BEEF LASAGNE ala Pasta Co.

Recipe By : Marcella Rosene, Pasta Co By Request (a Seattle Take
Out)
Serving Size : 10 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cookbook Italian
Pasta

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
*****SAUCE:*****
1 1/4 pounds ground beef — lean
1/4 cup olive oil — pure
1 1/3 cups onions — coarsley chopped
1 tablespoon oregano — heaping
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic — finely minced
1 1/2 teaspoons basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup dry white wine — (plus 3
1 tablespoon )
3 1/4 CUPS tomatoes — crushed in puree
preferred brand: Patadiso***(keep extra
juice — see note)
5 ounces frozen spinach — thawed
— squeeze dry of all liquid
*****CHEESE:*****
3 cups mozzarella cheese — grated
1/2 cup feta cheese — crumbled
*****BECHAMEL:******
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup cream
— Big pinch white pepper
— Big pinch thyme
— Big pinch nutmeg
— Big pinch basil
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour — (plus 1 tablespoon
flour)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese — grated — (plus 1
1 tablespoon P. cheese)
3 tablespoons Romano cheese — grated
— Uncooked fresh lasagne noodles,enough
for three layers in a 9-inch by 13-inch
pan
1/4 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese — freshly grated
1 teaspoon parsley — very finely chopped

***(There will be a couple of ounces left in the 28-ounce can. Save it.
You will use it in assembling the lasagne.)
This is the lasagne we have made and sold for a decade. Several things
set this version apart from the dozens of other lasagne recipes. Its
sauce is strongly seasoned with oregano. It calls for a thick filling of
bechamel instead of ricotta cheese. It uses feta cheese to step up the
flavor of the dish. And it takes advantage of fresh lasagne noodles,
which can go into the dish with no precooking. Our sales of this product
are the best proof that the formula works. PREPARE-AHEAD/SERVING NOTES:
Make a day ahead and bake when needed, or do as we do and freeze. Take
the lasagne straight from the freezer to the oven and adjust the cooking
time accordingly. Caution: Be sure to let the lasagne sit 20 minutes
before serving. ESSENTIAL GEAR: Shallow baking pan (9 by 13 inches)
To make sauce, cook ground beef in a saute pan over medium heat until
pink is gone and meat is crumbly. Remove from heat and pour meat through
a colander to drain off all fat. Reserve meat. (Be certain it is
well-crumbled. If it is not, break it up using a potato masher or large
wooden spoon.) In the same saucepan, heat olive oil and add onions,
oregano, garlic, basil, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook
over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add wine, bring to a
boil, and cook until alcohol has evaporated— about 10 minutes. Stir in
tomatoes. Add spinach and reserved meat. Continue simmering for a few
minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.
Mix together mozzarella and feta cheeses and set aside.
To make bechamel, heat milk, cream, white pepper, thyme, nutmeg, and
basil in a small saucepan until it nears a boil. Turn off heat. Melt
butter in a medium-size saute pan. When foam from butter recedes, remove
from heat, add flour, and mix well. Return to medium-low heat and,
stirring frequently, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to cook, but not brown,
the flour. Gradually stir in hot milk and cream mixture. Raise heat to
medium-high and continue stinnng until mixture is smooth and
thick–about 5 minutes. Add Parmesan and Romano cheeses and whisk until
smooth. This should be the texture of wallpaper paste, not of the white
sauce more often associated with bechamel.
To make topping, mix together bread crumbs, Parmesan, and parsley.
Reserve.
TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Spread 2 tablespoons of the tomato juices left in
the can of tomatoes on the bottom of a shallow baking dish (9 by 13
inches). Lay in one layer of the uncooked lasagne noodles. Spoon on 3
cups of the meat sauce. Spread 1 cup of bechamel across the sauce in two
diagonals (no need to spread evenly at this point). Top with 2 cups of
cheese mixture. Lay on another layer of lasagne noodles and repeat,
using the same amounts of sauce (be sure to get every dab of the meat
sauce – there is no extra to spare), bechamel, and cheese. Top with last
layer of noodles, and with fingertips, press lightly to distribute
bechamel smoothly in the layers. Using a long metal spatula, “frost” top
layer of noodles with remaining bechamel. Be sure to completely cover
noodles so that they do not dry out in baking. Sprinkle evenly with
reserved bread crumb mixture.
Bake lasagne at 400 degrees F for about 60 minutes or until sauce
bubbles around the edge and top is nicely browned. If top browns too
quickly, cover with aluminum during last 10 minutes of cooking. If
baking the lasagne straight from the freezer,add about 20 minutes to
cooking time. Once out of the oven, let lasagne set up for about 20
minutes before serving. (This is critical for ease of serving.)
SERVES 8 TO 10.

