Meat Free Mondays — Acorn Squash Ravioli

Father’s Day arrived early for me this year. Check out my new toy:

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I used to own a pasta maker, but through neglect I let it rust out. That inspired me to get a new one, as well as this ravioli maker:

We’re calling it my Father’s Day gift for this year. Much better than a tie!

I couldn’t wait to start playing with it. For my first pasta, I decided to make acorn squash ravioli.

Making fresh pasta is not only fun and economical, but it tastes far better than commercially produced pasta, even those that are sold as “fresh”.

The difference between homemade pasta and storebought is like the difference between the birthday cake your mom made for you as a child and a Hostess cupcake. In other words, there is no comparison.

Pasta is very simple to make and you don’t necessarily need a pasta machine, although it’s way easier if you do. There are all kinds of pasta recipes, but the most basic one is simply eggs and flour formed into a dough and then rolled out thin, either with a rolling pin or with a pasta machine.

For this recipe, I added a little salt for flavor and a few tablespoons of water to get the consistency of the dough right.

You can even make different color pasta by using all-natural coloring agents such as spinach, tomato puree or even squid ink. You can even make striped ravioli if you like.

Ravioli can be filled with anything you like, including ground meat, cheese, finely chopped vegetables, potatoes, you name it. Best of all, you can make up a big batch of ravioli, enjoy half of it for dinner right away, and save the other half for another time in the freezer. They cost literally just pennies to make and they taste amazing.

Acorn Squash Ravioli

For the Filling

1 cup Acorn squash, cooked

1/2 cup Cream Cheese (or Ricotta)

1 clove Garlic, crushed

Sea Salt

Fresh cracked black pepper

1. Combine acorn squash, cheese and garlic in a mixing bowl and mix together until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

For the Ravioli

2 cups Unbleached all-purpose flour

2 eggs

1/2 tsp Sea salt

2-3 TBS Water

1. Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl, then use your fingers to make a hole in the middle. Crack eggs into the hole, then use a fork to mix together, slowly incorporating the flour a little at a time until a dough is formed, adding a little of the water if necessary. Transfer to a floured work surface and knead until dough is smooth, about five minutes. Cover with clean kitchen towel and set aside.

2. Assemble pasta machine or flour a work surface. Separate the dough into four peices. If using the pasta machine, set the rollers to their widest setting, then flatten one of the dough balls with your hands and feed it into the roller using the crank handle. Fold the sheet in half and feed it through the rollers again. Adjust the rollers to the next narrowest setting and repeat the process. Then adjust the rollers again and continue rolling out the dough until it is paper thin. Lay the pasta sheet flat on a floured work surface, sprinkle with flour and cover with clean kitchen towel. Repeat the process for the three remaining dough balls.

3. To assemble ravioli, lay one pasta sheet over the metal ravioli frame, then use the plastic insert to create dimples in the pasta. Carefully use a spoon to fill each dimple with about one teaspoon of the filling, then lay a second pasta sheet over the top. Use a rolling pin to press the two sheets together firmly, then pull away the excess pasta on the sides and discard. Use your fingers to carefully pick up each ravioli and set on a floured baking sheet to dry for 30 minutes, then turn each ravioli over and let dry another 15 minutes. Repeat with the remaining two pasta sheets. At this point the ravioli can be frozen for later use, if you would like.

4. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add ravioli and cook eight minutes. Drain and serve.

I served mine with my simple, all-purpose tomato sauce and some freshly shaved parmesan. I served it with this simple herbed bread recipe I’ve been making a lot lately, as well as sauteed zucchini, having been inspired by this post by The Ranting Chef.

Can I just say: Best. Father’s. Day. Ever!

Seafood Friday – Shrimp

You are more likely to find shrimp on any restaurant’s menu than any other kind of seafood.

That’s probably because shrimp is relatively inexpensive, can be found just about anywhere there is salt water, and has a delicious, sweet flavor that can be paired with just about anything.

