Sausage and Butternut Squash Lasagna

This Lasagna was the result of looking in the fridge and freezer and trying to figure out what I could make for dinner with the ingredients I had. There are a lot of flavors here: squash, pesto, sausage, eggplant, sage, parmesan. It's not for the faint palated or unadventurous eater.

While it's not perfect and I may do some tweaking on it down the road (I'm not sure how I feel about the eggplant in it yet!), it was yummy, comforting and something different for dinner. True lasagna fans will probably want to use more cheese. I felt that since my sauce was creamy, I didn't really need much of it. Here I used frozen butternut squash despite it being in season fresh where I live but that's only because I needed to use it before it got freezer burn! Fresh butternut squash would be absolutely delicious here. I would boil it or roast it in small pieces if I substituted it for the frozen.

Ingredients

9 Lasagna noodles, cooked
1 bag of frozen butternut squash, defrosted
1 lb hot italian style chicken sausage, casings removed
1 large vidalia onion, diced
2 lrg garlic cloves
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
6 tablespoons homemade pesto (or a store bought pesto that you really like)
1 1/4 cups milk, heated in the microwave for 1 minute
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2.5 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 medium sized eggplant, sliced 3/4 in thick (6-8 slices
kosher salt and black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a 4qt sauce pan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan when hot and cook onion and garlic until the onion is translucent. Remove onion and garlic and add sausage to pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you cook. When sausage is cooked, add onion and garlic back to pan and stir in defrosted butternut squash, sage and kosher salt and pepper. Stir and cook until blended. Stir in 2 tablespoons of pesto. Set aside.

Next, melt butter in a saucepan and then whisk in the flour, stirring constantly until the flour and butter are well mixed and begin to brown (about 5 minutes). Slowly pour in the warm milk and bring to a boil while stirring. Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken. Add 3 tablespoons of the pesto and 1/2 the parmesan cheese and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

While you are making the sauce, lay eggplant slices on a cookie sheet that has been covered with foil and baste on both sides with 1 tablespoon pesto mixed with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place in oven and cook for 13-15 minutes or until tender. Lower the oven heat to 375.In a rectangular baking dish (9x13 or so), layer the lasagna, starting with a tiny bit of the sausage squash concoction, then noodles, then 1/3 of the pesto cream sauce, then all the eggplant slices (cut in half if they are large), then more noodles, sausage squash mixture, 1/3 of the pesto cream sauce, noodles, last of the sausage squash, last of the pesto cream sauce and then top with 1/4 cup of grated parmesan. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and then turn on the broiler. Broil until the cheese is browned (2-3 minutes). Let set for 10 minutes before slicing.All text and photographs (except where noted otherwise) © 2008, 2009 Food is to love / Andrea Quigley

Shrimp and Spinach in Spicy Chipotle Tomato Sauce over Orzo

Blogging community, I haven't abandoned you! Just a wee bit busy! Went camping this past weekend, signed papers for mortgage pre-approval, met with a realtor, and hopefully see some more houses this weekend (although I had my heart set on the one we saw at an open house recently-and someone put an offer on it :( before we got our financing). You can expect to see lots of house talk from here on out! Feel like I haven't been home much since we went to Cape Cod last month!

This is something I made a few weeks ago when I had a whole bunch of leftover chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and didn't know what to do with them (and there is no wasting in this household!). I pureed the peppers in their sauce in my food processor and then froze the puree in an ice cube tray. I then popped them out when frozen and wrapped individually in plastic wrap and tossed them back into the freezer. I'll use the rest of them for chilis or chipotle mayo for sandwiches. I love the flavor chipotle adds to things, especially when you combine that with cooking with wine.

Sorry the pictures are kind of suck-ass. Eating dinner so late at night when the sun has gone down (and being too ravenous to set up any type of proper lighting!) makes it hard to get decent pictures. I used frozen spinach here but definitely feel free to use fresh baby spinach. It will look a lot prettier.

Ingredients

2 tablespoon unsalted butter & 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
1 can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons (or 1 frozen cube) chipotle peppers in adobo, pureed
1 lb medium cooked shrimp, rinsed, shells removed
2 cups defrosted chopped loose leaf spinach (or fresh baby spinach!)
6 servings of orzo
kosher salt and black peppers
lrg handful of cilantro

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the orzo according to the package directions. While your water is heating, start cooking the tomato sauce. Heat oil and butter over medium heat in a large sauce pan or deep skillit until butter melts and the liquids are hot. Cook the onion for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine, chicken stock and tomatoes to the pan, simmer until the alcohol from the wine is cooked off (about 5-6 minutes). Next, stir in the chipotle pepper puree, Worcestershire sauce, spinach and the cooked shrimp and cook until the spinach and shrimp are warmed through. Season with kosher salt and pepper, turn off the heat and stir in cilantro. Serve over the cooked orzo.

