Lobster Mac and Cheese with Truffles

Mmmm, mmm, good.  This was good.  I will admit that I will make a few changes next time.  I decided to follow Ina Garten's lobster mac and cheese recipe and add some truffle oil and some black truffle shavings because as she would say "how bad could that be?"  I actually could have done without the lobster as the truffles were the real star of the dish. I also think the recipe calls for too much nutmeg.  I think a pinch is fine, not 1/2 tsp.  The earthy flavor combined well with the flavor of the truffles, but I felt the nutmeg lingered a bit longer than I would have liked.  There are some things to consider when making this dish - it took a prep bowl, three pots, a strainer and a casserole dish for it to come together.  The other thing to consider is while it does make enough to feed an army, it isn't a cheap dish, especially with the lobster.  Imported Gruyere cheese isn't cheap but I'd discourage substituting with any flavorless domestic cheese.  It is a delicious, comforting dish and so filling a salad of mixed greens is all you would want to go with it.  Don't be scared of buying truffles, or truffle oil.  I highly recommend ordering some if you're a fan. You can order them through this site and the summer black truffles are actually incredibly reasonable and affordable.  I've been using them in all kinds of things, like shavings in scrambled eggs to oil drizzled in a panino.

Lobster mac and cheese with truffles

Kosher salt
1 lb cavatappi pasta (you can use elbow as well)
1 quart milk (whole)
1 stick butter
1/2 cup flour
12 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
pinch of nutmeg
1 1/2 lb cooked lobster meat, chopped (I think that 1 lb is also perfectly fine for the dish.  I bought cooked tails from a seafood market and removed the meat)
1 1/2 cup fresh white bread crumbs
1 tbsp of white truffle oil
about 1 tsp (or more) of black truffle shavings (I shaved it through a microplane suited for ginger)

Add pasta to large pot of boiling, salted water.  Cook until aldente and drain.  Heat milk in a small saucepan.  In a large pot melt 6 tbsp of butter and add flour, whisk for a few minutes.  Add the hot milk and continue whisking, cooking for a few minutes until sauce has thickened.  Turn heat off, add cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Add truffle oil and truffle shavings.  Stir in pasta, pour into large casserole dish.  Combine 2 tbsp melted butter with bread crumbs, sprinkle this on top of dish and then bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes.           

Spanakopita

Growing up, my mother's spanakopita was always one of my favorite dishes.  It always seemed special to me because it was often part of her menu for dinner parties.  She would bake it last and the smell of it would hug me tightly in our warm kitchen [insert pangs of nostalgia].  Layers of warm, flavorful, cheesy spinach with buttery, crunchy flakes of pastry.  Oh my, is there anything better?  I didn't have any Greek friends when I was young and I basically had nothing else to compare it to.  As a result, my mother's spanakopita became standard to which no other spanakopita could ever compare.   I will say, I've served Trader Joe's frozen spanakopita triangles at parties and they are pretty good, but I wanted a big pie of it, not cocktail sizes.  I never really order it at restaurants because I think I'll be disappointed.  I knew I must have had quite a hankering for it when I found myself ordering it while Zaytinya last week.  It was a decent little log, but a bit watery and nothing like my mother's.  I kind of wanted to tell Mike Isabella when he walked by our table that his isn't as good as my mom's.  I'm pretty sure I could imagine his response.  It wouldn't be nice.  Anyway, I figured it was about time I tried to make it myself.  I looked up a few recipes and most of them called for fresh spinach (which I'd imagine could result in it being watery).  I knew I used to see my mother use the frozen so I opted to follow her recipe instead.  It's a bit adapted.  

