It's that time of year again. Time to clean out the freezer of all the accumulated odds and ends that have been building up for the last few months.
Yesterday was day 1 of cleanup. I used frozen shredded cheese, frozen hamburger buns, frozen leftover meatballs, 1/2 a bottle of tomato sauce languishing in the fridge, a portion of a leek, apples, cucumber and yogurt to make Meatball Sandwiches and a cold yogurt-dressed salad. It was a hit!
Quick Weeknight Freezer Cleanout Dinner Recipes:
1) Meatball Sandwiches
Make a marinara sauce with plenty of garlic, basil and oregano, hot pepper flakes, etc...Heat meatballs in sauce.
Toast hamburger buns with a brush of olive oil in the oven, then sprinkle with cheese and allow to melt. Top with meatballs, sauce and any extras you might want to throw on: grilled onions, artichokes, olives, etc.
Keep napkins handy!
2) Winter Fruit and Vegetable Salad
Slice all vegetables thinly or in tiny chunks:
1/2 leek (white and light green parts only)
2 apples
1-2 cucumbers, seeded
Drizzle with the juice of one lemon (zest too, if desired), pepper, salt and a single-serve tub of unflavored yogurt. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Tonight we're doing Peruvian. I defrosted a packet of aji amarillo that's been in the back, a gift from a friend who traveled to Peru earlier in the year. I also had homemade chicken stock, a couple of chicken tenders and some old bread ends in the freezer. The stock and the chicken went into the pressure cooker; when done, I shredded the chicken and reserved the stock liquid. Leeks and garlic sauteed in the now-empty pan, followed by some of the aji, tumeric, cumin, and black pepper. I soaked the bread and leftover cracker crumbs in a milk-cream mixture (to approximate evaporated milk), ground up peanuts and Brazil nuts, tossed in a little pumpkin for color and to cut down on the heat and then whirred the whole thing in the blender until smooth. Then I added Parmesan cheese and the chicken and voila! Non-traditional, but still tasty, Aji de Gallina. A less erratic recipe can be found here.
I'm serving it with boiled eggs and potatoes, some olives and pickles in the fridge, and quinoa (also from the freezer). Come tomorrow, Thanksgiving, I think I'll be ready to resume cooking afresh! And with lots of space in the freezer for leftovers.
:)
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
A Brazilian take on Crack-n-Cheese
Sometimes, comfort food is what you need. And when you're in a foreign country, substitutes for your favorite things can be maddeningly expensive or just downright impossible. Cheddar cheese, for instance, which is a near requirement for a good American cheese dish. I can't promise that this will beat a cheddar version...but I can tell you this is the second time I've made it, and I'm not sure my husband even got to TASTE the first batch. That tells you something, eh?
It is not healthy. Do not complain. This is a slightly trimmed back version. Martha calls for something like 6 CUPS of cheese, which to me is verging on gluttony. Sweet, sweet gluttony. I just use a good handful of shredded cheese, so my 3 cups is sort of an estimate. Add or subtract as your family desires. Using dried mustard powder (mostarda em pó-available at Casas Pedro) gives a good bite that kind of punches up the mild cheeses and the nutmeg adds depth; don't leave them out!
For cheese, I used minas padrão, queijo do reino (with the pink rind, I cut that off)and the cheap-o parmesan that comes in baggies. If you want to spend mad supermarket cash, try Gruyère, Pecorino, or imported cheddar etc. as the original recipe suggests. If you want to save, I think it would work with just requeijão and parmesan (though maybe you'd want a little less white sauce), or just use an aged Minas, padrão or lanche variety. I think prata and mozzarella would be too greasy or stringy, FYI.
Lastly, since gas ovens don't have broilers, here's a little trick I've learned. When your dish is 97% done, turn off the oven and leave the dish uncovered in the still-hot oven for about 10 minutes. Somehow, the cooling oven manages to put a good brown on top of baked goods without giving you the crunchy burnt bottom we all love SO much.
And now...the recipe. You're welcome!