All text and photographs (except where noted otherwise) © 2008, 2009 Food is to love / Andrea Quigley

Like orzo, shrimp and spinach but don't dig smoky chipotle or wine in your food? Visit the link from Foodista below and check out other recipes with the same ingredients.

A Nostalgic Kitchen: Beef Stroganoff

When I was in college and missed my Mother's home cooking, Beef Stroganoff was one of the meals that always came to mind. Noodles, a creamy sauce and meat-how could it not be a comfort food?! A couple of years ago, my youngest sister let me borrow my Mom's recipe tin so I could copy her recipes (typed and laminated like the dork that I am) and Beef Stroganoff was the first one I rushed out to recreate. I have modified her recipe a little because originally it called for things like margarine (it was the 80's after all) and boullion cubes and I don't use either.

There were ingredients I had to leave in even though some might think it's kind of weird for them to be in a stroganoff. Or at least that's what J tells me (and I guess I haven't seen them in other recipes for the dish either so I guess that confirms it). I use ground beef instead of pieces and cook a green bell pepper with the onions and mushrooms. I don't even like green peppers but it's how my Mom made the dish when were were kids and it's how I remember it so the peppers and ground beef stay!

You can substitute ground chicken or turkey for the beef and use lower fat dairy products if you want to lighten up the fat and calorie content. I also use whole wheat egg noodles to add a little extra nutrition. I love how so many pasta makers are making different varieties of whole grain and whole wheat pasta these days. It makes eating pasta way less of an indulgence (or at least that's what I tell myself!). Enjoy!

Serves 4
Ingredients

1/3 cup butter or olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped*
12 oz white button mushrooms, sliced
1 clove minced garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup low sodium beef broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1-2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup light sour cream or 1/2 cup heavy cream (I prefer the sour cream route!)
3/4 package of egg noodles
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
fresh parlsey (optional)

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter or oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium low heat and add onions, peppers and mushrooms when the butter is melted. Cook until the mushrooms are browned and the onions are slightly soft. Cook the garlic with the vegetables for the last minute of cooking. Remove from pan and set aside. While the vegetables are cooking, fill a large pot with water, salt and bring to a boil. Cook your noodles according to the package directions.

Roll the ground beef in the 2 tablespoons of flour and add the remaining butter to the pan. When the butter is hot, saute the beef until browned and then add the mushrooms, peppers and onion back to the pan. Add the beef stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and kosher salt and black pepper to taste and cook for a few more minutes. Sir in the sour cream (or heavy cream if using) and remove from heat. Stir in the noodles or serve the stroganoff over the noodles depending on your preference. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

As a side note, if the sauce seems to soupy before you stir in the sour cream (it will thicken if you choose to stir in the noodles), add a tsp of corn starch and cook for a couple of minutes and then add the sour cream and serve. As the dish cools the sauce will firm up as well.

All text and photographs (except where noted otherwise) © 2008, 2009 Food is to love / Andrea Quigley

Greek Salad Pockets

I try very hard to only eat meat 3 or 4 times a week (I'm talking all meals here, not just dinner). I know there are many valid reasons for limiting or excluding meat entirely from ones diet (hormones, drugs, cruelty, cost etc.) but my main reason is because animal protein is significantly harder for your body to digest than other types of protein. Eating large quantities of animal protein (especially fattier meats) puts extra stress on the kidneys and pancreas and while I like my meat as much as anyone else, I like my organs more! I'm always looking for more vegetarian meals and this is one I like to make partially because I usually have everything I need already in the fridge. Ha! No grocery shopping!

No cooking needed. Just a few minutes of washing, chopping and whisking and dinner is ready to be launched into the belly! And really you don't need me to give you a "recipe" really, it's essentially a Greek salad.



Ingredients

pita pockets
1 seedless English cucumber, diced
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 red or vidallia onion, diced
20 Kalamata olives, pitts removed
2-3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
2 or 3 oz feta cheese
5 or 6 diced pepperoncini, stems and seeds removed (optional)

For the vinaigrette

1.5 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Toss the onion, cucumber, tomato, olives and pepperoncini (if you are using them) in a large bowl. Crumble the feta and add to the bowl. Leave the romaine lettuce to the side until ready to use (adding to the bowl will make it soggy, especially if you have leftovers).

Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, oregano, black pepper in a bowl. Add the olive oil last and keep whisking until blended. Pour the vinaigrette over the bowl with your veggies and feta. Stir to combine flavors. You can probably skip the salt since the feta, olives and pepperoncini peppers are loaded with them.

Slice the pita pockets in half and fill with lettuce and a big scoop of salad. Serve with a little hummus if you like. Eat.