Five things you might not know about shrimp:

1. Shrimp and prawns are the same thing. In India, the world’s largest shrimp-farming nation, all shrimplike animals are called prawns. However, in the US and UK, the term “prawn” generally is reserved for large shrimps.

2. Above a certain size, you need to remove the shrimp’s digestive tract prior to cooking it. This is known as deveining the shrimp. After peeling away the shrimp’s shell, simply make a shallow incision down the shrimp’s back and use the blade of the knife to remove the vein. In some cases the vein is easy to see because it is full of partially digested shrimp food, in others it’s nearly transparent. Then rinse the shrimp under cold water for a moment. Or you can buy deveined shrimp for a few cents more per pound.

3. Some shrimp have hard shells like lobsters. Rock shrimp, which are found off the Atlantic coast from Norfolk, Virginia, to the Bahamas, used to be discarded by fishermen because its shell was too hard to remove. But around 1970 a machine was invented that easily shells rock shrimp and since then its lobster-like meat has become a popular part of many menus.

4. Unless you live right on the water, most shrimp you buy will be frozen or has been frozen at some point during its journey to market. That’s because shrimp is highly perishable. Many commercial shrimpers process and freeze the shrimp right there on the boat to immediately halt decay in quality.

5. Sea monkeys, the popular “family of pets” that were promoted in advertisements in the back of comic books in the 1970s actually were freeze-dried brine shrimp. When you placed them in water, they ended their suspended animation and came to life. They didn’t really look like people, though.

This reduced-fat recipe for white shrimp with oricchiette pasta with a tomato cream sauce is fast, easy and delicious. Oricchiette is Italian for “little pigs’ ears” and refers to the shape of the pasta. If you can’t find it at your market, you can substitute any pasta you prefer.

White Shrimp with Oricchiette Pasta in a Tomato Cream Sauce

1/2 lb White shrimp, defrosted, peeled and deveined

2 cloves Garlic, crushed

3 TBS Extra virgin olive oil, separated, with a little more for the pasta

1/2 White onion, small dice

1/2 Green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, small dice

1 Jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, small dice

6 oz Can of tomato sauce

1 tsp Dried basil (or fresh)

1 tsp Dried oregano (or fresh)

1/3 cup Fat-free half and half

1/4 cup Grated parmesan cheese, plus a little more for garnish

1 lb Oricchiette pasta

Sea salt

Fresh cracked black pepper

1/4 cup Parsley, chopped fine

1. Combine shrimp, garlic and TBS of EVOO in a small bowl, coating all shrimp in oil and evenly distributing garlic. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions, usually about 9-10 minutes. Drain but don’t rinse. Return to pot. Drizzle in a little EVOO, add a little salt and pepper and toss. Set aside

3. Put a sauce pot over a medium heat. When hot, add 1 TBS EVOO. When smoking, add onion, green pepper and jalapeno and cook until onion translucent, about five minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, basil and oregano. When sauce begins to bubble, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook about five minutes so the flavors can meld together. Then whisk in the fat-free half and half and season to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in the parmesan cheese.

4. Put a non-stick sautee pan over a medium heat. When hot, add just a drop of EVOO. When smoking add shrimp and all of the marinade. Saute until shrimp are cooked through, about three to four minutes.

5. To assemble, pile pasta in the center of a pasta bowl. Use a kitchen spoon or a tablespoon to ladle a little sauce over the top, then use a tongs to carefully arrange shrimp evenly around the sides of the pasta, leaving spaces between each shrimp. Garnish with parsley and additional parmesan.

 

Oven Fried Chicken

Fried chicken is one of those things I only get to eat once or twice per year, usually at  family parties.

But I look forward to it because, in my opinion, chicken was meant to be fried. The crispy golden breading that comes from immersing the chicken into a pool of smoking hot oil goes perfectly with the moist, rich texture of the meat.

