How to Roast Fruit, Vegetables, Fish and Meat

Roasting is a ridiculously easy cooking technique.  It takes little supervision or fuss.  That makes it perfect at this busy time of year.  And you can cook several items at once. A roasted entrée with sides of roasted vegetables is a great combination.  You can even finish the meal with roasted fruit served with ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce.

Fruit roasts at a lower temperature than other dinner elements so I roast the fruit first.  I use chef Jeremy Tower’s method.  He roasts halved pears and apples rubbed with a tiny pinch of salt on beds of sugar (about 1/8 inch deep) on a parchment-lined, rimmed cookie sheet.  It takes about an hour at 350˚F.  Fruit is done when it is easily pierced with a sharp knife and the sugar is caramelized.  Slip a spatula under the fruit and set it on a large dish to cool.  Serve sliced fruit for dessert or breakfast with yogurt and granola or put sliced, roasted fruit in a salad with some dried cranberries and blue cheese.  Roasted fruit keeps for several days refrigerated.  It is a good "make ahead" item or a great way to have your oven do double duty when something else is in the oven at 350˚F. 

To roast vegetables, crank the stove to 425˚F and chop a medley of vegetables into bite-sized pieces.  Good combinations are peeled winter squash, potatoes, beets and carrots with a thin coating of olive oil, salt and pepper plus some sprigs of thyme or rosemary.  Or try chopped cauliflower, celery, broccoli, mushrooms and zucchini dressed with olive oil, crushed garlic clove and low-sodium soy sauce.  Place the vegetables on a foil lined metal roasting pan or glass baking dish.  If you’d like the vegetables to steam first, cover with foil for the first 20 minutes then remove the top foil, stir the vegetables and roast for another 20-30 minutes until they are tender and lightly browned. Brussels sprouts rank as our favorite when roasted.  Steam halved sprouts with a bit of water until tender then toss drained sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a roasting pan.  Roast for about 15 minutes at 425˚F, turning occasionally.  Don’t discard the little leaves that will inevitably fall off during steaming.  These roast up into little crispy chips that act as an instant garnish to the finished dish.

What to roast alongside your vegetable medleys?  Thick fillets of fish like sea bass, haddock, tuna or salmon would be nice with soy sauce-infused roast vegetables.  Add the fish during the last 10-15 minutes of roasting.  Fish only needs minimal prep.  I like a touch of olive oil or butter with good squeeze of lemon.  On white fish, chopped tomato (fresh or sun-dried in oil) and chopped parsley are good flavor builders.  For the meatier fish, tuna and salmon, a light glaze of low-sodium soy sauce or miso is terrific.  No need to turn fish over during roasting. It is ready when the meat flakes. 

Small or individual cuts of meat like a hot roasting oven. Try pork tenderloin marinated in slurry of a tablespoon of mustard, 1-2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 cup water (pat dry before roasting). Pork tenderloin takes 18-22 minutes at 425˚F.  Test with a meat thermometer for an internal temperature of 160˚F.  Thick cuts of steak can be roasted too.  Sear both sides of seasoned steaks in a skillet with a little oil until nicely browned and then place the (oven-proof) skillet in the oven to finish.  Rare (135-140˚F) takes just 8-10 minutes more for a one and half inch thick steak.  Medium about (150˚F) 12 minutes and well-done (160-165˚F) is ready in 15 minutes.  Remember to let the meat rest before cutting and serving.

Whole chickens need to roast at lower temperatures but dark chicken parts can stand a higher heat in a roasting pan with a light coat of oil and a little water or broth.  Plan on 20-30 minutes for thighs/leg quarters.  They are ready when the internal temperature reaches 165-170˚F.  Your oven may run hot so start checking at 20 minutes using a meat thermometer.  If the outside is browning too fast, cover loosely with foil.

Roasting is a pure foods method that allows food to taste like itself.  Use a light touch with seasonings to keep the main ingredient’s flavor forward.  And if you oven has room, save yourself some time (and lower your energy bills) by cooking a double batch of vegetables or meat.  Use the vegetables in soup or mixed with grains the next day.  Slice the extra meat for sandwiches and skip the cold cuts for a few days.

Homestyle Orange Beef with Broccoli

Before:

After:

You can do this with easily obtained ingredients.  Improvise if you don't have everything but you will need a fresh orange and Mirin, the slightly sweet cooking wine that replaces the sugar found in most home recipes and keeps this dish from being to sweet. 

Marinating the beef takes only 15 minutes and the baking soda will turn the cheapest cuts into tender strips.  Don't skip the lemon juice rinse.  It neutralizes the baking soda and brightens up the beefy flavors.  

This is a one-pan recipe (plus cooked rice).  Take a few minutes to prep your ingredients.  Line it all up in easy reach and have fun.  Recipe can be doubled but you will want to work in batches or use a larger skillet.

Orange Beef with Broccoli

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1 pound beef, sliced very thin against the grain

1 teaspoon baking soda

juice of 1/2 lemon mixed with 1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3 cups broccoli florets, steamed

1 orange—peel removed and juiced  (pick a juicy one like Minneola or Valencia)

1 tablespoon Mirin (sweet rice wine, available at most grocery stores)

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon grape seed oil

1/3 cup peanuts

Optional: 6-7 small red chili peppers

Garnish: sliced scallions or sesame seeds

Method

1. Marinate thinly sliced steak in 1 teaspoon baking soda for 15 minutes.  Rinse in cool water.  
2. Next cover steak with lemon juice and water for 1-2 minutes.  Use just enough water to cover steak.  Rinse and dry meat.
3. Toss meat with cornstarch.  Shake off excess.
4. While meat marinates, cut orange peel away from orange.  Scrape away any pith. 
5. In a small bowl, mix together juice of the orange (about 2 oz), Mirin, rice wine vinegar and soy sauce.
6. Heat oil in a 12 inch skillet.  Fry orange peels until beginning to crisp. Remove to a plate to cool.  
7. Next add peanuts and fry and chili peppers.  These three ingredients flavor your oil.
8. Move peppers and peanuts to side and add the meat.  Add a little more oil if needed.  Fry the meat turning as needed.  Remove to plate with orange peels.
9. When meat is almost done, add ½ teaspoon cornstarch to orange sauce and pour into hot pan. Cook on low until thickened.  Add a little water if it thickens too quickly.
10. Add meat, orange peel and broccoli to pan.  Stir to coat.  

