Tag: mama D’s kitchen

Signs of Spring and Springtime Ham Soup

When I think of soup from a ham bone, visions of thick and hearty Split Pea or Lentil Soup come to mind. There is nothing quite as comforting as losing oneself in the smokey richness that is found in a ham based legume soup.  It’s the perfect partner for a cold wintry night. Winter is gone now (fingers and toes crossed) and Spring is in the air.

Like many, I was left with a ham bone from Easter Dinner (Thanks Jordan & Kelly it was wonderful). I went to the pantry and reached for the lentils, then thought better of it. As tasty as the result would be, the sun coming in the window and the trees beginning to turn green led my inspiration in another direction. Why not make Ham Broth out of the bone and use it as the base to make a lighter, brighter soup. And that’s just what I did.

The mirepoix was leeks, garlic, and carrots. Olive oil made its appearance in the pan to get everything sweating in the best way possible. The broth was added along with more than a few thyme sprigs and everyone took a nice long simmer.IMG_1577

I know that sweet potatoes and corn don’t sound very spring-like, but they are the colors of spring (and often part of Easter Dinner). They were a colorful and tasty addition to this soup. I also added some haricot vert and snow peas. IMG_1581

IMG_1585It wouldn’t be ham soup with out ham so I added a generous cup of the ham bone trimmings. This meat is a little heartier and stands up to the long simmer that soup takes. Speaking of long simmering soup, the haricot vert and snow peas take only minutes to cook and can quickly turn dull, so I added them at the end. I actually blanched them and added them to the bowls before I ladled in the soup. The piping hot soup warmed them up and the crunch they gave to the soup was a bonus in flavor and texture. This soup was the perfect blend of  light yet filling and comforting. Adding a grilled cheese sandwich to the meal would make it a perfect Supper.IMG_1589

Springtime Ham Soup
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Servings
4
Servings
4
Springtime Ham Soup
Print Recipe
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the leeks carrots, and garlic tossing to coat them with the oil. Add a pinch of salt and cover the pot. Allow the vegetables to sweat for 5 - 7 minutes.
  2. Add the Ham Broth and the thyme leaves to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. At this point you can remove the thyme sprigs as the leaves have probably fallen off and the sprigs have done their flavor magic. Add the sweet potatoes and corn and simmer 20 minutes more or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
  4. While the soup is simmering, blanch the snow peas and haricot vert. Put them in boiling water briefly, then remove them to a bowl of ice water. When they are cold drain them well. This will leave them tender crisp and bright green. Set them aside.
  5. When the soup is done, taste it and add salt and pepper as needed. Place a few haricot vert and snow peas into each soup bowl. Ladle the soup into the bowls and serve.
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Soup is wonderful any time of year. With the new season’s vegetables coming in, take advantage of them and create your own soup pot of love.

Stealing Inspiration and Artichoke Lasagna

Inspiration. It’s what motivates us to do something. We can be inspired by someone’s actions or words, which in turn allows us to try something new. Cooking is made up of many things, but first and most important is inspiration. Whether it’s a beautiful vegetable at its peak of deliciousness, an upcoming event that screams for a special dish, or a recipe that sparks the creative juices of the mind and palate. That’s what this is all about…taking inspiration from a recipe.

Those of us who love to cook often come up with ideas that arrive like lightning bolts that must be harnessed into wonderful food. We take to the kitchen and experiment until we create the perfect storm, a dish that is fabulous. There are also times when we see someone else’s “perfect storm” and are inspired to create our own version of that perfection. Let’s face it, most of us do not follow a recipe to the letter (with the exception of baking where creative license can mess with the kitchen chemistry). We add a little more of something or maybe a little less.

There are times when I see a recipe in a magazine or on-line that gives me an idea. I take the basic idea and run with it. That’s how the Artichoke Lasagna came to be. The recipe I came across used artichokes, mushrooms, and red bell peppers to create the filling that included a huge amount of cream cheese. I kept the veggies and lost the cream cheese to create a lasagna that was all my own with a more traditional filling using ricotta, cheese, and eggs, along with a bit of pesto.IMG_1510I combined the vegetables with this and the result was a creamy filling ready to hold its own in my lasagna.IMG_1519I decided to try whole grain lasagna and I can highly recommend it. The nutty flavor and sturdy texture added to the lasagna’s taste.IMG_1524The lasagna went together in the usual way; layers of noodles, filling and cheese.IMG_1527 I topped it off with a Bechamel Sauce that I made with fat-free half & half and Cracked Pepper Toscano Cheese. This is one of my favorite Trader Joe’s items. It’s a creamy Parmesan type cheese that is coated in black pepper. Wonderful in cooking  and a delicious addition to a cheese plate. IMG_1532The lasagna emerged from the oven bubbly and golden as every lasagna should. After a waiting period that seemed endless, but was really about 15 minutes, it was ready to cut and serve.IMG_1537This was a win win for stolen inspiration and conscious en”light”enment. The filling was creamy and filled with veggie goodness. The six generous servings had plenty of cheesy goodness from modest amounts of  ricotta and Italian Cheese Blend and of course, that killer Bechamel.

