Extra Schmaltz!

For various reasons, Melanie likes ground turkey more than ground beef, and so I've been making turkey meatballs a lot. Obviously the problem with turkey is that it can be really dry since it's so lean, but one day we made a random hippy turkey burger recipe and it taught us the he secret to making ground turkey not be gross: ground mushrooms!  If you grind up the mushrooms and mix them in, they kind of cook away but keep whatever you're cooking moist and give that umami flavor that's also missing from turkey. People who don't like mushrooms won't notice their presence at all unless they're specifically looking for them. This recipe is also designed to cook up really really quickly - you can have these done in the time it takes you to boil the water for the noodles. The spices are loosely based on Lillian's meatball recipe but only use dry spices for convenience. They still come out a little dry, but especially with a wetter sauce (marinara, vodka, etc....

For Christmas, I got Melanie a copy of a cookbook by her favorite author, Martha Rose Shulman, entitled Ready When You Are: A compendium of one-dish meals since I tend to prefer one dish meals anyway. We've been in a bit of a cooking rut, and so it's nice to have some new inspiration. This dish is originally written for dried beans, and I've simplified it a bit too, so I don't feel too bad reposting it. It's super delicious - we had some leftover ziti that it went perfectly on, but I also think it could be awesome with garlic bread.  It's also nice because it's a good way to use sage - we have an extremely robust sage plant in our garden, so I even had some fresh(ish) sage as the recipe called for. It doesn't taste too sage-tacular though, it's really subtle and just part of the deliciousness. The sausage will make difference in the flavor here, we use Hillshire Farm Turkish kielbasa because Melanie really likes it, but a good porky Italian sausage ...

This recipe based upon one from the grand tome "A Mediterranean Feast". It is the rarest of the rare: a true half-hour meal. Great for the tired, the desperate, the hungry. The original recipe calls for a 6-7 ounce can of tuna, but the largest I found was 5 ounces, and that worked fine. You could double to 10 oz tuna if you want it more meaty. Pictured with a simple salad of arugula + spinach, tomato, tossed with salt, olive oil, and balsamic. Recipe 1 lb. farfalle (bow tie noodles) 1 5 oz. can tuna packed in olive oil (do not drain) Handful of fresh parsley leaves, lightly chopped 1/4-1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil 1/3 c. freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Freshly ground black pepper Salt to taste Salt the pasta water generously, and bring to a boil. Boil for the time listed on the box. Drain. Empty the tuna, including the olive oil it was packed in, into a large bowl. Add the parsley leaves. Dump in the noodles and toss. Add olive oil to your liking,...

This is a simple and hearty meal; basically a stovetop version of mac'n'cheese, but with a northern Italian style. Keep this one in mind for summer when you have zucchini to use up! 1 lb penne rigate Generous salt for pasta water 3 small zucchini, sliced into thin strips (about 3 c.) 1 clove garlic,* 5 oz sharp provolone, grated 2 c. milk 4 Tbps. butter, divided 1 Tbsp. flour *The garlic step is optional, and a little bit fussy, but gives you more flavor Slice the zucchini into strips about 2" long and 1/4" wide. Make a roux by heating 1 Tbsp. of the butter in a small saucepan until bubbling, and adding the flour, whisking until smooth and bubbling. Add the milk and bring to a bare simmer, whisking until it thickens ~5 minutes. Stir in the cheese until melted. Set aside. Boil the pasta in generously salted water and cook until al dente . Do not drain--try to time this to coincide with finishing the zucchini. *Fussy garlic step: heat the remaining b...

Dan claims this is an original recipe, but I think it's just a variation of Pasta Fazool and Pesto Sausage Desperation . He absolutely loved it and insisted that I post it on the blog. It is indeed delicious. The basic idea is protein (could be leftover meat) + pasta + miscellaneous color/flavor agents that do not require a trip to the grocery store = dinner. 1 package pappardelle or fettuccine (long wide noodles) 1-1.5 lb chicken breast 2 medium onions 1/2 c. roasted red pepper, chopped (i.e. from a jar) 1/2 bag/block frozen spinach 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tsp. red pepper flakes 2 glugs dry vermouth 3 Tbsp. cooking oil + a dash olive oil A few sprigs of basil and parsley from the garden, chopped OR 2 tsp. pesto 2 tsp. oregano salt and pepper 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese Boil the noodles in plenty of salted water until just tender (they will cook more in the pan). Drain, reserving 1 c. of the cooking liquid. Meanwhile, cut the chicken into cubes and toss them with...