Sadly, because it’s too high in fat, in my house we don’t eat legitimately fried chicken. I remember one time I burned the dinner so I went out and bought some Popeye’s chicken. My wife simply refused to eat it.

But this recipe is lower in fat, doesn’t require a deep fryer or a dangerous pan full of hot shortening, and still results in a crispy delicious chicken.

Although I love to eat fried chicken for dinner, what I love even more is wrapping the leftover chicken in wax paper the next day and bringing it on a picnic. This recipe is suitable for both.

I served this oven fried chicken with some smashed potatoes and with a red cabbage cole slaw (recipe to follow) to round out a perfect summertime dinner.

Oven Fried Chicken

1 Chicken, cut into 8 peices

1/4 cup Unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Granulated garlic

Pinch of Cayenne pepper

1 tsp Sea salt

1/4 tsp Fresh cracked black pepper

1/3 cup Margarine (or butter for the truly indulgent)

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Rinse chicken peices and pat dry with paper towels. In a bowl, combine flour, paprika, gran garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken peices so that they are completely covered with seasoned flour mixture. If you prefer, you can use the “Shake and Bake” method by putting all the dry ingredients into a large plastic bag, then putting the individual chicken peices in the bag, sealing it and shaking it around so that each peice is completely covered with the coating. You will get the same result.

2. Place margarine in a 9″x13″x2″ casserole pan and place in oven. When melted, remove from oven and arrange chicken peices in the bottom of the pan, skin side down. Return to oven and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven, turn peices over and bake another 15 minutes.

Red Cabbage Cole Slaw

4 cups  Red Cabbage (about 1/2 head)

1 Carrot, peeled

1/2 White onion

1/2 Green bell pepper, ribs and seedes removed, fine dice

1/2 cup Reduced fat Mayonnaise

1 TBS Apple cider vinegar

2 tsp Granulated sugar

1 tsp Whole celery seed

1/4 tsp Sea salt

Fresh cracked black pepper to taste

1. Use a box grater to grate the cabbage, carrot and onion into a mixing bowl then add the green pepper. In a separate mixing bowl, make the dressing by whisking together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, celery seed and salt.

2. Combine the dressing and the cabbage mixture and toss together with a spatula until it has a consistent texture. Season with pepper to taste. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving so that flavors can meld together.

Ironically, up until a few months ago, there was a fried chicken restaurant at the end of our street (It recently closed and was replaced with a cash for car titles business!). Whenever I would walk the dogs past there, I would linger a few moments so I could absorb the smells of the frying chicken.

A fella can dream, can’t he?

 

Wine on Wednesdays – Rawson’s Retreat Shiraz Cabernet

Remember that scene in “Sideways” in which the character played by Virginia Madsen says that she likes to drink wine because she likes to think about how it is a living thing, how every bottle has its own history?

That scene has always stuck with me. Sometimes I get surprised by a wine, buying it because it is affordable and tastes good and then later learning all kinds of things about it.

That’s the case with the Penfolds Rawson’s Retreat Shiraz Cabernet. I have had this wine many times before and keep returning to it because I like the way it tastes — fruity without being overbearing, easy drinking — and because it falls within my self-imposed spending limit on wine, $7.99/bottle.

But after researching this wine for this blog post, I discovered its amazing story and that got me thinking about its journey from the grape fields of southeastern Australia to the store shelf where I found it.

Penfold’s is one of Australia’s most respected brands, sort of like Ford or Budweiser here in the US. The winery was founded in 1844 by Dr. Christopher Rawson Penfold, an English physician who emigrated to Australia with his wife, Mary, settling in the Magill Valley in southeast Australia, just outside Adelaide.

Penfold was an advocate of the medicinal benefits of wine, and he planted a large vineyard so that he could produce fortified wines for his patients. Fortified wines are wines that have brandy added to them to make them stronger. Examples include ports and sherries.

