Recipes

Ingredients
1 large onion, cut in half and sliced into thin half moons
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
16 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 pounds leftover roast beef, sliced and cut into ¹⁄₂-inch thick strips (I used leftovers from an Eye Round Roast.)
1 envelop Lipton’s onion soup mix
1 cup water
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cups frozen peas
12 ounces egg noodles, cooked as instructed on packaging

Instructions
1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and sauté until softened.  Add mushrooms and cook until just starting to release their liquid.  Add the beef, onion soup mix, and water and stir to combine. 

2. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to a thick gravy.  (If the liquid is reducing too quickly, add more water.  If the liquid isn’t reducing enough, remove the lid and increase the heat.) 

3. Remove skillet from heat and stir in sour cream and mustard until well combined.  Add peas and stir until peas are warm.  Stir in egg noodles and serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from one of my childhood best friends who I was fortunate enough to find through the magic of Facebook.  Knowing that I love stroganoff, he passed this on to me to try.  I’ve never had peas in stroganoff before and what a great addition they were!  I did find that 1 cup of water was a bit too much, so I might reduce it to ¹⁄₂ cup next time to see how things go.  There definitely will be a next time, since this was a fantastic way to use up some leftover roast beef.  Thanks Dave!

Person - Dave Schramm

Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced (I used ¹⁄₂ teaspoon dried since I can’t find fresh thyme these days.)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
2 cups salt (I used kosher.)
4 strip steaks, rib-eye steaks, or tenderloin steaks, 1 to 2 inches thick, trimmed well

Instructions
1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375*F. Mix butter, thyme, mustard, ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper in bowl and refrigerate.

2. Spread 2 cups salt over bottom of 3-inch deep disposable aluminum pan. Pat steaks dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and transfer to wire rack. Set rack over aluminum pan and transfer to lower-middle oven rack. Cook 6 to 10 minutes, then remove pan from oven. (1 inch - 6 minutes, 1 ¹⁄₂ inches - 8 minutes, 2 inches - 10 minutes.) Flip steaks, pat dry with paper towels, and let rest 10 minutes.

3. Heat broiler. Transfer pan to upper-middle oven rack and broil steaks, flipping every 2-4 minutes, until meat registers 125-130*F (for medium-rare), 6 to 16 minutes. (1 inch - turn steaks every 2 minutes, 1 ¹⁄₂ inches - turn steaks every 3 minutes, 2 inches - turn steaks ever 4 minutes.) Transfer steaks to platter, top with reserved butter mixture, and tent with foil. Let rest 5 minutes. Serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2007 Cook’s Country Annual and falls into the category of “I’ll follow it exactly because those ATK people know what they’re talking about even if it seems weird.”  The logic of the disposable pan is that it gets the steaks closer to the broiler which is better.  I believe that the salt is there to catch drippings and keep the moisture down. 

I used 2 inch thick tenderloin steaks (filet mignon) since that’s what was on sale at the butcher this week and they were delicious.  I do think that 2 cups of salt was overkill and wasteful, so I’ll probably try it with just 1 cup next time. And I will be using this method in the future since it was very easy.  My steaks only took 8 minutes total for the broiling, so make sure to check yours between every turn, just to make sure you’re not overcooking them. 

The compound butter was great and it would be extremely easy to modify for different flavors.  I look forward to trying this with other cuts in the future. 

Shown here with Gratineed Gnocchi with Spinach and Ricotta.

Cook’s Country 2007

Ingredients
1 teaspoon paprika
¹⁄₂ teaspoon ground cumin
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon saffron threads
¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 clove garlic, minced
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup orzo
¹⁄₄ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions
1. Combine paprika, cumin, salt, saffron, cinnamon and garlic in a medium bowl.  Add chicken and stir to coat.  Set aside.  (If you only have whole cumin, feel free to combine the first 5 ingredients with a peeled garlic clove in a mini chopper and just grind/mince everything up together.) 

2.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion; sauté 4 minutes.  Add chicken mixture and cook 5-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Add broth, reduce heat to medium and cook 5 minutes. 

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil and cook orzo for 1 minute less than instructed by package directions.  Drain. 

4. Add orzo and cilantro to skillet.  Stir to combine and serve. 

Comments
This is a tasty recipe from the 1996 Cooking Light Annual.  It was extremely simple to pull together and extremely flavorful.  Art and Lance both had seconds!  Do make sure that you undercook the pasta slightly since it will continue to cook once added to the chicken mixture.  It was determined that chickpeas would be a great addition to this dish – either in addition to the chicken or instead of it.

