Grandma's Summer Vegetable Rice Casserole

I love my paternal grandmother.  Love her.  But to be perfectly honest, from what I remember she wasn't much of a cook.  For Thanksgiving we got Publix pumpkin pies.  A dinner at her house generally involved just putting a steak on the grill.  Cooking did not happen.  So imagine my surprise when my mother told me that when my grandmother was young, she would give lavish dinner parties.  She even had some recipes printed as part of a feature in the local paper.  Shock is not a strong enough word for my reaction.  And imagine my reaction when I actually try one of these recipes, and it's good.  Not sure what alternate universe this all came from, but I'm certainly happy it did.

Grandma's Summer Vegetable Rice Casserole

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 teaspoons salt, divided
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 small eggplant (about 1 pound), several strips peeled from the skin and flesh cubed
½ cup chopped yellow onion
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 large green pepper, cored and chopped
1 pound fresh cremini mushrooms, cleaned, stem removed, and sliced

Freshly ground black pepper
2 large zucchini (about ¾ pound), thinly sliced

4 ripe tomatoes (about 1¼ pounds), chopped

8 ounces Emmentaler cheese, shredded
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a medium saucepan, heat the broth to boiling, then add 1 teaspoon salt, and the thyme, basil, and rice. Turn the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the broth has been absorbed.

In a large sauté pan, melt three tablespoons of the butter. Sauté the celery, eggplant, onions, garlic, and green pepper until tender.  Set aside in a large bowl.  In the same pan, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and sauté the mushrooms until they release their juices and the liquid cooks off. Add the mushrooms to the vegetables in the bowl.  Mix the rice with the sautéed vegetables in the bowl.  Add the remaining salt and some pepper and mix well.

Grease a large casserole dish. Scoop half of the vegetable-rice mixture into the bottom of the dish and smooth slightly. Sprinkle with half of the chopped tomatoes and half of the sliced zucchini.  Top with half of the Emmentaler and Monterey Jack cheeses. Scoop the remainder of the vegetable-rice mixture on top of the cheese. Sprinkle with the remaining tomatoes and zucchini slices.  Top with the remaining cheeses.

Cover the casserole with foil and bake for 1 hour, then remove the foil and bake for another ½ hour so that the cheese browns.

Makes 10 servings

Parmesan Panko Fish Sticks

Maybe I lucked out as a kid.  I don't remember ever having to eat frozen fish sticks.  I think my mom probably knew better than to try it.  So that means I don't have the aversion to them that other people seem to develop.  Breaded fish actually sounds good to me.  Now, that doesn't mean I want to buy a package of processed fish sticks from the freezer section.  I'm all about making things from scratch.  And honestly, these are not that difficult to make.  And you know exactly what you're putting in your mouth.

Parmesan Panko Fish Sticks
Adapted from Giada de Laurentiis and Cooking Light magazine, October 2012

1 pound halibut, cod, or salmon, cut into 20 strips
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup panko
1 cup Progresso Italian breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Non-stick cooking spray or canola oil spray

Tartar Sauce
¼ cup sour cream
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely chopped bread-and-butter pickles
2 teaspoons minced capers
Dash Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon parsley flakes
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a baking sheet, then place a rack on top of the foil.  Spray the rack with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine the flour, salt, and lemon pepper; place on a flat plate or breading tray.  Combine the panko, breadcrumbs, and cheese; place on another flat plate or breading tray.

Coat each fish strip with the flour mixture, then dip in the beaten egg, then coat with the panko crumbs.  Lay each strip on the rack with a little room between each strip.  Spray with non-stick cooking spray or canola oil.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning the fish sticks halfway through baking.  While fish is baking, combine tartar sauce ingredients.  Keep cold until ready to serve.  Serve fish sticks hot from the oven with tartar sauce.

Makes 4 servings

Pioneer Woman: Pig Pickin' Cake

What do you make for dessert when you have 50 hungry people coming to your sister's house for a crawfish boil?  Well, in addition to brownies and banana pudding, you make a cake that was traditionally brought to a pig pickin'.  Because after all that rich food, you need something refreshing.  And there's nothing more refreshing than citrus.  Plus, my nephew loves whipped cream.  And I try not to say no to my nephew.