Serve over rice.  Garnish with sliced scallions or shame seeds.

Beef Tenderloin Sale

Beef tenderloin is a cut of beef that is reserved for special occasions and at certain times of year it goes on sale.  If you see one, calculate your cost per serving and see if its worth picking up.  This week I paid under thirty dollars for a 5 pound beef tenderloin.  After butchering into tournedo steaks and chateaubriand roasts I netted out with at least 12 servings at $2.50 each.  

With no special occasion on the near horizon, I could have frozen the whole thing to serve at the holidays.  A beef tenderloin roasted slowly on low and served with a little horseradish sauce is a treat for hosts and guests.  But at $2.50 per serving I thought it would be nice to create several weekend meals for our small household instead.  

Most likely the beef tenderloin that you see at a great price has not yet been prepared for cooking.  The silver skin (connective tissue) needs to be removed and the chain, fattier meat running alongside, can be left on or removed for another use.  The procedure is simple.  Here's how its done:

Mastering Beef Tenderloin Preparation

• Have on hand butcher's twine cut in 12-14 inch lengths, a sharpened knife and large cutting board.  I use a boning knife but you can also use a very sharp carving knife.  The blade should be thin and allow you to trim the silver away with precision.
• Remove the beef from its package and wipe down with paper towels so the meat is dry and easy to handle.
• Look for the chain, a fat encrusted sidecar running down the length of the tenderloin.  You will be able to pull it away partially with your hands.  Use your knife to cut away the rest from the main body.  Keep this to trim later.  It has some fat and tendon in it but can be braised.
• Lay out the tenderloin so that the silver skin is on top.  This is a strip of connective tissue, not fat, that will not cook to tenderness so we cut it away.  
• Lay your knife horizontal to the meat and with the tip nick in under the silver.  Wiggle and slide the knife between the tender beef and the thin sheath of silver skin.  Tilt the knife's edge toward the silver and slide the knife along the underside of the skin with the edge of the knife tilted up slightly. The silver will pull away from the beef neatly.  The first time you try this you may nick the meat a bit and pull small parts of the silver away but with a few cuts you will master the technique.  Be patient with yourself.
• With the silver cut away, you can roast the beef as is, tied with butcher's twine every few inches and the small tail doubled over and tied to create a uniform piece of meat for even cooking.

OR

• Create a roast, known as a chateaubriand, with the fattest part of the tenderloin.  Cut 6-8 inches or follow the natural slope of the meat and cut up to the point that the meat gets smaller in diameter.  Tie this roast at intervals to create a uniform piece of meat for even cooking.
• Make tournedos of beef wrapped in bacon by slicing steaks off the beef about 2 inches thick. Wind a slice of bacon around each and tie tightly with butcher's twine.
• Finish up by trimming some of the fat and grizzle away from the chain.  You can yield about 1/2 pound of stew meat.

If you are not cooking the meat right away, freeze the prepared servings in quart or gallon freezer bags. Label the bags with the cut of beef and the date.  Use within 2 months.

Natural is Trending

Food predictions make good filler on 24-hour news cycles at this time of year.  Darlings like kale, foam garnishment, bacon on everything, and more to come all have their moment.  Food theories and lifestyles open debate about the relative importance of Atkins protein diets, the role of calories, the mystery of gluten-free success for non-celiac sufferers, the merits of veganism and more.

It's complicated and changes all the time. 

That's why I had to smile when I heard that 'natural' will be trending in 2016.  The idea is that food companies will be helping us out by adding more natural ingredients to prepared foods because consumer interest in the topic has grown to influential numbers.  Also expect to see less than natural ingredients replaced with better counterparts.

Until this trend is a reality, plan on making your own trend and creating your own more natural diet.  It only takes one guiding principle--- Eat Real Food.

That's what every recipe posted on the Pure Foods Project blog for the past six years has been offering.  Every meal, snacks and even desserts can and should be real.  When you eat pure, real foods you will be satisfied sooner.  You will enjoy every bite more.  You will feel good.  Flip through the categories on this blog for recipes that use real ingredients so you can eat more pure food.

Deputy Ron Kelley 

You do not have to seek out organic foods only, turn to veganism or grow sprouts to feel better and stronger in 2016. Don't fuss over food trends.  Just eat what you know but insist on it being real.  If you make this your habit, you will find the best brands for you, the best shortcuts to cook your favorites from scratch and the best way for you to eat that allows time for life's other pursuits. 

Two caveats to the Real Food Rule:  If you are hooked on sugar or salt (and if you are eating a lot of processed and packaged foods you may well be), make the effort to cut back severely here.  Your taste buds will adjust quickly and you will taste all the others flavors in the universe that salt and sugar have been masking.  That is what eating real food can do for you.

Happy New Year! 

Photos: Pennsylvania Game Commission deputies know how to treat game properly and safely.  Above, the crop of a ruffed grouse shows the bird's natural diet.  Left, local deer processors make a local favorite, kielbasa, using a venison base.  Ron's tip for kielbasa- steam the delicate meat.  Deputies deserve to eat pure food!

Beef Chili Verde

Make pure and simple Beef Chili Verde in a slow cooker.  It's a variation on Chili Verde made with pork shoulder and is served with black beans and brown rice.  And salsa.  And sour cream.  And chopped avocado.  Perfect fall dinner.

No slow cooker?  That's fine.  Scroll to the bottom for directions to make it over the stove top or in the oven.

Beef Chili Verde 
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut in 1-1/2 inch cubes
salt and pepper
3-4 tomatillos (What are tomatillos?)
3 Anaheim or poblano chilies (or a combination)
1 jalepeño pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
1  tablespoon chili powder (click here for my blend)
1 teaspoon oregano + 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (skip if using a commercial chili powder)
1 14-oz can low sodium black beans, drained 
1/2 cup fresh, chopped cilantro

Method:

1. Salt and pepper beef and place in slow cooker.
2. Preheat oven to 425˚F.
3. Peel husks from tomatillos. Wipe peppers with a damp paper towel.  Place vegetables on a cookie sheet or in a roasting pan and toss in oil.
4. Roast at 425˚F for 20-30 minutes, checking vegetables and turning using long tongs.  Remove tomatillos when soft and place in a large bowl.  Remove peppers when skin is blistered on all sides.  Cover bowl and let stand 5 minutes.  
5. Uncover bowl and remove tomatillos.  Chop coarsely and add to slow cooker. 
6. Peel cooled peppers.  Seed and devein then chop coarsely.  Add to slow cooker.  
7. Add chili powder and herbs.  Stir to incorporate all ingredients.  
8. Cook on high for one hour.  Reduce to low and cook another 2-4 hours, until beef is tender. If mixture is dry after first hour, add 1/4 cup water.  (You may also cook this on low 6-8 hours.)
9. Once meat is done, turn off slow cooker and stir in drained beans and cilantro. 

