Lasagna with Smoked Ham and Cabbage

Recipe: Lasagna with Smoked Ham and Cabbage
Page: 136
Date Cooked: April 18, 2011

I love the taste of fresh pasta and try to get it whenever I can. I have however, been intimidated to make it. Quite possibly the reason why it took till recipe #29 to do so. If I wasn't a firm fresh pasta believer before, I most definitely am now!

Ingredients: Spinach, basil, egg yolks, flour, salt, onions, garlic, shallots, red bell peppers, olive oil, pepper, napa cabbage, ginger, ham, butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and mozzarella cheese

Like I previously mentioned, I have never made pasta on my own. Luckily, I was surprised to discover it wasn't as difficult as I assumed. First the spinach was blanched and then completely cooled. The spinach, basil, and egg yolks were all pureed together. Then the flour and salt were added and pulsed together till a ball of dough formed. The dough was kneaded on a floured surface and then set aside to rest for a bit. Since I didn't have a pasta machine (which the instructions call to use), I rolled out the dough to my best ability with a rolling pin. And I think it did the trick!

1. Dough in food processor 2. Kneading on floured surface 3. Rolled out dough

The rolled out dough was then cut into sheets and cooking in boiling water. Once tender they were removed and immersed in cold water to halt the cooking process.

Cooked spinach and basil lasagna sheets

With the pasta done, it was on to the hard part: the filling! Now this recipe is for 8 main course servings and consequently there was a lot of ingredients and a lot of chopping. The onions, garlic, and shallots were thinly sliced. The peppers were stemmed, seeded, and chopped. The ginger was peeled and minced. And finally the cabbage was shredded and ham was sliced into thin strips. *Whew* *Thanks Nathan*

The onions, garlic, and shallots were cooked together until tender. Then the peppers were added to the mix.

Sauteed onions, garlic, shallots, and peppers

The pot was removed from the heat. The cabbage, ginger, and ham were added to the onion mixture. The filling was then salted and peppered.

Smoked ham and cabbage filling

With the pasta and filling ready it was time to layer. A baking pan was buttered and sprinkled with some grated Parmesan cheese. The layers went as follows: noodles --> 1/3 cabbage mixture --> butter --> Parmesan cheese --> 1/3 mozzarella --> and repeat.  The finishing layer of noodles was sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

Layers of lasagna

The pan was placed in the oven until the lasagna was golden brown and bubbly.

Lasagna with Smoked Ham and Cabbage

I realize that you may have read this entry screaming at the screen and asking any or all of the following:

• "Ham and cabbage?!?"
• "Where is the tomato?!?!"
• "Where is the ricotta?!?!?"
• "What kind of lasagna is this?!?!?"

My response to you is

• Yes. 
• Not there. 
• Not there. 
• And the amazing kind of lasagna. 

Seriously, I never imagined lasagna would taste soo multi-dimensional. It was different and surprising - but all in a gloriously good way. The filling was phenomenal. I could have just eaten spoons of that. The ginger was also a nice surprise and worked well with the cabbage and ham. It felt fresh and surprisingly light (especially considering the butter, Parmesan, and mozzarella). I would eat and make this again in a heart beat. Oh and the lasagna noodles were perfection - cooked wonderfully and tasted delicious.

Not only am I definitely a fresh pasta convert, but I'm a lasagna convert too!

Enjoy!

Pulled Beef and BBQ Sauce Sandwich

Recipe: Pulled Beef and BBQ Sauce Sandwich
Page: 109
Date Cooked: April 14, 2011

I've said it before and I'll say it again: slow cooking/braising = rich and tender meat! That is the punchline to this recipe. In terms of days for preparation and waiting among the recipes I have done thus far, the Pulled Beef and BBQ Sandwich, is in first place.

Ingredients: Onions, garlic, Anaheim chiles, beef chuck, salt, pepper, olive oil, lager, parsley, sweet onion, San Marzano plum tomatoes, cilantro, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and potato buns (not shown)

This recipe took a little bit of planning, especially when I realized that "the beef should be made 1 to 2 days ahead, covered, and refrigerated." So in order to get that beef all ready, I had to prepare the ingredients for the braise:

1. Chopped onions 2. Stemmed, seeded, and chopped chiles 3. Minced garlic

Luckily for me, I got my butcher to chop the chuck into 2" chunks. Accordingly, I seasoned the beef with salt and pepper and seared it on all sides in a Dutch oven with some hot olive oil.

