Light-as-air gnocchi

I like gnocchi, but EJ has had some less-than-awesome experiences. I had heard that they’re pretty easy to make, and I tried it once, with bad results. The taste was all right, but the gnocchi were heavy and doughy when they should have been light and airy. After that day I stayed away from gnocchi for a bit, until one day I ordered them in a restaurant in Chapel Hill and was reminded of how wonderfully delicious a properly made gnocchi can be. Gnocchi should be light and airy, should melt in your mouth, and should be accompanied by fresh vegetables and preferably high quality cheese (or cheese substitute). And so I did my research and have since come up with a recipe that made EJ decide he actually liked gnocchi!

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Maffeo-Style Stromboli

These aren't really a stromboli and they aren't really a calzone, but they ARE delicious. When I make these, ej and I have to show some major self control not to eat them all at once. The one featured here was made with spinach, pesto, feta and cheddar cheese, but there are endless combinations of ingredients. Try the veggie pepperoni from Smart Deli with some cheddar cheese and marinara sauce - mm!

Stromzone? Calzoni?

1 pkg active dry yeast (not rapid rise)
1 cup warm, but not hot, water
1 tbsp sugar
3 cups (more or less) flour
1 tbsp salt
olive oil
about 3 cups fresh spinach
about 1/4 cup pesto
about 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
about 1/2 cup feta cheese

1. proof your yeast. dissolve your sugar in the warm water. add the yeast and give it a light stir. set aside 5-10 minutes.

2. meanwhile, prepare a bread pan for the dough to rise in. drizzle about 2 tsp olive oil in the pan and use a napkin to grease the inside it.

3. after a few minutes, check the yeast to see if it has proven itself. you'll know it has if it starts to get frothy. if it hasn't, give it more time, but if after 5 minutes there is no foam, start over with new yeast.

4. in a large bowl, combine your salt and 1 1/2 cup flour. Add the yeast mixture and oil. Combine and keep adding flour until it is really hard to stir with a wooden spoon. at this point, dump the whole thing out on a very clean and floured counter top.

5. Work on kneading in more of the flour with your hands. you should have to keep adding more. don't let the dough get too stiff though - knead for about 5 minutes once its no longer sticking to your fingers.

6. Roll the dough out roughly into the shape of a triangle. It should be about 1/2 an inch thick and even. Spread with pesto, cheese, and spinach (or whatever else you feel like!).

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7. Roll it up carefully so you don't rip it, and so you keep all the insides, well, inside.

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8. place the dough in the prepared bread pan. try to arrange it to its as even as possible.

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(ok, so this one's not that neat)

9. Cover with a damp towel and let rise at least an hour, until it has noticeably increased in size.

10. preheat oven to 350. bake for about 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown. check the inside to make sure it has completely cooked as well. slice up and enjoy!

From Food pics

Easy Bruschetta

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced
4-5 tbs feta cheese
1/4 of a white onion, diced
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Super easy - combine everything. Voila!

From Food pics

Eggplant Parmesan a la Melissa

I haven't posted anything in awhile. That's because I recently purchased two new cookbooks, and I've really been enjoying these recipes. The books are The Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance, both by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. These books rock my world (as well as ej's since he directly benefits with all this awesome food).

Eggplant Parmesan a la Melissa is a classic. If I could pick a recipe that I was known for, it would probably be this one. When I became a vegetarian, eggplant parm was one of the first dishes I fell in love with (because, before I was a vegetarian, I didn't really have a taste for vegetables. Ask my dad. He'll tell you "When Mimi was young, if there was even a speck of green on her food, she wouldn't eat it." And this is very true). My dad would make this dish for family parties and gatherings, and now that I am a little older and wiser, I can now make it whenever I please.

Which brings me to a very important point. Its the New Year, and, just like ej and me, most people are trying to eat better. Though this dish may not be the most healthy meal, it can be impressive, and I bust it out when I want to make an impression (like when I made it on New Year's Eve for ej's family). The finished product is very satisfying because it can be time consuming, but it also looks so beautiful and delicious. I am always so proud when an Eggplant Parmesan a la Melissa comes out of the oven.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant
about 1 dozen eggs
1/2 cup milk
4 tbsp pesto
1 container italian style bread crumbs
vegetable oil, for frying


28 oz crushed tomato
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 of a white onion, diced
salt, pepper
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
t tsp basil
1 tsp oregano

2 blocks frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained well
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 handful Parmesan cheese

For the tomato sauce:
Of course, you can cheat and use canned tomato sauce. Some of it is quite good.

1) Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a sauce pan. When oil is hot, add garlic. Saute for 30 seconds to a minute - be careful not to burn it.

2) Add onion and saute until translucent (a minute or two)

3) Add tomatoes and stir well.

4) Add all spices. Stir. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Set aside.

For the eggplant:

1) Peel it, then slice it. The slices should be no more than 1/2" thick - less is better.

2) I like to create an assembly line for this step. On my left, I have a plate with the sliced eggplant. Then I crack the eggs in a bowl, add the milk and pesto, and stir very well. Its hard to break up all the pesto, but do your best. Some chunks are ok (a hand mixer or blender works well for this step). Then I put my bread crumbs on a plate, and keep an empty plate to my right. So the order is: naked eggplant on left, then egg mixture, bread crumbs, and plate.

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3) Dip the eggplant in the eggs, transfer the eggplant to the bread crumbs and coat. Leave them on the right side plate when you're done with them. I usually double batter (dip in eggs and bread crumbs a second time) about half of the eggplant slices - especially the thicker ones.

4) Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan. Place the eggplant slices in the oil for 2-3 minutes and flip. I cook them until they are golden brown on each side. Place cooked slices on several layers of paper towels to soak up extra oil.
* Oil tends to go flying in this step, and I have stained many a shirt. Wear an apron or a shirt you don't care about.

Putting the dish together:

1) Preheat the oven to 350.

2) In a large casserole dish, spread some of the tomato sauce over the bottom. Place several eggplant slices in a single layer over the sauce. Dribble more sauce over the eggplant. You don't want to add too much sauce, it will make the dish mushy. I usually use no more than a cup of sauce per layer.

3) Take a handful of the thawed and drained spinach, and squeeze to drain any excess liquid. Spread it over the eggplant/sauce layer. I usually use about two handfuls of spinach per layer. Over the spinach, spread a handful or two of mozzarella cheese. Over that, dribble some more tomato sauce.

4) Repeat these steps until the topmost layer. The topmost layer should end with the mozzarella cheese, and over that I sprinkle a handful of Parmesan cheese.

From Food pics

From Food pics

5) Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until the top layer of cheese is melted and slightly brown.

From Food pics

From Food pics

Cheesy, yummy lasagna

Comfort food is something we all need once in a while. I needed some comfort food Sunday night. Typical comfort food for me is thick, hot, cheesy Italian food, maybe because my family is italian and it brings me back to my roots. I remember Sunday dinners at my grandma's. We would walk in, and her house would smell like gravy, and there would be bread everywhere, and all my aunts and uncles and cousins would be there. we would all sit at her dining room table under her replication of the Last Supper and eat and eat. All her food was covered with meat, and were my grandmother alive, she would probably not love the fact that I no longer eat meat. Indeed, my uncles tease me for it every time I see them (though they are very accommodating).

So enough blabbing, time to start talking about the food! This really hit the spot for both me and EJ.

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Ingredients:

1 package lasagna noodles
1 tub ricotta cheese (part-skim)
2 packages shredded mozzarella cheese (part-skim)
2 eggs
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 package fresh spinach
1-2 jars tomato sauce

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Start a large pot of boiling water. Add a couple tablespoons of salt to it.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, 1 package mozzarella cheese, and spices. Mix well. I like to use my hands, though this can get cold!
4. Place lasagna noodles in boiling water.
5. When the noodles are done, strain them in a large colander. Rinse them with cold water or else they will be too hot to handle.
6. In a large casserole dish, spread a little tomato sauce along the bottom (1/4 inch thick).
7. Layer lasagna noodles, ricotta, spinach, and more sauce. Repeat until the top of the dish is reached or you run out of ingredients. The top layer should be noodles, tomato sauce and the other package of mozzarella cheese.
8. Cover the dish with tin foil. Bake 25 minutes.
9. Remove in foil, bake another 10 minutes.
10. Serve and enjoy!

**NOTE: unexplained happiness and love for all things may be a side effect.