2 packets of frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
1 medium white onion, chopped
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
4 cloves garlic, chopped
juice from 1 lemon
salt, pepper 
dash of oregano
dash of nutmeg
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
1 stick butter, melted
1 packet filo dough (two rolls)

Heat some oil in a large pan, sautee onion and then add garlic.  Add spinach and allow to cook for a minute, season with salt and pepper, nutmeg, oregano.  Add lemon juice.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for several minutes.  Meanwhile, break up egg yolks and combine this with the feta cheese.  Fold this into the spinach.  Beat egg whites with an electric beater.  You don't want beat it until it forms thick peaks, but until it turns into a white, frothy consistency.  Carefully fold this into the spinach.  Now for the assembly.  You'll need a pastry or silicone brush (I love Le Creuset's silicone brushes).  I used this rectangular casserole/lasagna dish (I think a 13 x 9 pan would work).  It was a bit smaller than the size of the filo dough so I cut a stack of them down with kitchen shears.  You you easily just fold it up the sizes - it does not need to be an exact science at all.  You can also assemble it as you want.  I used a roll plus several sheets from the second roll.  Next time I'll use more layers as the inside layers just disappear.  Place several down on the bottom of the dish, brush with melted butter, spread spinach evenly, add more layers, brush with butter, spread spinach, etc, etc.  I did three layers of spinach (with four layers of filo, about 4 sheets per layer) and then for the top layer of filo dough I added extra layers.  Brush the top layer with butter, and then score the pie into serving sizes.  I sprinkled the top with sea salt.  Bake at 350 for.....I can't remember how long, I think it was about 45 minutes but don't hold me to it.  Until golden brown.

Gyoza, Dumplings, Potstickers?

What do I call these?  I didn't look up a recipe for this one because I refused to pick up any additional ingredients, so I just used my instincts to try and create an Asian inspired filling. This makes a good 'day after Aushak' dish because I was able to use the leftover wonton wrappers as well as the remaining ground beef I had, fresh ginger and garlic and the white parts of the scallions.  The filling was really delicious, and nice and moist and salty so you don't really need a dipping sauce - you can just pop a bunch in your mouth.  The filling reminded me a bit of the taste of beef with broccoli, or minced meat samosas my grandmother used to make (though I didn't use any Indian spices).  I did used a secret ingredient of sorts that I am not sure most of you all will be able to find: lemongrass powder.  It added a nice fresh lemony earthy layer (duh).  My mother in-law had told me about lemongrass powder as she uses it in chicken dishes and even tea.  I had gone to Grand Mart - the Washington area international grocery store, but when I asked if they had it they looked at my like I was crazy.  So last time we were in LA I picked some bottles up from the Korean markets there.  OK, I just googled it and you can buy some online at Amazon here.  

So back to these gyoza/potstickers/dumplings.  I pan seared one batch on both sides until golden and slightly crispy.  The second batch I seared on one side, and then flipped, added water to the pan, covered and allowed it to steam a bit (so they were more moist). Either way is equally good.  I believe this made about 22 dumplings. They were really addictive and I am most definitely making these again sometime soon - I have a feeling guests would really enjoy snacking on them.  I also really enjoyed working with wonton wrappers and am glad they are no longer a mystery to me.  I was doing the whole "a little of this, a little of that" but I believe I can share a reasonably proper recipe:

1/4 of an onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
fresh green chili to taste, or some red pepper flakes 
1/2 lb ground beef (I have a feeling ground chicken or pork would work well)
~ 1/2 cup chopped scallions (white parts or entire scallion)
1 spoon lemongrass powder
2 tbsp soy sauce
squeeze of sriracha
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 spoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
1 spoon hoisin sauce 
1/2 cup water
juice of 1/2 lime or lemon
salt, pepper

Heat some oil in a pan and saute onion and scallions, then add garlic, ginger and chilis. Add sesame oil.  Add meat and brown.  Add soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sriracha, lime juice, water and then sesame seeds. Sprinkle with lemongrass powder.  Allow to cook down and reduce.  Season with salt and pepper.  Allow to cool.

Lay out wonton wrappers and spoon filling into each one, tracing the outer edge with water, folding in a half circle and pressing firmly.  I had a bit of filling leftover after I ran out of wonton wrappers.  Heat large non stick skillet with some oil, sear dumplings on either each side until golden (about 3 minutes) or sear on one side and steam after flipping.       

