Matza Ball Gratin

Passover, one of my favorite holidays, is coming up, and most people start the meal with matza ball soup. Usually we eat up all the soup, but sometimes-- like the other night, when we did a pre-passover soup test run-- we had some matza balls leftover. They were particularly flavorful and I wanted to make something with them that was different and unexpected. We had been eating a lot of parmentiers lately and this was surely inspired by them.

You'll need:
4 leftover matza balls
2 cups milk
2T butter
2T flour
1c grated cheese (we used comte, which is like gruyere, but a mix of cheeses is fine too)
1/4c parmesan
1 onion
1lb ground meat
5 cloves garlic
1T cumin
1/2t cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Make a bechamel by melting the butter in a saucepan, whisking in the flour, letting it turn golden brown and then adding the milk slowly. Let it bubble til it's thick, and then whisk in the grated cheese.

In the meantime (probably while the bechamel is thickening), chop and saute the onion and add the meat, crushed garlic, and spices. Add salt and pepper and saute until meat is brown, working it into small bits as it cooks.

Pour meat into a small baking dish. Slice matza balls into 1/4 inch thick slices and place in one layer over meat. Pour bechamel over and top with parmesan. Bake until brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Mushroom Duck Noodles

We used the leftover duck confit and rendered duck fat for this very easy, tasty one-pot meal. The veggie is frisee, but you can use any hearty green-- this frisee was a bit too hearty for salads, but cooking it down made it tender and delicious. The cilantro and mint brighten the rich duck flavor.

You'll need:
leftover duck meat from 2 legs, or confit some (see link above)
2T duck fat
1 large onion, sliced
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 bunch frisee
1c oyster mushrooms
2T dark soy sauce
fresh egg noodles
cilantro
mint

Heat duck fat until melted. Add onion and sautee until caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms and saute until mushrooms brown, about 5 minutes. Add duck and saute until crispy. Add frisee; cook until wilted. Add noodles and dark soy sauce; stir to coat. Serve, topped with chopped cilantro & mint.

Za'atar Salmon Cakes

We often buy too much salmon and have just a bit leftover. Unlike other leftovers, which last up to a week, fish should be eaten within 24-48 hours. I usually flake it in a bowl, add an egg and some breadcrumbs, chopped jalapeno and green onion. This time, I added some za'atar and a bit of feta cheese too. The result, served with a bit of leftover homemade salsa and a tomato-feta salad, was delicious.

Kale Shittake Pasta

I had some leftover cooked pasta, but not quite enough for a meal, so I sauteed an onion, some chopped garlic, sliced shittake mushrooms and some chopped kale. I added the pasta til it warmed up and topped the whole thing with some good olive oil and freshly grated parmesan

Caramelized Garlic Pasta

This has to be one of the easiest, cheapest, tastiest things I've ever had. (Ok, some of you know I am prone to exaggeration. But still. Try it yourself.)  All the ingredients are things you probably have on hand, except for the arugula, which you can omit without losing the main flavor of this dish, which is the garlic.

You'll need (per person):

cooked pasta (you can use leftover pasta)

scant 1/4c olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced (do not use a garlic press)

4 anchovies, chopped

red pepper flakes to taste

1t tomato paste (optional)

fresh breadcrumbs from 1 slice bread

large handful of arugula

In a large skillet (non-stick is fine here), add olive oil, garlic, anchovies, tomato paste and red pepper. Heat over low heat, stirring, until garlic turns pale golden, about 5 minutes (be careful not to let the garlic brown). Add breadcrumbs and stir to combine; add pasta and toss to coat.

Now turn off the heat and add arugula. Stir gently until leaves barely wilt. Serve!

Amazing Sandwich

I don't normally post quick things I throw together for lunch like sandwiches and salads (with a few exceptions), but this sandwich was so amazing I had to tell someone about it (this blog started because I think my friends got sick of my thrice-daily reports on what I was eating). 

I used leftover chicken, sharp cheddar cheese, a few confit'd tomatoes, and a ton of avocado because I love avocado. I put all but the avocado between 2 slices of Ezekiel bread (Trader Joe's) and "grilled" it in my cast iron skillet, weighed down with another skillet and my fist, then flipped it so the cheese got all melty, the chicken and tomatoes heated up, and the bread was flat and toasty. Then I opened it, stuck in the avocado with some salt and pepper, and voila! Of course, like any good grilled cheese, I cut it in half on the diagonal.