Cooking Light 1996

Ingredients
8 no-boil flat lasagna noodles (I use Barilla.)
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 ¹⁄₂ cups Parmesan cheese, grated
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¹⁄₂ cup fresh basil, chopped
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475*F. Place noodles and hot tap water to cover in 2-quart microwave-safe casserole dish. Microwave until noodles are softened, 3 to 6 minutes. Discard water and dry dish. Dry noodles on clean kitchen towel.  (My microwave is weak, so I used the longest times for everything.)

2. Meanwhile, combine ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1 cup Parmesan, egg, ¹⁄₄ cup basil, and salt in bowl. Combine tomatoes, oil, garlic, and remaining basil in medium bowl. Spread half of tomato mixture in casserole. With short side facing you, dollop ¹⁄₄ cup cheese mixture on each noodle, roll, and arrange seam-side down in casserole. Pour remaining tomato mixture over roll-ups.

3. Wrap dish tightly with plastic wrap, poke holes in plastic, and microwave on high until roll-ups are tender and heated through, 6 to 10 minutes. Remove plastic and sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan over roll-ups. Bake until cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 5-10 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Serve. 

Comments
I’ll admit, I picked this recipe out of the 2007 Cook’s Country Annual based solely on the picture.  Then I read the recipe, saw the microwave stuff, and almost unpicked it.  But I decided to have faith in the ATK folks and give it a go anyway, knowing that there were lots of leftovers in the fridge in case the dish should fail. 

I dished up our plates when the roll-ups were finished cooking and passed them out to the guys.  It looked pretty soupy and I wasn’t at all sure that it would taste good.  I warned them that dinner probably wouldn’t be very good. 

And, much to my surprise, we all enjoyed it!  The pasta was al dente!  The sauce was flavorful, the filling was great, it all came together nicely.  I was shocked!  The only complaint was Lance’s and that was due to the meat content which was severely lacking.  And which would be easy to rectify by adding meat to the sauce. 

So thanks, ATK, for proving my fears unfounded!  Even if it does look like a soupy mess.

Cook’s Country 2007

Ingredients
¹⁄₂ cup heavy cream
¹⁄₂ cup prepared horseradish (Found in the refrigerator aisle.)
1 teaspoon table salt
¹⁄₈ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions
1. In a medium bowl, or mixing bowl fitted with a whisk, whisk cream until thickened but not yet holding soft peaks, about 1 to 2 minutes.  Gently fold in horseradish, salt, and pepper.  Transfer to serving bowl and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour before serving. 

Comments
This recipe came from Cook’s Illustrated and was suggested as an accompaniment for the Slow-Roasted Eye Round Roast Beef.  It’s fantastic and very potent!  The cream does tame the horseradish enough  to make it highly enjoyable. 

Be aware that you do need to use actual cream for this recipe.  I often swap out half and half for heavy cream but this will not work in recipes that require whipping.  Sadly I remembered this key fact after grocery shopping, but at least I remembered it before cooking!

Shown here with Eye Round Roast and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Cook’s Illustrated

Ingredients
3 pounds red or Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
4 cloves garlic, sliced (You’re aiming for pieces that are large enough not to escape your colander/sieve.)
Kosher salt
1 ¹⁄₂ cups half and half
1 stick (¹⁄₂ cup) butter, chilled cut into 9 pats

Instructions
1. Place the potatoes and garlic in a large pot.  Cover with 1 to 2 inches of cold water and season liberally with salt.  (The water should taste like sea water – taste it to be sure.  I used about 2 tablespoons of kosher salt.) 

2. Bring the water to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Drain the potatoes and garlic and return to pot.  Mash to desired consistency. 

3. Meanwhile, bring the half and half to a boil in a small saucepan.  Once boiling, remove from heat. 

4. While the potatoes are still hot, add ¹⁄₃ of the half and half and butter and stir into the potatoes.  Repeat this 2 more times until all of the half and half and butter have been incorporated.  Taste for seasoning and add salt, if needed. 

Comments
This was one of the first recipes I say Anne Burrell prepare and I thought it looked delicious.  But then I sort of forgot about it until a friend suggested that I make garlic mashed potatoes for Game Day.  I’m more likely to err on the side of under-salting things, but the salt is very important in this recipe.  If you neglect to salt the water well, it will be very hard to add that flavor later. 

And, wow, these are some of the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had.  The well-salted water made a significant difference to the end product!  Everyone else was pleased with the potatoes as evidenced by the rapidity with which they were devoured.  I was sad to have no leftovers, so I’ll definitely double this next time. 

I did find the potatoes to be a bit wetter than I would want them to be, so I’ll reduce the half and half to 1 cup next time and see how that works. 