All text and photographs (except where noted otherwise) © 2008, 2009 Food is to love / Andrea Quigley

Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup

I didn't feel like going to the grocery store on Sunday and wanted to use up some of the random veggies and an open container of chicken stock in my fridge. This is what I came up with and it actually came out really good!

If you can't find cans of fire roasted tomatoes (Muir Glenn and Hunts both make them), you can roast your own by spreading out diced canned tomatoes, drained or sliced fresh tomatoes on a cookie sheet and roasting them with olive oil, salt and pepper around 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

And if you don't have a Parmesan cheese rind lying around (I save all of mine in the freezer, they add a ton of flavor to soups quickly!), just buy a good block of Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano if you've got the extra pennies!) and cut off the rind end. Save the rest of the cheese for something else. I have plenty of recipes that use the stuff (here, here, and here for starters!).

Ingredients

Makes about 6 cups of soup

1 14.5 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken stock/broth*
1 onion, diced
one carrot, diced
1 medium sized zucchini, diced
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons tomato paste
kosher salt
black pepper
1 head of garlic
1 Parmesan cheese rind
1 tablespoon olive oil

Roast an entire head of garlic (recipe can be found here). Cook the onion and carrot in 1 tablespoon olive oil until soft, stirring occasionally, then stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste and vegetable or chicken broth. Add seasonings: basil, oregano, bay leaf, and salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the Parmesan cheese rind and zucchini and continue to simmer. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and add to the pot. Cook until the zucchini is soft, stirring occasionally.

Remove cheese rind (will break down a bit but you should be able to remove the biggest pieces) and the bay leaf. Separate the liquid from the solids with a sieve, putting the liquid back in the pot. Puree the solids in a food processor, blender or hand blender and then return to pot. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. You're all done!

Serve with crusty bread and a dollop of sour cream if you like. It tastes even better the next day!

*If using chicken broth, the recipe is no longer vegetarian.*

All text and photographs (except where noted otherwise) © 2008, 2009 Food is to love / Andrea Quigley

Quinoa & Lentil Summer Salad

When hot weather rolls around, I start wanting to cook less and eat lighter. Wish I could say the latter was a year round desire but I love my risottos, stews and sauces too much! It's not quite "hot" yet here in NH but we've had a few humid days where I needed something light and this does the trick. This salad has lots of protein, fiber, veggies and just enough healthy fat to make this a balanced and healthy meal that doesn't taste like cardboard. It'll fill you up and won't leave you feeling over-stuffed on a hot summer day. Plus J hates lentils and I love getting him to eat healthy things he thinks he hates. He liked this and didn't even realize there were lentils in it till I told him!

Ingredients

1/2 cup green lentils
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups low sodium chicken broth (optional)
1 red or sweet onion, roughly chopped
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, roughly chopped
2 cups baby spinach
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 garlic clove, minced
a very large handful of chopped fresh parsley
black pepper & kosher salt to taste

Total calories per serving: 317
4 servings

First, rinse your lentils & quinoa (separately) in hot water and then place in two sauce pans. Add 2 cups of chicken broth (or water if you aren't using it) to the lentils and 2 cups of water to the quinoa and bring each to boil. Cover both tightly, lower the heat to simmer and cook lentils for 30 min or until soft and the quinoa for 12-15 min and the water is absorbed.

While the lentils and quinoa are cooking. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a skillet and saute the onion and bell pepper for 3-4 minutes. (I had to use a yellow onion when I took pictures for this because my red onion was rotten-gross!) Turn off heat and put aside.

Start to make the vinaigrette by mincing your garlic and then sprinkling it with salt. Using a fork, mash the garlic into a paste. It will take a minute but the salt will make the garlic soft. Next whisk together the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil. Then whisk in the lemon zest, salt and pepper, and garlic paste.

Drain any extra liquid from the lentils and put both the lentils and quinoa in a large bowl. Add the cooked onion and pepper and then stir in the baby spinach while warm to wilt it. Finally, pour in the vinaigrette, toss in the tomatoes and parsley and stir till it's all combined. Adjust salt and pepper if needed. Chill or serve warm. The flavor gets better upon standing.

All text and photographs (except where noted otherwise) © 2008, 2009 Food is to love / Andrea Quigley

Garlic and Herb Pork Chops

Happy Mother's Day! I'm not a mother myself, but there are lots of wonderful mothers in my life and to them I wish a wonderful day (yeah yeah, by the time I post the day is almost over-I'm a night owl, get over it!). Mother's Day is a little bittersweet for me as my own mother passed away in 2001, and the day really just makes me miss her more. I was hoping to make my mom's beef stroganoff tonight to honor her memory but that'll have to wait for another night. This has nothing to do with mother's day and everything to do with an easy, low-maintenance main course. Every mother I know could use more of these!