Aushak

I absolutely love Afghan food, LOVE.  My husband is pretty neutral on it overall, I think he finds it bland but I could not disagree more.  I often find Indian food too spicy and instead prefer most Middle Eastern dishes for their perfect balance of flavors.  I've been to a few Afghani weddings and completely devour the food.  I was delighted when I read a recipe for Aushak in the book I just finished (Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl).  This Afghan pasta dish has always been a favorite of mine - it's a combination of dumplings, meat sauce and yogurt.  The recipe looked easy enough so I gave it a go.  I bought wonton wrappers from our local international grocery store.  Everything came out perfectly, though my only critique would be the scallion filling was a bit strong.  I read a few recipes that called for leeks instead, which would be a much more mild taste, and I also read a review of the recipe that suggested sautéing the scallions first.  I added more heat to both the filling and the meat sauce and I also added some lime juice to the yogurt sauce.  I also combined plain Greek yogurt with some Middle Eastern dill and cilantro yogurt dip from Trader Joe's I had lying around.  I would recommend jazzing up the yogurt with some dill if you want as it adds a nice touch.  I also doubled the amount of liquid to the meat sauce and added some red wine as it still seemed thirsty.  While not at all tedious, assembling the dumplings takes some time, so pull up a chair to your counter.  I was able to make 18 dumplings, so I have a lot of wonton wrappers left.  It was so much fun I think I'll make some pan seared dumplings tonight.  

Recipe adapted from Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl

Meat sauce
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp diced ginger
1 cup water
1/2 cup red wine (optional)
2 tbsp tomato paste
fresh green chilis (to taste)
salt, pepper

Yogurt sauce
1 cup full fat yogurt (I used Greek)
1 clove garlic, pressed
salt, to taste
juice of 1/2 a lime or lemon

Dumplings
2 scallion bunches, green tops finely chopped (leave out the white part)
salt, pepper
pinch of red chili powder or red chili flakes
fresh green chilis (to taste)
1 tsp minced garlic
~20 or so round wonton or gyoza wrappers

Garnish
chopped fresh mint

Mix the yogurt sauce and allow to sit out and come to room temperature.  Make the meat sauce: heat oil and sautee onion for a few minutes, then add ginger and garlic, and ground coriander and fresh green chili.  Add beef and allow to brown.  Add water and wine until it is reduced.  Add tomato paste and allow to continue reducing for several minutes.  Make dumplings: combine chopped scallions, garlic, salt, pepper, chili in a bowl.  Spoon a small amount of mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper, dip finger in bowl of water and trace outer edge of wrapper, fold in half circle and press firmly.  Heat a pot of water, salt, boil dumplings for about 5 minutes, drain.  Assemble each plate by spooning some yogurt mixture, then some dumplings, then a generous spoon of the meat sauce followed by a dollop of yogurt.  Garnish with mint (optional).

Shrimp and Grits

My friend, Tricia (a true Southern gal), often reminds me that I seem to love all things Southern and would therefore love shrimp and grits. I had never had it before but was up for the challenge.  It's a really easy and fast dish to make and would be another perfect weeknight meal.  The grits are insanely creamy (and good) and the shrimp combined with chicken broth and scallions had an almost Asian flavor to it, in my opinion.  I essentially followed this recipe for the shrimp and this recipe for the grits.  The changes I made were 1) skipping the bacon and 2) adding some heat - fresh green chilis as well as some cayenne pepper.  My husband also drizzled a little truffle oil over his grits which was....really good.  Here is the original recipe for your reference:    

Cheese Grits

1  (14-oz.) can chicken broth
1  cup  milk
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1  cup  grits (I used old fashioned)
3/4  cup  cheddar cheese
1/4  cup  freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2  teaspoon  hot sauce
1/4  teaspoon  black pepper

Bring first 3 ingredients and 1 1/3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened. Stir in Cheddar cheese and next 3 ingredients.

Shrimp
2  bacon slices
1  pound  unpeeled, medium-size raw shrimp
1/8  teaspoon  salt
1/4  teaspoon  pepper
1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
1  cup  sliced fresh mushrooms
2  teaspoons  canola oil
1/2  cup  chopped green onions
2  garlic cloves, minced
1  cup chicken broth
2  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
1/4  teaspoon  hot sauce

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 10 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tsp. drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon. Peel shrimp. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper; dredge in flour. Sauté mushrooms in hot drippings with oil in skillet 5 minutes or until tender. Add green onions, and sauté 2 minutes. Add shrimp and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly browned. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Spoon shrimp mixture over hot Cheese Grits; sprinkle with crumbled bacon.