Make this without a slow cooker:
Follow recipe through step 7, adding ingredients to a heavy bottomed pot with a lid rather than a slow cooker.  Bring stew to a boil over medium heat then lower to simmer.  Simmer, covered, for 2 hours and check beef for tenderness.  Alternatively, the stew can be brought to a boil, covered and placed in a preheated 325˚F oven to cook for 2 -3 hours.  If using the oven method be sure to use a dutch oven or other oven-safe cooking vessel. 

Pantry Pickle Relish for Hot Dog Season

File this under the semi-homemade if you'd like.  The internet is clogged with recipes for truly homemade pickle relish that first requires you to make your own pickles.  We wanted one that could be put together in minutes using already canned and preserved pure ingredients.

Instead of starting with cucumbers, we start with your favorite jar of pickles.  We like dill pickle chips; you might like bread & butter pickles instead.  Roasted red bell peppers are the other main ingredient, either jarred or your own.  Heat seekers reading this are already making the leap.... your favorite hot pepper can be used in place of or in addition to red bell peppers.  Try jarred peppadews for a sweet/hot flavor or pickled jalepeños for a serious kick, for example. 

The ratio of pickles to peppers is about 2:1.  You can adjust this up or down to suit your tastes.  The great thing about using pure ingredients to create your own condiments is that you get to use your own taste buds to find your favorite flavor balance.  Design your own Pantry Pickle Relish and bring it to the next grilling party.

Pantry Pickle Relish
Base recipe yields about 1 1/2 cups relish

Ingredients
1 16-ounce jar dill pickle chips, drained
1 7-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained
Optional: pinch cayenne pepper

Method

1. Place drained pickles in a food processor.  
2. Roughly chop roasted red peppers and place in food processor with pickles.  
3. Process/Pulse a few times until you reach the desired rough or fine chop for relish.  
4. Taste.  Add cayenne if desired.  
5. Serve immediately or pack in sealed container and use within 4-5 days. 

At our house, this pickle relish is de rigueur on grilled hot dogs with a smear of Dijon mustard.  You can also use pickle relish in egg salad, ham salad or mix it with a bit of mayonnaise to slather on a fried fish sandwich.  One of my sisters would put this in potato salad, I'll bet. 

Rhubarb BBQ Sauce and Bonus Rhubarb Applesauce

Rhubarb BBQ sauce is a savory use for rhubarb this season.  Its tartness lends itself really well to grilled pork and chicken.  Use Rhubarb BBQ sauce on burgers as a thick ketchup too.  Just in time for the nation's birthday.

If rhubarb is already out of season in your area, you can use frozen rhubarb for this recipe. 

Rhubarb recipes often use a lot of sugar.  To cut the amount of sugar back, I first made a Rhubarb Applesauce using 4 cups of chopped rhubarb and 2 peeled and diced apples.  Most rhubarb sauces use 1 cup of sugar for 4 cups rhubarb.  With two apples, use only 1/2 cup sugar.

Place the three ingredients into a heavy bottomed pot in which the fruit will cook down over medium-low heat.  Add a splash of water (about an ounce) to get the mixture going without scorching the fruit.  Cover the pot, check it and stir occasionally.  The sauce should be broken down within 20 minutes.  Use a masher to break down the last chunks of apple.

Now you have about 2 cups of Rhubarb Applesauce, a tart and refreshing twist on applesauce.  Set aside half to enjoy as a snack.  Eat as is or enhance with a few drops of vanilla or almond extract and a shake of cinnamon.

Use the remaining cup to make Rhubarb BBQ sauce.

Rhubarb BBQ Sauce
Yields about 2 cups

Ingredients
1 cup Rhubarb Applesauce (see above)
1 14-ounce can low sodium tomatoes, un-drained
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons molasses
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Method

1. Combine Rhubarb Applesauce with tomatoes, vinegar and molasses in a heavy bottomed pot.  Cook on medium-low heat while you mix the spice blend.
2. In  a small bowl, mix together the next ten ingredients, ground mustard through red pepper flakes.  
3. Add spice-salt blend to rhubarb mixture.  Lower heat to simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce. Use warm or cold.  Store in a covered cotnaciner it the refrigerator.  use within three days.

Another great use for Rhubarb BBQ Sauce is to make quick barbequed beans.  Stir some sauce into some canned (drained) white beans and cook to heat through.  Instant barbeques beans, vegetarian friendly.  You can also make these in a small quantity slow cooker-- on low for 2 hours- to really soak in the flavor. 

Easy Mushroom Steak Sauce

This is a simple sauce for grilled or roasted beef that combines the best of mushroom sauces and classic steak sauces.  Dribble any extra over potatoes or rice.  It can be made well ahead of the grilling task, even a day ahead if you'd like to put your feet up while others do the grilling.

Easy Mushroom Steak Sauce
Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients
10 ounces Bella mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
squeeze of lemon juice or splash of sherry vinegar
8-10 ounces beef or chicken broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
2 ounces cold water

Method

1. Clean and slice mushrooms. 
2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add olive oil and mushrooms.  Add salt and pepper and saute until mushrooms a almost cooked through.
3. Add lemon juice or sherry vinegar and allow to cook down.  
4. Add broth, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard.  Lower heat to simmer and cook mixture 2-3 minutes.
5. In a small cup, stir corn starch into cold water.  Pour into sauce while stirring.  Keep stirring while cornstarch slurry is absorbed and sauce thickens,  Add more water or broth if too thick for your tastes.  Sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  
6. Remove from heat.  Serve immediately or cover and store in refrigerator.  Use within two days.

Easter Leftovers Ham Salad

That enormous ham is going to make you even happier when the leftovers are transformed into ham salad made extra light with cooked egg.  The classic ham salad made by my mother's good friend, Tish, inspred me to create this recipe. We especially loved the dill pickle flavor with the salty ham in her version and paid homage to it here.

Ham salad attends formal events and Spring tea parties on toast points garnished with olives, pickled jalepeños, cocktail onions, capers or dill pickle slices.  Or take it to the office as a sandwich spread that will bring joy to your midday break.   At home it makes a natural side, served on baguette slices, to pea soup made from the ham bone.

