"Gourmet's" Fried Mozzarella Balls

***Okay, so maybe these aren't the healthiest things in the world...I mean, it is fried cheese after all. However, every once in a while you just need to indulge! Haha. These are definitely worth it!! This recipe came from the same issue of Gourmet magazine as the lasagne below. The only thing that I did differently was use fresh mozzarella that came seasoned with italian herbs. It turned out even better with the herbs mixed in. Just look at that cheesy goodness in the photo!***

Fried Mozzarella Balls
Makes about 3 dozen
Active time: 25 min
Start to finish: 45 min

Gourmet Magazine

January 2009

From Gourmet:
"These bite-size mozzarella balls have a crisp outer shell and a perfectly gooey center. For an even creamier texture, make your own fresh mozzarella. View more of our favorite recipes from this issue."

Ingredients:

About 5 cups vegetable oil
1 lb drained marinated bocconcini (small mozzarella balls), patted dry
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup plain fine dry bread crumbs

Equipment:
A deep-fat thermometer

Accompaniment:
warm homemade or bottled spicy tomato sauce

Directions:
Heat about 1 1/2 inches oil to 360°F in a 3 1/2- to 4-qt heavy saucepan.

Meanwhile, double-coat bocconcini by dipping in eggs, then in bread crumbs, and repeating. Transfer to a sheet of wax paper.

Working in batches of 10, lower balls into oil with a slotted spoon and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 30 seconds per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt. (Return oil to 360°F between batches.)

"Gourmet's" Lasagne Bolognese with Spinach

***I just love Gourmet magazine. I'd love it even if the only great thing about it were the recipes, but you know what?...it's always got great articles too. There are very few magazines that I read cover-to-cover. Gourmet has a permanent spot among those few.

When I was making my way through the recent January 2009 issue (fabulous, by the way!), I came across a beautiful picture of some amazing-looking lasagne. I present to you - Lasagne Bolognese with Spinach. Now, I must warn you...this is not your typically cheesy, meaty, heavier lasagne. This spinach-based recipe is a lighter, drier version. It's also definitely not a quick-and-easy recipe...it took me quite a while from start to finish. However, it's worth the effort!!! You should give this one a chance...at least once. It's the perfect thing to cook on a lazy Sunday afternoon.***

Lasagne Bolognese with Spinach
Serves: 8
Active time: 1 hr
Start to finish: 3 1/4 hr
January 2009

From Gourmet magazine:
"In the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, lasagne bolognese is usually made with a besciamella sauce. Italian-American cooks often replace that time-consuming step with ricotta. In this wickedly good interpretation, food editor Melissa Roberts combines the two traditions by whisking milk into some of the ricotta, creating a billowy pseudo-besciamella (the remaining ricotta mixture is stirred together with spinach). We rarely call for specific brands, but we did find that widely available Barilla no-boil dried noodles produced an exemplary lasagne. An egg pasta, this one comes very close to the flavor and delicacy of homemade.Watch food editor Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez demonstrate how to make your own fresh ricotta, and learn the story behind this dish in our series The Recipe."

For bolognese sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 oz sliced pancetta, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 lb ground beef chuck (not lean)
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme leaves

For ricotta filling:
2 (10-oz) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 (15-oz) containers whole-milk ricotta
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3/4 cup whole milk, divided

For assembling lasagne:
12 Barilla no-boil dried lasagne noodles (from 1 box)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Equipment:
a 13- by 9-inch baking pan (3 inches deep)

Make sauce:
Heat oil in a 12- to 14-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Cook pancetta, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are golden and softened, 12 to 15 minutes. Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up any lumps, until meat is no longer pink, 6 to 10 minutes. Stir in wine, milk, tomato paste, thyme, 1/4 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp pepper. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated but sauce is still moist, about 1 hour.

Make ricotta filling:
Put spinach in a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and twist to squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

Whisk together ricotta, eggs, parmesan, nutmeg, 1 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Transfer 1 1/2 cups ricotta mixture to another bowl and whisk in 1/4 cup milk; set aside. Whisk spinach into remaining filling with remaining 1/2 cup milk.

Assemble and bake lasagne:
Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

Soak noodles in a bowl of very warm water until pliable but not softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Place on a kitchen towel (it's not necessary to pat noodles dry).

Spread 1 1/2 cups bolognese sauce in baking pan and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp parmesan. Cover with 3 noodles, leaving space in between. Spread half of spinach filling on top, then 1 cup bolognese sauce, and top with 1 Tbsp parmesan and 3 noodles; repeat. Top with remaining bolognese sauce, 1 Tbsp parmesan, and remaining 3 noodles. Pour reserved ricotta mixture over top and sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan.

Cover pan tightly with parchment paper and foil (or just buttered foil) and bake 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is browned in spots, about 15 minutes more. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes before cutting.

Cooks’ notes:
Bolognese sauce can be made 2 days ahead and chilled (covered once cool).
Lasagne can be made 1 day ahead and chilled. Reheat in a 350°F oven, loosely covered with foil.

Tuiles - Daring Bakers' January Challenge!

Yes...You know what time it is!