A Disclaimer: This is not a quick weeknight meal, but it can be assembled ahead of time (even the day before) and hang out in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. Just let it come to room temperature before baking. The recipe may look daunting at first glance. There are lots of steps which is typical of most lasagna recipes, but they are pretty easy to execute and are definitely worth the effort. Make this when you have time on a Sunday and you’ll have a delicious Meatless Monday supper with no more effort than turning on the oven and tossing a salad.

Artichoke Lasagna
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Servings
6
Servings
6
Artichoke Lasagna
Print Recipe
Servings
6
Servings
6
Ingredients
Bechamel Sauce
Lasagna
Servings:
Instructions
Bechamel sauce
  1. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes or so. Add the milk slowly whisking constantly to keep things smooth.
  2. Bring the mixture just to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Set aside in a warm place. If sauce gets too thick add a little more half & half.
Lasagna
  1. Cook the lasagna according to the package directions. Drain well and lay out on wax or parchment paper. Prepare the filling while the pasta cooks.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add the bell peppers and mushrooms and cook another 3 minutes. Stir often during this step to insure everything is softening.
  3. Add the garlic and artichoke hearts and cook 3 minutes more or until everything is soft, fragrant, and lightly browned. Allow to cool before adding to the other filling ingredients.
  4. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, eggs, pesto, and 1/3 cup of the Italian Cheese Blend. Mix everything together. Add the cooled vegetables and stir it all together.
  5. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Place 2 lasagna noodles in the bottom of the dish. Spread half of the filling evenly over the noodles. Sprinkle with a little of the remaining cheese blend and drizzle a tablespoon or two of the Bechamel over the layer.
  6. Repeat the process with two more noodles and the other half of the filling. Sprinkle with cheese and drizzle with sauce as for the first layer.
  7. Top with the remaining two noodles. Spread the rest of the Bechamel sauce on top and sprinkle with the last of the cheese blend.
  8. Cover loosely with foil and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Check to see if things are beginning to bubble. If not cover and bake another 5 minutes or so.
  9. When the lasagna is bubbly, remove the foil and raise the oven to broil. Broil the lasagna for 3 - 4 minutes or until it is lightly golden brown and even more bubbly.
  10. Allow to rest 10 -15 minutes before cutting and serving.
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Dinner in a Box, or Not and Italian Sausage and Cannellini Bean Stew

My goodness but time flies…we are into the double digits of March! There’s been a good amount of stuff going on in the kitchen, but there’s been a lot going on in life so time to sit right down and write has been limited. so here I am to share the highlights of the last few weeks.

Another generous birthday gift from my kids was a three dinner box from Blue Apron. This is one of the increasing number of sites that will send you all the ingredients needed to create home cooked meals. This is totally outside my wheelhouse, but it was a lot of fun to give it a whirl. It was fun to have a virtual mise en place, in place.IMG_1383The Spicy Shrimp Pasta that was the result was pretty tasty, too. IMG_1391

IMG_1415We also enjoyed a Pub Burger on a Pretzel Roll that featured an IMG_1487awesome Cheddar Cheese Sauce and Oven Fried Sweet Potatoes. I added some Honey Mustard Cole Slaw to balance things out.                                       The final dinner was a Trinidadian Curried Chicken with Coconut Grits and Sautéed Collard Greens. By this time, I was I was ready to take a few liberties. I left the chicken thighs whole and cooked them on the grill. I only used a little of the herb mix that was included because I didn’t care for the taste. The grits were heavenly and the collard greens were the perfect side dish. Services like this have a place in many kitchens; great for busy couples that still want to have a home cooked meal.  Being Mama D, I don’t always enjoy being told what to do,but in spite of that, I’m glad I got to try out this way of cooking. In between my Blue Apron Adventures, I was creating some dishes of my own. Here’s one that was particularly enjoyable….

