My love affair w/ lasagna goes back to my childhood. My parents would make spinach noodles for lasagna that would stretch across the kitchen. My mom made her lasagna w/ these sheets of noodles, Bolognaise sauce, and bechamel sauce. 

The baking pan is the same one my mom used, however, I took a different, and easier path in making my lasagna, as you will see in my recipe. Also, rather than par boil the noodles, I used Ina Garten’s method of softening the noodles. She would put the dry lasagna noodles in a baking dish, and submerge them in the hottest water you can get out of the tap for 20 minutes.

Believe it or not, this was my first attempt at making lasagna, and I have to admit the results not only looked good, but tasted fantastic too! Like Garfield, I can’t resist a good pan of lasagna!!

 Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 pound box lasagna noodles (use what you need, depending on the size of your baking pan)

1 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes

2 pounds Italian sausage

2 pounds ricotta cheese

1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/3 pound fresh baby spinach leaves

1 medium yellow onion – medium dice

4 cloves garlic – pressed

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

Procedure:

1) Soak noodles using Ina Garten’s method noted above.

2) Make tomato sauce w/ San Marzano tomatoes, 1 tbsp. of the olive oil, onion, garlic, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes. Salt to taste.

3) Brown the Italian sausage in the remaining tbsp. of olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. 

4) Get all ingredients lined up in the order of layering, prior to assembling your lasagna. Reserve the parmesan cheese for the final step of baking.

5) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  

6) In a deep 8 x 11 inch baking pan, start assembling your lasagna (keep in mind the amount of ingredients you have will need to evenly cover 3 layers, and you’ll need a bit of the tomato sauce for the top and bottom): spread a small amount of the tomato sauce in the bottom of your baking pan, then add a layer of noodles, a layer of sauce, a layer of sausage, a layer of spinach leaves, then dab on a layer of ricotta. Repeat this process (noodles, tomato sauce, sausage, spinach leaves, ricotta) for the next 2 layers. Top the lasagna w/ the final layer of noodles and the remaining tomato sauce. Wrap pan tightly w/ aluminum foil.

7) Place lasagna on the middle rack of your oven and bake for 40 minutes, rotating pan front to back after 20 minutes for a more even bake. 

8) After 40 minutes, remove foil, evenly sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the lasagna, and continue baking, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. 

9) Remove lasagna from the oven, and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 servings

Enjoy a taste of Italy! Buon appetito!! 

Bruno

Yep, another roasted chicken recipe! I was deprived of a working oven for almost a year, so I’m making up for lost time by using my new oven to cook some of my favorite eats, and roasted chicken is one of them.

This dish is an adaptation from one of my mom’s recipes, poulet a l’estragon. In her recipe she used a compound butter w/ tarragon, shallots, lemon zest/juice. Rather than using a compound butter, I roasted 1 1/2 heads of garlic, squeezed out the cloves, then made a paste w/ chopped basil and tarragon, salt and pepper. I then rubbed the paste under the chicken skin, and air dried it, uncovered, in the fridge for 4 1/2 hours. The chicken was roasted at 425 degrees F for 50 minutes, on bed of what I call purple potatoes, which are officially Dutch Blue potatoes.

The chicken turned out beautifully and tastes really good! Since tomatoes are at their peak right now, I made a tomato salad w/ fresh corn, red onion, some basil and tarragon leaves, and a mustardy vinaigrette.

I’ll definitely be making this meal again!!

Bon Appetit!

Bruno

To satisfy my craving for pork with peppers and onions…

Pork Rojo

Rojo sauce ingredients:

2 New Mexico chiles (rehydrated)

1 chipotle chile (rehydrated)

2 Fresno chiles (fresh)

4 cloves garlic (pressed)

1/4 cup small basil leaves (Thai and Genovese)

3/4 tablespoon dried oregano

3 Roma tomatoes (diced)

Procedure:

Puree’ all ingredients in food processor until smooth.

Pork Rojo ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins (approx. 2 1/2 pounds total weight)

4 bell peppers (3 orange, 1 red)

1 large yellow onion

10 ounces crimini mushrooms

Procedure:

1) Julienne the onion and bell peppers.

2) Slice the mushrooms.

