Incredible Onion Pie

Have you ever had a fresh, home grown sweet onion that was so sweet and fresh it could have doubled for an apple?  Well last fall I had stopped by a friends house in the valley and as I was leaving, she handed me this huge onion.  I used it in dinner for the next three nights and was sad to see the end of it.  I'd never had an onion so big and so sweet.  

Two things came from this lovely gesture.  One, I've dreamed about making a sweet onion pie since last fall, and two, I just ordered plants of this heirloom onion called Ailsa Craig.  I actually love that name too.  Hum... Ailsa Craig is an island of 219.69 acres in the outer Firth of Clyde, 10 miles from the Scottish mainland, upon-which blue hone granite was quarried to make curling stones. The island is formed from the volcanic plug of an extinct volcano.  Gosh, I had no idea.  What a great name for an onion the size of a small island!

The Ailsa Craigs are gone until the end of summer, but this same friend brought me a few of their storage onions (huge as well) and so I decided to go ahead and make that onion pie today.  

Incredible Onion Pie

3 cups of diced sweet onion
(You may have a little more or less onion and optionally add up to 1 additional cup of other veggies (4 cups total) - I used a sweet red pepper or you could use asparagus, spinach, etc. or nothing at all, just more onion)  Sweet onions will make the sweetest pie, but any good firm onion will make this dish delicious.
1/4 cup olive oil

Dry ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp dried basil

Wet ingredients:
1 cup milk
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon Franks hot sauce or Worchestershire (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees and lightly spray or grease your baking dish(es).

This pie is similar to the "Impossible" versions made with a commercial baking mix like Bisquick.  I designed this version to be made from ingredients that most people have on hand, no need to have a special baking product.  The ingredients will form a crust of sorts that will hold the pie together.

 
Cook the diced onion in a skillet until softened and slightly caramelized and allow to cool.

Place the dry ingredients in a container that is large enough to hold all of the ingredients.  In a separate container, place and blend the wet ingredients together.  When the onion mixture has cooled slightly, mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  After stirring thoroughly, add the onion mixture and mix together.

Pour the finished mixture into the individual serving dishes or into a greased  9 or10 inch, deep dish pie plate and top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Place either the individual dishes or pie plate on a pan and place into the 400 degree oven.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until a knife inserted approximately 1 inch from the center comes out clean and the top is a golden brown.

Serve individual dishes or large wedges of the pie along with a green vegetable for an easy and beautiful meal.

Enjoy!

 
 
 

Casserole 101

Casserole 101

Sometimes I think the casserole has gone the way of Plum Pudding -- not too many people are cooking them anymore.  A lot of people think "casserole - 1970's - Betty Crocker" but, that's crazy because casseroles are usually easy to put together, flexible, and you can do them ahead so you aren't scrambling around in the kitchen at the last minute.  

The definition of a casserole is "flexibility".  It is a one pan meal cooked in the oven, usually with a brown and crusty top, and may consist of (part 1) rice/grain, potatoes, or noodles, combined with (part 2) vegetables, (part 3) meat or beans, and (part 4) some type of sauce.  Measurements in a casserole may be approximations. For example, you've got 2 cups of cooked rice or 2 1/2 cups, throw it in, as long as the ingredients are somewhat proportional there is no exact science.  I'm going to give you a "flexible" recipe to experiment with.  Let me know how it goes for you and what you did to make it your own.  By the way, if you aren't feeling inventive, it's ok if you just follow what I did because it was delicious!

Casserole 101

Part 1:

For my casserole I used rice.  I was in a bit of a hurry so I used jasmine rice, but I could have used quinoa, or brown rice, or any cooked grain.
I cooked 1 cup of rice in 1 3/4 cup of water and put that as the base in my oil sprayed dish.

Part 2:
We love brussel sprouts and I had picked up a large bag from the co-op for the holidays.  I cleaned and boiled them until they were still bright green, but almost done.  I could have used lightly steamed broccoli, or chopped and sauteed kale, and I could have added sauteed onion to any of these.

Part 3:
OPTIONAL for vegetarians or those who don't want meat, use your favorite protein - be it beans or tofu and it's perfectly ok to skip the meat layer in any casserole.  I had a little left over ham so I diced that up for my meat layer.  It ended up being about a cup of diced ham.  This could have been chicken, beans, ground beef, prosciutto, or none of these.

