February 2025

A new twist on an old favorite!

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. chopped garlic

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 lb. ground sirloin (90% lean)

1 – 15 oz. can Ro-tel tomatoes with green chilis

3/4 cup chili sauce

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup pimento-stuffed olives

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Hot sauce to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot.  Reduce heat to low.  Add onions and cook 5 minutes or until softened.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Turn up the meat to medium high.  Add ground sirloin and cook, breaking up the lumps for about 5 minutes or until no longer pink.

Add tomatoes, chili sauce, water, olives, raisins and salt and pepper.

Simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Stir in lemon juice and hot sauce.  Adjust salt and pepper.

Divide among brioche buns and serve hot with plenty of napkins.

ENJOY!

These individual rolls are easy to serve, great for a first course for a big crowd or part of a buffet.  For a main course, you just have to add a salad.

1 lb. ricotta cheese

1 large eggplant

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup canola oil

1 egg

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Pecorino cheese

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Salt and Pepper

Breading Station (see below)

To make this dish even easier, fry the eggplant the night before, mix the cheeses and this goes together in no time.  You can double with recipe if you are having a bigger crowd.

Trim the stem and end from the eggplant.  Remove peel.  Removing the peel is optional.  

Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices and place in a colander.  Sprinkle generously with coarse salt and let drain for 30 minutes.  Rinse under cool water, drain and pat dry.

Pour 1/2 cup each of the olive and canola oils into a medium skillet over medium-high heat.

Get your breading station ready.

Mix one cup all-purpose flour with 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Beat two eggs with 1 Tbsp. water

2 cups Italian Style bread crumbs

Dredge eggplant in flour, egg and breadcrumbs.  

Fry until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes.

Remove eggplant to a paper-towel lined pan.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  

Mix ricotta, Parmesan cheese, half the mozzarella and egg in a medium bowl until well combined.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour 1 cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Lay one of the fried eggplant slices in front of you with the short end toward you.

Spoon about 2 Tbsp. of the ricotta filling over the narrow end of the slice and roll into a compact roll and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish.

Repeat with the remaining eggplant, placing the rolls side by side.

Ladle tomato sauce over the eggplant rolls and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.  Grate some fresh Pecorino Romano evenly over the rolls and spinkle with oregano.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the edges of the casserole are bubbling and the filling is heated through, about 30 minutes.  Remove foil during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Makes 8 servings

Fresh Lemon Mousse

3 extra-large whole eggs

3 extra-large eggs, separated

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

Kosher salt

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup lemon curd (recipe follows)

Sweetened Whipped Cream (recipe follows)

Sliced lemon, for garnish

In a large heat-proof bowl, whisk together the 3 whole eggs, 3 egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt.  Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until with mixture thickens like pudding.  Take off the heat and set aside for 15 minutes.  Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, until completely chilled.

Lemon Curd

3 lemons

1-1/2 cups sugar

1/4 lb. unsalted butter, room temperature

4 extra-large eggs

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/8 tsp. kosher salt.

Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith.  Put the zest in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.  Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.

Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt.  Mix until combined.  The mixture will look curdled, but as soon as you begin to cook the mixture it smooths out fine.

Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened, (about 7-10 minutes), stirring constantly.  As soon as it begins to thicken, remove from heat, cool and refrigerate.

(Lemon Meringue Pie in a Jar)

Place egg whites and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on high speed.  Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar and continue to beat until the whites are stiff and shiny.  Carefully fold the beaten whites into the cold lemon mixture with a rubber spatula.  Place the cream in the same bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (no need to clean the bowl) and beat on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks.  Carefully fold the whipped cream into the lemon mixture.  Fold in the lemon curd and pour into a 7-inch diameter, 3-inch deep souffle dish.  Decorate with sweetened whipped cream and lemon slices.

Chill and serve cold.

Sweetened Whipped Cream

1 cup cold heavy cream

1 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Whip on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks.

Spoon or pipe cream on top of mousse.

Visit all the participants who contribute to Ina Fridays!

The Polish Easter Babka celebrates the return of the egg to the diet after the Lenten Fast. Babka is always at the Easter Feast.  This is a Babka of a completely different sort.  Don’t be intimidated by the lengthy directions, I just wanted to make it as easy as possible!!

Proofing Sponge 

1/2 cup warm water

1 tsp. sugar

2 packets active dry yeast

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Activating the Yeast

Pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl and dissolve it in the sugar and the yeast.  Stir in 1/2 cup of flour and let this small sponge work for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbly and expanded

Dough

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

3-1/2 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

3/4 cup golden raisins

1 recipe Cheese Filling (see below)

1 egg white beaten with 2 tsp. water for wash

Making the Dough

Scald the milk in a small saucepan.  Remove from the heat and add the butter and sugar.  Stir to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar.

When milk mixture has cooled, beat it and the eggs (and the extra yolk) into the active yeast.  Add 2 cups of flour and the salt and mix thoroughly.  Add the raisins and enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough.  Stir until this holds together and comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Knead for 3 to 4 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth.  Add only enough flour to keep it from sticking to the board or you.

Place the dough into a greased bowl, turning it so the top is also greased.  Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

While the dough is rising, make up the cheese filling.

Cheese Filling

14 oz. Farmers Cheese (two 7 oz. packages)

If you can’t find the dry curd cheese you can substitute cottage cheese set over a strainer and drained.

4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. lemon extract (optional)

Shaping

When dough has risen, turn it out onto your floured board, cut it in half and shape each into a ball.  Cover with a towel and let the dough rest 15 minutes.

Roll each piece of dough into a rectangle 10 x 18 inches.  Spread cheese filling down the center third of each rectangle and form a braid.

Cut strips about 1 inch wide from each side of the filling out to the edges of the dough.  Fold about an inch of dough at each end over the filling to contain it.  Then fold the strips, at an angle across the filling, alternating from side to side.

Place the shaped loaves on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover with a damp towel and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  The dough will not rise much this time.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush the tops of the loaves with the egg wash and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Enjoy with your coffee on Easter Morning!!

I grow fresh basil every year in my garden. Now when the basil and parsley are plentiful, make extra pesto and freeze it into cubes or small containers to use through the winter.  

1-1/2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1 cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley

4 plump garlic cloves, peeled

2 cups walnut pieces

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

To make the pesto;  Heap the basil, parsley, garlic, walnuts and salt into the food processor.  Pulse several times to chop everything together coarsely, then, with the machine running, pour in the 1/2 cup olive oil in a slow steady, stream.  

If using immediately, put all the pesto into a large bowl big enough to toss all the pasta in.  Use the pasta of your choice; spaghetti or linguine, or even a short pasta works well.  Cook pasta until al dente.  Shortly before the pasta is done, ladle 1/2 cup of the boiling pasta water into the bowl, and stir to warm and loosen the pesto.  Toss the pasta and sauce together and sprinkle with a generous amount of grated Parmigano cheese.

To store and use the pesto later.  Scrape the pesto from the food processor into a small jar or container.  Smooth the top surface, and cover it with a thin layer of olive oil or a piece of plastic wrap to prevent discoloration.  Refrigerate for a week, or freeze for several months; warm to room temperature before using.

To freeze into cubes eliminate walnuts from recipe. Transfer the paste into ice cube trays.  When frozen, pop them out and store in zip-top freezer bags.  Add one cube (or more if you prefer) to your simmering sauce.  As the cube melts into the sauce, you immediately get the fragrance of the fresh basil as if you just picked it.  They last me all winter long, depending on how many times you make your gravy.  This is a great condiment too;  put a spoonful on fish or chicken hot off the grill for a real treat!