I'm actually somewhat new to pork. I hadn't eaten it since 8th grade when I learned all about Trichinosis. My mother was pissed. She worked so hard to put healthy and tasty meals on the table but whatever my 8th grade science teacher told me stuck out so brilliantly in my little brain that all I saw were worms everywhere when anything made of pig was on the menu. Chicken or veggies were my life. Then I started dating a guy with serious German roots and pork was everywhere and I couldn't avoid it since we spent a lot of time with his family. I've finally gotten over my fears of wormies and now make a couple of pork dishes a month. And I'm still with the same boy, I'm happy to say. (Boy am I happy that I came back to pork. I really have come to appreciate what a little bacon can do to a meal! :) )

Ingredients

4 center cut boneless pork chops
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a shallow bowl, mix together the minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, kosher salt and black peppper. Trim an excess fat off the pork chops. Rub the herb and garlic mixture all over both sides of the pork chops. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. While you are waiting for the skillet to get hot, put the 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a bowl and using a pastry or basting brush, brush balsamic vinegar on both sides of the chops. Put all four chops in the hot pan and cook for two minutes on each side. Remove from the burner and bake for 8 min (10 if you are a scaredy cat) in oven (depending on thickness).

The inside of the pork should be cooked through but a slight blush color when done. I served this with a balsamic vinegar and goat cheese red cabbage salad (which I don't feel like posting at this time, but I will if there is interest!).


All text and photographs (except where noted otherwise) © 2008, 2009 Food is to love / Andrea Quigley

Tortilla Pot Pie

It was 85 degrees today in NH. Earlier this week it was in the 40's. New England weather likes to keep you on your toes. I certainly did not cook Tortilla Pot Pie today (but I did bake cinnamon rolls for J tonight because he's sick and sweets make him feel better-that post will probably be up in a few days) but I've had a draft of it in my blogger dashboard forever and it was screaming to finally be published.

I was going for a Mexican style lasagna but it came out a little too sloppy. I was pissed and almost threw the whole thing in the trash (anger management issues, I haz them!) but then I realized it didn't have to be a lasagna. It could be pie! Why pie? Just because I said so. It's not pretty (at least on the dish) but it tastes good, is inexpensive to make and will fill you up for days and ultimately that matters more to me than how nicely it comes out of the dish.

**If you have leftovers and eat it the next day, miraculously by the power of the fridge it will have turned to lasagna overnight!**

Serves 4

4 8-in diameter flour tortillas
1 can black beans, drained but not rinsed
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup vegetable stock
2 cups frozen corn
1 1/2 cups frozen loose leaf spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic, or garlic powder
1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup mild enchilada sauce
2 tablespoons low fat sour cream
a handful of chopped cilantro
nonstick spray

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, garlic, red pepper flakes, chili powder and a 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Cook for a minute. Add the stock and zucchini and bring to a simmer. Add the frozen corn and spinach and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes, or until corn and spinach are warmed through. Turn off the heat and stir in the cilantro, sour cream and enchilada sauce.

Coat a square or round casserole dish lightly with non-stick spray. Press two of the tortillas into the bottom of the casserole dish, top with 1/3 of the cheese, 1/3 of the veggie bean mixture, then top with 1 tortilla, 1/3 of the cheese and 1/3 of the veggie bean mixture. Finally add the last tortilla, the last of the veggies and beans and finish off with the last of the cheese. Bake for 15 minutes and then turn the broiler to 450. Broil for 3 or 4 minutes (watching carefully so it doesn't burn!) or until the cheese browns.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a little sour cream if you want.

All text and photographs © 2008, 2009 Food is to love / Andrea Quigley

Chicken and Broccoli Pizza with Lemon Peppercorn Sauce

(I'm no longer posting on this blog - enjoy the recipe but if you want to see what I'm up to, visit me here.)


The delicious Giorgio's that J and I frequent was once a small mom and pop style pizza shop down the street from it's current location. The little pizza shop was owned by this adorable European couple who always treated us like we were old friends. It was endearing and we looked forward to seeing big smiles on their faces whenever we stopped in. But the real reason we went back time and time again was for the pizza. In particular, a chicken a broccoli pizza with a lemon peppercorn sauce. The new Giorgio's opened about 3 years ago and they don't do the same style or flavors that they used to (but still their menu is delicious) so like everything else I eat that I like, I had to replicate it!

This pizza recipe has more steps than most but it's actually pretty easy. And no, you don't actually have to cook your broccoli and onion if you end up using raw dough. I'm dough challenged, as we've discussed in an earlier blog entry, so even though I use raw dough occasionally, I'm not smooth enough to use it for an entry here. Since the precooked shells only need to cook long enough to warm the ingredients and melt the cheese, I go through some of these steps because they add a texture (blanched broccoli) and flavor (caramelized red onion) that I like. I just know if I actually used raw dough to do a pizza on my blog it'll look like crap even if it tastes good!