No matter how much or how little ham salad you'd like to make, the master recipe will guide you.  You are not seeing double; the recipe calls for two mustards, prepared Dijon mustard and dry mustard powder.  The mustard powder provides a little extra kick.  If you do not have any, add extra prepared Dijon mustard. 

Master Recipe for Ham Salad
Ingredients for every 8 ounces of ham (about 2/3 cup cubed ham):
1 egg-- hard boiled or leftover scrambled
8-10 dill pickles chips
1 tablespoon mayonaise
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
generous pinch of ground black pepper (about 8 grind rotations)


Method

1. Roughly chop ham, cooked egg and pickles.  
2. Place in a food processor with remaining ingredients. 
3. Pulse 3-4 times and stop to check consistency. Use a small spatula or spoon to wipe down sides so that all the meat is evenly chopped, but not pureed.  
4. Taste the mixture  and add more pickles or mustard to suit you taste. 
5. Pulse a few more times until the mixture is uniform and finely minced. 

No food processor? Use a chef's knife and cutting board to mince the ingredients one by one.  Add to a bowl and mix in the the remaining ingredients.  Takes no time at all. 

Store in a covered container and use within 5 days. 

Little Monties on Brioche French Toast

Turn a Monte Christo sandwich into an Easter or Spring brunch bite.  The classic, shown here, uses our large batch brioche French toast that can be made ahead and frozen.  Get the french toast recipe here.

Slather some rasberry or strawberry jam  onto warmed french toast.  Stack ham slices then swiss cheese on top.   Cut into bite-sized squares and place on a cookie sheet.  Broil to melt the cheese and serve with toothpicks skewered with a fresh raspberry. Serve with warm maple syrup.

Our classic Little Monites feature thinly sliced ham.  To make a vegetaian version, spread french toast with cream cheese, then the jam.  Skip the ham and keep the swiss cheese or try a smoked gouda to approximate the ham and cheese combo.  Served with maple syrup, this version will attract meat lovers too so set some aside for any vegetarians arriving a little late!

Tacos al Pastor for Sarah

Chili-marinated pork tacos with pineapple are known as Tacos al Pastor in Mexico.   They are a satisfying cold weather dinner that will assure you that the warmer months are on their way.  We made them recently with our friend Sarah- recently back from working in Mexico-- and her sisters.  

With the cold snap most of the country has endured, a brightly flavored new taco recipe is the right distraction.  Most supermarkets carry whole chilis and if you have been wondering how to use them, this recipe is an easy introduction.  If you cannot envision yourself stemming and seeding 4 chili peppers, substitute one small can chipotle chilis in adobo and one small can green chili peppers. 

Most recipes also call for achiote paste made with annatto seeds in the marinade.  If you have achiote paste at your local market, it’s a nice authentic ingredient. If not, add a clove or two of crushed garlic instead. 

Tacos al Pastor can be found at most Mexico City restaurants where thin slices of pork are carved off a spit (trompo in Spanish) and served on corn tortillas with grilled onions and pineapple chunks.  A half pineapple tops the spit so that its juices can run down during the cooking to tenderize and baste the meat.  The marriage of sweet pineapple juices and the savory – but not too spicy—chili marinade give this taco a fresh twist. 

Tacos al Pastor
Makes 6 servings (Recipe can be halved or cooked pork can be frozen in individual portions)

Ingredients
For the Pork Marinade:
4 dried peppers—2 ancho, 2 gaulijjo
½ - 2/3 cup water
6-8 ounces pineapple juice  (small can)
Juice of one lime
½ teaspoon cumin
½  teaspoon oregano
½  teaspoon salt
optional: 1 Tablespoons achiote paste

2 pounds pork—loin, pork shoulder or butt*
12 corn tortillas
1 fresh pineapple, sliced or cubed
2 medium onions, sliced or quartered
Serve with: cilantro, salsa, avocado, extra lime, etc

*if you are grilling, use pork loin, tenderloin or pork chops.  If you are slow cooking the pork on low in the oven, use the other cuts of pork.  They are less expensive and come out really well when slow cooked.  You can also substitute chicken in this recipe.

Method(s)

1. Prepare the chilis and marinade.  Preheat oven to 325˚F.  Place whole chilies on a metal sheet or pan and bake 3-5 minutes until skin gets crisp.  Watch carefully to prevent scorching.  (Gaujillos may puff up- they are ready when they do.) Remove chilies and allow to cool.  
2. Next you will break open the chilies to remove seeds, stem, any veins that are easily pulled away.  Wear gloves or carefully wash hands and under fingernails before touching anything else, especially eyes, and going on to the next step.  
3. In a blender, combine the chili skins and water.  Puree to a thick consistency.  
4. Add achiote paste, pineapple juice, lime juice and seasoning. 
5. Prepare pork.  Cut into thin strips or, if grilling, ½ inch slices (that will be sliced into strips once off the grill).  
6. Place pork in marinade (use a large bowl or a ziplock bag).  Marinate at least 1 hour or as long as overnight. 

Three ways to cook the meat:
Grill— pork loin, tenderloin or pork chops

1. Preheat grill.  You want a medium temperature.  
2. Wipe some oil on the onion slices and grill, turning until softened and crisping.  Set aside.  
3. Wipe excess marinade from pork chops or pork slices.  Grill each piece 3 minutes per side.  Look for an internal temperature of 145˚F.  (Bonus flavor: If you have extra pineapple juice baste pork with it while it is grilling or brush it on after it comes off the grill.)  
4. Let cooked meat rest on a serving plate while you grill the pineapple slices.  Grill pineapple slices 2-3 minutes preside on medium, until grill marks are just starting to show.  
5. Wrap tortillas in foil and place on grill to warm or cook them directly over the fire using long tongs to hold your tortillas.  Keep them warm in a foil pocket or covered platter.  
6. Each taco gets pork, pineapple, onion and toppings.

Serve with: cilantro, salsa, avocado, extra lime, etc

Oven--- pork loin, tenderloin or pork chops

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F.  
2. Remove pork from marinade but do not wipe off excess marinade.  
3. Place pork in a foil-lined baking pan and bake for 10-12 minutes until pork is just cooked through.  (Pork chops will take a little longer if on the bone.) 
4. When pork reaches 140˚F, remove and set aside to rest, covered.  
5. Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven to warm while you stir fry sliced onion and pineapple in a hot skillet. 
6. Each taco gets pork, pineapple, onion and toppings.

