whip the heavy cream until firm; gently fold into chocolate filling.
3. Put the banana slices on the crust, top with the filling, and chill at least 2 hours. If you’d like, sprinkle with grated dark chocolate before serving.
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