Pasta Leftovers, yet again!

pasta, feta cheese, basil, various kinds of tomatoes, even a little leftover meat

 a delicious pasta salad, hot or cold

Nutty Brussels Sprout Pasta

I made this incredibly simple pasta dish with just two main ingredients-- brussels sprouts and pine nuts-- to highlight the nuttiness of the sprouts, but you can add corn and even tomatoes if you want. I wanted to keep it simple so I could top it with my leftover braised beef with tomatoes.  You can serve the pasta on its own and keep the dish vegetarian.

Slice brussels sprouts and put them immediatley into a bowl of lime juice (one lime's enough).

Heat butter and olive oil in a pan and saute pine nuts until golden, stirring constantly. Add sliced brussels sprouts and saute until wilted.

Add cooked, al dente pasta with some of the cooking water and continue cooking until water is absorbed. Serve topped with pecorino.

Spinach Mac N Cheese

This is a great dinner to make when someone else is doing the dishes, as each component (spinach sauce, mornay sauce, and pasta) needs its own pot. It's also a wonderful way to use up leftovers (chopped chicken) or anything else in your fridge (dying veggies). I threw all my cheese in-- cheddar, pepperjack, a dry crumbly blue, gorgonzola, romano, and some other less identifiable ones (be sure to cut off any mold first!). And it's a good dish for whole wheat pasta, since the other flavors are bold enough to stand up to that pasta bite.

You'll need:

1 package whole wheat penne pasta
1 package frozen spinach
1 large can tomatoes in their juices
1 onion, chopped
1/2 head garlic, minced
olive oil
2T butter
2T flour
2c milk (fat free is fine)
cayenne pepper
nutmeg
2+c grated cheese (I threw all my cheese bits in the food processor)
2 eggs
1 thick slice bread, made into crumbs (food processor again)

Put water on for the pasta.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put frozen spinach in a colander. Pour boiling hot water on top to defrost. Press to drain water.

Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Saute onion, adding salt and whatever dried herbs you want, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook 5 minutes more. Add drained spinach and cayenne to taste. Cook 5 minutes to combine. Add tomatoes and their juices; break them up with a wooden spatula or spoon. Stir and lower heat; let simmer while you make the bechamel.

Heat 2T butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in 2T flour. Whisk constantly for 2 minutes until mixture bubbles and expands and turns golden brown. Add 2c milk very slowly, whisking. Cook 4 minutes, or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add nutmeg to taste. Remove from heat. Add cheese and whisk to combine until cheese melts. (When you add cheese to bechamel, it becomes a mornay sauce, probably named after the 16th century Phillip, duc de Mornay, and perhaps introduced in the 19th century at Le Grand Vefour).

Cook pasta to just *underdone*. Drain.

Beat 2 eggs and whisk them into the mornay sauce. Scoop 1/2c of mornay sauce into the spinach-tomato sauce and stir to combine. Stir drained pasta into remaining mornay sauce.

Spread half of the pasta into a buttered gratin dish. Spread the spinach sauce on top. Top with the rest of the pasta. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and spray with olive oil, or mix bread crumbs with a bit of olive oil beforehand.


Bake 45 minutes, or until top is golden and sauce is set (knife inserted in center should come out clean). Let sit 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

layers!

Fresh Tuna Burgers with Lemongrass, Cilantro and Ginger

This was a creative way to use up leftover tuna, and other ingredients, from our sushi dinner. You can adjust the recipe easily and throw in whatever you have on hand that you think might taste good (capers, or anything salty and tangy, would go well for a more Mediterranean-inspired mix).

You'll need:

fresh tuna, hand-chopped
lemongrass, ground in a food processor
ginger, minced
cilantro, chopped
soy sauce (I used 1t for 1 burger)
rice wine vinegar (I used 1t for 1 burger)
wasabi (however much you want)
a forkful of mayo to hold things together

Heat a bit of olive oil in a non-stick skillet.

