Friday Recipes

It's finally Friday. If your week has been like mine, and you have the weekend off, you're no doubt looking forward to a couple of days to relax, or possibly getting things done around the house. Weekends never quite seem long enough, do they?

I've been listening to a lot of music in the afternoon while writing. One of my new favorite groups (and I use the term loosely) is Playing for Change. If you've never heard of Playing for Change (and I hadn't until a year or two ago), you should give them a listen. Basically, there's no hard-and-fast line-up, just a bunch of musicians doing covers of famous songs, giving their own spin to the music. Check out their version of Stevie Wonder's Higher Ground or the Rolling Stones' Gimme Shelter. (The latter was the first Playing for Change video I ran across; I've since bought several of their CDs.) Give it a listen.

Of course, we do need to eat. To that end, here are six yummy vegetarian recipes to help you through the weekend, including Easy Sausage Peppers and Onions with Elbows and Classic Lasagna. Enjoy!

PLUM-GINGER FREEZER JAM

This is from Yewande Komolafe in The New York Times cooking newsletter. She wrote, "This no-cook jam captures the joy of biting into a cold, crisp plum, and the technique it employs is ideal for capturing the freshness of firm ripe summer fruit. This jam, which can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer, making it what's commonly known as a refrigerator or freezer jam, is also packed with ginger and lemon, so you’ll get a bouquet of flavors in every spoonful."

Yield: 6 to 7 cups; Time: 10 minutes, plus chilling

This was featured in "Preserving the Season at Its Peak", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022488-plum-ginger-freezer-jam.

Ingredients

3 pounds ripe but firm plums, pitted and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups)

1 cup superfine sugar

2 tablespoons scrubbed, grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons lemon zest (from 4 lemons)

2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus more to taste

1/4 teaspoon calcium powder, if needed (see Tip)

4 1/2 teaspoons powdered pectin (see Tip)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

Preparation

Using a potato masher or fork, gently crush the plums in a large bowl to release some pulp and juices while keeping the fruit chunky. Toss with the sugar, then add the ginger and lemon zest and juice. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Measure the volume of your fruit mixture; you should have about 6 cups.

If your package of pectin comes with calcium powder, stir 1/4 teaspoon of the calcium powder into 1/4 cup water to dissolve. Set aside. Place the 4 1/2 teaspoons pectin in a stand blender, or have it measured and ready if using an immersion blender. Bring 1 cup water to a boil, then pour it into the stand blender and blend. (If using an immersion blender, add the pectin to the saucepan and blend.) The mixture should become very smooth and look like a soft gel. Stir the pectin mixture into the fruit until evenly combined, then stir in 4 teaspoons of the calcium water, if using. The jam should thicken and be softly set. Add the salt, stir and taste. Adjust after tasting with more teaspoons of lemon juice, if necessary, for a good balance of sweet and tart.

Transfer to clean airtight containers, cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours and up to 2 weeks before serving. Or, store in the freezer for up to 3 months; defrost completely in the refrigerator before serving.

Tip

There are different brands of powdered pectin, so the amount needed may change depending on which you buy and the package may include calcium powder. If the package includes instructions for no-cook freezer or refrigerator jam, follow them and adjust the amount of pectin needed based on your volume of cut fruit.

APPLE JELLY

This is from Yewande Komolafe on The New York Times website. She wrote, "This delicate fruit preserve can help you use up your bounty of peak fall apples. A crystal clear jelly is what you are after here, so look for cooking apples — you want firm, crisp fruit that will hold up to stewing and straining without falling apart. Once the apples are cooked and their juices are extracted, the resulting jam is reminiscent of floral honey and tart citrus. Serve with a buttery croissant, warm toast, as a filling for pastries or a glaze for fruit tarts and cakes."

Yield: 4 to 5 cups; Time: 2 hours, plus cooling and canning

This was featured in "Preserving the Season at Its Peak", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022489-apple-jelly.

Ingredients

3 1/2 pounds cooking apples, such as Granny Smith, Pink Lady, Jonagold, Braeburn or Honeycrisp, or a combination, scrubbed

4 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice (from about 2 lemons), plus more as needed

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)

Preparation

Cut the apples into 1-inch pieces without peeling or coring, but discard any damaged or spoiled spots.

Place the apples in a large nonreactive pot and pour in 8 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat to maintain a simmer and cook without stirring until the apples soften, 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Set a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a muslin bag over another large pot, and pour the contents of the pot into the sieve. Do not press on the apples to prevent the jelly from becoming cloudy. You should have at least 7 cups of juice. Some apple varieties absorb more water and may need 2 to 8 hours for the juice to naturally strain out. If that’s the case, refrigerate the pot.

Place a small plate in the freezer to use for testing the setting point of the jelly. Set the pot with the juice over medium-high heat. (Discard the fruit.) Add the sugar and lemon juice, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil, skimming and discarding any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the liquid reduces by about three-quarters and a candy or deep-fry thermometer registers 225 degrees, 40 to 50 minutes. To test for doneness, spoon a small amount of liquid onto the cold plate from the freezer and return to the freezer to cool completely, about 2 minutes. Drag a spoon through the jelly. The setting point has been reached if it wrinkles and the wrinkles hold their shape. If they don’t, continue to cook the jelly and test every few minutes on the cold plate.