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RICE WITH BLACK BEANS
———————

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 can (14.5 oz.) stewed tomatoes
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 cup water
1/2 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 cups Minute Brown Rice

Saute onions and garlic in a small amount of liquid (the original recipe
called for oil, but I just used a little water) until tender. Stir in
tomatoes, beans, water, and oregano. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice.
Return to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove
from heat. Let stand 5 mintes.

Title: CALIFORNIA FIG-APPLE COMPOTE
Categories: Fruits, Desserts, Low-fat
Yield: 6 servings

6 Baking apples
6 California dried figs
1 Lemon; sliced
1 c Brown sugar
1 c Water
6 Whole cloves
1 Cinnamon stick

Bring sugar and water to a boil. Add lemon rind and spices. Core apples
and place in baking dish or skillet. Place figs around and between
apples. Pour spiced syrup over all and cover. Bake or simmer gently,
basting occasionally, until apples are tender and syrup thickened. Then
serve each apple topped with a plump juicy fig, to 6 lucky people.

Source: 48 Family Favorites with California Figs
Reprinted with the permission of The California Fig Advisory Board
Electronic format courtesy of Karen Mintzias

—–

DUTCH VEGETABLE SOUP WITH MEATBALLS

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Main dish Soups

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
2 Slices stale white bread
1/3 c Milk
1 lb Ground veal or beef
1 Egg — beaten
2 ts Curry powder
3/4 ts Salt
1/4 ts Pepper
1 lg Onion — peeled, minced
1 lg Carrot — scraped, diced
1 lg Celery stalk — cleaned, diced
2 tb Butter or margarine
1 tb Salad oil
6 c Beef bouillon
1/4 ts Dried thyme or marjoram

Soak bread in milk in a large bowl until soft; mash.
Add veal or beef, egg, curry powder, salt, and pepper;
mix well. Shape into 1 1/2″ balls. Saute onion,
carrot, and celery in heated butter and oil in a large
kettle 5 minutes. Add bouillon and thyme or marjoram.
Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook slowly, covered,
20 minutes. Add meatballs and cook about 25 minutes,
until vegetables and meatballs are tender.

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Basic Fondue (Fondue Neuchateloise)

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Appetizers Cheese/eggs

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
2 1/2 fl Dry white wine
Clove garlic
5 1/2 oz Emmental and Gruyere cheese*
1 t Cornstarch
1/2 fl Kirsch**
Shake pepper
Grind fresh nutmeg
6 oz White bread, cubed

(Note: the above measurements are for *each* person.
Multiply by your number of guests.)

* Grated and mixed half and half. ** This is Swiss
cherry firewater: clear, dry-tasting — *not* “cherry
brandy”, which is dark and sweet.

Most good liquor stores should carry it, at least one
of the US brands like Hiram Walker, or else maybe
Bols. The best Kirsch is “Etter” brand from
Switzerland, but the odds of your finding it are
minuscule. — In Switzerland, fondue is usually
perpared in a “caquelon”, an earthenware dish with a
handle, glazed inside; but any enamelled saucepan can
be used, or a not too shallow fireproof dish. Rub the
inside of the pan with half a cut clove of garlic, and
let it dry until the rubbed places feel tacky. Put the
wine in the dish and bring it to a boil. Slowly start
adding cheese to the boiling wine, and stir constantly
until each bit is dissolved, then add more. When all
the cheese is in, stir the kirsch into the cornstarch
well, then add the mixture to the cheese and keep
stirring over the heat until the mixture comes to a
boil again. Add freshly ground pepper and nutmeg to
taste. — Remove the dish to on top of a small live
flame (Sterno or alcohol burner) and keep it bubbling
slowly. Bread should have been cubed ~- about 1-inch
cubes — for spearing with fondue forks and stirring
around in the cheese. The old custom is that if you
accidentally lose the bread into the cheese from the
end of your fork, if you’re male, you have to buy a
round of drinks for the table: if you’re female, you
have to kiss everybody. (Hmm.) .

Other fondue info: Do not drink water with fondue —
it reacts unkindly in your stomach with the cheese and
bread. Dry white wine or tea are the usual
accompaniments. Another tradition: the “coupe
d’midi”, or “shot in the middle”, for when you get
full: a thimbleful of Kirsch, knocked straight back
in the middle of the meal, usually magically produces
more room if you’re feeling too full. Don’t ask me how
this works…it just does. — The crusty bit that
forms at the bottom of the pot as the cheese keeps
cooking is called the “crouton”, and is very nice
peeled off and divvied up among the guests as a sort
of farewell to dinner.