The modest house he built was called “The Grange”, after Mary’s family’s home back in England. Later, in the mid-20th Century, Penfold’s would launch a very successful series of wines under the Grange brand name.

The company struggled to survive during the two World Wars, then its wines started to gain popularity in Australia during the 1950s, when the country opened its doors to immigrants. Soon, it was one of the largest wineries in Australia.

The company itself was owned by the Penfold family until 1976. It has changed hands a couple of times since then and is now owned by Foster’s, which of course is Australian for beer. Penfolds still operates two wineries — the original one in Magill and another in Nuriootpa in Barossa Valley.

Penfolds has a wide variety of wines at all levels of sophistication and price. The Rawson’s Retreat brand is considered an “introductory” level wine, probably because of its affordability and the fact that it is made with grapes grown not from a single vineyard but from throughout the region, including Padthaway, Langhorne Creek, Riverland and McLaren Vale.

The Rawson’s Retreat label — which refers to a stone cottage Dr. Penfold built in his vineyard — includes other varietals such as cabernet, merlot, chardonnay and a semillon chardonnay blend. I like this one because shiraz is one of my favorite types of wine and Australian shirazes are some of the best in the world, even entry level ones such as this.

This blend is made from 60% shiraz and 40% cabernet sauvignon grapes. Selected parcels of the wine are matured in French and American oak barrels.

This may not be Penfolds’ most complex or celebrated wine, but it is a delicious everyday wine that allows me to savor Penfolds’ rich history in my wine glass.

 

Restaurant Review – Stacked

I grew up in a town called Oak Lawn, Illinois, just outside Chicago.

On my town’s “Main Street” — actually 95th Street — there used to be a little hole in the wall restaurant called Veli’s Koffee Kup. It served breakfast and lunch, was run down, the waitresses were all about 100 years old, and the food was mediocre at best.

I loved it. In high school, my friends and I would go there before school on big exam days to study and on Sundays we would often end up there after church (sometimes instead of church). As an adult, I loved to spend my days off wandering the aisles of the public library across the street then settling down to a long cup of coffee and a good book at Veli’s.

Sadly, Veli’s closed in the early 2000s. The entire block was razed and a mixed use residential/retail development was built on the site, including a Starbuck’s, a Jimmy Johns and bunch of other soulless chain places.

But recently, just a few doors down from where Veli’s originally stood, another all-new family-owned restaurant that serves only breakfast and lunch opened up. It’s called Stacked and once I heard about it, I couldn’t wait to see how it would compare to my memories of Veli’s.

When my wife and I went there on a recent Sunday morning after church, there was a line of people waiting out the door — something I have never in my life seen at an Oak Lawn restaurant.

Informed that there would be about a 25 minute wait, I took advantage of the time to check the place out. Hectic would be a good word to describe the atmosphere. The waitresses and bussers were hustling, the manager was literally running around keeping things organized, and a steady flow of food was coming out of the tall kitchen pass-through window.

Unlike Veli’s dark and ancient interior, Stacked is fresh, bright and colorful, with huge windows letting in sunshine on the north and west walls. It was chilly that morning, but it looks as if there eventually will be outdoor dining.

Even though the restaurant is not large, only about two dozen tables, the line moved quickly and we were seated at a spanking new booth next to a window. It took a while for our server to get to us, but given how busy the restaurant was, this was understandable.

Sandi ordered the multi-grain pancakes and I ordered my usual: Corned beef hash and eggs over easy with Greek toast. We were both served coffee, which was unexpectedly strong and flavorful.

It took a little while for our food to arrive but, again, given the business level, I wasn’t expecting it instantly.

Sandi’s said her pancakes were perfect, fluffy and delicious. My corned beef hash was outstanding. At most breakfast places, corned beef hash comes out of a can. But it was obvious that this corned beef has was made fresh, with tiny chunks of potato nestled into a perfectly seared bed of finely chopped lean corned beef. The eggs were large and perfectly cooked. Even the toast was better than I expected.