Part 4:
The sauce.  I chose to make a simple white sauce.  Place 4 tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of flour in a skillet stirring constantly over low heat to make a roux.  

Making the roux.

For a white sauce, you do not want to brown the roux. When it's bubbly as shown in the picture, add 2 cups of milk all at once while stirring until it comes back to a boil and has thickened to a nice consistency.
 Add salt and pepper to taste 1/2-1 teaspoon of salt and a dozen grinds of fresh black pepper.  Herbs make a nice addition to the sauce as well.

Putting it all together.

After you have layered up part 1-2-3, pour your sauce evenly over the dish.



Regarding the sauce, once you have created that, you could add grated Cheddar, Parmesan, or Asiago to the sauce and allow that to melt before pouring.  This would combine well with a pasta layer to make a layered mac and cheese type casserole.


I wanted a lighter flavor for this version, so added a sprinkling of Asiago cheese mixed with a tablespoon of bread crumbs to the top of the casserole for a crusty-cheesy-browned top. 

Everything in the casserole is cooked so the baking time is just to heat it through and bring everything together.  Bake the casserole in a 375 degree oven for 30 - 45 minutes or until the top is browned and bubbly.  If you've made it ahead and had it refrigerated, it might take a little longer to heat through. Allow 60 minutes. Let the casserole cool slightly before serving big squares.

It came out just as tasty as it looks.  Served with a little spinach side salad, it made an impressive and delicious dinner.

I turned leftover ham and brussel sprouts into an entirely new dinner dish.  I could have reheated them and thrown them on a plate with the rice, but this was so much more appetizing and it made that little bit of ham stretch into 4 meals and no one felt slighted.

Here's a couple of ideas for different versions you might want to try for Casserole 101:

Mexican - rice - well drained, diced tomatoes - taco seasoned ground beef and/or black beans - top with a sauce to which has been added a cup of grated cheddar or a Mexican cheese mix - finally top with tortilla chip crumbs.

Broccoli/Cheddar - pasta of your choice, spirals or elbows work well - top with a layer of beans (can be white, red, or black) - lightly steamed broccoli - cheddar cheese sauce, made by adding a cup of grated cheddar cheese to the white sauce - top with bread crumbs.

Quinoa/Kale - quinoa - saute 1 bunch of kale, 1 sweet onion, 2-3 cups chopped green cabbage - optional meat layer of ham or Italian sausage - simple white sauce with 1 tsp dried basil added when it is finished - top with 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese mixed with 1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs and 2 tablespoons of fresh bread crumbs.

Please feel free to share your 4 part combinations to inspire everyone.
Enjoy!

 

Sweet Potato Gratin

Sweet Potato Gratin

An idea has been bouncing around in my head for a few weeks and finally I've got it out and prepared. The idea originated with the sweet potato.  I like sweet potatoes and I was giving some thought to something new for the coming Thanksgiving holiday.  I am not a big fan of the yam and even less of a fan of the yam turned candy with marshmallows.  

I wanted something that would be a little more savory but still accent the sweetness of the sweet potato.  I also liked the idea of something I could prep ahead.  Did you know that sweet potatoes and yams are not even remotely related to each other and neither of them is related to the potato. Sweet potatoes are from the same family as morning glories. I like that.

Here's a little sweet potato gratin that I cooked up.  Gratin is just a fancy word for a dish that has a browned crust on top. You can switch the sweet potatoes for yams if that is your preference, but do me a favor try it with sweet potatoes first.

Sweet Potato & Caramelized Onion Gratin
Ingredients:
3-5 medium sweet potatoes (2-3 lbs)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
 
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 cups chopped onions
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
pinch to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup butter

Peel and thinly slice the sweet potatoes

2 1/2 tablespoons flour

2 cups of half and half, light cream, or whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dry ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter or spray an oblong baking dish, 9x13 or similar.

Peel and slice the sweet potatoes very thinly and set aside.  1/8th inch thick is a good thickness. 

Caramelize the onions and add the brown sugar and cayenne

Chop the onion and add them to a skillet with the olive oil.  Begin to sweat the onions slowly.  Once they have lost most of their water, they will begin to caramelize into a nice golden color.  After the onions have caramelized to a light brown, add the dark brown sugar and the cayenne pepper.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

Create the sauce

 
In another skillet, create a roux with the 1/4 cup butter and the flour.  Add the 2 cups of cream/milk all at once stirring until it is smooth and bubbly.  Turn off the heat and stir in the salt, mustard, paprika, nutmeg, and a few grinds of black pepper.