Serves 2 - 3

Ingredients

1/2 large red onion, cut in half, then sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 - 1/2 cups of fresh broccoli florets
2 cooked chicken breasts, thinly sliced
kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated cheddar
pre-cooked pizza crust

For the sauce

2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup half and half
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
1 lemon

Heat a medium skillet to medium with one tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, drop in the sliced red onion and stir to coat with the oil. When the onions have sweated a little, after 2 or 3 minutes or so, give another stir and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Leave alone and cook for 7-10 minutes (they will caramelize-red onions caramelize easily), checking once to make sure the heat isn't too high that the pan burns. Turn off heat and put onions aside.

While your onions are cooking, bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil and drop in your broccoli florets. Cook for 2 minutes and then submerge in an ice bath (bowl of cold water with lots of ice cubes) or run continuously under cold water for a few minutes. The idea is to stop the broccoli from cooking immediately. Drain when cold and set aside.

I browned my chicken on both sides in an oiled skillet, and then added a little chicken stock, covered and simmered till it was cooked through but you can cook your chicken anyway you like.

Once your onions, broccoli, and chicken are cooked, and your cheeses grated (please grate your own-there are very few instances when pre-grated is okay! huge HUGE flavor and texture difference for the price.) it's time to make your sauce. This sauce is essentially a flavored roux. A roux is a cooked mixture of fat and flour and many sauces and gravies begin with one. Master a roux and you are halfway to making a delicious sauce.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Wash the lemon well. Cut the lemon in half. Use a reamer or a fork to get all the juice out and reserve in a bowl. Cut each half into quarters and use your fingers to peel out the rest of the fruit, leaving you with just peel. You'll need two medium sauce pans. Put the peel and the milk and half & half in one of the sauce pans. Bring just to a slow boil, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat. Remove the peel and set peel aside.

In the second sauce pan, melt the butter over a low medium heat. When melted, whisk in the flour and continue whisking until the mixture is a slight caramel color (just a minute or two). Then very slowly, whisk in the half & half and milk mixture. Keep whisking once everything is incorporated. The sauce will thicken pretty quickly. Turn the heat down if it seems to thicken excessively and add extra milk if necessary. Cook like this for 5 minutes or so, or until the flour no longer tastes raw (stick your finger in there and taste!). Turn off heat and stir in the 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and grind 1 teaspoon black pepper into the sauce. Slowly whisk in 2 tablespoons reserved lemon juice till the mixture is well blended. Take the lemon peel you set aside earlier, rinse it off (it will have cream on it) and zest it. If you don't have a citrus zester, you can usually find that your box grater has a side that works perfectly for this. You'll need less than 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest. Stir zest in to the sauce. Adjust salt and pepper seasoning. It should taste lightly like alfredo but very peppery and a little lemony.

Put the pizza shell on a cookie sheet or pizza stone and spread out the peppercorn lemon sauce thinly on it. Top with broccoli, red onion, and chicken. Add shredded cheddar, mozzarella and the last of the parmesan. Bake for 10 minutes and then broil for 3 or 4 minutes till cheese begins to brown. Cut into 4 -6 pieces. Serve with slices of lemon.



All text and photographs © 2008, 2009 Food is to love / Andrea Quigley

Prosciutto and Brie Quesadillas with Arugula and Pears in Balsamic Sauce

Friday night, I had gotten home from the gym late and J and I were starving. The kitchen was a mess still from the night before and I realized that I had forgotten to buy arugula at the store. And then I remembered that I planned to put these on the blog. I scrambled around the kitchen moving things out of the way so I could make dinner and take a few half-hearted pictures, and ended up burning one quesadilla and undercooking the other. I am the most awesome cook ever. :) At least they taste good!


These quesadillas are sweet, buttery and salty. They're also a little rich, so if I eat anything else with them it's usually something basic to balance things out, like a plain vegetable or a salad. I've been trying to come up with a salsa that complements the flavors here but the quesadillas have enough moisture on their own that it's really unnecessary. Most of the time, I just eat them "dry" or with a small dollop of sour cream. Have them for dinner or cut into small triangles and serve as an appetizer with some white wine.


Serves 2

Ingredients

4 flour tortillas (8 in diameter)
4 oz prosciutto
4 oz good quality brie, cut into small chunks
3 pears, sliced into long strips
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup diced onion
1 cup arugula
pinch of rosemary
non-stick spray
kosher salt
black pepper

Lay two of the tortillas on a flat surface, side by side and top each tortilla with 1/4 of the brie, 1/2 the prosciutto, and (if you aren't forgetful like me) 1/2 the arugula. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan and when moderately hot add the onion, and a pinch of kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes. Add the vinegar, honey, a pinch of rosemary, kosher salt and black pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Add the pears and stir to coat them in the vinegar mixture. Cook for another minute.