Mix all ingredients together; form patties with your hands, squeezing very lightly so some liquid comes out. Fry about 1 minute/side, flipping very carefully so burger doesn't fall apart.


I put the patty on a bun with avocado, cilantro, pickled ginger, tobiko, and some daikon radish sprouts.

From Sushi Leftovers, A Salmon Omelet

This delicious combo is made of 2 beaten eggs, fresh herbed goat cheese, some chopped shiso leaf, salmon seasoned with rice wine vinegar and soy sauce, and green onion; topped with avocado and cilantro.

Taco Redux: Leftovers, Two Ways

I have a lot of chicken and tortillas left over from tacos the other night. I've been eating them all week, so I thought I'd post some variations.

1. Breakfast: Mushroom Quesadilla

Slice 1/2 onion and some shittake mushrooms; saute in olive oil.

Melt two kinds of cheese (I used pepperjack & cheddar) on two corn tortillas; you can do this quickly in the broiler or microwave.

2. Lunch: Cheesy Chicken Tacos with Chunky Guacamole

Slice chicken thinly and spread on tortilla. Top with jalapeño slices and bits of cheese. Melt in the broiler or microwave. In the meantime, mix avocado, lime, radish slices, quartered cherry tomatoes, and whole cilantro leaves for a chunky veggie sauce. Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce or salsa to taste. Top chicken tortillas with guac and fold to eat.

Barley Salad

leftover pearl barley; arugula; blood oranges;
walnuts; feta; pickled red onion; parsley;
lemon-olive oil dressing

Dressing Up Pasta Leftovers

One easy, quick way to make last night's pasta a little more interesting is to add a poached egg. When you break the yolk, it oozes deliciousness and coats the pasta. This works well for a pasta that doesn't have much sauce (tomato or cream) to begin with.

Another nice pasta trick that works well with a cut like spaghetti is to make a pasta frittata: just mix in a few eggs and bake until set, then cut into wedges. This makes a good lunch (served with a salad) or first course (served alone).

Frittata Sandwich

I am back from short my blogging break with a quick snapshot of what I've been eating this week: leftovers, like the frittata sandwich above, made from fromage fort, spread on each side of baguette and broiled, a piece of leftover frittata, lettuce & tomatoes. Here's the frittata recipe, from a few months ago. To this one, I added parsley & red onions. Green onions would be even better.

Katie, Karen & I also made a very delicious dinner of olive & lemon stuffed chicken breasts coated in a honey truffle mustard & panko crust, baked in a mushroom onion ragout, with toasted almond, lemon, and black pepper orzo. But the pictures got stuck on Katie's camera. Oh well.

Fromage Fort

As my 100th blog post (!!), this is dedicated to what I am proud to call my favorite food: CHEESE. From Camembert to Montagnolo, La Pyramide to Gruyere, Brillat Savarin, Feta, Bucheron, Sharp Cheddar, Brie de Meaux, Parmesan, Raclette, Epoisses, Fougerus, Reblochon-- you get the idea: I love cheese. The Cheeseboard (conveniently located four blocks from my apartment) is my favorite store. Even the Fromageries in Paris can't compete with the Cheeseboard's selection and generosity (I am slightly ashamed to admit how long I stand there, tasting cheese, each time I go in). I always end up with quite a variety in my fridge, and I am usually loath to eat the last of any particularly delicious cheesy morsel. Apparently, other people feel the same way; thus, the birth of Fromage Fort, essentially a puree of your leftover cheese bits, magically reconstituted into a tasty spread that is divine spread on bread and stuck under the broiler until bubbly and brown. This is the closest to eating "processed" cheese I have, and will, ever come.

I use Jacques Pepin's recipe-- appropriate to this "homage" post, since he is my favorite recipe writer of all time.

You'll need:

about 1/2 lb cheese bits
1 clove garlic
1/4c dry white wine (I use vermouth)
lots of black pepper

Throw it all into the food processor and process until smooth. Taste and add salt if necessary (if you used strong enough cheese, you shouldn't need salt). Your mixture should look like this:


You can keep this in a container in the fridge for weeks. As I said, it's really good on toast, either plain or broiled. You can also top it with olives. Yum.