Pig Pickin' Cake
Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Cake:
1 (16½-ounce) box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe butter recipe golden cake mix
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 (14-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained, ½ cup juice reserved
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:
1 (5.1-ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved
½ cup powdered sugar
1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip or equivalent amount sweetened whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.

For the cake, combine the cake mix, butter, ½ cup of reserved juice from the mandarin oranges, eggs, and vanilla extract in a mixer bowl. Using the paddle attachment, beat for four minutes on medium-high speed. Add the drained oranges and beat again until the orange pieces are broken up and small. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool completely. If desired, turn out cake onto a large platter.

Once the cake is cool, blend the juice from the drained pineapple with the vanilla pudding mix. Add the powdered sugar and drained pineapple and mix, then fold in the Cool Whip. Spread on the cooled cake and refrigerate, covered, for several hours before serving.

Makes 24 servings

Paula Deen: Better Than Paula's Banana Pudding

I once had a coworker bring banana pudding to a function.  I happily dug in.  I mean, who doesn't love banana pudding?  Disappointed that there were no bananas in my serving, I went back to see if I could find one in the serving dish.  Nope.  I mentioned the lack of bananas, thinking everyone else had nabbed them, and my coworker said that she didn't like bananas, so she didn't put any in.  Note: If you don't put any bananas in and only use vanilla pudding, it's not banana pudding.  My biggest pet peeve about banana pudding is the vanilla pudding thing.  I want my pudding to TASTE like bananas.  That's the point, right?  So I doctored up a Paula Deen pudding recipe to both make it more traditional (Chessmen cookies??  Nilla wafers or go home) and to make it more banana, less vanilla.  Nailed it.

Better Than Paula's Banana Pudding
Adapted from Paula Deen

2 cups whole milk
1 (4.6-ounce) box banana cream "cook and serve" pudding mix
1 (11-ounce) box Nilla wafers
5 to 6 bananas, sliced
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 (8-ounce) containers Cool Whip, thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream, divided use
1½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste

Prepare pudding with only 2 cups of milk according to package directions (the package will call for 3 cups of milk - just use 2). Cover the hot pudding with a piece of plastic wrap, pushing the wrap down onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate until cold.

Line the bottom of a 9x13-inch dish with enough cookies to cover and layer bananas on top. In a bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Fold 8 ounces (1 container) of the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture along with the vanilla bean paste. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas. Spread the remaining 8 ounces (1 container) whipped topping over the pudding and cover with the remaining cookies or cookie crumbs. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.

Makes 12 servings

Cheddar Green Chile Cornbread Muffins

I'm normally not a big fan of using a mix for baked goods, but these are doctored up so well, you can't really tell there was anything packaged involved.  And they're incredibly quick to throw together, so another bonus.  They're also really portable, so you can take them in the closet with you when the annual tornado sirens go off.  Gotta love spring in Texas.

Cheddar Green Chile Cornbread Muffins

1 (8½-ounce) box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 large egg
¼ cup whole milk
1 (8¼-ounce) can cream style corn
1 (4-ounce) can mild diced green chiles
2 ounces finely shredded Cheddar cheese
¼ teaspoon chili powder

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Spoon into a muffin pan sprayed with cooking spray, each cup about ⅔ full. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins

What Katie Ate: Raspberry Friands

I haven't been in much of a cooking mood lately.  Not sure why that is, since all sorts of beautiful produce is starting to show up in the markets.  I was a cooking fiend in the winter, and now it takes everything I've got to drag myself into the kitchen.  Luckily these little cakes were tempting enough to get me moving.

Raspberry Friands
Adapted from What Katie Ate

4 large egg whites
1 large egg
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup almond meal
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons confectioner's sugar, sifted
⅓ cup all-purpose flour, sifted
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ pint (6 ounces) organic raspberries
Additional confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Lightly grease a non-stick or silicone friand tray (mine has eight "cups").

Whisk together the egg whites and egg for a few seconds just to lightly combine; don't whip them into peaks.  Add the butter, almond meal, confectioner's sugar, flour, and almond extract and beat to combine well.  Pour into the prepared pan, filling each whole ¾ full.

