Gnocchi

We all have those days where we look in the fridge and notice there's a half of this, a chunk of that, and you don't want it to go to waste. This is what came out of one of those days, and it is definitely a keeper.

Gnocchi with Fridge findings
- 1 package gnocchi, any kind
- 1/2 tomato, chopped
- 3 mushrooms, sliced
- small chunk of mozzarella, grated
- 1/4 cup parmesan, grated
- big bunch of kale, rinsed and chopped

Fill a pot with water to boil for gnocchi. Meanwhile, saute mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil, for about 5 - 7 minutes, or until nice and browned. Add kale, stirring lightly and letting the kale steam. If needed, add a bit of water to help the process. Once kale has wilted, add salt, tomatoes and stir in cheeses slowly, allowing to melt. Add some warm water if needed.

Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and add to pan, tossing everything to coat. Add more cheese if you like it cheesier. Serve immediately.

Lasagna

I love lasagna, and I think I'd be hard pressed to find someone who doesn't. I love making lasagna too, experimenting with different kinds of lasagna, different sauces, and fillings. A couple of my favourites include the Death to Dieters and Seafood Lasagna from Best of Bridge . I've also had a great deal of success with lasagna's from Canadian Living , from my most recent Spinach and Eggplant Lasagna, a great Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna, to one from years ago that I've never been able to find the recipe for, it had a Bechamel sauce, a red sauce, pancetta, roasted squash. Now each of these lasagna's I've made once or twice, and have loved, but each time I make them I find myself exhausted going through all the stages to make the masterpiece. The more complicated the recipe, the more I'm drawn to it, even considering making my own lasagna noodles. And while I've thoroughly enjoyed each of these lasagna's, there is also something so satisfying about a cheese and meat sauce lasagna that is so simple, and takes so much less time, and frankly, is just as good.

Reebs' Lasagna

14 Lasagna Noodles
2 each, carrots, stalk celery, red or green peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bottle spaghetti sauce (or about 3 cups of homemade)
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups mozarella cheese, shredded
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1 lb gr. beef or turkey

Saute beef and garlic over medium-high heat until beef is no longer pink. Add carrots, celery and peppers, saute for 3-5 minutes. Add spaghetti sauce and 1 cup of water, simmer. Meanwhile mix ricotta cheese and eggs with 1/2 cup of mozarella cheese. Add salt and pepper. Cook lasagna noodles, 8-10 minutes in boiling water. Rinse in cold water and lay out on damp towels in single layer so they don't stick before you assemble the lasagne.

Assembly:
Layer lasagna starting with 1/2 cup of sauce. Place a single layer of noodles on sauce. Add another cup of sauce. Layer with 1/3 of the cheese mixture, 1 cup of mozarella and then noodles.

Repeat layer twice, finishing with mozarella cheese. Sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake, loosely covered, in 350F oven for 35 minutes. Bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes or until heated through and bubbling. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Even better the next day!

Chicken Bowls

Don't worry, I'm not about to write about those awful things from KFC... instead this is about a different kind of pot pie. I started out making some pot pies because I had leftover mashed potatoes and some chicken I needed to use, but when they turned out, a pot pie wasn't really what I was looking. Thus the birth of my own Chicken Bowls.

Reebs' Chicken Bowls
Unsalted butter
1 Potatoe, peeled and diced
1/2 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 onions, diced
1 or 2 carrots, diced
minced garlic
1 1/2 cups stock
1 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
2 cups mashed potatoes, however you like them
*I didn't add corn this time, but would recommend it for future bowls.

In a pan, melt butter over medium-high heat and saute the two potatoes, onions, carrots and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water (or white wine if you have it) and simmer for 1 minute. Add stock and simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered, until veggies are tender. Whisk flour and mlik together and add to the vegetables, cooking until thickened. Add chicken and any herbs (thyme, parsley etc.). Set aside.


To assemble, divide the chicken filling between 6 containers. Spoon mashed potatoes on top. Cook uncovered in 350F for 30 minutes. If you want you can freeze these, and then cook from frozen, increase baking time to 45 minutes.




Turn out into a bowl, and voila, your very own Chicken Bowls, no MSG added!

Calzones/Panzerotti's

The best pizza crust I've ever made is from The Best of Bridge. It is foolproof. After making a lot of pizza's, I thought why not try and use it make a calzone? I grew up calling them panzerotti's, but I never knew that the difference was that a panzerotti is fried while a calzone is baked, so it's calzones all the way!



Dough:
3/4 cup warm water
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp olive oil

In a small bowl, mix warm water, yeast and sugar together. Let sit until yeast activates, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt and cornmeal. Add yeast mixture and olive oil and knead to a smooth dough, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle a work surface with cornmeal.