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Title: Salsa Verde
Categories: Mexican, Sauces, Salsa
Yield: 20 Servings

2 x Garlic cloves
3 x Scallions
1/2 c Parsley leaves
1/4 c Cilantro
1 x Pickled jalapeno pepper
13 oz Tomatillos (fresh or canned)
4 oz Mild green peppers (chopped)
1/4 ts Hot pepper sauce
1 ts Salt (or to taste)

Drop the garlic through the feed tube of a food processor with the
metal blade in place and motor running to chop finely (about 10
seconds.) Add the scallions, parsley, cilantro, and jalapeno and chop
finely (about 6 pulses of the motor). Add the tomatillos and process
until pureed, about 5 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and
pulse 2 times to mix. Refrigerate, covered. Source: Pleasures of
Cooking magazine, Jan/Feb. 1987, p.10-11.

MMMMM

Title: INDIAN SUMMER TOMATO SALAD
Categories: Salads, Indian, Appetizers
Yield: 4 servings

4 lg Tomatoes, sliced
1 tb Lime juice
2 tb Extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 ts Cumin seeds
1/4 ts Fennel seeds
1 Dried hot chili pod
2 tb Cilantro, chopped
Salt pepper

Arrange tomato slices on a platter. Sprinkle with lime juice. Warm oil in
a small pot over moderate heat. Add cumin, fennel chili pod, cook
for 30
seconds. Remove from heat, discard pod cool. Whisk in the cilantro;
spoon seasoned oil over tomatoes. Season with salt pepper
serve. If it
sits, the flavour will intensify.

Yamuna Devi, “Yamuna’s Table”

—–

DRY SALT CURE FOR A 14-LB HAM

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Pork

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1 Ham (English hams weigh
-roughly 14 to 20 lbs)
1 oz Brown sugar
1/2 oz Saltpeter (from the
-drugstore)
2 lb Rough salt

The same method may be used for bacon. A leg of pork
severed from the whole side is called a ham. When the
leg is left attached to the side, and severed only
after the cure, it is called a gammon.

You will need a salting pan. Leave the ham unskinned.
Rub in the sugar and the saltpeter first, paying
particular attention to the bone ends. Then rub on
half the salt and put the ham to rest on slats in a
slating trough (best if it has a channel for the brine
to drain out). Rub in the rest of the salt at the end
of a week. Leave the ham to take the salt for a total
of 3 weeks (depending on the size of the ham), turning
regularly. Then hang the ham to dry in a draft of warm
air for a day or two. If you would like to smoke your
own, you will need a barrel smoker or a smoking shed.
Light the fire with kindling first, then feed it with
beech, birch, or oak sawdust. Smoke over the open end
of a smoker barrel. Keep the fire smoldering
constantly – it is not good for the cure to allow
changes in temperature.

Twenty-four hours in the smoke shoudl suffice for a
ham; 6 hours is enough for a side of bacon. York hams
are then hung to mature for 2 to 3 months in a
tgemperature and humidity controlled room.

Time: 3 weeks plus.

From: “The Old World Kitchen – The Rich Tradition of
European Peasant Cooking” by Elisabeth Luard, ISBN
0-553-05219-5 Posted by: Karin Brewer, Cooking Echo,
7/92

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Title: Marshmallow Meringue Pie
Categories: Pies, Desserts
Yield: 6 servings

6 c Apples
1/2 c Sugar
1/2 tb Cinnamon
1 7 oz. jar marshmallow cream
1 tb Lemon juice
1/4 c Flour
3 Egg whites

On lightly floured surface,roll pastry to a 12″ circle. Place in a 9″
pie plate,turn under edge;flute. Drizzle apples with lemon juice.
Toss with combined sugar,flour and cinnamon. Spoon into shell. Bake @
450 degrees for 35 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually,add marshmallow
cream,beating until stiff peaks form. Spread over apples,sealing to
edge. Bake 10 minutes or until meringue is slightly browned. Cool and
serve.

MMMMM

Minestrone

Recipe By : Bev Sagath
Serving Size : Preparation Time :2:00
Categories : Soups

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1/2 cup oil
1 clove garlic
2 cups onions — chopped
1 cup celery — chopped
4 tablespoons parsley
6 oz tomato paste
1 cube beef bouillon
9 cups water
2 large carrots — peeled and sliced
1/2 head cabbage — cut up
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 te pepper
1 can kidney beans
10 ounces peas
10 ounces green beans
3/4 cup pasta — (acni de pepe)

In Dutch oven, saute garlic, onion, celery and parsley in oil for 15
minutes. Add paste, bouillon, water, cabbage, carrots, salt, pepper,
and kidney beans, simmer for 2 hours. Add remaining ingredients and
cook another 20 minutes. Serve with parmesan cheese.

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