Pizza Rustica

i am making a pizza rustica to bring to my parents house for easter. it's not the traditional way i make pizza rustica. many websites say to use spinach, one said to use swiss chard. so i'd give it a try!

Pizza Rustica (crustless)
2 pounds Swiss chard, washed well, stems removed and sliced thin leaves chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 large eggs, beaten
15- to 16-ounce container whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 large red bell peppers, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup locatelli romano cheese, grated
1 lb prosciutto, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 lb provolone cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

saute the swiss chard in olive oil for about 15-20 min covered - remove.
in the remaining oil from the swiss chard, saute the peppers for about 15 min then put the garlic in for 5 additional min.

grease a 9 inch ramekin.
mix all ingredients and bake for 1 - 1.5 hours.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Asparagus Soup

i made asparagus soup. this is my recipe. 2 lbs asparagus 4 leeks cut lengthwise and chopped. Remember to rinse the leeks well at least 4 times to remove the sand 1 onion chopped and quartered 3 cloves garlic quartered 32 oz chicken broth ½ stick butter Salt and pepper ½ pint light cream Melt the butter. Sauté the vegetables for ½ hour. Turn up the flame to low/medium, add the chicken broth and cook for an additional ½ hour. Then turn off flame and insert an immersion blender and blend until pureed. Turn on the flame to low and add in the light cream. Cook for about 10 min or until the soup is thickened. Add parmesan cheese.

Tilapia with lemon, butter, garlic and parsley

i've never made this before.

2 fillets tilapia
1/2 lemon (1/4 inch thick)
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt and pepper

mix everything together in parchment paper and fold like an envelope.  bake at 375F for 20 min. or until it's done.

Asparagus Gruyere Tart

this afternoon i made an asparagus gruyere tart.  the puff pastry was made by me from scratch.  the recipes for the puff pastry and asparagus gruyere tart follows.

i made this appetizer to bring to my parents house for palm sunday.  mike and i are going to have good italian cooking tomorrow.

http://www.marthastewart.com/318340/asparagus-gruyere-tart

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Quick-Puff-Pastry-104667

Pad See Ew

tonight's meal was Thai again.

Pad See Ew

• 1 lb beef thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 4 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 10 ounces flat rice noodles
• 2 cups broccoli florets, sliced
• 2 large eggs scrambled
• 2 tablespoons mild/sweet/sweet soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp thai peanut sauce
• 1 tsp sambal oelek
• 1 tsp sriracha sauce 
• chopped scallions

In a medium-sized bowl, toss the beef with 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and the baking soda.

In a second medium-sized bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, 4 teaspoons soy sauce, sesame oil, peanut sauce, sambal oelek, sriracha, rice vinegar, and garlic clove.

Add the rice noodles and cook according to the directions on the packaging. bring the noodles to a boil, turn off and let stand for 10 min.  When done, remove noodles with a pair of tongs and drain in a colander. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil so the noodles don't stick together.

meanwhile:

sear/cook the beef in a separate skillet .  set aside.

steam the broccoli.  set aside.

scramble the eggs.  set aside.

mix the noodles again in a pot (on a low flame) and quickly add 2 tbsp mild/dark/sweet soy sauce and 1 tbsp olive oil. (mild/sweet soy sauce will "brown" the noodles) cook it for about 5 min stirring constantly.  put in the rest of the ingredients except the scallions.

serve and top the dish with some scallions.

Baked Meatloaf

we had meatloaf  for dinner last night accompanied by good friends.

Baked Meatloaf

Preheat oven to 325°F

2½ lbs ground beef (80% = 20% lean)
medium onion minced
1 - 2 garlic cloves minced
½ tbsp Turkish spice (Penzey's®)
½ tbsp Chili 3000 spice (Penney's®)
½ tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 eggs
½ cup veal stock
about ½ - 1 cup seasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
salt and pepper
 
mix all ingredients together and bake at 325°F oven for about 45 min - 1 hour.
accompanied by Parmesan mashed potatoes with parsley. :-)

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Garlic, and Shallots

i haven't has brussels sprouts in months.  i made this simple and quick recipe this evening.  i made it as a compliment to cheese & parsley Sausage (thin sausage).  mike doesn't like brussels sprouts so i made him carrots with butter, onions and olive oil.

• 6 slices center-cut bacon, chopped (i used 4 slices)
• 1/2 cup sliced shallot (about 1 large)  (i used red onion)
• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (i used 1/2 lb)
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced  (i used 2 garlic cloves)

• 3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth (i used veal stock 1/3 cup)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon, and sauté for 5 minutes or until bacon begins to brown. Remove pan from heat. Remove the bacon from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in pan (discard the remaining drippings).
2. Return pan to medium-high heat, and stir in bacon, shallot, and Brussels sprouts; sauté 4 minutes. Add garlic, and saute for 4 minutes or until garlic begins to brown, stirring frequently. Add the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes or until the broth mostly evaporates and the sprouts are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in salt and pepper.
 http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/brussels-sprouts-bacon-50400000116749/print/

Carrots with butter, onions and olive oil

my mothers recipe which mike like a whole lot.

1 lb carrots (cut the carrots 1/2 inch on the bias)
l tbsp butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion
salt and pepper to taste

saute the onion, olive oil and butter until the onions become opaque.  put in the carrots and saute covered about 10 min turning about one time on a low/medium flame.

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

i took a box of Duncan Hinds® Velvet Cake Mix and incorporated Martha Stewart® Vanilla Butter cream Filling to make the cookies.  i did not use Duncan Hines® Creamy Home-Style Classic Vanilla Frosting.

for the cookies:

• 1 box Duncan Hines® Red Velvet Cake Mix
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter

1. Melt butter; set aside to cool. Place cake mix, egg, cooled butter and vanilla in large mixing bowl. Mix by hand until well blended and dough is formed.

2. Form dough into a smooth 12-inch log on wax paper or parchment making sure it is even in thickness end to end. Wrap in wax paper; seal in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease baking sheets. Unwrap dough log and set on wax paper. Using a sharp knife, cut into 48 slices about 1/4- inch thick. Place on cool baking sheets about 2 inches apart.

4. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in center of oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

5. Spread frosting on half the cookies. Top each frosted cookie with another cookie. Gently press together.

 for the butter cream:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, and beat in confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, scraping down side of bowl as necessary, until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla, and beat until smooth.