Place 3 raspberries on top of each friand and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the tops are golden brown.

Dust the friands with additional confectioner's sugar and serve warm with remaining raspberries.

Makes 8 cakes

Try This At Home: Lamb Ribs in a Chipotle-Malt Reduction

Making this recipe was fate.  I swear.  See, I saw the recipe in this cookbook a while back, and I thought, yum!  But I had never seen lamb ribs cut that way before.  Ever.  And I wasn't really looking forward to heading down to the Muslim butcher to try to explain that I wanted lamb ribs, but cut like pork ribs, when they don't eat pork.  Yeah, not fun.  So recipe is forgotten.  But it happened to pop into my head the other day, and I happened to ask about this particular cut at Central Market, and miraculously, they pull out a vacuum pack with two racks of lamb ribs.  The butcher guy was flabbergasted.  "I have never seen these before.  I have never sold these before."  We just kinda looked at each other.  And I knew, just knew, it was fate that I have these lamb ribs.  Someone somewhere is probably wondering why they got ground bison instead of the lamb they ordered from the distributor, but I don't care.  These were delicious.  The sauce is even better.  Sharing is not allowed.

Lamb Ribs in a Chipotle-Malt Reduction
From Try This At Home by Richard Blais

2 full racks Denver-cut lamb ribs (aka bone in lamb breast)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1½ cups chicken stock or store-bought broth
1 (12-ounce) bottle malt beverage, such as Goya Malta
½ cup honey
¼ cup soy sauce
2 dried chipotle morita chiles or 1 canned chipotle in adobo
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, not peeled, sliced into coins
4 scallions, sliced, for garnish (optional)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Season the ribs on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large roasting pan, mix the chicken stock, malt beverage, honey, soy sauce, chipotles, and ginger together until well combined. Set the ribs curved side up in the pan and transfer to the oven. Roast for 1 hour.

Flip the ribs and continue roasting until the meat is very tender and a knife meets no resistance when inserted between the ribs, 2½ to 3 hours. Check the pan occasionally, and if it is dry, add water ½ cup at a time.

Remove the pan from the oven. The liquid should be thick and syrupy. If not, put the pan over medium heat and simmer until the liquid is very thick. Brush the ribs with the sauce to glaze and keep warm until ready to serve.

To serve, transfer the rib racks to a cutting board. Cut into individual ribs and place on a serving platter. Brush them again lightly with some of the sauce. Sprinkle the scallions and sesame seeds, if using, over the top. Strain any extra sauce, pour into a bowl, and serve alongside the ribs.

Serves 4 to 6

Saveur: The Lumière

Ever heard of chartreuse?  Made by monks in France?  Bright green liqueur?  Stupid expensive?  Yeah, I thought that was all silliness until I actually bought the thing and made this cocktail.  This is like drinking flowers.  And no, I am not drunk or high.  Seriously.  Flowers.  And right now, that's pretty darn awesome in my book.  #workhaseatenmylife

The Lumière
From Saveur magazine

1½ ounces gin
1 ounce elderflower liqueur, such as St. Germain
¾ ounce green chartreuse

¾ ounce fresh lime juice
Dash of orange bitters

Combine all ingredients in a large glass filled with ice. Stir thoroughly and strain the mixture into a coupe. Garnish with a lime twist.

Makes 1 cocktail

Kokkari: Moussaka

Eggplant and I have not always gotten along.  Apparently I am not alone in this.  But I was able to overcome my issues with eggplant thanks to a fabulous little Greek casserole I had while traveling in Europe.  Called moussaka.  No, I wasn't sure what was in it before I tried it.  Probably best.  But I can confirm that it's meaty, creamy, starchy, and all-around fabulous.  And it may just convert some eggplant-phobics in your life, too.

Moussaka
From Kokkari: Contemporary Greek Flavors

2 globe eggplants, each about 1 pound
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds Yukon gold or other yellow-fleshed potatoes
Béchamel sauce
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
½ cup grated kefalotyri or Parmesan cheese
½ cup Greek-style whole-milk yogurt, homemade or purchased
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Lamb Filling

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Remove the ends of the eggplants and score them lengthwise in 4 to 6 places, then cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices. Arrange on a wire rack and salt both sides lightly. Let drain for about 1 hour, then pat dry.