Shrimp Scampi

This makes a great weeknight meal because there isn't too much prep involved and it's done in minutes.  My father makes the most amazing shrimp scampi and I had yet to try making it myself.  Harris Teeter had 2 lb easy peel shrimp on sale last week buy one get TWO free.  So, we have a lot of shrimp in the freezer right now.  I had all the ingredients in my fridge so I whipped this up last night.  It isn't an exact science, here is generally what I did (this makes 2 healthy servings).

~ 1 lb shrimp, defrosted and peeled

4 tbsp butter

dash of olive oil

salt, pepper

fresh green chilis (to taste)

10 cloves chopped garlic (yes, 10, we love garlic and it's great for fighting off colds this time of year)

1/4 cup chopped coriander

juice from 1/2 lemon plus some lemon zest

1/2 lb thin linguini

This is actually one of those dishes where you can make the sauce while the pasta boils.  Heat butter and olive oil in a wide pan, add garlic and allow the flavor to release but don't let it brown, toss in fresh chilis if you want the heat, toss in shrimp, salt, pepper, coriander and lemon juice and zest.  Drain pasta and toss with shrimp.  Garnish generously with parmesan.   

Gougères

These are a really easy and delightful French snack - they are cheesy and eggy and fluffy and addictive right out of the oven.  They only ask for a few ingredients and are actually very simple to make.  The book I am reading mentioned these, and then I came across a recipe on a blog I love, so something was tugging at me to make them.  Beyond the basic dough you can add black pepper and thyme, or leave them plain.  I'm sure you can think of other things to add.  I made mine pretty large because I didn't want to bake a second sheet, but you can make them very small and they'd be perfect for a cocktail party.  I will say they are delicious right out of the oven but not as delicious at room temperature.  The size I made would be great sliced open and stuffed with a salad (they are hollow and airy inside).  I watched and followed this recipe.  I love that guy over at Food Wishes because if I haven't made something before, I really love a video.  These are traditionally made with gruyere cheese but I followed his lead and used very sharp cheddar (and it was far less expensive than imported gruyere).  

Here is what you need:
1/2 water
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup flour
pinch of salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup grated cheddar
1 tsp thyme
1tsp black pepper

Heat the butter and water in a saucepan until simmering, throw in flour and whisk until cooked through.  Remove from heat and let cool in bowl.  Whisk in two eggs, salt, pepper, thyme.  Fold in cheese (you can leave a bit to sprinkle on top).  Scoop out onto baking sheet lined with silicone pad and bake for 15 minutes at 425.  I sprinkled a bit of black sea salt on each one as well.

Rice Krispies Treats

For some odd reason I was craving Rice Krispies treats.  No alternate ending, just the original.  I'm not exactly sure why; I think I saw a TV commercial and then spotted a sad looking packaged one in a cafe and just knew I needed to craft the sticky squares myself.  I also think the whole Halloween time of year always gets me reminiscing of my youth and fun treats.  I think the last time I made these I was probably staring up at my mom as she stirred the melted marshmallows.  Well, there may have been one night in college at 2am. I forgot how incredibly gooey the mixture gets.  It was so fun.  I was longing for my nieces who would have reveled in the assembly.  Upon closer reflection these really are perfect treats for kids because there is no baking required and you don't even really need to wait for them to cool.  And uh, 3 ingredients?  I'm bringing a big container of these to my students tonight and I'm sure they'll love them.  I've eaten more than a few myself. Forget fancy madelines, these paired perfectly with some herbal tea this afternoon.  

Here is the recipe, which you can also find here.  Apparently the recipe is no longer worthy of being printed on the Rice Krispies box, so I actually had to look it up!   

Rice Krispies Treats

3 tbsp butter
4 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies   

In a large sauce pan (or dutch oven) melt butter over low-medium heat.  Add marshmallows and stir until melted.  Remove from heat and stir in Rice Krispies.  Pour and press into 13 x 9 pan coated with cooking spray.  Spray a little cooking spray on your hand and press down mixture evenly.  Cool for about 2 minutes and then you can cut right into them.