This is a very simple and easy recipe for when you either have lots of leftover rice, or when you have almost nothing fresh in the house but a full pantry. It's a traditional, cheap Egyptian dish, and while I still haven't visited Egypt, I'm told I make it pretty close to the original. It's a pretty complete meal, it's tasty, and it makes a lot with little effort. I'm giving the recipe as if you're making it from scratch - if you already have one of the ingredients leftover, just add it in towards the end, so it can absorb some of the heat from the other ingredients. Ingredients: 1 c. brown lentils 1 c. white rice 1 c. elbow macaroni (Optional: 1 can chick peas, cooked a little to soften further OR use Chana Masala for extra spice!) 1 large can diced or crushed tomatoes (28oz) 2 Tbsp diced garlic 2 Tbsp white vinegar Crushed red pepper to taste S&P (Optional: squirt or two of  vodka to bring out the flavor of the tomatoes) 1 large onion...

I've been finding Moroccan style sausage at many different meat shops lately. This was made with goat merguez sausage from Clancey's, which had really good flavor. I used a spice blend, but I'm sure you could use fresh spices and add some more ingredients (like dried fruit), but it turned out tasty when made this simple way. 4 links Merguez sausage, sliced 1 large onion, chopped coarsely 2 carrots, in large chunks 2 c. small cauliflower florets 2 Tbsp. tomato paste 3 Tbsp. Moroccan spice blend (ras al-hanout) 1 Tbsp. minced ginger 1 can chickpeas 1.5 c. chicken broth 6 Tbsp. butter Use a heavy bottomed pot to heat 4 Tbsp. of butter. Add the onions and saute until soft and starting to caramelize. Add the sausage and cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes until the liquid cooks off and everything starts to sizzle. Add the tomato paste and stir so it is well distributed. Stir in the spice blend and ginger. Add the carrots and 1 c. chicken broth and cover, simmering for 20...

This is the perfect, quick one-dish meal. You don't even need to add meat (it's good though)! It's great for using spring vegetables and cupboard staples. You could probably eat this for every meal for the rest of your life and not experience any nutritional deficiencies. 1 lb. loose Italian sausage 1 can cannellini beans 1/2 box chunky pasta 1 bunch broccoli raab (rapini) 1 onion, sliced 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/4 c. grated hard cheese 3 Tbsp. Italian parsley, chopped Salt and fresh ground black pepper Cook up the sausage in a large frying pan. Meanwhile boil a large pot of well-salted water. Immerse the raab in the water for 1-2 minutes until it is bright green and tender. Remove with tongs and immerse in cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and chop. Using the same water, boil the pasta until cooked and drain. Add the onion to the sausage and cook until it starts to become tender. Add the beans, chopped raab, crushed garlic, and parsley and stir unt...

Is this the true alfredo sauce? I have no idea, as I have not been to Italy. (Answer is: No, a true alfredo is just butter and parm. I wanted to make something with reduced cream, though.) This is, however, amazingly decadent and delicious and is made with simple ingredients. It also kicks the pants off of any pre-made alfredo sauce. A meal that could possibly make vegetarianism bearable (hah!). 3/4 lb. fettuccine noodles* 1 pint heavy cream 3/4 stick butter 1/3 c. grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano 1/3 c. grated Pecorino Romano Salt for noodle water Lots of freshly ground black pepper Place the cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer until it reduces by half (about 25 minutes). Whisk in 4-5 tablespoons cold butter, alternating with the cheese. Boil the the noodles in well-salted water until firm al dente (10 minutes). Reserve one cup of the cooking water and drain the noodles. In the pan that you used to cook the noodles, heat the remaining table...

Call it chicken parmesan, parmigiana, or parm, most of the time this winds up being a soggy, insipid dish. BUT--never fear, dear readers, I have improved it! The trick is to put the chicken (or veal) cutlets on top of the sauce, which keeps the breading from getting soft. I keep the cutlets small so that they have more crispy surface area and I use noodles instead of spaghetti, so it serves like a casserole. Overall, it helps to use high-quality ingredients for maximum flavor--the ones listed below are ideal, but you can use block mozarella, canned sauce, etc... Cutlets 1.5 lb. chicken breasts 1.5 c. flour 3 eggs, beaten 1.5 c. panko crumbs Salt and pepper Oil for frying Sauce 1 large can plum tomatoes 1 large can diced tomatoes 1/4 c. olive oil 2 tbsp. tomato paste 1 medium onion, minced 3 cloves + 2 cloves garlic 1/4 c. red wine 1 Tbsp. oregano 2 tsp. dried basil or a handful of fresh 1 tsp. black pepper 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes 2 bay leaves Salt to taste + m...

