Broccoli and Potato Pie

Another Saturday.  Another get together with friends.  Another excuse to bust out with a new recipe.

I have always enjoyed my mother's scachatta recipes and were some of my favorite parts of our family picnics growing up.  If you have never experienced the greatness that is scachatta, imagine a calzone cut into strips.  It's pretty basic but makes for excellent party food.  The fillings are typically spinach or broccoli and potatoes along with a serious helping of garlic.  You could also make it sausage or pepperoni to satisfy the meat lovers.  Add a little shredded mozzarella and you have yourself your contribution to the food table.  The fact that the filling can be whatever you wish it to be makes throwing one together with just the current contents of your fridge or a quick trip to the grocers even more appealing.  Of course, it's super annoying when you call your mother for an exact recipe and her response is... "Well I usually do whatever I'm in the mood for.  A little spinach and potato or broccoli and potato.  Sometimes I use sausage.  But make sure you add a lot of garlic." Thanks mom.

My whining aside, knowing that there is no super secret family recipe for scachatta left me room to do as I pleased.  I probably would have done as I pleased anyway, but now it was a justified maneuver instead of cooking rebellion.

I decided that my personal scachatta go to should be broccoli and potatoes with diced tomatoes.  The goal for including the tomatoes was to alleviate the desire for any side marinara sauce.  I also decided to go with phyllo dough instead of pizza dough.  I wanted to have something a bit lighter since this would be just one item on a table full of party food.  You can eat one or two slices of this pie along with everything else people brought and hopefully not feel so guilty at the end of the night.

Broccoli and Potato Pie

Ingredients:

1 whole broccoli crown - chopped
2 large yellow potatoes - diced
1 large tomato - peeled and diced
6 cloves garlic - minced
2 c. mozzarella - shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
1 box phyllo sheets - thawed
Butter or oil for phyllo sheets

Directions:

Chop the broccoli then peel and dice the potatoes.  In a large sauce pot, steam everything until tender - approximately 10 minutes.  Blanche the tomato for about 30 seconds.  Peel, remove seeds, and dice.  Mix everything in a large bowl with the garlic, cheese, salt, and pepper.

Take out the thawed phyllo sheets.  Brush a sheet with oil or butter and place a second sheet on top.  Repeat until you have 4 sheets layered together.  Using a pizza cutter, cut the sheet in half.

Place a healthy spoonful or two (use a serving spoon) of filling into the center for one of the sheets.  Fold the sheet over, covering the filling, and seal the edges with just a little butter, oil, or water.  Fold all of the edges back up to prevent any leakage during baking.  Brush with butter or oil.

Once all the pies have been put together, bake them in an oven preheated to 375F for approximately 25 minutes.  You want them to be a nice golden brown.

Cut into slices once they have cooled.

They really do make a great finger food for your next party. 

The Wonder that is Gnudi

Quite some time ago I read a newspaper article on gnudi (nyoo-dee), these cheesy nuggets of amazing.  I didn't try them right away, living in an apartment with very little kitchen space did not inspire much desire to get experimental.  I moved several months ago and was rewarded with an increased amount of prep space.  Then, starting this blog, I began to get crazy again and the gnudi found its way to the top of my "to try" list.

The great thing about this dish is that it is technically easy but looks difficult.  The key to perfect gnudi is ensuring that there is no excess moisture.  Why is moisture an issue... they will explode if they are too soft when you put them into the boiling water.  Since I decided to attempt this recipe on a Sunday, I had plenty of time to putz around.  I let the ricotta sit in a mesh strainer for a couple of hours.  I made sure to pat dry my sautéed greens and I let the gnudi sit in the refrigerator for an hour before I boiled them. 

There were a grand total of three different recipes I found for gnudi on the internet.  The most reproduced recipe called for letting the gnudi sit anywhere from overnight to three days.  That, in my humble opinion, is beyond overboard.  A hour, maybe two, to let the balls firm back up after you have been handling them is all they need.  To be honest though, I will be the last person to judge if you want to try this as an after work throw-together meal.  Seriously, putting together ricotta, parmesan, and an egg takes all of 5 minutes.  And... these are cheese balls of goodness.  Do not torture and deny yourself by having them sit in the fridge for days!

Swiss Chard Gnudi with Diced Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives

Gnudi:

2 c. ricotta - drained
1 c. parmesan cheese - grated
1 egg + 1 yolk
1/2 c. flour + more for coating
1 c. Swiss chard - chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

3 large tomatoes
1/2 c. Kalamata olives - sliced
2 gloves of garlic - minced
Chard stems
1 Tbsp Kalamata olive juice

Directions:

Put the ricotta in a mesh strainer lined with a paper towel and let it sit for 1 to 2 hours.  It may take a bit for the liquid to begin dripping out but it will eventually happen.

 

 

Remove the stems from the chard leaves and set aside to use in the sauce. 

