Stuffed Shells with Marinara Sauce

This is another meatless meal that we truly enjoy. The trio of cheeses blend wonderfully to give this dish a full flavorful taste. Although I recommend the Marinara sauce recipe that follows, if you are pinched for time the Barilla tomato-basil can be substituted with satisfactory results.

 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 pkg. Jumbo shells (18)
24 oz marinara sauce *
1 egg, beaten
15 oz. container ricotta cheese

2 cups (8 oz.) mozzarella cheese Shredded
1/2 cup (3 oz.) Parmesan cheese Shredded
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
 

PREPARATION:
 

In large bowl, beat egg, add 15 oz. ricotta and parsley. Lightly chop the 1-3/4 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan to break up any long strands then add to the ricotta mix. Stirring well for an even blend.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add salt to taste, if desired. Add 1/2 the contents of package to boiling water. Stir gently. Return water to a boil. Boil uncovered for 12 - 13 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain well.

Preheat the oven to 350 deg.

Fill each cooked pasta shell with about 1-1/2 to 2 Tbsp of the cheese mixture. Spray 13X9" baking dish with non-stick spray; then spread 1 cup marinara sauce in bottom. Arrange the shells in the dish and spoon rest of sauce over shells. Top with 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan. Cover lightly with foil.
 

COOKING:
 

Bake, covered with foil, at 350deg. for 40 minutes until bubbly. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more, or until cheese is melted.

Recipe makes 4 servings

* Home made marinara sauce or 26oz. jar Barilla Basilico Tomato & Basil Sauce.

Note: the shells can be divided into two 6X9" baking dishes and baked together. One to serve and one for a later meal.

Classic Marinara Sauce

Recipegirl.com

Marinara sauce is the classic of all Spaghetti sauces. It is a simple tomato based sauce without meat. It can be made in advance and later enhanced  with meat, mushrooms or sausage. It can be used as is in dishes like stuffed shells, macaroni and sauce or spaghetti and meat balls.

INGREDIENTS:

2 28-oz cans Italian-style whole peeled plum tomatoes

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion

4 garlic cloves

1 Tbsp dried rosemary or 2 Tbsp fresh

1 Tbsp dried basil or 12 large fresh leaves

PREPARATION:

Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice. Using a potato masher, crush the tomatoes into chunks right in the can. Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and mince the garlic. Wash the fresh herbs, shaking off the water. Strip the rosemary leaves and finely chop. (Using dry, chop them in a mill). Strip the basil leaves and chop.

COOKING:

Place the reserved tomato juice in a 1 qt pot and simmer (bubbling) until reduced to 1/3. then add to the sauce.

Heat a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the 3 Tbsp olive oil, then the onions. Sauté until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another minute.

Add the tomatoes, herbs and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook until is reduced and it thickens, about 1 to 2 hours

Capellini with Red Clam Sauce

It's the middle of Lent for all the Catholics out there so it's appropriate for a recipe containing no meat for those of you fasting.

I know most of the "food gurus" say to use Linguini, but I have found that the Linguini noodles are excessively starchy and just too bulky. The Capellini (Thin Angel Hair) is much more delicate and holds the sauce well.

 

INGREDIENTS: 

 

1 can (28 ounces) Peeled plumb tomatoes

1 can (6-1/2 ounces each) chopped clams, undrained **

1 small onion

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves

2 Tbsp fresh parsley

1 bay leaf

1/2 Cup of dry red wine

1/2 tspn sugar

1/2 tspn dried basil

1/2 tspn dried thyme

4 ounces Capellini , cooked and drained

PREPARATION:

Drain the tomatoes, reserving the liquid and crush with a potato masher right in the can. Peel the onion and chop finely. Peel the garlic and chop. Wash the parsley and mince chop the leaves.

COOKING:

Put the juice from the tomatoes in a small pot and gently boil (slow bubbling) until it is reduced to 1/3. (about 45 min to 1 hour).

Heat a small skillet, add the oil and sauté onion in until tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute longer. Transfer to a pot, stir in the crushed tomatoes, parsley, bay leaf, sugar, basil, and thyme.

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, Add the reduced tomato juice. Drain the clams and add the juice to the pot, stirring to combine. Continue a slow simmer for another hour, adding the clams about 15 min. before serving.  Discard bay leaf.

While the sauce is cooking, cook the capellini according to package directions or until al dente

Serve the sauce over the Capellini. With extra sauce served along side.
 

**Bar Harbor brand "Chopper Clams" for this recipe were purchase from Amazon.com as they are outstanding and about as close to fresh as you can get.

