Tuesday Recipes

Quickly jumping in to post some yummy recipes for today. Enjoy!

SCUDERI KIDS' FAST, FAKE-BAKED ZITI

This comes from Rachel Ray of The Food Network's 30 Minute Meals. Total Time: 45 min; Prep: 20 min; Cook: 25 min; Yield: 6 servings; Level: easy. Rachel added the Spinach and Artichoke Salad, which follows.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/scuderi-kids-fast-fake-baked-ziti-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)

1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)* If San Marzanos are not available, add a teaspoon sugar to your sauce, optional

Coarse salt

A handful fresh basil leaves, torn

1 pound ziti rigate, with ridges

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Freshly ground black pepper

A generous grating nutmeg

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese

1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

1 cup sliced fresh mozzarella

Crusty bread, to pass at table

Directions

Put pasta water on to boil.

In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, saute garlic in extra-virgin olive oil. Chop whole tomatoes and add them to the pan. Add crushed tomatoes and salt and simmer 10 minutes, add basil and simmer over low heat 10 minutes more.

Add salt and pasta to boiling water and cook 6 minutes, leaving pasta a little chewy.

While pasta cooks, melt butter in a small pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, then cook 1 minute, adding salt and pepper and nutmeg to flour. Add milk and bring sauce to a bubble. Reduce 5 minutes.

Drain pasta and transfer to a large casserole dish. Pour the tomato and basil sauce over the pasta and turn to coat the pasta. Pour the bechamel over the already coated pasta. Cover the top of the pasta with Asiago, Parmesan and mozzarella. Place the casserole under hot broiler and melt the 3 cheeses until brown and bubbly, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately with Spinach and Artichoke Salad and bread.

SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE SALAD

3/4 pound, 4 to 5 cups, baby spinach, packed

2 (15-ounce) cans artichoke hearts packed in water, drained and sliced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 to 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

A handful shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

Combine spinach and artichokes. Place garlic, lemon zest and juice in small dish and add vinegar. Let it stand 5 minutes then whisk in extra-virgin olive oil. Pour oil and vinegar dressing over salad and toss to combine. Season the salad with salt and pepper, to your taste. Top the salad with cheese then serve.

CORNMEAL GRIDDLE CAKES WITH HONEY BUTTER SYRUP

This comes from The Baker Chick. If you haven't checked out her newsletter, you should; she has lots of yummy recipes. Yield: 6-8 griddle cakes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1/2 cup ground cornmeal

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 large egg, lightly beaten

about 4 tablespoons of butter for frying the cakes

For the Syrup4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons honey

Instructions

In a bowl whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. Make a small well in the middle and pour in the buttermilk, oil and egg. Whisk until smooth.

Set batter aside while you preheat your skillet on medium low heat. Melt the butter for the syrup and stir in the honey until smooth.

Melt about a tablespoon of butter in the skillet and cook the griddle cakes, 1-3 at a time depending on the size of your pan. When bubbles form and pop in the batter, carefully flip each cake and cook until golden.

Repeat with more butter for each batch. Serve griddle cakes with honey butter syrup.

ROCKIN' RICE PUDDING

This comes from Tyler Florence, of The Food Network's Food 911. Total Time: 30 min; Prep: 5 min; Cook: 25 min; Yield; 4 to 6 servings; Level: Easy

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/rockin-rice-pudding-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

3 cups white rice, cooked

3 cups milk

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup raisins

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon, grated

1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided

Directions

Combine cooked rice, milk, sugar and butter in a medium saucepan. Add raisins and vanilla. Cook for 25 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed. Mix in lemon zest and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Spoon pudding into a serving dish and dust with remaining cinnamon. May serve chilled or at room temperature.

WHOLE WHEAT NO-KNEAD BREAD

This recipe comes from TheKitchn. I really enjoy TheKitchn's email updates, as well as the updates from its sibling site, Apartment Therapy. If you haven't checked either one out, I highly recommend doing so, and signing up for their email updates. Go ahead, I'll wait...(Taps foot.) Oh, alright, as long as you do check them out.