In your buttered dish, layer half of the sliced potatoes, half the sauce, 1/2 cup of the grated Parmesan and half the onions with their sweet sauce.  Create a second layer with the remaining ingredients, ending with the onions once again.

Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.  You can refrigerate it at this point until the next day or until you are ready to bake it.  Bake in a 350 degree oven, covered with the foil for 45 minutes.  At 45 minutes, remove the foil and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes until it is browned and bubbly.



This little dish pairs nicely with turkey, but also with a pork roast or chicken. 

Enjoy!
 

Meatballs for Zenn

This is the time of the year I start looking through gardening catalogs and watching the snow ever so slowly recede from my garden beds.  It's also the time to take inventory of those things which are still on hand from last year's abundance.

I am down to my last few carrots and they are as sweet as ever.  I've just a couple of onions left, lots of garlic, and in the freezer, I discovered a couple of the last quarts of Fire Roasted Marinara (see my post from September 2012 fire-roasted-marinara-sauce).

Every year I say not so many tomatoes, because by the end, I'm totally worn out.  But every year when it comes time to plant I want all the usual, plus I like to try something new.  I'm sure this year will be no different.

The recipe that I'm going to share is an old standby.  By now, if you've been following this blog very long, you know that I like to cook pots of stuff that always leave leftovers for more than one meal.  My motto might be "the one pot wonder with leftovers".

The other day when my 3 year old grandson found out we were heading over to his house, he began to explain as we were in the car, "Grammie, when we get there maybe we could make some cookies in the shape of hearts, and then we could make some muffins without egg, and some meatballs, I love meatballs."  I have a feeling he's going to be my little cooking buddy as he likes to cook and he loves to eat almost as much as he love to talk.  So, I'm going to make him some meatballs.  I'm also going to put them in that Fire Roasted Marinara from the freezer and give you one more way I love to use them.

My recipe for meatballs offers no earth shattering enlightenment, but I hope it might just remind you how easy they are to make, how much better they taste than anything you can buy, and how easy they are to freeze for future meals.

Meatballs

2 pounds of lean ground beef/bison/turkey
1 cup soft bread crumbs (made from bread ends or stale bread, but not dried)
1/2 cup catsup
1/4 cup dried minced onion (or 1/2 c finely minced fresh onion)
1 teaspoon salt
1  teaspoon garlic granules (or 2 cloves finely minced)
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend

Thoroughly mix and blend all the ingredients together.  I use my hands and mix until it looks completely consistent. Depending on how lean your meat is, if it has had water added at the store, or how dry your bread crumbs are, you may need to add 1/4 cup of water or milk or add 1 egg to the mixture so that it is manageable.  I used to add egg all the time, but my little guy has been allergic to egg and so I just stopped that and never noticed any difference in the meatballs.

 I use a two tablespoon (coffee measure) to help me form the balls of equal size.  You will get about 36 two tablespoon balls out of this recipe.

You can form the balls and put them into a skillet or on a cookie sheet for the oven.  I usually use the skillet.

If you are going to use the oven method, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Fill the skillet and cook over medium heat until browned on one side.  Using a spoon, turn the balls to brown on another side and cover with a lid.  Cook covered until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

On a cookie sheet, leave an inch or two between the meatballs and bake them for 15 - 20 minutes.  Cut one open to test for doneness.

Place the cooked meatballs on a couple of sheets of paper towel to drain and cool.  Once cool, you can put them into zip-lock bags and put them in the freezer for future use.  I don't bother to try to freeze them on a cookie sheet - I've never had them stick together either.

If you just cooked them in the skillet, drain any grease out of the skillet and use your tomato sauce or marinara to deglaze the skillet.  Heat your sauce and then add your meatballs to the sauce to simmer for about 20 minutes before serving over pasta.

Another way I love to use the meatballs is in a stir fry.  Stir fry some onion, bok choy, celery, red pepper, etc and just before it is finished, add the meatballs so that they get heated through.  Top this with a little Veri Veri Teriyaki  sauce and serve over rice or noodles.

Well, there you have it!  Enjoy!