Our breakfast was also amazingly affordable, coming in at less than $20 for both of us before tax and tip.

Okay, so Stacked wins the breakfast round, but how they would do for lunch?

A few days later, I returned alone on a Tuesday just after the lunch rush. I brought a good book with me in order to replicate as closely as possible my Veli’s experiences.

Stacked was surprisingly busy for a Tuesday afternoon, with about 3/4 of the tables filled with customers. Probably because I was alone, I was seated at a tiny table tucked a corner, even though there were lovely empty booths available nearby.

Perhaps because of my location, it took my server a few minutes to find me. When she did, I ordered more of their excellent coffee, along with a corned beef reuben to see if the sliced corned beef would be as good as the chopped.

Lunches come with a cup of soup and I opted for the Greek lemon rice over the chicken noodle. It was served piping hot and tasted deliciously creamy, with saltines on the side. Sometimes cream soups can be goopy, especially later in the day after they have been sitting in the steam kettle for hours, but this was not the case here. It had the perfect texture and was exceptionally flavorful.

My food arrived more quickly than it did on the Sunday morning. The reuben was served on a marble swirl bread and was stacked high with close to a pound of thinly sliced lean corned beef. The fries were perfectly crisp and piping hot and there was a small cup of cole slaw on the side.

The reuben was outstanding. The outside of the bread was fried perfectly crisp and there was a generous amount of sauerkraut. The Swiss cheese was melted and stringy, just the way it is supposed to be, and there was nearly a Carnegie Deli amount of corned beef, which I later learned they cure themselves.

The service was attentive without being intrusive. My coffee cup never ran dry and plates were cleared quickly and efficiently.

Once again, the bill came in much lower than I would have expected, about $10 before tax and tip.

Not only did Stacked exceed my expectations but it did something that I wouldn’t have thought possible: It replaced Veli’s as my all-time favorite Oak Lawn breakfast and lunch spot!

Stacked is located at 5273 W. 95th St., in Oak Lawn. The phone number is 708-422-5555. It is open from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m. daily and serves breakfast and lunch only. Credit cards are accepted and they do not take reservations.

Stacked does not yet have a web page or online menu, but here’s a link to its Urban Spoon page.

Meat Free Mondays – Quinoa

You are starting to hear more about quinoa lately.

Quinoa is a lot like rice, except it’s better for you and easier to cook. I’ve already chronicled my struggles to make brown rice. Quinoa gives you the same nutritional value with half the effort. It’s almost impossible to screw up and, in my opinion, the flavor is far superior.

Plus quinoa comes with an incredible back story. It originally comes from Central and South America, where it was held sacred by the Incas more than 4,000 years ago as the “mother of all grains.” Traditionally, the Inca emperor would sow the first grains of the growing season using golden implements.

When the Spanish conquistadores invaded that area in the 15th Century and discovered the Incas praying to their quinoa, they burned their crops and forced them to grow wheat instead.

Fortunately, quinoa staged a comeback and today is becoming increasingly popular as a base for salads, side dishes and even this entree.

In fact, the United Nations has declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa. Take that, conquistadores!

Yellow Squash Stuffed with Quinoa

1 Large yellow squash

1 cup Quinoa

2 cups Water

1 TBS Extra virgin olive oil

1 cup Black beans, drained

1 cup Corn, Cooked, charred and cut off the cob

1/2 Red onion, small dice

1 Jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, small dice

1/2 Green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, small dice

1 clove Garlic, crushed

1 TBS Cumin

1 tsp Chile powder

1 tsp Granulated garlic

1/3 cup Grated parmesan

Sea salt

Fresh cracked black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut yellow squash in half length-wise, then use a teaspoon to remove the seeds and hollow out, leaving about 1/2 inch wall on all sides and bottom. Place squash in boiling water and cook 5 minutes, then remove with tongs, dump water, fill pot with cold water and return squash to the water to halt the cooking process. Remove from the water and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, bring two cups of water to a boil in a sauce pan. Stir in quinoa, cover, return to boil, reduce to simmer and cook 18 minutes. Turn off flame and let sit for 15 minutes, then fluff with fork.