Searing the beef

The seared meat was removed from the Dutch oven and set aside. The onions, garlic, and chiles were added to the casserole and sauteed. Then the beer (I used a PA beer, Stoudts) was added to the onion mixture. The beef was place back in the dish, along with the parsley and some water. Finally, the lid was placed on top and the meat simmered for 7 hours.

Beef with its braising liquid

After the 7 hours passed, I removed the beef from the mixture and shred it with two forks. It was then covered and refrigerated for 2 days. I also reserved some of the braising liquid for later.

Pulled beef

Now that the pulled beef part of the recipe was taken care, it was on to the BBQ sauce part. I have interesting mishap, well not exactly a mishap, concerning the BBQ sauce (it all got sorted out). The day I was going to serve the sandwiches is the day I created the BBQ sauce. I initially placed only the chopped sweet onion, tomatoes, Worcestershire, and Tabasco into the blender - thinking this is all I needed for the sauce. I loved this mixture. It was on the spicy side, but I like when my BBQ sauce has some kick to it.

However, a few minutes later, I re-read the directions and realized I also needed to add the reserved cooking  liquid and cilantro to this blended mixture. I did that and thought the BBQ sauce still tasted good. But it tasted more like salsa, a spicy salsa, but a salsa nonetheless.

BBQ Sauce

Finally, it was time to combine the two items and make the sandwich. The potato buns were toasted. The bun bottom was topped with the beef and then some of the sauce.

Pulled Beef and BBQ Sauce Sandwich

The first bite of the sandwich fell a little flat. Me and my guests were all trying to figure out what was missing and then a suggestion was made: Salt! So for our second sandwich helpings (it was definitely still good enough for seconds) we added salt to the beef and then proceeded to make our sandwiches. This was definitely the trick! You could taste all the flavor and everything came together quite nicely. However, we were all in agreement, though the BBQ sauce was good, it still felt like salsa.

All in all, I would make it again. And it is relatively little work, other than setting aside the 7 hours to allow it to braise. But it's a great item for a BBQ. I would however consider sticking to my mishap BBQ sauce. It was really good...maybe I'm on to something!

Enjoy!

Late-Autumn Vegetable Casserole

Recipe: Late-Autumn Vegetable Casserole
Page: 247
Date Cooked: April 4, 2011

The great part of cooking in today's world is that you don't necessarily have to wait for a specific season to arrive in order to eat your favorite assortment of vegetables. And though it is technically spring, here in Central PA we are still getting glimpses of winter and this casserole seemed to fit the weather the perfectly.

Ingredients: Butternut squash, olive oil, salt, pepper, white button mushrooms, onion, garlic, leeks, celery root, rosemary, thyme, chives, San Marzano plum tomatoes, fresh bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese

The first task was to roast the squash. It was rubbed down with some butter and seasoned with salt and pepper and placed in the oven to do its thing. In the meantime the following was accomplished: Chopped onions and mushrooms; Smashed garlic; Chopped leeks, celery root, tomatoes, and herbs. I had never used celery root before this recipe and found the peeling process to be quite tedious. The surface isn't smooth at all and proved to be quite difficult.

From Left to Right: Squash before roasting; Chopped mushrooms; Chopped onion

From Left to Right: Smashed garlic; Chopped leeks; Chopped celery root

In a Dutch oven with some hot olive oil, (1) the onions, garlic, leeks, and celery root are all cooked together. After the vegetable appear tender, (2) the mushroom is added and cooked for a minutes as well. The (3) roasted squash is then added to the vegetables. Finally, (4) the tomatoes, herbs, and some salt and pepper to taste join the Dutch oven.

Vegetable cooking process - Panel goes with steps listed in previous paragraph

Finally, the casserole is sprinkling with bread crumbs and grated Parmesan and is baked until golden brown.

Late-Autumn Vegetable Casserole

This casserole smelled like Thanksgiving! And it was delicious! None of the vegetables were overcooked (so yay Jonathan Waxman recipe directions) and each of them provided a great textural contrast. I also really enjoyed the celery root - it was quite yummy. I'm not sure what else I can say about this casserole, other than the fact that this will be on my table this Thanksgiving for all to consume!

Enjoy!