This month's Daring Bakers' challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from "The Chocolate Book" by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

As always, I was on pins and needles waiting for the new challenge to be announced. I'm always excited for a brand new recipe to try. I have to admit - I was so happy to see an easier challenge this month...after all, we did make a French Yule Log last month!! That was quite the recipe...!

This month's recipe for Tuile Cookies wasn't too fussy or complicated. I was able to make them very quickly, and the clean-up wasn't too bad either. You can literally make all kinds of shapes with these cookies...fortune cookies, ice cream cones, piroulines...the list goes on and on. I decided to keep it simple and make pretty little bowls. I filled them with frozen blueberries and added a dusting of powdered sugar. They were FABULOUS!!! The cookies have a wonderful taste. In fact, my husband and I couldn't eat just one!

I used a large icing spatula to form large circles with the dough...on a cold baking sheet lined with a silicone mat. They baked for about 8 minutes. I put the baking sheet back into the freezer between batches. One handy trick was this - Once the cookies are done baking, keep the baking pan on the open oven door while you form them. This will keep the cookies warm while you work on the others. They have to be warm in order to form them into the shapes you want! Be careful, though...they will be hot! A muffin tin also came in handy. The cookies didn't fit all the way down into the muffin tin, but I used them as a guide. I rested one cookie on the top of each muffin form until they hardened. I also only cooked 2-4 cookies at a time.

I hope you like them. ;)

Tuiles:

Source: "The Chocolate Book" by Angélique Schmeink

Preparation time:

Batter : 10 minutes, Waiting time: 30 minutes, Baking time: 5-10 minutes per batch

Ingredients:

65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)

60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar

1 sachet vanilla sugar (7 grams or substitute with a dash of vanilla extract)

2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)

65 grams / 1/2 cup / 2.3 ounces sifted all purpose flour

Butter/spray to grease baking sheet

Oven: 180C / 350F

Directions:

Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) - Cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template. Press the stencil on the bakingsheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. (Please note: I did not use a stencil. I simply shaped the batter into large circles using an off-sided spatula).

Bake cookies in a preheated oven (180C/350F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from bakingsheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, you might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again. (Haven’t tried that). Or: place a bakingsheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.

If you don’t want to do stencil shapes, you might want to transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, cups, cones….

Steaks with Kalamata-Olive Chimichurri

***WOW...this recipe was amazing! I am a new fan of kalamata olives...they are so yummy! This is one of those recipes that I will no-doubt be making again and again. The chimichurri accompaniment was delicious. And the best part is, I had enough left over to add to our dinner the following evening. I baked a few chicken breasts and topped them with it....YUM! It was just as good the second night! The only change that I made was the cooking method. Brad cooked these on the outside grill, instead of the oven. The red wine vinegar adds an excellent flavor to the relish...do yourself a favor, and make this recipe soon...you won't be sorry! :)

Enjoy!***

Steaks with Kalamata-Olive Chimichurri

Source: bon appetit magazine

Recipe by Jeanne Thiel Kelley
February 2009

"Chimichurri, the traditional accompaniment for steak in Argentina, is an olive oil-based sauce with vinegar, parsley, and other seasonings. In Argentina, cattle are grass-fed, and the vinegary relish complements the herbal beef beautifully. The meat is very lean, so it's best rare."

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons fruity olive oil, divided
4 garlic cloves; 2 thinly sliced, 2 pressed
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 bay leaf, preferably fresh, broken in half
1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped pitted Kalamata olives
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons water
2 14- to 16-ounce 2-inch-thick grass-fed New York strip steaks
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preparation:
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add sliced garlic, red pepper, and bay leaf. Stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add shallots and sauté until just translucent, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in parsley, olives, and vinegar. Add 1 tablespoon water. Add more water by teaspoonfuls to thin as needed. Season chimichurri with salt and pepper.

DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Rub steaks with 1 tablespoon oil and pressed garlic. Sprinkle both sides of each steak with 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt, cayenne, and generous amount of black pepper. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush heavy very large ovenproof skillet (preferably cast-iron) with oil. Heat over high heat until almost smoking. Add steaks. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn steaks and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into steaks registers 110°F to 115°F for rare, about 10 minutes.

Let steaks rest 5 minutes. Thinly slice crosswise. Spoon chimichurri over.

Martha's Lemon-Thyme Green Beans

***Here's another wonderfully easy recipe from Martha Stewart. I served this with a delicious recipe - "Steak with Kalamata Olive Chimichurri", which I'll post tomorrow. These green beans had a great little "kick" from the fresh lemon juice and tasted perfect.

Enjoy!***

Lemon-Thyme Green Beans

Martha Stewart

Source: Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

Ingredients:
Serves 4

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish (optional)

Directions:
In a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid, bring 1/2 inch water to a boil; salt generously.

Add green beans; reduce to a simmer, and cover skillet. Steam beans, tossing occasionally, until crisp-tender, 6 to 10 minutes.

Pull lid back slightly, and tilt skillet to drain water from green beans; add lemon juice, butter, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to melt butter. Serve green beans garnished with additional thyme, if desired.