In a bowl, combine the eggplant slices and the ½ cup olive oil. Toss to coat the slices evenly, then arrange them on a heavy baking sheet in one layer. Season both sides with salt, using a total of 1 teaspoon. Grind some pepper over the top and bake until the eggplant is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Peel the potatoes and slice them ⅜-inch thick. Toss them in a bowl with the 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Arrange them on a heavy baking sheet in one layer and bake until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. (You can bake them at the same time as the eggplant.)

Whisk the béchamel until smooth and no longer stiff. Whisk in the egg, egg yolks, cheese, yogurt, and nutmeg to make a custard topping.

In a 15x10x2-inch baking dish, arrange the roasted potatoes in a single layer. Top with the lamb filling, compacting it into an even layer with the back of a wooden spoon. Top with the roasted eggplant slices in a single layer. Dollop the custard topping on top, then spread gently into an even layer. Set on a baking sheet and bake until well browned and set but still quivery, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing.

Serves 8

Béchamel Sauce
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
7½ cups whole milk, warmed

In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour all at once and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture just begins to darken and smell nutty, about 3 minutes.

Add 2 cups of the milk to the pot and whisk until smooth. Add another 2 cups and whisk again until smooth. The mixture will look like creamy mashed potatoes. Whisk in the remaining 3½ cups of milk and 1½ teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon to prevent the sauce from scorching, and scrape the sides of the pot occasionally with a heatproof rubber spatula.

Transfer the sauce to a large bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let cool.

Lamb Filling
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound white onions, chopped
2½ pounds ground lamb shoulder
¼ cup Italian tomato paste
2 tablespoons honey
2 bay leaves
1½ teaspoons ground allspice
1½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Pour the olive oil and the onions in a large skillet. Sauté over high heat until the onions soften slightly and begin to smell sweet, about 4 minutes. Do not allow them to color. Add the ground lamb and sauté, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the lamb is no longer pink and there are no clumps, about 3 minutes. Continue cooking until the meat releases its juices, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Drain in a colander set over a bowl. Return the meat to the skillet. Let the juices settle for about 5 minutes, then skim the surface fat with a soup spoon and return the skimmed juices to the skillet with the lamb.

Add the tomato paste, honey, bay leaf, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ½ tablespoon salt, and several grinds of pepper. Simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the meat is moist but not soupy, about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.

Fritz Rahr and Terry Chandler: Rahrzehnt Beer Braised Short Ribs

I think I need to change my favorite phrase.  It is now "Everything tastes better with bacon...and beer."  Seriously.  These ribs were amazing.  They have this flavor that is indescribable.  And for the chile-averse, they're not spicy.  Highly recommended for that cold evening when all you want is some really tender, flavorful beef.  And beer.

Rahrzehnt Beer Braised Short Ribs
Adapted from Fritz Rahr of Rahr and Sons Brewing and Chef Terry Chandler from Fred's Texas Café, Ft. Worth, TX

2 tablespoons ground guajillo chile powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
4 pounds beef short ribs
Kosher or sea salt
4 tablespoons canola oil
1 (22-ounce) bottle Rahrzehnt Imperial Chocolate Milk Stout
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups heavy cream, reduced by half

In a small bowl, combine the chile powder, cumin, granulated garlic, and black pepper.  Dust the ribs with half of the chile powder mixture and salt liberally.

In a Dutch oven, heat oil until shimmering.  Quickly sear the ribs on all sides in batches.  When the ribs are seared, set them aside in a bowl, and pour off any extra oil.  Pour in the beer, the remaining chile powder mix, the sprigs of thyme, and bay leaf. Scrape the bottom of the pot to get up the browned bits.  Return the ribs to the pot, cover, and simmer for about 2 hours and 45 minutes, or until the meat is tender and pulls away slightly from the bone.

Remove the ribs from the liquid, then skim the fat from the liquid. Stir the heavy cream into the liquid and bring back to a slow boil.  Cook until the mixture thickens slightly.  Salt to taste, then pour the gravy over the ribs and serve.

Makes 4 servings