Serve with: cilantro, salsa, avocado, extra lime, etc

Oven--- pork shoulder or butt.   Cook this cut of pork slow and low!  This will be the most like the pork served in Mexico. 

1. Preheat oven to 325˚F.  
2. Place pork strips and most of marinade in a baking dish or heavy, oven-proof casserole dish.  Cover dish with foil for its top.  
3. Bake pork 1 ½ to 2 hours until pork is cooked through and very tender.  When pork is ready, remove form oven to rest.  NOTE: You can also use a slow cooker for this cut of pork.  Cook on Low 5-6 hours or High 3-4 hours. 
4. Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven to warm while you stir fry sliced onion and pineapple in a hot skillet.  
5. Each taco gets pork, pineapple, onion and toppings.

Serve with: cilantro, salsa, avocado, extra lime, etc 

Sarah expertly garnishes her taco.

What goes around comes around….
The dish is an authentic Mexican meal adapted from the Lebanese dish with lamb “in the shepard style.” The original dish used lamb, slow-cooked on a spit and served the cooked meat on flatbread.  Mexico uses pork and tortillas but still honors its “pastor” namesake though in some parts of Mexico, you’ll find it known as Tacos de Trompo.

In a return loop to the Middle East, there is a recently popular dish called shawarma mexici that is made with chicken and wrapped in flatbread.  A dish that started off as lamb, was transformed to match local Mexican ingredients returns to its homeland as a chicken dish. 

Snow-Capped Stuffed Mushrooms for Ski Weekends

Make-aheads meals are the skiing cook's best friend.  These hearty sausage-stuffed mushrooms satisfy big appetites after a day on the slopes and can be made using smaller mushrooms for excellent apres ski hors d'ourvres.  The "snow" cap is a sour cream-roux that creates a lush sauce for each mushroom.  Diced jalepeño or freshly chopped herbs contribute a touch of greenery. 

Serve 2-3 medium large mushroom to each diner as a main course with a side of pasta or pair the mushrooms with green beans and mashed turnips.  Make smaller ones to put out a bountiful platterful to sample with a limited edition, specialty winter beer shared with friends.

You can make Snow-Capped Stuffed Mushrooms ahead and store them uncooked or cooked for 2-3 days. Either way, the sausage filling is cooked before it is goes into the mushroom so you have a safe, easily transported dish.  Keep the dish cold if traveling (to a ski house, for example) and refrigerate until ready to bake and serve piping hot.

Snow Capped Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Serves 4 (or 12 as hot hors d'ouvres)

Ingredients
12 medium mushroom (1 1/2 to 2 inch diameter) or 1 pound small Bella mushrooms
1 pound breakfast sausage
4 ounces cheddar cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
1 teaspoon marjoram or oregano

Sour Cream 'Snow' Topping
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup sour cream
1 jalepeño, seeded and diced or fresh herbs (marjoram, chives, parsley)

Method

1. If baking mushrooms now, preheat oven to 400˚F. 
2. Saute breakfast sausage in a wide skillet over medium heat.  Drain any fat.  Place drained, cooked sausage meat in a medium sized bowl and allow to cool slightly.
3. While sausage cooks, prepare mushroom caps.  Wipe away any dirt on the mushrooms.  remove stem and if using larger mushrooms, use a spoon to scrape out the gills.  Place mushroom caps in a lightly oiled foil-covered baking pan and set aside.
4. Grate cheddar cheese.  When meat is cool enough to touch it without burning yourself but it is still warm, add cheeses and oregano.  Stir with a wide spoon or spatula to mix thoroughly. 
5. Fill mushrooms caps generously using a spoon and/or your hands to form round tops. Place on prepared baking pan.  If making ahead, stop at this point and cover dish with aluminum foil.  refrigerate until ready to bake, up to 2 days.
6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400˚F.
7. Bake mushrooms for 10-15 minutes, longer if mushrooms have been refrigerated.  
8. While mushrooms bake, make sour cream 'snow' topping.  Mix sour cream and flour.  Add jalepeños or herbs.  Top each mushroom with a dollop of 'snow' and return to oven for another 6-8 minutes.  Let cool a minute before removing from baking dish to serve.
 

How to Make Three Real Foods This Week

It only takes cooking three foods this week to kick-start eating real foods all year.  They say habits take a few weeks to take hold and this is an easy one to incorporate into your routine.  Here is how to have more home cooked, real food ready when you need it. Pictured above, Potato-Corn Chowder with pre-cooked chicken breasts and bacon.

The key is to use passive cooking methods and to cook these pure, real extras while you are already in the kitchen doing something else.  Measuring coffee and bringing water to a boil or waiting for the coffee maker to do its thing?  Measure out some rice or a whole grain and slip it into boiling water to simmer on low.  Most grains cook within 30 minutes and can be stored in the refrigerator for tonight's healthier dinner.  Reheat in the microwave while you steam or stir fry some veggies.

Is the oven being used for dinner tonight?  Use the energy and space wisely-- add some chicken breasts or a fruit crisp to the oven and enjoy real food for dinner tomorrow night too.

Pick easy recipes that require a minimum number of ingredients and a passive cooking technique like steaming, roasting or baking.  Match the recipe's cooking temperature or cooking time to what you are already making, eg use the same oven temperature for several items.   Avoid recipes that ask you to stir, add ingredients midway through the cooking process or transfer from one cooking method to another (steaming then stir-frying). 

Make a big batch, one that can be used in different ways during the whole week.  Make eight half-cup servings of grains, four 6- to 8-ounce portions of protein or one pork tenderloin, even a whole chicken can be roasted alongside tonight's dinner and used in any recipe calling for rotisserie chicken (for half the price!). 

I. Cook a Grain
Rice, whole wheat pasta, barley, bulgur (cracked wheat), buckwheat, oats and more can be made ahead and served at dinner or form the basis of whole grain lunch bowls with steamed spinach, leftover veggies, beans and pre-cooked proteins. 
Hint: if you own a rice cooker it will also cook other grains, even oatmeal.