Spray a 9 or 10 inch skillet with non-stick spray and heat to medium. Place one of the tortillas (with the brie & prosciutto) you set aside earlier in the skillet. Top with 5 or 6 of the pear slices and a little of the vinegar sauce. Top with another 1/4 of the brie and cover with a tortilla. Cook for two minutes and flip gently with a large spatula (the bottom tortilla will be crispy so it will be easy to flip). Cook for another 2 or 3 minutes and remove. Cool. Follow the instructions in this paragraph again to make the second quesadilla. Cool and then cut both in half or quarters.

All text and photographs © 2008, 2009 Food is to love / Andrea Quigley

Lasagna like Mom's

My mom made the best lasagna. I didn't think it was all that exciting at the time (I did not like tomato sauce as a kid), but as I got older and tried other lasagnas, whether homemade or in a restaurant, I came to realize that her's had something special about it and it wasn't just the love and energy that went into feeding our large family. Mom's tasted so good because she started off by making a slow simmered meat sauce. You just don't get the same flavor from a jar or from making a quick, meatless marinara (sure, they have their time and place but lasagna isn't one of them!).

Mom's recipes don't include how much of each ingredient to put in. And rarely did she bother to write instructions other than "cook all day on the stove". It's a little frustrating when trying to make something of hers for the first time, but it also makes me laugh because now that I make up a lot of my own recipes, I'm finding it's hard for me to write down exactly how much of something I'm using, because I just toss a handful or a pinch of something into the pot and cook until it tastes good like she did. So, here, I take her original ingredient "list" for lasagna and have added real measurements, directions, as well as plenty of my own substitutions and I think I've come up with something that tastes almost like my mom really did cook it on the stove all day. The best part is that you can eat off it all week and you'll have a ton of extra meat sauce to freeze for another meal.

Ingredients

Serves 6 - 8

*feel free to substitute turkey or chicken for the pork sausage and ground beef. It'll taste just as good for less calories!*

1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb hot Italian pork sausage, casings removed
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
4 cloves minced garlic, separated
2 large cans whole tomatoes
1 large can tomato puree
1 small can tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 egg
1 large container part-skim ricotta
2 tablespoons dried parsley, or 1/4 cup fresh
6oz fresh mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cubed, 1/2 thinly sliced
1/2 -3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
9 lasagna noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
additional kosher salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Brown the ground beef and sausage until there is no more pink. Remove the meat and drain the liquid/fat over a bowl. Put about 1/4 cup of the beef and pork fat back in the pot and cook the onion and green pepper for 3-4 minutes, then add the 3 of the cloves of minced garlic and cook for another minute.

Next add the meat back in, all your tomato products (2 cans whole tomatoes, 1 can puree, 1 can paste), the bay leaves, sugar, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, kosher salt and pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least 2 hours. 2 1/2 hours will give you a thicker sauce, which means a firmer lasagna. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. The whole tomatoes should have broken down. If they are still mostly whole, take a potato masher and break up a little.

While the sauce is simmering, in a large bowl, lightly beat the egg. Mix in the ricotta, last clove of minced garlic, parsley, cubed mozzarella, half the parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. (I always use fresh mozzarella and grate my own parmesan. I think pre-grated and shredded cheeses are too dry and lose a lot of their flavor. Buying it whole and cutting/shredding yourself is more work and costs a little more, but the flavor is stronger so you'll actually end up using less.)

When your sauce is almost ready to use, heat a large pot full of water to boiling. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt. Cook your noodles for about a minute less than the box directions say to. Drain and spread out on a couple of kitchen towels. Cover with a damp towel.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Pour a large ladle full of sauce in a 9 x 13 pan (9x11 is okay too, but you may need to trim your noodles to fit them), and spread out. Now layer 3 noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, 1 or 2 ladles of sauce, 3 noodles, 1/3 ricotta, sauce, 3 noodles, the last 1/3 ricotta mixture and another ladle or two of sauce. Press down after each layer of noodles. Top with the thinly sliced mozzarella, tearing with your hands if needed, and the rest of the parmesan cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. Turn the broiler to 500, leave the oven door open slightly and brown the top of the lasagna for 3 or 4 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes (The longer it sits, the easier it will be to remove from the pan). Serve with some crusty bread and a salad.
All text and photographs © 2008, 2009 Food is to love / Andrea Quigley

Black Bean, Guacamole and Chicken Wraps

This isn't so much a recipe or cooking so much as food assembly! This is one of my go-to meals when I'm too exhausted to cook or it's too hot out to cook. It's certainly not too hot out today but we finally had some "warmer" weather today so I was in the mood for something lighter. It's a pretty healthy wrap but is still rich enough to be satisfying.