 



Chop the leaves then proceed to steam and then sauté.  This may seem like overkill, but my goal was to ensure softness.  Place the cooked chard onto a plate covered with paper towels and pat dry.

Once the ricotta is dried out, grate the parmesan and place both cheeses into a large mixing bowl.  Give the cheese mixture a taste test to decide just how much, if any, salt you wish to add.  Add the chard, egg, egg yolk, and flour.  Mix thoroughly then add salt and pepper to taste.

At this point, test the ball rolling abilities of the mixture.  Flour your hands, scoop up about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and try rolling a ball between your palms.  If it rolls easily without sticking to your hands it is ready.  If it is still sticky, keep adding more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until you can easily roll it into balls.

Roll them into balls, a few at a time.  Put them into a baking dish filled with flour and coat.

Regardless of if you plan to let the gnudi sit or not, line a baking sheet with wax paper and put the gnudi on there while you roll them all out.  This recipe makes approximately 30 gnudi. 

Now we move on to the sauce... bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.  Take three large tomatoes and lightly cut an X into the bottom (this allows for easy peeling).  Place tomatoes in boiling water then remove after approximately 30 seconds.  Peel off the skin, remove the seeds, dice.  Slice the kalamata olives and add both to a medium sauté pan.  Heat the olives and tomatoes over medium heat.  Add the garlic, chard stems, and juice to the mixture, creating your sauce.

Back to the gnudi... bring a pot of water to a boil.  Take one of the gnudi and do a test run.  If it holds together in the water, you should be good to go.  Boil the gnudi until they float, this should take about 4 minutes.  I suggest boiling them in small batches to prevent them from sticking together. 

Place a serving onto a plate and top with the sauce.

 The gnudi should come out a little firm on the outside and soft on the inside.  They have a great savory flavor with a nice kick from the sauce.  And, as I wrote before, this is a simple recipe that looks difficult. If you are looking to impress people at your next dinner party, this is the way to go.

My Experience at "A Taste of Germany"

 

I have always enjoyed trying new foods and thus far, have only drawn the line once.  I declared eating a pig's tail a hard limit when I was living in Moldova.  Aside from that, I will try any food once and even if I don't like it, I will try it a second time just to make sure.

German food falls squarely into the "always willing to eat" category.  Therefore, when I was invited to tag along on a trip to the Hartford Saengerbund, a German American club, I gave a resounding "mmmmm, German food and beer". Now, a trip to the German club is not quite a foodie tour through Nuremberg, but it is a nice way to experience some good food and a different culture while getting to stay close to home.

According to their website, the Hartford Saengerbund was founded in 1858.  Originally located in Hartford, it moved to Newington, CT in 1966.  Over the last several decades it has been host to several public events each year, allowing the local community and other more farther away guests (i.e., me) to join in on the fun.  This year's A Taste of Germany came complete with a sampling of food, music, beer, and more food.

My food of choice for the day was a pretzel, rouladen, potato salad (obviously of the German variety), and a potato pancake with applesauce.  The rouladen is a slice of beef wrapped around bacon and sliced gherkin pickles then covered in gravy.  Seriously, how do you say no to bacon wrapped beef and a pickle?!  The pretzels were being sold by club members dressed up in traditional costumes, adding to the fun atmosphere.

Yes, the pretzel is half eaten... I was hungry.

The event, as a whole, seemed really well attended.  There was traditional German music being played during the event, keeping all of our feet tapping.  The club has already announced the dates for their annual Christmas festival, so if you are curious where I will be on November 28th...check under the beer taps at Christkindlemarkt.

Chocolate Nut Bark

I'm not really sure where the urge for nut bark came from but I found myself looking at a package of sunflower seeds wondering, do I keep munching on them or should I do something else with them?  Then it dawned on me...there is chocolate in the pantry!  Score!  I probably could have saved this for a few months from now when people are trying to decide how they can make a lot of Christmas presents for minimal cost and effort, but nah.  Maybe I'll do a fancier version or bust out a biscotti recipe for a "if you want to bake everyone's Christmas gift" post.  Have I ruined your August yet reminding you that holiday chaos and stressful gift shopping are just around the corner?  Sorry.

Back to my point...chocolate nut bark.  So easy, so tasty.  It is also great because really, you can make so many different combinations and they all taste fantastic.  Do a little dark chocolate with almonds and dried mango chunks.  How about milk chocolate with cashews and dried pineapple?  Maybe white chocolate with hazelnuts and dried cranberries is more your speed?  Either way, they are all made they same and it will take you 5 minutes of real effort and 30 minutes of waiting.  Howe great is that.

Today's offering is a very simple milk chocolate with almond slices and raw sunflower seeds...

Ingredients:

12 oz milk chocolate chips
1/4 c. almond slices
1/2 c. sunflower seeds

Directions:

In the microwave, using a large microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips. You can also melt the chocolate over the stove using a double boiler.  I took the microwave shortcut, heating the chips in 30 second intervals for a total of 2 minutes.  You do want to be check periodically because you do not want to burn the chocolate.