Also, as this is my 100th post, and I never thought I'd make it this far, I want to thank my readers (I know there are at least 7 of you), and say that even though this was never supposed to be a public blog, it's been wonderful to get your comments and feedback, and even to work on the quality of my photos (though this post's pictures are distinctly monochrome and unappetizing). Thanks for reading!

Pork Stir Fry with Noodles

This is the same recipe as this post, but with broccoli added, served over some surprisingly delicious fresh chow mein-style noodles. When you make any noodle or pasta dish with sauce, under cook your noodles by about a minute, then finish cooking them in the sauce, so they soak up sauce and become flavorful. I think this stir fry is especially good with noodles because of all the tasty sauce the recipe makes.

Walnut Chicken with Creamy Pasta, Take Two

This is essentially the other night's dinner, but I'm posting it 'cause all mixed up, it was sooo good. I took the leftover walnut chicken, chopped it very fine, and mixed it with the pasta in a frying pan (be sure to add a little water whenever you reheat pasta). Then I covered to steam, stirring occasionally, and, with a little help from parmesan, ended up with the delicious lunch you see above.

Kohlrabi: From Greens to Bulb

I bought some beautiful purple kohlrabi at the Farmers' Market last Saturday, only to find that most people have never heard of it, which is a shame. It is not only purple, it is delicious and generous: you can cook the greens like kale, eat the bulb in salad (like radish-meets-apple), or cut the bulb into chunks and roast it like any roasted winter veggie.


Here (above), I've peeled a bulb (the purple part is only on the outside-- the inside is light green) and julienned the flesh, then mixed it with purple savoy cabbage and red radishes, dressed with red wine vinegar and Bariani olive oil, for a quick salad.


Here, I heated some olive oil in a pan and sauteed some sliced garlic and a couple anchovies; then I added the kohlrabi greens (remove the stems, as you would with kale) and sauteed until bright green (about 5 minutes). These would be delicious plain, but I had some leftover pasta, so I put that in as well, with a little water, and steamed it all until the flavors had combined.

Ben's Vegetarian Dinner

This is for (and was enjoyed with) my friend Ben, who has been a vegetarian 13 years and counting. Also Aaron & Colin, new vegetarians. I could never be one, but I think it's great that you are.

Zucchini Frittata

This is unlike any frittata you've ever had-- it bears no resemblance to an omelet, and you can hardly tell it has any eggs (it only has 2).

You'll need:

a bunch of zucchinis, grated-- I used about 6 small roundish ones with pale green skin. Don't peel them.
a bunch of cheese
2 eggs
about 1/4c breadcrumbs
1t cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste

Lila inspecting the frittata mixture

Squeeze water out of zucchini. Mix all ingredients together and season to taste. Spread onto greased gratin dish and bake at 350 degrees until set and golden brown on top, about 30-45 minutes.

Parsnip & Carrot Puree

This is really a parsnip dish; we added the carrots for color. Parsnips are a delicious, underappreciated vegetable. They're easy to cook, taste great, and are probably good for you (they are, after all, a vegetable). Steam them to retain the best flavor & vitamins.

You'll need:

a bunch of parsnips, peeled and cut into pieces (If they're more than an inch wide, remove the core)
1 carrot
1/4c cream (optional)
s & p

Steam the vegetables about 15 minutes; you should be able to stick a small sharp knife through the pieces once they're done. Puree with 1/4-1/2c of the cooking water and some cream. Season to taste.

Brown Rice Revitalized--or,
what to do with leftover rice

You'll need:

leftover rice (cooked)
1T olive oil
1 large shallot, slice thinly
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4c slivered almonds
1/4c Madeira wine

Heat oil; saute shallot and garlic until translucent, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add almonds and cook, stirring occasionally, to toast. Deglaze saucepan with wine; add cooked rice and stir to coat. Add a little water (I actually added some leftover roasted red pepper-feta-walnut dip mixed with some water) and cover. Cook over low heat until warmed through.

Ben's Almond Pralines

You'll need:

1c slivered almonds
1/4c maple syrup

Bring syrup to a boil in a small saucepan. Boil 1 minute. Add almonds and cook, stirring constantly, until syrup is totally absorbed and pot is dry, at least 5 minutes. Toss onto wax paper. Eat. They're really, really good.

Maple-coated almonds on wax paper