Once the jelly is done cooking, add the salt, stir to dissolve and adjust with more lemon juice, if needed, for a nice balance of sweet and tart with a floral taste. Ladle the hot liquid into clean, sanitized jars, screw on the lids and follow steps to can, or allow to cool to room temperature and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

GRAMMA'S OLD FASHIONED CHILI MAC

This is from an anonymous poster on AllRecipes, and begins, "This is an old family recipe that my mom has cooked for 50 years. It's a wonderful, 'stick-to-the-ribs' meal that goes wonderful with warm cornbread or rolls. I find that kids love this when they don't like regular 'spicy' chili. Enjoy!"

Parep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Makes 6 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/47406/grammas-old-fashioned-chili-mac/.

Ingredients

1 cup elbow macaroni

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup

2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1/8 cup brown sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

In a small saucepan, simmer celery and green pepper with water to cover until tender; Drain.

Place ground beef in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook until evenly brown. Add onion, and cook until tender and translucent. Drain excess fat. Add celery and green pepper. Stir in kidney beans, condensed tomato soup, diced tomatoes and brown sugar. Season with salt and pepper, and stir in macaroni.

CLASSIC LASAGNA

This is from MyRecipes, and begins, "A classic, beefy lasagna recipe perfectly matches these traditional, zesty Italian ingredients and creamy homemade ricotta sauce. Tall layers of cheese, meat, and pasta will seriously satisfy your casserole cravings. Plus any leftovers for lunch the following day are always welcome. Tip: make this lasagna bake for a crowd by doubling the recipe and making ahead of time. Prep steps one through four, cover, and freeze. Thaw and bake (covered) at 350° for 55 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until bubbly."

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 2 hours; Stand Time: 25 minutes; Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes; Yield: 8 to 10 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/classic-lasagna-0.

Ingredients

2 medium onions, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound lean ground beef

1 (14.5-oz.) can basil, garlic, and oregano diced tomatoes

2 (6-oz.) cans tomato paste

1 (8-oz.) can basil, garlic, and oregano tomato sauce

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1-1/4 teaspoons salt, divided

3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided

12 lasagna noodles, uncooked

8 cups boiling water

1 (16-oz.) container ricotta cheese

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 (6-oz.) packages part-skim mozzarella cheese slices

Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Sauté onion in 1 Tbsp. hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Add beef, and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain beef mixture, and return to skillet. Stir in diced tomatoes, next 4 ingredients, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf; set meat sauce aside.

Place lasagna noodles in a 13- x- 9-inch pan. Carefully pour 8 cups boiling water and remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil over noodles. Let stand 15 minutes.

Stir together ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, remaining 1/4 tsp. salt, and remaining 1/4 tsp. pepper until blended.

Spoon half of the meat sauce mixture in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Shake excess water from noodles, and arrange 6 noodles over meat sauce; top with half of ricotta mixture and 1 package mozzarella cheese slices. Repeat layers once.

Bake, covered, at 350° for 55 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until bubbly. Let lasagna stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Chef's Notes

The sauce is time-consuming but worth the extra effort. Make it on a weekend, and freeze it to enjoy later with lasagna or your favorite pasta.

EASY SAUSAGE, PEPPERS AND ONIONS WITH ELBOWS

This is from Kori Lavertue at AllRecipes. Kori wrote, "On days when my schedule is overloaded, this easy throw-together recipe is always a hit with my family."

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 3 hours 10 minutes; Additional Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 3 hours 35 minutes; Makes 8 servings

To view this online, to go https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/219058/easy-sausage-peppers-and-onions-with-elbows/.

Ingredients

1 pound sweet Italian sausages

1 pound hot Italian sausages

2 green bell peppers, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 large sweet onion (such as Vidalia®), sliced

1 (24 ounce) jar pasta sauce

1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni

Directions

Place the sweet and hot sausages, green and red peppers, onion, and pasta sauce in a slow cooker. Add about 1/2 a jar of water. Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours, or on High for 3 to 4 hours.

Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the macaroni, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but still firm, about 8 minutes. Drain well.

Slice the cooked sausages, then return to the slow cooker. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving the sausage, peppers, and onion over the macaroni.

CREAM CHEESE DANISH HEART

Years ago, when my better half and I first got cable, I was channel-surfing, something most of us have done occasionally. I ran across a baking show on PBS called Breaking Bread with Fr. Dominic, featuring Fr. Dominic Garramone. I fell in love with the show, and watched it almost every time it was on. (Unfortunately, it only ran from 1999 to 2001.)

Anywho, this recipe was featured on his show; you might even find it in one of his many cookbooks (and yes, I’m planning to pick up a copy of at least one or two of said cookbooks).

Makes 1 heart.

Ingredients

Dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 envelope FLEISCHMANN’S RapidRise Yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 large egg

Cream Cheese Filling:

1 (8-ounce) pack cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered Sugar Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

2 to 3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 drops red food coloring

Directions

In a large bowl, combine 3/4 cup flour, sugar, undissolved yeast, and salt. Heat water, sour cream and butter until very warm (120 to 130 degrees). Gradually add to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Add egg and 1 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed. Stir in remaining flour to make a stiff batter. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.

Remove dough from refrigerator; roll to 16- x 8-inch rectangle. Spread evenly with Cream Cheese Filling (directions below). Beginning at long end, roll up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch seam to seal. Form a large heart; pinch ends together. Place on greased baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut 1/3 through heart at 1-inch intervals, alternating from side to side to resemble a braid. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from sheet; cool on wire rack. Drizzle with Powdered Sugar Glaze (directions below).

Cream Cheese Filling: In a bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.

Powdered Sugar Glaze: In a bowl, combine powdered sugar, milk and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Add food coloring; stir until well blended.