II. Cook a Protein
Chicken, pork tenderloin and fish can bake alongside tonight's meal in a low or medium oven.  If you are not sure how to prepare, place the protein in a shallow lightly oiled dish, season with salt, pepper and herbs and spices you like and cover with aluminum foil.  Check on fish after 8-12 minutes, chicken and pork 20-30 minutes.  Use a thermometer to make sure the food is thoroughly cooked.
Cooked proteins can be reheated gently by steaming or microwave on low power.  Or make paninis, main dish salads and quick pastas using these pre-cooked proteins.  

III. Cook a Fruit-based Dessert
Fresh or frozen berries, plums, peaches and cherries or fresh apples and pears can each be baked up in a buttered pie plate with a little honey or cinnamon sugar and topped with a combination of quick cooking oats and almond flour that's been tossed with equal parts vegetable oil and maple syrup.  Eat this for dessert or in a breakfast yogurt parfait.

Bonus Round:
Make a pot of soup the way cooks in past centuries did-- on the back burner while you are doing something else.  Simmer broth, vegetables, grains and beans into a pure, homemade soup flavored with herbs, salt and pepper.   The soup pictured above was made with extra boiled potatoes mixed with chicken broth and last summer's frozen corn.  Some chicken added protein and chopped avocado, jalepeño, cilantro and precooked bacon made it a meal. 

Steak & Spinach Salad with Baked Potato Coins

We've been enjoying skirt steak, a cut that was not locally available at a "weekday price" until recently.   By planning for leftovers we used both the leftover cooked steak and extra baked potatoes we cooked for the first night's dinner for a substantial dinner salad the following night. The baked potato "coins" stand in for croutons.

With ingredients ready to go, this pure dinner salad comes together in about 10 minutes.  The only thing to cook is the baked potato coins which almost take care of themselves in a buttered skillet over very low heat while you assemble the salad.

Steak & Spinach Salad with Baked Potato Coins 
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 small or 2 medium baked potatoes, select narrow potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
10-12 ounces leftover steak, rare to medium-rare
4 cups torn lettuce leaves
4 cups baby spinach
8 medium-sized portobello mushrooms
2 mild-medium hot peppers*
optional: 4 ounces blue cheese
Serve with vinaigrette salad dressing
*for milder peppers, use banana peppers or bell pepper, hotter palates might enjoy sliced jalepeños, either fresh or pickled.

Method

1. Slice the potatoes, skins and all, abour 1/3 inch thick.  
2. Melt butter in a wide skillet over low heat.
3. Add sliced potato coins and cook 5-6 minutes per side until golden and slightly crisped.
4. While potato coins are cooking, slice steak in thin strips and divid into four portions.
5. Combine lettuce and spinach leaves and portion into four wide bowls.  
6. Slice mushrooms and peppers and top each salad with vegetables.
7. Top with steak and potato coins.  If using cheese, dot each salad with blue cheese.  Serve with salad dressing.

Variation: Warm Steak Spinach Salad
If you have a little more time, you can sauté the mushrooms and peppers in a little olive oil.  The warm vegetables and potatoes will wilt the spinach a bit.  We often grill seeded jalapeńos to use in salads like these.  Grilling cuts back the heat of these peppers a bit. 

Modern Meatloaf

Meatloaf sandwiches tomorrow!
Swap in ground turkey and minced mushrooms for the pork-veal combo usually added to ground beef in meatloaf.   The result is meaty with a sophisticated and smooth mushroom undertone.  A sweet-spicy glaze is baked on with a bacon topping.   This is close enough to the original to please traditionalist but modern enough for the trendsetters at your table.

Meatloaf with Mushrooms
Serves 6-8

Ingredients
2 cups mushrooms
2/3 cup ground oats (oat flour) or bread crumbs
½ cup plain yogurt (buttermilk or pain milk can be substituted)
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 teaspoon marjoram (or thyme)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 pound ground turkey (lean)
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
5-6 slices bacon or pancetta

For the Tomato-Maple Glaze:
¼ cup ketchup
2 teaspoons chili sauce
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a large mixing bowl combine oats and yogurt.  Mix in next seven ingredients, mustard through black pepper.   
2. Using a food processor, finely chop mushrooms.  Stir mushroom into mixture.   
3. Now, add ground turkey, ground beef and egg.  Using a large fork or your clean hands, mix until well combined.   Mixture will be fairly wet.  
4. Tasting: Scoop a small amount, about a tablespoon, into the microwave-safe dish and cook one minute until completely cooked.  Taste for seasoning.  If more salt is needed, add in ¼ teaspoon increments and retest mixture by cooking a small amount again.  
5. When satisfied, place mixture in a loaf pan or mold into a free-form mound on a foil-lined rack.  You can make one large or two smaller meatloaves. (Poke a few holes in the rack for drainage.)  
6. Brush generously with tomato-maple glaze and cover top with bacon.  
7. Bake meatloaf one hour, until cooked through.  The meatloaf is done when a meat thermometer in the middle of the meatloaf reads 165˚F.  Run the meatloaf under the broiler for a minute or two if the bacon is not yet crisp enough.  
8. Remove from oven and allow meatloaf to rest 10-15 minutes before slicing.

The Bacon Version

Elegant Life Leftovers
Meatloaf sandwiches are good hot or cold.  Pick one these great add-ins to build a special lunch:

• Horseradish & mayonaise
• sliced avocado & chopped lettuce
• "Grilled Cheese" with thin slices of meatloaf layered between cheese slices
• Soft caramelized onions or crunchy onion rings
• Cole Slaw & barbeque sauce

Thinly sliced meatloaf can be served with slices of warm baguette, pickled onions, cornichons, Dijon mustard and a small cheese platter.

Chicken-Apple Breakfast Sausage Patties

Snow bound but the power is still on.  On days like these, shovelers and snowblower drivers deserve a really good second breakfast when they make it to the end of the driveway and back.  Easy to make, homemade Chicken-Apple Breakfast Sausage Patties are the answer.  They are good on their own, next to some eggs or, my favorite, topping a piece of toast slathered with cream cheese.  (I earned my chicken sausage patty shoveling the back porch.)

This mixture, like all fresh sausage recipes, likes to sit overnight before forming patties and cooking but is fine to mix up before you head outside and cook up quickly after the snow moving work is over.  There are generally two types of chicken sausage – lean and regular. For these, I use regular which is a mixture of breast and thigh meat.  It yields a moist, rich flavor assisted by the grated apple and a light touch of maple syrup in the recipe.  You can use a lean ground chicken mixture for this as well. If so, add a little more apple tot he recipe to prevent it from getting dry when cooked. 