Place parchment paper onto a 9x13 inch baking sheet and spread out the melted chocolate.

Sprinkle the nuts on top and then mix into the chocolate.  Yes, it would be much easier to put the nuts into the bowl with the melted chocolate, mix it in the bowl, and then spread it onto the lined baking sheet.  I decided however, to not do this the easy way... go figure.

Place in the refrigerator to harden for 30 minutes.  Take it out and break it into chunks.

This might not be the prettiest thing ever created, but it is darn tasty.  I did mention before that these hunks of chocolaty goodness could be used as an easy gift.  Put a few pieces in a decorative cellophane bag with a cute bow and say "happy birthday" to your favorite chocolate lover.  Or, you can do what I do...greedily hide them in a corner of the kitchen so no one else but you gets to eat them. Whatever floats your boat as long as you enjoy!

Don't hate on the Ramen

Personally, I think Ramen Noodles are every home cook's dirty little secret.  It's cheap.  It can be used a myriad of ways.  But, no one ever wants to be seen purchasing it.  You may even avoid telling people you used it in a recipe until someone gushes and asks for it, at which point you whisper ever so conspiratorially, "I used ramen!"  Don't worry, I look over my shoulder too when I grab a package.  Mainly because I don't want anyone who sees me buying it to think I will be using that sodium overload flavor packet.  That flavor packet should be the first thing you toss out, but the noodles are great.  Honestly, 12 packages for less than a single box of the other stuff.  Embrace the ramen!

Today's particular nugget of goodness, Broccoli Salad with Ramen Noodles, is the result of having had a few different salads that included ramen in the recipe.  I have yet to meet a salad with ramen that I have not like, but I was curious what my version would look like.  And these salads really are all about the look.  It should be colorful.    Things that are colorful grab your attention and beg to be eaten immediately.  This is one of the reasons I included dried cranberries.  I also wanted a little bit of sweetness added to the mix.

Most recipes call for a bag of coleslaw or broccoli slaw, which makes this a super simple thing you can throw together the morning of a party.  However, I decided I should make things complicated and I shredded my own cabbage.  You do not need to do this, you can cut out 3 of the ingredients and reduce prep time by half if you go the bagged route.  Again, though, I like to be complicated so...typically you can purchase half heads in the grocery store, which is what I did.  Since I was taking this salad to a party where lots of other people were bringing salads, I did not want to make a ton.  Therefore, I used half of the half heads I purchased.  Given everything else I add, it was more than enough.  I would say this recipe, as a small side dish, is enough for 8 people.

One major difference with this salad is that I only used a small amount of sugar in the dressing.  Basic dressings for this type of salad include: oil, vinegar, and sugar.  Simple, right?  The catch is the amount of sugar used.  I have seen recipes that call for anywhere from three tablespoons to a half cup.  The ones that use the most sugar are the ones that use distilled white vinegar.  The addition of the sugar makes the vinegar more palatable.  Why on earth you would choose to use a vinegar best left to cleaning your sink or unclogging your bathtub is beyond me, but to each his or her own.  My preference is red wine vinegar.

Broccoli Salad with Ramen Noodles

Ingredients:

1/4 c. Almond slivers - toasted
1/3 c. Dried cranberries
1 pkg. Ramen noodles
3 Green onions
1/4 head Red cabbage
1/4 head Savoy cabbage
1/4 c. Carrots - matchstick style
1/2 c. Broccoli bits
1/4 c. Sunflower seeds
1/2 c. Olive oil
1/3 c. Red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar

Directions:

Preheat a large saute pan and toast almond slivers.  This should take approximately 3 minutes.  Stir constantly to prevent burning.  I over toasted some of the smaller pieces trying to get as many of the larger pieces toasted as I could.  Those pieces I kept out of the salad.  Set aside.

Take the ramen noodles out of their original packaging and put it in a storage bag.  Using a rolling pin, break up the ramen into small pieces.  Shred the red and green cabbage.  Place everything into a large bowl.

Add the toasted almonds, sunflower seeds, and matchstick carrots.

Add the green onions and dried cranberries.

Now for the broccoli.  Because I wanted the half cup of broccoli to go as far as possible, I cut off small sprigs of broccoli from a larger crown and chopped that up.  In all it was about a third of the crown I had purchased.  Stir until everything is well mixed.

In a small bowl, whisk the oil and vinegar until emulsified.  Add the sugar and whisk until dissolved.  I do realize that above there is a short rant about adding sugar, but here we are only using a single tablespoon.  It is just enough to cut through the acid so no one has that not always pleasant bite of vinegar as they munch on this salad.

Add the dressing to the salad and mix well.  Cover the bowl with some saran wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for about two hours.  Letting the salad sit allows the dressing to soften the ramen.  That part is key, do not skimp on the resting time!

The vegetables and nuts have a nice crunch.  The dried cranberries add a touch of sweetness.  When all is said and done, you will have a great salad to add to your summer barbecue.