3. Put cast iron pan on the fire over a medium heat. When hot, add EVOO. When smoking, add onions, jalapeno and green pepper and saute until onion is translucent, about five minutes. Add garlic, cumin, chile powder and granulated garlic and cook another minute then remove from heat.

4. Preheat oven to 375F. Fold sauteed vegetables, black beans, corn and about half the parmesan into the quinoa. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place half the quinoa mixture on the bottom of an 8″x8″x2″ casserole dish, then place yellow squash canoes on top. Use a tablespoon to stuff the squash with the remaining quinoa mixture. Sprinkle the top with the remaining parmesan and cover tightly with aluminum foil.

5. Bake at 375F for 25 minutes, remove foil and bake another 10 minutes to brown up the parmesan.

Quinoa is a very versatile grain. It actually is considered a pseudocereal because it is not a member of the grass family, but instead it is related to beets, spinach and tumbleweeds.

It has a mildly sweet and nutty flavor and a soft texture that reminds me of couscous. Look for it in either the baking supplies or dried beans aisles of your grocery store.

Seafood Fridays – Cod Cakes with Tartar Sauce

Today we are making a New England favorite: Pan-seared codfish cakes with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

You really could use any kind of firm-fleshed fish for this dish, substituting tilapia, swai, salmon or even catfish if you preferred. If you can broil it, you can use it!

I routinely add an extra russet potato or two whenever I’m making baked potatoes so that I will have some leftover the next day for breakfast hash browns or to be included in a dish such as this.

I served these on some homemade rolls I made by adapting this pizza dough recipe. To make the rolls softer, I doubled the fat content by substituting the 1-1/2 TBS Extra virgin olive oil with 3 TBS vegetable shortening. Then I brushed them with an egg wash and sprinkled them with sesame seeds just prior to baking.

On the side, I served a simple red potato salad.

Cod Fish Cakes with Tartar Sauce

1/2 lb Cod or other fish

1 Russet potato, cooked and grated

1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

¼ cup Chopped parsley, curly or Italian flatleaf

1 TBS Freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 clove Garlic, crushed

1 tsp Sea salt

½ tsp Fresh cracked black pepper

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 TBS Sunflower oil

½ cup Mayonnaise

1 TBS pickle relish

1 TBS Dijon mustard

1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. Turn on your broiler. While it is heating, spray a sheet pan with pan spray, then lay out fish filets on sheet pan and spray fish with pan spray. Place under broiler for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool at least 10 minutes.

2. Use a fork to break apart fish, removing any pin bones, and place in large mixing bowl. Add potatoes, breadcrumbs, parsley, parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper and egg to bowl and mix together thoroughly. Using your hands form into patties and place on a plate lined with wax paper. When all the patties have been formed, cover with a second sheet of wax paper and refrigerate at least 30 minutes so that they will hold together better in the frying pan.

3. Put a cast iron pan or a non-stick skillet over a medium heat. When hot, add the oil. When the oil begins to smoke, gently place the fish cakes into the oil, being careful not to splash yourself with hot oil. Season with salt and pepper and cook until underside is golden brown. Carefully flip the cakes over, season other side with salt and pepper and finish cooking until both sides are golden brown.

4. Remove to a plate covered with paper towels to absorb some of the oil.

Meanwhile, make a quick tartar sauce by combining ½ cup mayonnaise with 1 TBS of pickle relish and 1 TBS Dijon mustard. Place sauce in a ramekin and serve on the side along with lemon slices.

This recipe is quick, affordable and easy to make. Besides other fish, you can substitute crab, chopped shrimp or lobster or just about any kind of seafood you wish and it will turn out delicious every time!