Chicken-Apple Breakfast Sausage Patties
Yield: 9-10 patties

1 pound ground chicken
½ peel and grated apple
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seed
¼ teaspoon paprika
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

To make sausage patties:

1. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together.  Use a fork or your clean fingers to ensure spices are well distributed.  
2. Test mixture for seasoning. Form a small meatball with a teaspoon and place in a small bowl or ramekin with a few teaspoons of water.  
3. Microwave for 30 seconds to cook through.  Allow to cool before sampling.  Taste for sweet, salt and spice.  If you like your sausage spicier add more black pepper or a pinch of cayenne. Adjust with a light touch; herbs and spices will be more flavorful when they are fully absorbed into the meat after resting. 
4. Cover bowl and refrigerate an hour or overnight.  
5. Form small patties (about 2 inches across) and cook as directed below. 

To cook sausage patties:

1. Lightly oil a skillet and heat to medium-high.  
2. Place patties on skillet in tow batches.  Cook on first side 3 minutes.  
3. Turn patties and cover pan.  Cook an additional 2 minutes and check temperature (should read at least 165˚F) and have no trace of pink.  
4. Remove patties to a paper towel lined plate and cook remaining patties in the same manner. 

Did I say the snow clearing is over?  I meant we are resting.  Good thing there are more chicken sausages.  Five more inches expected today.  Chicken-Apple Breakfast Sausage Patties freeze well for the next storm and reheat easily in the microwave (no need to defrost).  If it ever stops snowing, this is pure quick breakfast component.  Store cooked patties in the freezer.  Microwave and wrap in a roll or tortilla before heading out the door. 

Pumpkin Alfredo Sausage Bake

It’s not quite Thanksgiving but that doesn’t mean any of us has to wait to enjoy the classic flavors of fall-- or work very hard to put dinner tonight together.  Pumpkin Alfredo Penne with Sausage manages to be a hearty seasonal supper that won’t weigh you down. Cottage cheese whipped into the sauce lightens the texture.  Pumpkin compliments the cheesy ingredients and mellows the intensity of the spicy sausage in this pasta bake. 

Around the table reviews included “cheesy” and “lots of sausage flavor.”  Pure cooking lets each food's own qualities shine through and this is a simple example.  Any sliced cooked vegetable like broccoli, mushrooms or green beans will also fit into the recipe nicely.  (We had our broccoli on the side.)

Pumpkin Alfredo Penne with Sausage
Serves 4

Ingredients
½ cup pumpkin puree (canned is fine)
2 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup cottage cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound spicy sausage meat* (loose)
2 cups uncooked penne pasta
optional: 2 ounces mozzarella or other good melting cheese for topping

Method

1. Lightly oil a medium baking dish (should hold about 6 cups).  Preheat oven to 325˚F.  
2. Make sauce.  Combine pumpkin, cream cheese, cottage cheese and grated Parmesan in a food processor.  Set aside.
3. Cook sausage, leaving the meat in bite-sized chunks. Drain any excess fat.  
4. Cook pasta until just al dente and drain.  (pasta will continue to cook in the oven).
5. Return pasta to the pot. Add Pumpkin Alfredo sauce and stir to coat pasta.  Add sausage. 
6. Pour into a prepared baking dish.  Top with grated or sliced mozzarella cheese.  
7. Bake at 325˚F for 20 minutes, until bubbling.  Serve immediately.

*Use your favorite non-breakfast sausage, sweet or hot.  You can use turkey or a combo or pork and turkey. 

Chili & Fire Prevention Week

This week's motto: Fire in the chili, not in the kitchen.  It's Fire Prevention Week. 

The leading cause of home fires and injuries is cooking.  (I always thought it was heating or electrical.)  In fact, two of every five home fires start in the kitchen.  So the National Fire Protection Association theme this year is "Prevent Kitchen Fires."

Some hot, fiery chili seemd like a natural companion recipe to a few simple tips and "best practices" to commemorate the week.  When making this recipe, you can put into use many of the habits of fire prevention in your own kitchen.

•  The leading cause of kitchen fires is unattended cooking and most of that involves stovetop cooking.  
•  If you are simmering, boiling, baking or roasting food, check it regularly and remain at home while food is cooking.  Use a timer to remind you to check on the cooking food.
• Keep anything that can catch fire- oven mitts, wooden utensils, food packaging, towels, long sleeves- away from the stovetop.
• Keep a lid nearby when cooking to smother any small grease fire.  Smother the fire by sliding the lid over the pan and turning off the stovetop.  Leave the pan covered until it is complete cooled.  DO not throw water on a grease fire.  
• If you decide to fight the fire, be sure others are getting out and that you also have a clear way out.  Have someone call 9-1-1.  When you get out, close the door to prevent spread of the fire.  

Let's make chili and show off some fire safety know-how. 

Recently, America's Test Kitchen did some very clever things to develop depth and oomph in a vegetarian bean chili.  Recipes for meat-based chilies can benefit from the addition of one of those tricks: dried mushrooms, ground in with your chili powder. The mushrooms add extra umami flavor, a deep flavor component that will mature your chili quickly. 

Kitchen Fire Chili
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1 tablespoon ground, roasted and seeded chilies*
1 teaspoon ground dired mushrooms (porcini, shitake, etc)
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2-1 teaspoon ground cumin
14-ounce can chopped tomatoes in juice
2 teaspoon tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
optional: cayenne

Method

1. Over medium heat, brown the meat in a wide, deep skillet.  Stir and turn occasionally to cook all the meat completely.  Pour off excess fat, leaving no more that a tablespoon (not necessary if using a lean meat; wipe any fat from the outside of the pan before placing back on heating element.)
2. Lower the heat to medium-low and push the meat to the side of the pan. Sprinkle the chili, mushroom, oregano and cumin over the oil left in the pan and stir to coat and cook the spices for about one minute.  
3. Combine the meat and spice mixture together and add the tomatoes, juice and tomato paste.  Stir to combine well.
4. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 15 minutes.  Check mixture after about 5 minutes and add water, a few tablespoons at a time, if mixture is becoming dry. 
5. Remove from heat (and turn off stove top).  Cover and let sit for 10 minutes. 
6. Taste and add salt, up to 1/4 teaspoon if needed.  This is also the time to adjust for spiciness-- adding cayenne or hot sauce to suit your taste. 