3) Trim the tenderloins; slice each tenderloin in half lengthwise, then slice crosswise into large pieces.

4) In a large frying pan, brown pork pieces on all sides, then place in a bowl and spoon on some rojo sauce until all pork pieces are lightly coated. (Save remaining sauce for other uses)

5) Sauté the mushrooms, peppers and onions until mushrooms release their juices and onions start becoming translucent.

6) Return pork to the pan and simmer everything until liquid reduces by half (approx. 15 minutes).

7) Serve over brown rice.

Yield: Approx. 4 to 6 servings (depending on your hunger level)

Happy cooking!

Bruno

Every week during this pandemic, I have been doing a cooking project to feed my belly w/ good eats. Lately, because of the frigid weather I’ve been craving richer, heavier meals (think creamy pasta). The last few days have been spring-like, so my cravings have turned to lighter fare. One of my favorite ways to find new recipes is to look at images on the internet of what I’m craving, and if the image is mouth-watering, hopefully I’ll find a link to the recipe. Here’s a link to the original recipe by Gemma: Basque Roast Chicken (Chicken Basque Style Recipe) | Caribbean Green Living.

My add-ons, substitutions and omissions: I did not use the Noubess seasoning; substituted the whole chicken w/ 3 1/2 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs; used 6 Roma tomatoes (quartered), instead of the canned tomatoes; only used 6 cloves of garlic (pressed); and added 2 large carrots (sliced), and 3 jalapenos (quartered lengthwise and sliced). Total cooking time was 57 minutes. I loosely tented the chicken w/ foil after 30 minutes (removing the foil for the last 15 minutes) and turned on the broiler for the final 2 minutes. It was delicious served over fragrant jasmine rice.

Happy cooking!

Bruno

For dessert, we enjoyed one of my favorite childhood treats, Apple Brown Betty, which was a perfect match for the Haut-Armagnac being poured. 

Here are a few pics of the food…

Happy Holidays!

Bruno

I’ve been cooking my way through some recipes from a cookbook on Mexican, South American and Caribbean food. The Cuban chicken casserole recipe sounded delicious. With the pureed corn topping and the combination of other ingredients that I really enjoy, I had to find out how the finished product would taste. Well, it tasted fantastic! The corn crust and raisins added a touch of sweetness to balance w/ all the savory ingredients. I will definitely be making this again! It will be a great dish to serve when I have a few friends over for dinner. 

The green bean recipe is something I put together to have a vegetable side that would pair up well w/ the casserole. 

Goes well w/ both a Vouvray from the Loire region of France or a Cotes du Rhone white that’s Viognier dominant. 

Cuban Chicken Casserole (adapted from The Complete Mexican, South American & Caribbean Cookbook by Milton, Fleetwood and Filippelli)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)

1 pound chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)

1 celery stalk (cut in large pieces)

2 carrots (cut in large pieces)

2 bay leaves

5 cloves 

10 black peppercorns

1 large yellow onion (medium dice)

2 tomatoes (medium dice)

2 hard-boiled eggs (chopped)

1/2 cup pitted green olives (chopped)

1/2 cup raisins

1 tablespoon bottled capers (drained)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt 

For the topping:

3 cups corn kernels (I used canned)

1 teaspoon sugar 

3 eggs (beaten)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter 

salt and black pepper

Procedure:

1) Cut chicken breasts in half and trim fat off thighs; Place bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns in cheesecloth pouch and tie closed.

2) Put chicken, spice pouch, celery and carrots in a large pot, cover w/ water and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove chicken from liquid and let cool before shredding. (You can save the poaching liquid, celery and carrots for soup).

3) Make the topping: Puree corn kernels in food processor. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat; stir in pureed corn and sugar, add salt to taste, then cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and comes away from sides of the pan. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes then slowly stir in the eggs a little at a time. 

4) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

5) Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft and translucent. Remove from heat. Fold in the hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, olives, capers, raisins, shredded chicken and red pepper flakes. Salt to taste. Make sure ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the mixture. 

6) Spoon the mixture into a deep 8 x 10 baking dish and press it down to level out. Spread the corn topping over the top of the mixture w/ a spatula. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown, rotating front to back halfway through the baking (it took about an hour in my oven for the topping to get nicely browned). Let cool for 10 – 15 minutes before serving. 