Ingredients

2 large chicken breasts, slightly pounded
1 tablespoon olive oil
a pinch of kosher salt & black peper
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 oz sharp cheddar cheese, cut into cubes
3 ripe tomatoes, diced
3 cups green leaf or romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup diced red or sweet onion
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 large whole wheat wraps
1/2 - 3/4 cup hot salsa
* you may need 4-8 toothpicks

For the Guacamole

2 medium sized avocados, peeled, pit removed, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
the juice from 1/2 a lime

Serves 4

Preheat a grill pan to medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper, and then baste the grill pan with olive oil (or non-stick spray). Place the chicken breasts on the grill and cook for 4-6 minutes on each side (depending on thickness).

While the chicken cooks, mash the avocado in a bowl with a fork or potato masher. Squeeze in the lime juice and add the minced garlic, cayenne, cumin, chili powder, and 1/4 tsps each of salt and pepper. Take the chicken off the grill and let cool while you chop your tomatoes, lettuce, onion, bell peppers, and cheese (if you haven't already). Slice chicken or cut into cubes. Stir a small handful of your chopped tomatoes into your guacamole.

Spread the a few tablespoons of guacamole around your wrap, leaving the outer 1 inch dry. Place small amounts (1 - 2 tablespoons of each) of beans, chicken, peppers, cheese, lettuce, onion and tomatoes in a straight line down the center of the wrap, except for an inch or two on each end. I emphasize "small" because I'm notorious for thinking I'm using only a little amount but often end up with a wrap that can't close itself. Less is more! Top the filling the center with salsa.

Turn the wrap so that the center filling runs from left to right (rather than up and down) and fold up each end. Hold the end folds with your fingers as you use your thumbs to lift up the part of the wrap closest to you up and start rolling. Do your best to keep the ends tucked in. When it's half rolled up, move your thumbs from the flaps to help you roll the rest up tightly. The wrap seam should end up plate side down. Put one hand on top of the wrap to steady, firmly and cut in half on a slight angle (angling the cut helps the filling to stay in a little better). Secure the bottom of the wrap with tooth picks if needed.

All text and photographs © 2008, 2009 Food is to love / Andrea Quigley

Simple Mac and Cheese

I was making dinner tonight and realized I needed a starch or I'd be pigging out again in three hours. While the chicken grilled and the greens were braising, I rummaged around in the cabinets to see what our options were. I didn't feel like rice, couscous, or bulgur. Pasta might work but, I didn't have any store bought sauce and I didn't feel like making something that was going to take 45 minutes. Mmmm, mac and cheese? Well, shells and cheese, I guess since that's what I used.

I can't stand boxed mac and cheese and most baked are too dry (despite being loaded with cream and fat!) I'm not even remotely skilled when it comes to making white sauces but I had some cheddar and goat cheese in the fridge that need to be used up (I don't like to waste food-learned family trait!) so I figured I'd at least try. If it didn't work out, we could always just have some toast with the rest of dinner.

Anyhow, it came out creamy and smooth and since I used chicken stock instead of several cups of cream, it's slightly better for you than what you've probably had in the past. I bet it would be awesome with some broccoli stirred in.

This makes 4 large side dish portions but the recipe can easily be doubled to feed more.

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup low sodium chicken stock
1/2 cup half and half
couple shakes of worcestershire sauce
couple light shakes of hot sauce
kosher salt
black pepper
1/2 tsp ground dry mustard
2 oz goat cheese
1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
6oz of your favorite pasta shape (makes about 3 cups cooked)

Fill a pasta pot with water, add a dash of salt and a small drizzle of olive oil (the oil prevents the water from boiling over) and bring to a boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, heat a medium saucepan to medium and melt the two tablespoons of butter in it. Next, add the flour and stir frequently until the flour is well mixed in and browned (3 minutes or so) then add both the half and half and chicken stock and raise to a simmer, stiring occasionally. When the mixture has thickened (4 or 5 minutes), add salt, pepper, worcestershire, hot sauce and dry mustard. Stir well and turn off heat. Cover. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to the directions. Drain pasta when tender and return to pot. Add goat and cheddar cheese, and pour in your sauce. Mix until the cheeses have melted and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve!

Try stiring in broccoli, spinach or tomatoes, or substituting gruyere, emmentaler, or gouda for the goat cheese. Or add some cooked bacon and mushrooms. Yum!

I promise, one of these days I'll post a couple recipes that don't have dairy in them!