Martha's Smitten Brazilian Crack-n-Cheese
(mildly adapted from Smitten Kitchen's version of Martha's version)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for casserole
1 liter milk (4 cups)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper/paprika picante
1/4-1/2 teaspoon paprika doce (for color)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground mustard (depends on preference)
about 3 cups total grated cheese
500 grams shaped pasta
toppings and mix-ins as required (healthy things like spinach or broccoli, proteins like tuna or bacon, or carbwonderfulness such as bread crumbs, crackers or corn flakes.
Preheat the oven to 350-375 (fairly hot for gas stove users!) and butter a large pan. Set aside. Cook your pasta in a large pan of salted water while you prepare the sauce; try to undercook it by a few minutes. Drain and set aside. (If your pasta is done early, rinse with cold water so it won't stick together; if it's done about the same time as the sauce, you don't need to rinse.)
Warm your milk in the microwave or on the stove. Melt butter in a separate, large saucepan and when it begins to bubble, carefully whisk in the flour, trying to break up any clumps. Cook, whisking continually, for about 2 minutes. While whisking, pour the milk slowly into the pan. The sauce will begin to thicken. Whisk until it has the consistency of thin pudding, then add the spices and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and well combined, remove from heat. Reserve a little sauce if desired-'tis yummy as Welsh Rarebit, over vegetables, etc. and this recipe always makes a LOT of sauce.
Pour pasta into cheese sauce and then into prepared pan. Add mix-ins or toppings if desired. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes covered, then uncover and allow the top to brown.
It is not healthy. Do not complain. This is a slightly trimmed back version. Martha calls for something like 6 CUPS of cheese, which to me is verging on gluttony. Sweet, sweet gluttony. I just use a good handful of shredded cheese, so my 3 cups is sort of an estimate. Add or subtract as your family desires. Using dried mustard powder (mostarda em pó-available at Casas Pedro) gives a good bite that kind of punches up the mild cheeses and the nutmeg adds depth; don't leave them out!
For cheese, I used minas padrão, queijo do reino (with the pink rind, I cut that off)and the cheap-o parmesan that comes in baggies. If you want to spend mad supermarket cash, try Gruyère, Pecorino, or imported cheddar etc. as the original recipe suggests. If you want to save, I think it would work with just requeijão and parmesan (though maybe you'd want a little less white sauce), or just use an aged Minas, padrão or lanche variety. I think prata and mozzarella would be too greasy or stringy, FYI.
Lastly, since gas ovens don't have broilers, here's a little trick I've learned. When your dish is 97% done, turn off the oven and leave the dish uncovered in the still-hot oven for about 10 minutes. Somehow, the cooling oven manages to put a good brown on top of baked goods without giving you the crunchy burnt bottom we all love SO much.
And now...the recipe. You're welcome!
Martha's Smitten Brazilian Crack-n-Cheese
(mildly adapted from Smitten Kitchen's version of Martha's version)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for casserole
1 liter milk (4 cups)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper/paprika picante
1/4-1/2 teaspoon paprika doce (for color)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground mustard (depends on preference)
about 3 cups total grated cheese
500 grams shaped pasta
toppings and mix-ins as required (healthy things like spinach or broccoli, proteins like tuna or bacon, or carbwonderfulness such as bread crumbs, crackers or corn flakes.
Preheat the oven to 350-375 (fairly hot for gas stove users!) and butter a large pan. Set aside. Cook your pasta in a large pan of salted water while you prepare the sauce; try to undercook it by a few minutes. Drain and set aside. (If your pasta is done early, rinse with cold water so it won't stick together; if it's done about the same time as the sauce, you don't need to rinse.)
Warm your milk in the microwave or on the stove. Melt butter in a separate, large saucepan and when it begins to bubble, carefully whisk in the flour, trying to break up any clumps. Cook, whisking continually, for about 2 minutes. While whisking, pour the milk slowly into the pan. The sauce will begin to thicken. Whisk until it has the consistency of thin pudding, then add the spices and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted and well combined, remove from heat. Reserve a little sauce if desired-'tis yummy as Welsh Rarebit, over vegetables, etc. and this recipe always makes a LOT of sauce.
Pour pasta into cheese sauce and then into prepared pan. Add mix-ins or toppings if desired. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes covered, then uncover and allow the top to brown.
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