IMG_1420We’re slowly creeping into spring, but cold snaps are still popping up, so something hearty and warm is often a welcome supper. IMG_1417That’s how this Italian Sausage and Cannellini Stew came to the table. The cast of characters predominately came from cleaning out the refrigerator. Small amounts of veggies that couldn’t stand alone were combined with Turkey Italian IMG_1439Sausage and Cannellini Beans. I sliced what seemed to be a ridiculous amount of garlic, which turned out to be just the right amount. Chicken stock IMG_1435and fire roasted tomatoes created the liquid that was fortified with the wine left from the previous night’s dinner (yes, once in a while we don’t finish the bottle). I dubbed this a “stew” mainly because the liquid was less than what I would use in a soup. While stews usually simmer for an hour or more, this pot of goodness only took about 30 minutes Things came together quite nicely resulting in a stew that tasted like it simmered all day.

IMG_1459As with any of my recipes this is just a suggestion of the direction the dish can go. Use what you have on hand or love. Change the ingredients as much as you want. This is not a dish that comes in a box ready for you to prepare (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Here’s what I did…now make it your own.

Italian Sausage and Cannellini Stew
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Servings
4
Servings
4
Italian Sausage and Cannellini Stew
Print Recipe
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Slice the sausage links into 1 inch chunks (this is easier if they are slightly frozen) and brown in a soup pot over medium heat. Remove the sausage and set aside. Drain off most of the fat in the pot.
  2. Add the olive oil to the pot and allow it to get hot. Add the onions and the carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3 - 4 minutes until the onions begin to soften.
  3. Add the bell pepper, mushrooms, jalapeno, garlic, and squash. Cook for 5 minutes or as long as it takes for things to get soft and fragrant.
  4. Add the wine to the pot and stir to loosen all the brown goodies on the bottom of the pot. Add the tomatoes and the chicken stock to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes or so.
  5. Return the cooked sausage chunks to the pot along with the cannellini beans and season with the Italian Herbs.
  6. Let everything simmer for another 10 minutes or so to heat things through. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add more herbs or salt and pepper as you like.
  7. Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with the grated Romano, and serve.
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Trader Joe’s, a Birthday, and Country Potato Quiche

Where has February gone? I realize that it is the shortest month of the year and all…but still. It went by far too quickly. It even had an extra day this time, so that the earth’s trips around the sun are equal, to clocks, the calendar, and apparently the entire space-time continuum. I’m not a scientist and I’ve never played one on TV, so that’s as good an explanation of Leap Year as you’ll get.

You might be wondering what Trader Joe’s has to do with February. Here’s the short version: I have a February birthday. We won’t go into which one this was, but let’s just say that we are beyond using candles on the cake without a fire permit. My kids shared the special day with me and were very generous with their gifts. A Trader Joe’s gift bag was part of the loot, and among the items in it were a Gift card and an interesting cook book.IMG_1347What was Mama D to do? As this site illustrates, I generally cook with more than 5 ingredients at a time. Still the book was fascinating. Lots of the recipes sounded delicious, and the limited number of ingredients made it all seem do-able, so armed with my gift card and some recipe ideas from the book, I paid a visit to my local Trader Joe’s. I came home with two bags of goodies. A few of my favorites like White Cheddar Popcorn and Frozen Artichoke Hearts had to come home with me (just because), but I also picked up some recipe specific items. Case in point; Frozen Country Potato Blend and Frozen Pie Crust both of which were new to my kitchen. These were the cornerstone of what sounded to be a great Meatless Monday supper, Country Potato QuicheIMG_1350Besides these two ingredients the remaining cast was filled out with eggs, grated Italian Cheese blend, and some fat-free half and half  (the last 2 being my personal substitutions). This was my first foray into frozen pie crust and I can’t say that I am a fan. The crust thawed into pieces, but once I gathered the pieces together and re-rolled the crust, I was in business. The filling was easy enough to make. All I had to do was mix the ingredients together in a bowl. The potato medley was quite unique as are many of the items at T.J.’s. Fried potatoes, green beans, and mushrooms made an intriguing and tasty base.IMG_1352I decided to pre-bake the crust for 10 minutes to guard against a soggy bottom. Then it was a matter of pouring the generous filling into the crust (thankfully the pan was on a rimmed baking sheet which averted sure disaster). Once out of the oven it rested on its laurels for 15 minutes before making its way to the table, our plates, and ultimately our stomachs. A simple salad was the only other thing that was required (oh yeah, and a nice Pinot Noir)IMG_1360

This recipe is from: Cooking with Trader Joe’s 5 Ingredient Cook Book by Deanna Gunn & Wona Miniati. I have inserted my substitutions and changes in procedures, but the idea originated with these two lovely ladies.