All text and photographs © 2008, 2009 Food is to love / Andrea Quigley

Calzones with Roast Beef, Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onions

Growing up, my mom made calzones for almost any occasion: Birthdays, Christmas Eve, Saturday night dinner etc. She'd bake pizza dough filled with layered spinach, lunch meats (like salami, ham and turkey), american cheese and cooked green and red peppers and onions. As a kid, I hated vegetables like most kids, and my sisters and I would pull the peppers and onions out and give them to my mom or dad to eat. Mom made the calzones frequently enough that they now rest in my mind as one of the ultimate comfort foods. This is a little richer than the ones Mom made but just as tasty, I think! I have never been able to master rolling out the dough and wrapping it uniformly around the meats. My mom had a lot more patience and skill than I do and so her calzones always looked pretty and even. My way is a little more haphazard, but it gets the job done and the food into the belly. I use many of the same ingredients mom did, but have changed some of the ingredients to make my own version. This can be served hot for dinner or straight out of the fridge cold as a snack.

I use rare roast beef sliced thin from the deli here. I know a lot of people worry about the safety of using undercooked meats but you're going to be cooking. I think regular roast beef gets too dry during the cooking process. Rare will be cooked well by the time it comes out of the oven, but it will still be juicy and flavorful. Again, just one of my personal preferences.

Blue cheese is very pungent and there are a lot of bad blue cheeses out there. I try to use a good blue like (English) Stilton, (French) Roquefort, or (Italian) Gorgonzola. I've used Danish Blue before but I think it's too sharp and salty. You can smell it when you open the refrigerator and that's too much for me. If you aren't a big blue cheese fan, try the blue cheese crumbles in the deli section of your store. The flavor is a lot more mild than the cheese I mention here (and you don't have to get messy trying to crumble your own!).

Ingredients

1 ball raw pizza dough (found in the bakery or deli area)
1 10 oz box frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3/4 lb rare roast beef, thinly sliced
1-2 oz good blue cheese, crumbled
1 large red bell pepper, roughly chopped
10 oz mushrooms, white button or portobello
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
kosher salt
black pepper
couple tbsp of flour
optional: 1-2 tbsp of cornmeal
*You'll also need a handful of toothpicks

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat the butter and 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat till hot but not smoking. Place the sliced onions in the pan, and give them a quick stir. Cook without stirring for 3-4 minutes. Give another stir and lower heat (hot enough to still cook but low enough so they don't burn!) Cover with a lid and don't touch them for 10 minutes. While the onions are cooking, heat the other tbsp of olive oil in another skillet over medium heat and add the mushrooms and red bell pepper and cook until the mushrooms are brown and the peppers are softened. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper in the last minute or two of cooking and remove to a plate till ready to use. Check the onions and give a stir. They should be browning. Sprinkle generously (not heavily though!) with salt. The salt will help draw out the rest of their moisture and aid the caramelizing process. You do NOT need to add sugar to caramelize onions. Cook for 5-10 more minutes, stirring occasionally and keep covered.

While the onions are finishing up, sprinkle a clean surface with a little flour. Rub flour onto a rolling pin and roll out your dough into a rectangle. It should be just slightly smaller than the cookie sheet you will put the calzone on. If you're like me, you will have great difficulty getting the dough to remain in the shape you want it to (suggestions anyone?). If you are using cornmeal, sprinkle it lightly on the cookie sheet and put the dough rectangle on top. The cornmeal prevents the dough from sticking to the pan. (I always wondered what that gritty stuff on the bottom of your pizza was. It's cornmeal!) Stretch the dough to fit the pan as much as you can and then evenly distribute the spinach down the center of the dough (see picture). Next, layer the roast beef down the center, overlapping until you've used all the roast beef. Evenly distribute the blue cheese down the center, use your (clean of course!) hands to break it up if you are not using crumbles. And last, pile the vegetables down the middle. You'll have a ton of veggies and they will spill all over the sides. It's not a big deal.

Here's the part, that, try as I might, I can't get right. I'm afraid I am dough-challenged. If you're normal and can work with dough properly, tuck in the head and foot flap of dough over the mound of ingredients and then fold the left side of the dough on top, then fold over the right (sort of like closing a box lid), stretching the dough if you need to. Seal in the center with toothpicks (I end up with 7-9 down the center). If you have troubles, like me, your dough will keep returning to the cookie sheet. So, I pin with toothpicks as I go, pulling left and right sides of dough as if I'm semi-braiding the dough together. Please see pictures and feel free to ask questions. (I know that I'm not explaining this as well as I could!)

Once you've got the whole thing wrapped up and toothpicked, slice vents in the dough every two inches or so, in between your toothpicks and then bake for 20-22 minutes. The calzone will be lightly browned and the dough cooked all the way through when it's ready.

Cool slightly and then cut into pieces by slicing along the vents. 1 calzone serves 4 (about 2 pieces each). You'll find yourself making this again and again.

All text and photographs © 2008, 2009 Food is to love / Andrea Quigley