Yield: 6 servings

Garlicy Green Beans w/ Chives and Red Bell Pepper

Ingredients:

3/4 pounds green beans (ends trimmed if necessary)

1 red bell pepper (seeded and thinly sliced lengthwise)

3 large garlic cloves (pressed)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon fresh chives (cut into 1 inch pieces)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper

Procedure:

1) Bring a pot of water to a boil and add green beans and cook for 5 minutes until beans are tender. Strain beans in a colander.

2) Over medium heat, melt butter in a large pan then add olive oil. 

3) Add the garlic and saute’ for 1 minute, then add the bell pepper, chives and oregano and saute’ until bell pepper softens (approx. 5 minutes). Add the green beans, continue to saute’ for another minute to warm the beans. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Yield: 3 servings

Please get vaccinated so we can get past this pandemic. To your health…

Bruno

Believe it or not, I’ve never made turkey until a couple of weeks ago! Since I missed my turkey fixes this past holiday season due to the pandemic I’ve been craving it lately. I decided to start small and just make a turkey breast instead of  the whole bird. It’s been super cold here in St. Louis so it’s the perfect time to fire up the oven. A good pair of kitchen shears is essential for this recipe. You’ll see what I mean when you spatchcock the breast.

Spatchcocked Turkey Breast Roasted w/ Veggies

Ingredients:

7 pound turkey breast (fresh, skin on and bone in)

1 pound carrots (cut into large pieces)

2 yellow onions (cut into large pieces)

1 red bell pepper (cut into large pieces)

2 jalapenos (halved and thinly sliced)

1 head garlic (cloves peeled and crushed)

2 pound butternut squash (cut into large pieces)

1 pound crimini mushrooms (halved)

1 1/2 tablespoons oregano (for veggies)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil (for veggies)

1 1/2 tablespoons salt (for veggies)

**plus more salt for rubbing on turkey 

Mixture for brushing on turkey:

4 cloves garlic (pressed)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons chives (chopped)

1 1/2 tablespoons butter (melted)

Procedure:

1) Spatchcock turkey breast, pat dry and rub salt on and under skin; place in baking dish then put in fridge uncovered for 4 hours to air dry.

2) 1 hour prior to roasting, remove turkey from fridge to take chill off.

3) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

4) Prep veggies, place in roasting pan then toss w/ olive oil, oregano and salt.

5) Place turkey on veggies and brush oil mixture under skin, then skewer skin (to prevent from retracting) and brush remaining oil mixture on skin.

6) Put turkey and veggies into oven (on middle rack); after 1/2 hour reduce temperature to 350 degrees F, loosely tent turkey w/ foil and continue roasting until internal temperature of turkey is 155 degrees F and juices run clear (check temperature occasionally during roasting; remove foil from turkey 20 minutes before it’s done; turn oven to broil for last 1 to 1 1/2 minutes to crisp turkey skin).

7) Remove turkey and veggies from oven; place turkey on cutting board and let rest uncovered for 15 – 20 minutes (internal temperature will rise to 165 degree F).

8) With oven still on broil, stir veggies and return to oven for 5 minutes or until veggies are browned in spots, then remove from oven.

** Total roasting time for turkey: 1 hour and 55 minutes (approx. 16 1/2 minutes per pound).

Serve w/ brown rice or your starch of choice. 

Stay warm and eat well!!

Bruno

Isolation has been getting me down lately. One of the few things that has helped ease the feelings of loneliness is cooking therapeutic meals to elevate my mood. The most recent meal I cooked was exceptionally good. It momentarily made me forget about all the crap that’s going on in the world lately.

Spicy Beef w/ Noodles and Veggies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds London Broil – thinly sliced

1 pound tomatoes – large dice

10 ounces Crimini mushrooms – sliced

1/2 bunch Lacinato kale (approx. 7- 8 leaves) – cut into 1 inch pieces

1 red bell pepper – cut into 1 inch pieces

1 pound pappardelle noodles

1 medium white onion (about 8 ounces) – cut into 1 inch pieces

1/3 cup Thai basil leaves

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese – grated

2 cloves garlic – sliced

Salt

Spice mix:

5 Japones  peppers

2 Pasilla Negro peppers

1 tbsp. dried chervil

1 tbsp. Hungarian paprika

Procedure:

1) Grind peppers, then mix in chervil and paprika.