Filling:
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
a few mushrooms, sliced
1 can pizza sauce

Sautee onion for 5 minutes, add green pepper and mushrooms, sautee for a few more minutes. Add pizza sauce and stir, set aside.

Divide dough into four portions. Roll out each portion to a circle, about 8 x 20. Spoon filling onto one half of each of the pieces of dough. Cover with about 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella. Fold over, and pinch edges so that they are secure, using a fork if needed.

You can freeze these on a parchment lined pan and then store in freezer bags, thaw in fridge and bake, or bake them right away.

Bake in 425F oven for 15-20 minutes (check after 15 minutes).

Fall Comfort Food

With fall comes colder weather and rainy days (at least in Vancouver). I love sweater weather, and pulling out scarves and mittens again, and spending evenings sipping tea and catching up on the reading you never got around to in the summer. I also love switching into fall/winter cooking mode: soups, stews and casseroles that keep you warm all day long. There's nothing like a big pot of soup to get you through a busy week. Add a sandwich or a salad and you've got a great meal. Some soups are even meals in themselves, much like this one.

Hearty Fall Soup

• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 1/2 cups cubed pancetta
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups chopped kale or spinach
  
• Salt and Pepper to taste

In large saucepan, heat oil over medium high heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes. Add red pepper, chickpeas, sweet potato, pancetta, stock and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Add kale and simmer for 5 minutes.

This soup is very hearty. It also keeps well in the fridge for a few days, and is great for lunch.

Soup and Sandwiches

Soup and Sandwiches

Soup is a versatile and easy way to begin or round out a meal. Making soup does not take long, and once you start making homemade soup you’ll have a hard time eating it out of a can. Served with a salad or sandwhich, soup becomes the base of a great meal. One of my favourite combinations is tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Here is an updated version.

Vegetable Soup

~onion (any kind, today I used half a red onion I had on hand)

~carrots

~celery

~red pepper

~potatoes

~stock (I use veggie, chicken would be great too)

~salt and pepper

~bay leaf

Chop onion, carrots, celery and red pepper. Peel and cube potatoes. In soup or large pot sauté vegetables (minus the potatoes) in a little bit of oil, until they soften, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and some salt and pepper. Add 5 cups of stock and 1 cup water. (Amount of liquid is more important than ratio of stock to water, less stock just means you need to season the soup a bit more).

Add a bay leaf.

Bring to boil, then cover & simmer on low for 25 minutes or until potatoes are soft. In batches or with an immersion blender, blend soup until desired consistency is reached.

Asparagus & Brie Panini

~asparagus spears
~brie or camembert cheese
~ciabatta buns

Blanche asparagus spears in boiling water for 2 – 4 minutes. Transfer to cold water bath to stop the cooking. Slice brie to fit on buns. Place asparagus, cut in half, on bottom half of the bun. Place brie on top. Grill in Panini Press (or waffle iron) until cheese is melted.

Don’t be afraid of puff pastry

Frozen puff pastry can be a host’s best friend. It is quick, easy, always good to have on hand and most of the appetizers or desserts can be made, frozen and cooked straight from the freezer. Frozen puff pastry was something that I used to be afraid of. This is partially because the first time I used it, I didn’t really understand the instructions from the recipe I was using and tried to unfold the pastry. Well let me tell you, it’s not supposed to unfold, you actually roll it out. That made it a lot easier. So, here’s a great recipe to introduce you to puff pastry.


Chicken & Brie Turnovers

These little bites are a fantastic appetizer to have on hand for entertaining. They are relatively easy to make and freeze really well for up to a month. Believe me, they won’t last that long!

The basic recipe can easily be modified to suit your likes.

What You Need:
1 pkg frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten

Filling:
11/4 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
¾ cup diced Brie or Camembert
1 or 2 green onions, finely diced
2 spoonfuls of mayo
Minced garlic
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup chopped dried cranberries or other fruit

Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. In bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients and stir gently.Now for the pastry. Each package of puff pastry has two squares. Separate and roll each out to a 10-inch square. Cut each portion into 16 squares.

Brush some of the beaten egg onto the edges of the squares. Spoon a healthy teaspoon of filling into the center of each square. Fold as you’d like, crimp edges, place on baking sheet and brush with egg.

Freeze on pans and transfer to waxed lined container and freeze between waxed paper for up to one month. Bake from frozen for approximately 25 minutes in 350F oven on top and bottom thirds of oven, switching halfway through, until golden and puffed.


Try to let them cool for a minute or two before you dig in!

Extra: What is that thing that I’m rolling my pastry out on? It’s a pastry mat, and one of the best $10 I spent. It has built in rulers, and circular patterns to help with crusts etc. Also, it makes cleaning up way easier after baking. Worth investing in!!!