Shown here with Eye Round Roast and Horseradish Cream Sauce.

Internet - Anne Burrell

Ingredients
12 ounces center-cut bacon, cut into small pieces
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups sour cream
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup green onion, sliced into small rounds

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400*F. 

2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp.  Drain well.  Combine all ingredients in a 2-quart casserole dish.  Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes or until hot.  (Can also be baked in a hollowed sourdough loaf.) 

Comments
I was looking for an appetizer idea when I ran across this post in the Noble Pig blog.  What a great name for a blog!  The recipe looked great and similar to another cream cheese dip I’ve made in the past, so I decided to try it out.  I served this with sliced sourdough baguettes and thought it paired well with the flavor of the bread.  Crackers, other breads, and some veggies would also work well. 

Since there was a little dip leftover, I had it cold the next day and decided that I actually prefer it cold.  But it’s delicious either way.

Internet - Noble Pig

Ingredients
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
¹⁄₂ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
¹⁄₄ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add pasta, and cook as directed on the packaging.  Return to pot. 

2. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp.  Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels.  Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the skillet.  Add onion and cook until softened.  Add garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant.  Add tomatoes and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. 

3. Add tomato sauce, bacon and parsley to the pasta and toss to combine.  Season with salt and pepper and serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2007 Cook’s Country Annual and I thought it would be like Amatriciana.  While it was tasty, it wasn’t really like Amatriciana at all.  The pasta was flavorful and very simple.

Cook’s Country 2007

Ingredients
¹⁄₄ cup pine nuts
¹⁄₂ cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
8 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons pesto
¹⁄₂ cup white wine, divided
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
¹⁄₂ cup ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
16-20 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
¹⁄₂ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350*F. 

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and toast pine nuts until fragrant, stirring often.  Remove pine nuts from skillet and mix in medium bowl with sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts. 

3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.  Add chicken to the skillet and cook until done.  Remove to a bowl and stir in pesto and ¹⁄₄ cup wine. 

4. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.  Place mushrooms in the skillet and cook until browned.  Add garlic, rosemary, and ¹⁄₄ cup wine.  Cook until liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat, stir in ricotta and set aside. 

5. Gently lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a large baking sheet.  Using a pastry brush, spread melted butter over the sheet.  Repeat with 3 to 4 sheets of phyllo, brushing butter between each sheet.  Spread the pesto chicken so that it covers the dough completely. 

6. Layer another 4 to 5 sheets of phyllo and melted butter.  Spread the mushroom mixture over the dough.  Layer 4 to 5 more sheets of phyllo and melted butter.  Top with pine nut mixture. 

7. Top with remaining 4 to 5 sheets of phyllo and butter.  Brush butter over the top sheet for better browning.  Bake for 20 minutes, then lower heat to 300*F and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until top is golden brown. 

8. Meanwhile place tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and honey in a small saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, over low heat until the tomatoes break apart and reduce to half their normal size.  The sauce will be ready after 10 minutes, but you can reduce it longer to the thickness and richness you desire.  (I reduced mine quite a bit as you can see in the picture.) 

9. To serve, cut phyllo bake into pieces and top with tomato sauce. 

Note: When working with phyllo dough, cover the unused sheets with a damp, clean kitchen towel to prevent them drying out. 

Comments
I wish I knew where this recipe was from originally since I’d love to credit the person who came up with the original concept! It’s sort of like lasagna with phyllo dough instead of pasta sheets.  I get my phyllo dough in boxes of 18 sheets and this recipe nicely uses an entire box.  (I have a thing about recipes that don’t use entire boxes/containers of things.  They bother me.) 

This recipe is fantastic; the flavors are all phenomenal and work great together.  The dish combines a lot of Art’s favorite ingredients, which is a big bonus.  Do try to make sure that the fillings between the layers extend all the way to the edges of the dough so the edge pieces are just as nice as the middle pieces.

Unknown

Ingredients
2 cups basmati rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
3 cups water
³⁄₄ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon

Instructions
1. Using plenty of running water, rinse rice until the water runs clear. 

2. Place oil and butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  When the butter melts, add the mustard seeds and cook 2 minutes or until the seeds begin to pop.  Add the rice and stir until well coated.  Add water, salt and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.  Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes. 

3. Stir in cilantro, zest and juice.  Serve. 

Comments
Rice is a favorite and it’s always great to find new ways to prepare it.  I found this recipe in the 2009 Cooking Light Annual, made a few tweaks, and we loved it.  It was citrusy and lovely. 

Shown here with Bistro Roast Chicken.

Cooking Light 2009