2) In batches, sauté beef and sprinkle w/ spice mix to desired spice level; set aside.

3) Sauté mushrooms w/ garlic until they release moisture, then add onions and bell pepper and sauté until softened.

4) Add kale to veggies and sauté until tender.

5) Add tomatoes and beef to veggie mix, season w/ salt and cook until warm.

6) Cook pasta until al dente, strain pasta and return to pot.

7) Fold veggie/beef mix into pasta, then fold in basil leaves and parmesan.

8) Eat!

Yield: 4 to 6 servings, depending on hunger level.

Here’s to the joys of cooking (and eating)!!

Cheers…

Bruno

I made this gelato about a month ago when peaches were at their peak. The local peaches didn’t look very good (possibly due to the excessive rains this summer), so I chose some perfectly ripe peaches from California. I pitted and froze the peaches until I had time to execute the recipe a few days later. My taste testers at work gave the gelato a thumbs up. Give it a try… you won’t be disappointed!

Peach Gelato

Ingredients:

4 peaches

6 egg yolks

1 quart half & half

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

Procedure:

1) Puree peaches in a food processor.

2) In a metal bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until mixture becomes smooth and pale yellow.

3) Place half & half in a heavy pot and heat until scalded.  

4) Very slowly whisk warm half & half into egg/sugar mixture so as not to curdle the mixture.

5) Place bowl w/ mixture over a pot of simmering water, stirring continuously w/ a heat resistant spatula until mixture coats the back of a metal spoon (do not let mixture exceed 170 degrees F to prevent curdling), then quickly place bowl in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

6) Once cool, stir in peach puree and refrigerate mixture for at least 4 hours or overnight.

7) Churn mixture in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

8) Pour gelato into a 2 quart plastic container then place a piece of parchment paper cut to size on the surface of gelato (this will reduce air exposure and prevent ice crystals from forming on the surface of the gelato), seal container and freeze until firm .

Yield: Approx. 1 1/2 quarts 

Savor summer’s sweetness…

Bruno

Like a lot of people are doing while at home during this pandemic, I’m trying some new recipes. Luckily there was flour in my pantry because it’s a hot commodity at grocery stores and you’re lucky to find some! Since I had just reactivated my sourdough starter, I decided to attempt a new bread recipe that doesn’t take days to make (even though I have plenty of time on my hands these days!). If you have an active starter, this recipe takes approximately 4 hours from start to finish… my kind of bread recipe. Not only is it relatively easy to make, the end results are quite delicious!!

Sourdough Boule w/ Sesame Seeds (recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (227g) ripe (fed) sourdough starter
• 3/4 cup (170g) to 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (199g) lukewarm water*
• 3 1/2 cups (418g) Artisan Bread Flour or King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (I used all-purpose)
• 1/2 cup (71g) sesame seeds, toasted until golden for best flavor
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

Procedure:

1) In a large mixing bowl,  combine the fed sourdough starter and 3/4 cup of the water, mixing until smooth.

2) Add the remaining dough ingredients, and mix and knead — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until you’ve made a soft dough, adding additional water as needed.

3) Cover the dough in the bowl, and let it rise until it’s almost doubled, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

4) Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased work surface and gently fold it over a few times to deflate it.

5) Shape the dough into a large round. Grease a Dutch oven and place the dough into it.

6) Cover the Dutch oven, and let the loaf rise until it’s very puffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

7) Just before baking, brush or spray the loaf with water, and sprinkle with seeds. Use a lame or a very sharp knife to make several slashes across the top of the loaf, in the shape of a pound sign.

8) Place the covered Dutch oven into a cold oven, set to 450°F, and turn on the oven. Bake the bread for 35 minutes.

9) Uncover and continue baking until the bread is deep golden brown, about 10 additional minutes.

10) Remove the bread from the oven and turn it out of the Dutch oven onto a rack to cool.

Eat and drink to your heart’s content, but most of all, stay healthy!

Bruno