I have learned a lot about making pasta in the last 2 years or so; it is not a coincidence that this overlaps with my having very little time to contribute to the blog. I'd like to illustrate what I now know about the "true" italian approach to pasta with a dish from the menu of the restaurant where I currently work, Delfina . This dish has, approximately, 4 ingredients. It is also one of the signature dishes of a well-regarded restaurant which has served dozens of them every single day of its 12 year history, which should indicate that the devil is going to be in the details. It is officially listed on the menu as "Spaghetti with plum tomatoes, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and peperoncini" Ingredients: Spaghetti: This is a dry pasta dish. Texture-wise, the sauce adds little more than mouth-feel, so everything depends on the noodle itself. The industry standard for Italian dry pasta is Rustichella d'Abruzzo . I think you can find it retail at fancy-p...

Alternate name: Alex's not-quite-beef-stroganoff. This dish started out as a creative way to use up some leeks that were on sale, and evolved into something more complicated since I wanted to make something fancy. It's very similar in some ways to beef stroganoff, but more subtly flavored and not quite as heavy. Ingredients: 1 pound steak (I used top sirloin which was reasonably priced at about $5/#) 1 leek, cut in half then chopped into thin half circles 2 + 1 shallots (the first two should be larger), diced 5-7 mushrooms, sliced (optional) 2 Tbsp butter 1 1/2 Tbsp flour 1/3 c. heavy cream 1/2-1 c. milk 1/3 c. dry white wine Salt and Pepper. Preparation: 1) One hour before cooking, heavily salt both sides of the steak, then cover in plastic and place in refrigerator. After an hour has passed, wash off the steak. It will look a bit dried out - that's fine. Put as much as a tablespoon of pepper on each side. 2) Heat a heavy skillet to quite hot, then add a small amount of hi...

There's a zillion recipes for bolognese sauce, but this one worked well for me. Some people add cream at the end, but I find I don't like that as much. This one's really good if you can find hot pepper paste (usually associated with Hungary, but I have a Peruvian brand that's excellent). You can make it entirely un-spicy if you like, too. 2 large cans whole tomatoes, ideally Red Gold brand (or you can use 1 can puree and 1 can crushed if you don't have a blender) 1 lb ground beef 1 c. red wine 1/2 c. beef broth 1 onion, minced 1 tsp. red pepper flakes 2 tsp. oregano 1 tsp. dried basil 1 tsp. ground black pepper 1 tsp. fennel seeds (optional) 3 Tbsp. salt 3 Tbsp. olive oil 2 Tbsp. red pepper (or tomato) paste 2 Tbsp. flour 1/2 c. water from boiling pasta 2 cloves garlic, crushed Brown the ground beef and chop it up with your stirring device so that it's finely textured. If you have a pressure cooker, add 1/2 c. red wine and the 1/2 c. beef broth and cook for 15 m...

This recipe is adapted from something in the local co-op's circular. The sausage we used was sweeter turkey-chicken sausage (similar to the stuff you get from Cost-co) Ingredients: 1 Tbsp butter 3-4 cloves minced garlic 1 lb. sweet sausage in small pieces 1 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms (Preferably dry) white wine 1 1/4 c. heavy cream/half and half (this takes longer to cook obviously) Fresh parsley (approx 3 Tbsp - 1/4 c. minced) Parmesan cheese S&P (optional: a small shake of cayenne) Sautee garlic in butter briefly on low flame, then add mushrooms. Sprinkle with white wine and salt & pepper. Turn up heat, add sausage, and cook until browned. Add cream, parsley and some more white wine, then reduce until thick. Serve over pasta with shredded Parmesan on top.

I wind up making this slightly different each time, but apparently if you follow the recipe as I wrote it down for mom it turns out great. The trick to tender meatballs of any kind is to add pureed onion (use a food processor or blender). Using a mixture of meats helps too. I often cook mine in the pressure cooker for extra tenderness, but that's optional. Meatballs: 1/2 lb. ground beef 1/2 lb. ground pork 1 small or 1/2 large onion, pureed 1/4 c. matzo meal or breadcrumbs 1 egg yolk 1/4 c. parsley, minced 2-3 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tbsp. whole fennel seeds 1 Tbsp. salt 2 tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. oregano ~1 tsp. red pepper flakes Cooking: ~ 1/4 c. oil for frying 2 Tbsp. tomato paste 1/2 c. boiling water or broth 1/4 c. red wine Combine all the ingredients thoroughly and form into 1-1.5" balls. Fry the meatballs in a generous quantity of oil in a single layer. Turn them carefully so that they are seared brown on as many sides as you have patience to fry (turn them at least onc...