This recipe makes 1 loaf, and can be viewed online by clicking here.

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Mix the water and yeast in a large bowl and allow to stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and salt. Stir to form a very wet, shaggy dough. Make sure all the flour has been incorporated; the dough should feel sticky to the touch.

Cover the bowl and set it somewhere warm and away from kitchen traffic for 12 to 18 hours. After rising, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days if you don’t have time to bake it right away.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Dust your hands with flour. Starting with the edge nearest you, lift up the dough and fold it over on itself. Next, pick up the edge furthest from you and fold it over the dough as well. Repeat with the edges to the left and right. The dough should hold together in a neat package. Sprinkle the top generously with flour and cover with a clean cotton dishtowel. Let the dough rise until doubled, about 2 hours (slightly longer if chilled from the fridge).

When you see that the dough has almost finish rising, place a 3 1/2-quart (or larger) Dutch oven or heavy pot with oven-safe lid in the oven and heat the oven to 475°F.

To bake the bread, very carefully remove the pot from the oven with oven mitts and remove the lid. Dust your hands with flour and scoop the dough from the counter. It’s ok if it sticks; a bench scraper can help transfer the dough. Drop the dough seams down into the Dutch oven. Be careful to avoid touching the hot sides of the pot with your hands.

Cover the pot and return it to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking for another 15 to 30 minutes, until the loaf turns a deep golden brown. Don’t be afraid to let it get really deep brown in spots. If you’re unsure if it has finished baking, you can also check that the internal temperature is 200°F on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove the loaf from the Dutch oven with heat-proof spatulas and potholders. Transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Wait to slice until the loaf has cooled to room temperature.

Recipe Notes

Try other flours, such as rye and spelt, in place of up to half the all-purpose flour.

ITALIAN TOMATO & BREAD SOUP

This comes from another of my favorite emailing lists. (Yes, I do subscribe to a few. I've left some for a variety of reasons; others, like those in today's blog, I've found and stuck with because I like/love them.) This one is from Seattle's Macrina Bakery. I know I've said this before on this blog, but if I'm ever fortunate enough to take a touring-the-U.S. road trip, this is one of the places in Seattle that I'll have to stop in and check out the bakery.

Ingredients

8 medium-sized ripe tomatoes

1/4 cup pure olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled

2 1/2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh basil

2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh oregano

4 cups (about 6 oz) day-old white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

4 cups chicken stock

Extra virgin olive oil, for garnish

Coarse sea salt, for garnish

Preparation

Fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Place a handful of ice cubes in a medium bowl and fill it halfway with cold water; this will be an ice bath to “shock,” or stop, the cooking of the tomatoes after they are blanched.

Cut a 1-inch X at the base of each tomato, then remove the top core. Gently drop the tomatoes into the boiling water and bring the water back up to a boil. Cook until the skin at the X in the base of the tomatoes peels away easily. This might take only a few seconds or possibly up to a few minutes, depending on the tomatoes’ ripeness (the riper they are, the more quickly their skins will loosen). With a slotted spoon, lift the tomatoes out and place them into the cold-water bath. Cool for 10 minutes.

Remove the skins from the tomatoes and discard. Halve the tomatoes and discard the seeds. Coarsely chop the tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces and put in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Pour the pure olive oil into a medium soup pot over low heat. When the oil is warm, add the crushed garlic. Cook gently for 1 minute (avoid burning the garlic), then add the basil and oregano and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the bread cubes and toss so they absorb the oil and herbs. Increase the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, tossing regularly to lightly brown the bread cubes. Add the tomatoes and increase the heat to medium, releasing their juices. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and bring the soup back to a simmer, cooking for about 20 minutes to slightly reduce the stock and develop flavor. This is a typical rustic soup, so there is no need to puree, but do use a potato masher or slotted spoon to break up any large chunks. Ladle your bread soup into a shallow soup bowl and top it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of coarse sea salt.