Country Potato Quiche
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This quiche uses Frozen Country Potatoes with Haricots Verts and Wild Mushrooms from Trader Joe's. You could use another type of frozen potato blend if you prefer. It is adapted from Cooking with Trader Joe's Five Ingredient Cook Book by Deanna Gunn & Wona Miniarti
Servings
6
Servings
6
Country Potato Quiche
Print Recipe
This quiche uses Frozen Country Potatoes with Haricots Verts and Wild Mushrooms from Trader Joe's. You could use another type of frozen potato blend if you prefer. It is adapted from Cooking with Trader Joe's Five Ingredient Cook Book by Deanna Gunn & Wona Miniarti
Servings
6
Servings
6
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Press the crust into a deep 9 inch pie dish. Bake the crust for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.
  2. Whisk the eggs and half & half together in a large bowl. Stir in the cheese and the potato mix.
  3. Place the pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet and pour the egg/potato mixture into the crust. Make sure that the potatoes and beans are evenly distributed.
  4. Bake 40 -45 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes (15 is better) before serving.
  5. Slice and serve with a simple salad and a nice glass of wine.
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The Trader Joe’s adventure will continue. There were plenty of other goodies in my bags that will find their way into the kitchen and maybe into this blog, as I continue to explore the idea that less (ingredients) can be more.

Quick Quips About Sides and Cauliflower Mash with Broccoli & Cheese

It’s been some time since I shared a side dish recipe. I will remedy that now with this quick, decadent, and delicious take on Cauliflower Mash. This  mash has been hanging around Mama D’s Kitchen since my Low-Carb Diet phase. Back then I embraced Cauliflower as a substitute for potatoes. While my diet has become more balanced, I still watch those carbs and I often go to this side to fill out a comfort food plate.

It starts with cauliflower of course. Where it goes from there is totally up to the cook’s imagination. On this particular day I was using up some leftovers from the shower we gave for the new Grand-boy to be. The broccoli and cauliflower came from the crudites platter. The cheese spread was from a cheese football ( my boys are sports obsessed and the shower theme reflected that). The recipe for this, by the way, was awesome. It came from Jeff Mauro. Click on his name to check it out. While this cheese spread gave my dish a delightful cheddar flavor, any cheese spread, homemade or otherwise will work. The only requirement is that it be cream cheese based. (Boursin, or Allouette would be great.) This is crucial to it melting into the cauliflower and creating the perfect creamy texture.

One pot of boiling water did double duty. First, I blanched some broccoli florets, shocked them and let them dry while the rest of the magic happened.IMG_1282With the water still boiling I added the cauliflower that was chopped into small pieces. I like my veggies “al dente”, but this is one time when a little overcooking is a good thing. Well cooked cauliflower results in smooth mash.IMG_1285The cauliflower went back into the pan along with the cheese spread that was at room temperature. They were mashed together just like mashed potatoes would be. The ratio was perfect so no other liquid was added. If things seem too stiff add some milk, a little at a time. Take it slow because you can’t take it out if you use too much.IMG_1288All that was left to do was fold in the broccoli and grace the dinner plate with a generous mountain of creamy goodness. Yes, that is a bacon wrapped chicken breast that is peeking out of the corner. Since I was reflecting back on those low-carb days of old, I thought that I would go for the gusto and create an entire plate of  goodness in their memory.IMG_1293Honestly, this side would be wonderful with anything. Give this recipe a try, and by all means make it your own.

Cauliflower Mash with Broccoli and Cheese
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It's hard to believe that just three ingredients can create something so delicious.
Servings
3 - 4
Servings
3 - 4
Cauliflower Mash with Broccoli and Cheese
Print Recipe
It's hard to believe that just three ingredients can create something so delicious.
Servings
3 - 4
Servings
3 - 4
Ingredients
Servings:
Instructions
  1. Bring the cheese spread to room temperature while the broccoli and cauliflower cook.
  2. Heat a large pan of water to a boil. Add a good amount of salt. Dump the broccoli florets in and blanch for 1 - 2 minutes. Immediately remove to an ice water bath. Drain well on paper towels and set aside.
  3. Add the cauliflower to the same pan and cook until the cauliflower is very tender. This should take 15 minutes or so. You actually want to overcook it slightly...trust me.
  4. Drain the cauliflower well and return to the pan. Add the cheese spread and mash with a potato masher. If the mixture seems too thick add a little milk and continue to mash until the mixture is almost smooth.
  5. Fold in the broccoli. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed, (but you probably won't need to). Serve.
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While we’re on the subject of cauliflower, check out the Not Potato Salad and the Cauliflower Mac & Cheese recipes from the archive. these are all wonderful ways to eat your veggies.