I came up with this recipe at The Byway, when my roomies and I were famished and didn't have much in the house except some iffy potatoes, some freezer-burned sausage, and some fabulous pesto given to us by a friend. The whole turned out to be far greater than the sum of its parts and now this is one of my standbys. It can be made with either pasta or potatoes, but I think it's best with the more unexpected potatoes. This dish is especially welcome in the dead of winter when basil seems like a miracle. Here it is with pasta, but I assure you it's tastier with potatoes. 3-4 links of Italian sausage, sliced into rounds 2 handfuls of waxy potatoes (~1.5 lbs), cut into large-bite size chunks OR 3/4 box pasta 1 onion, diced into large-ish chunks 2 green peppers, cut the same as the onions (optional) 2-3 spoonfuls pesto Olive oil for frying Boil the potatoes in well-salted water until they're mostly cooked, but not falling apart (or make pasta). Drain well, reserving a cup o...

This might just be the perfect weeknight meal. Have you ever thought to yourself, "wouldn't it be awesome if there was a combination of scrambled eggs and macaroni and cheese that also contained ham and only took about half an hour to make?" Then this is the recipe for you! It's incredibly simple and deeply satisfying. Make this and a simple vegetable side and you'll be full for hours and possibly even ready to run a marathon. My version is fairly close to the original Italian style, but with more locally available ingredients. Instead of pancetta I used diced ham, and instead of romano cheese I used sharp white cheddar. Some recipes complicate things by adding peas or parsley, but really it's supposed to just be noodles, eggs, cheese, black pepper, and a little ham (you could even use leftover roast fowl instead). I'm an overachiever, so I made my pasta from scratch, but this is still totally delicious with boxed noodles. TIP: You must remember to reserv...

I often wind up with leftover pasta and struggle to find ways to use it. This recipe is a great way to use it with stuff you probably have around the house, and doesn't involve heating up the kitchen at all. If your noodles are stiff from being in the fridge, microwave them for a minute or run them under hot water before adding the dressing. I recommend using chunky-shaped noodles, but if you use spaghetti I would chop it up a bit first. If you don't have a green pepper, you could use celery or broccoli middles or any crunchy veg. Dressing : Juice of 1 lime or lemon 2 Tbsp. tahini 1-2 cloves garlic ~1/4 c. olive oil 2 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. white pepper pinch cayenne (optional) Salad : 2 -3 c. cooked pasta 1 can tuna, drained and in pieces 1 green pepper, diced 1/2 onion, diced chopped fresh parsley (optional but recommended) In a food processor or blender, blend together the lime juice, garlic, tahini, and seasonings (make sure the garlic is pulverized well). Drizzle in the oliv...

Ok, for those not obsessed by pickling, here's a tasty recipe my housemate, Liliana made with the remaining eggplants. Oh and did I mention that she's Italian and loves cooking? Yes, we are lucky here at the Byway. I don't have a picture, but it's basically pasta with a reddish sauce. You will need: One box of linguine 2-3 small eggplants, diced 2 bell peppers of various colors, diced One large can of plum tomatoes, diced One medium onion, diced 1/2 c. kalamata olives (pits removed), and chopped coarsely 3 cloves garlic, minced An armload of fresh basil, washed and chopped 1/4-1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese + more to taste Set a pot of water to boil for the pasta, and salt well. Saute the onions for 2 minutes, then add the eggplant and peppers. Cook on medium until eggplant is mostly tender, then add the tomatoes and their liquid and the olives. Continue to cook until the eggplant is completely tender. (Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente). Add the garlic to the eggplant ...

This is so tritely named since the end product surprised me with a texture almost identical to risotto, and trite does not preclude apt. It's a pretty simple pasta dish, good fridge velcro, and can really make you look like you know what you're doing, especially if you get to explain what a velouté is to whomever is eating (bonus points for a mother sauce that isn't tomato!) Basically, make pasta, and put it in a velouté (light stock thickened with a blond roux). Less briefly put: Make pasta: al dente is always good, but it's especially important for it to have a good bite in this application; this makes it risotto-y, and its going to be cooked a little more once it's out of the pot. Because it is going to be mated to a somewhat small amount of sauce with a creamy texture, use a tube- or shape-pasta rather than a string-style. Individual pieces will get impregnated with the yummy, and string-pastas will simply slide all over and leave half the sauce on the plate. U...