Flecks of mushroom color freshly ground chili powder

*To make your own pure chili powder, roast whole dried chilies in a 300˚F oven for 10 minutes.  A nice combination is two ancho chilies and two gaujillo chilies.  Cool the chilies, abut 5 minutes so they are easy to handle.  Break open, remove seeds, stem and any large membranes inside each chili. Grind the chilies in a spice grinder (coffee grinder used only for spices) or food processor.   Grind with the dried mushrooms to make an instant, house-blend of chili powder. 

If you use a purchased chili powder that already contains cumin, oregano and other ingredients, simple add the ground mushrooms to your chili powder and proceed with recipe. 

Note: Beans are optional in your chili and can be added with the tomatoes.  Use one can, drained, for every pound of meat. 

Serve chili scooped into bowls over warmed tortilla chips or rice.  Garnish with any combination of chopped avocado, black olives and tomatoes, grated cheddar or jack cheese, sour cream lime quarters and fresh, chopped cilantro.  Pass the extra hot sauce. 

Special thanks to firefighters everywhere, especially the members of The Thornhurst Volunteer Fire & Rescue Co, our local heroes.

Chorizo with Figs

Chorizo with Figs, the perfect tapas dish?

Recently, friends have been re-creating some of their favorite restaurant items at home and this month I'll be capturing some of the stand-outs that you can make in your own kitchen too.

Tapas, Spain's gift to the appetizer-light snack world, are small plates shared over a glass of wine.  My favorite cities for tapas are Madrid, where night revelers visit cool grottoes dug under the Plaza Mayor for house specialties, and Barcelona which, to my mind, serves up some of the most imaginative small plates highlighting pork and seafood.

That's why when I heard about the southern Connecticut restaurant named for Barcelona, I was ready to try old favorites and new finds.   Over the years, it's become a favorite birthday spot for some dear friends in Westport which has given me a chance to sample most of the menu with them.

Chorizo with Sweet and Sour Figs was new to me. If you ever found yourself unable to stop eating those little cocktail wieners in grape jelly and mustard sauce at holiday buffets, you will love this highly sophisticated and grown up version made with far purer flavors but the same addictive appeal. 

Now that most supermarkets stock chorizo sausage and dried figs are available year round, this quick dish can be enjoyed any time of year.  It recently starred at the McNee's graduation/bon voyage party for daughter Sarah on her way to Mexico City for her first job.  Ole Sarah!

Normally, this blog only publishes original recipes but for this little masterpiece, no reinvention is needed.  As my friend Marianne says, "Just follow the recipe."  Here is Barcelona's recipe for Chorizo with Sweet and Sour Figs.

 p.s.-- loved the whole sticks of cinnamon Marianne used to garnish the party platter. 

Simple Lasagnas

I love the section of Italian menus headed by the phrase “al forno” meaning "baked in an oven."  For some that still means a wood-fired oven but even without a rustic touch, a baked pasta meal is pure comfort food. 

This week my husband was picturing an old fashioned meat lasagna while I was dreaming of spinach and mixed vegetables.  You might think a big heaping combo lasagna with ground beef, sausage, mushrooms, zucchini and eggplant would be the answer but for real variety two smaller, more pure lasagnas were just right.  I use 8” X 8” brownie pans or several small loaf pans to build these smaller, more manageable al forno dishes.  

Recipes can look daunting with up to fifteen ingredients but consider that a pure lasagna, meat or vegetable versions, can be broken down into 4 basic elements.  There will be cheese, sauce, wide flat noodles and filling.  Each of these elements can be prepared in advance and assembled and baked up to a day later. 

Formula for Pure Lasagna
Lasagna Noodles
I like the no-bake kind or fresh sheets but have also used regular uncooked noodles and added extra liquid to small lasagnas.  For the uncooked noodle version, you need to bake the dish 10-15 minutes more.  Cooking regular noodles takes a little extra time but if you lay drained noodles onto wax paper, is not too big a production.  Recipes ask for 8-12 noodles.  Cut or break the noodles to fit the pan.

Cheese
Ricotta, grated Parmesan cheese and sliced mozzarella are musts for me.  Cottage cheese makes a great substitute if you don’t have ricotta, especially the small curd type.  I mix a pint of ricotta with an egg, a ½ cup of grated Parmesan and some oregano and basil. I also like black pepper in the mixture and a nice handful of chopped fresh parsley. Sometimes I dice some mozzarella and add that but mostly I leave this mixture light and place the mozzarella as a layer on its own.  I always finish with a layer of mozzarella with some grated Parmesan over that. You will need 1-2 pints of ricotta depending on the size of your project. 

Filling
If it’s meat, my favorite is ground beef and some Italian pork sausage (out of the casing) cooked and drained and moistened with a little marinara sauce.  Use a 2:1 ratio for the meats, about 3 cups of meat is nice.

If its vegetable, either make a cooked mixture from steamed and drained spinach, sautéed mushrooms and assorted chopped vegetables that can be held together with a little ricotta or layer grilled or roasted vegetables over the ricotta layer as you would noodles.  (If you choose vegetable layers, you can skip a layer of noodles.) Sliced and cooked eggplant, zucchini and Portobello mushrooms make nice layers. 
You will want 2-3 cups of filling.

Sauce
Marinara sauce can be your homemade or use a pure brand out of a jar.  Some recipes, especially for vegetable lasagnas, add a béchamel sauce layer but I find this adds extra work and the ricotta layer has already provided a nice creamy contrast.  You will need about ½ cup of marinara sauce to coat the bottom of the baking dish and extra for serving is always nice so I try to have about 4 cups of sauce on hand for assembling and serving. 

Method
With your fillings ready, here is the layering and baking method:

• Lightly oil the sides of your baking dish. This will make removing the noodles later and cleaning the pan a little easier.   
• Spread ½ cup marina sauce on the bottom on the pan and lay noodles down to cover bottom.  
• Cover noodles with filling, a little sauce and a second layer of noodles.  
• Cover second layer of noodles with the ricotta cheese mixture and a little sauce, and any extra filling.  
• Last place the top layer of noodles, a layer of sauce and if you have any little extras like sliced olives and roasted red pepper strips before covering it all with a layer of mozzarella and grated Parmesan. 
• Bake your lasagna covered with tin foil at 350˚F for 35-45 minutes until the center reaches 145˚F. Remove the foil covering during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove form the oven and let the dish least at least 10 minutes to firm up before slicing.

Don’t miss out on making lasagna for a small family.  Leftover lasagna cut into individual portions is a freezer treat that can be reheated either as is --frozen-- or defrosted.