Boston Italian Sub Sandwich

Boston Italian Sub, or as it is also known as a Submarine sandwich, Sub, Hoagie, Italian sub, Torpedo, Grinder, or what ever else you may call it, this is the recipe for the Original Boston Italian Sub (cold) before it got adulterated with everything in the refrigerator. It's a simple combination of two preserved Italian cold cuts, hot Capicola and Genoa salami, with what could be called a salad on top served on a elongated roll (baguette)

INGREDIENTS: per sandwich

1 Italian sub roll

8 slices (⅛ lb)  Genoa salami, thinly sliced

4 slices (1/16 lb) Capicola, Hot thinly sliced (As free of fat as you can find)

Dash (Drizzle) extra virgin olive oil

Dash (Splash) red wine vinegar

Real mayonnaise

3 slices of red ripe tomato

2 or 3 leaves lettuce compressed

PREPARATION:

Wash the lettuce leaves, shaking off as much water as you can. Then compress or press (Flatten) the leaves. Cut the center rib out if it is overly large. Wash the tomato and slice it moderately thick (3/16 to ¼"). Set aside. Slice the roll most of the way through on the side lengthwise.

ASSEMBLY:

 

Open the sub roll up almost flat and spread a light to moderate layer of mayonnaise. Now spread the slices of Capicola across the roll followed by salami. They should bridge the "hinge" between the halves of the roll. Now arrange the tomato on the meat toward the top bun. Finish with lettuce to cover the tomato.

Now drizzle a red wine vinegar over the lettuce just 'till it just runs off and out the end of the bun. Drizzle a little olive oil over the lettuce (not as much). Sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Fold the sub roll closed and slice in half on a diagonal.

   

SERVE:

Serve in a wicker basket lined with wax paper for that "Sub Shop" experience. Add a bottle of beer or soda and some half sour pickles

Morg's Spaghetti Sauce

Updated 3/5/2013                                                   Like all my recipes, they have a story with them. The spaghetti sauce was one of my specialties way back when I was in college in the early '60s. It seems that there weren’t many guys that could cook and I found out early on that I could avoid a lot of housework by being able to cook. This sauce was developed after enjoying spaghetti for most of my youth. I came up with this recipe to feed ten or twelve hungry guys and stay away from housework. 

We have continued to make this sauce over the many years of married life (45 of them) often times doubling the quantity and freezing the extra for future meals. The sauce is thick enough to be used as part of the filling in Lasagna.

Just an after thought - resist the urge to add Oregano - It is the primary difference in spicing between Pizza and Spaghetti sauces.

Recipe makes 8 quarts

INGREDIENTS:

2 ½  pounds hamburger (90% +) *

1 pound hot Italian sausage (Anything BUT Johnsonville)

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 med. onion

8 cloves garlic

4 12 oz. cans tomato paste

6 28-oz. cans Italian-style whole peeled plum tomatoes

2 28-oz. cans Italian-style crushed tomatoes

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

6 tsp Fresh rosemary (3 tsp dried)

4 Tbsp dried basil

2 tsp dried thyme

12 bay leafs
reserved tomato juice

2 can 14 oz of chicken stock (reduced sodium)

2 Tbsp sugar

1 cup red wine

 

PREPARATION:

Peel the onion and garlic, chop finely. Drain the plum tomatoes reserving the liquid and crush them (in the can) with a potato masher, just enough to form chunks. Remove the sausage from the casing and break it up with a potato masher (note some of the "sinew" will stick in the masher, just scrape the sausage off the masher with the back of a butter knife and throw away the sinew) . Wash the rosemary if using fresh shaking off the water, strip the leaves and chop finely. Grind the thyme in a mill to release the flavor.

COOKING:

Place the reserved tomato juice in a 4 qt pot and simmer (bubbling) until reduced to 1/3, then add to the pot.

Heat large heavy frying pan over medium heat then add olive oil followed by the onion. Sauté until translucent and slightly browned. Add garlic and stirring constantly for a minute. Add beef and cook, stirring, breaking it up into small bits, until the meat has browned. Drain excess fat and add the beef to the the sauce. Add the sausage to the fry pan and brown it breaking it up into small bits. Again drain and add it to the pot.

While the meat is cooking. Add all the tomatoes, reduced reserved tomato juice, chicken broth, sugar, bay leafs and wine to a large stock pot (15 to 20 qt.) Stirring to combined. Add the meat followed by the tomato paste and spices and cook for 1 minute stirring to combined. Bring to a slow boil and then reduce to low and simmer for 3 to 5 hour, stirring frequently (every 15 min or so). Watch the pot as the sauce has a tendency to burn in the center of the bottom if left unstirred for an extended period of time. If a fat layer forms around the edge while simmering, remove it with a spoon as you go along.

 Serve it over De Cecco Capellini Cut No. 9 (Angel Hair) and with some crusty Italian bread to sop up the sauce, a nice tossed salad and some hearty red wine!

* We had a 2-½ Lb. rump roast ground just for this recipe. Almost no fat.

NOTE: The sauce will be watery at first but  it will thicken after simmering. While the sauce is simmering, DO NOT cover tightly if at all, the water needs to boil off to allow it to thicken. If become too thick, add water as necessary. Or if it's too thin add more tomato paste.

Note 2 : If you have a cut up chicken, it can be added to the sauce while simmering (at least 2 hours) for added flavor and can be served with the meal.

"Steamers" Steamed Soft Shell Clams

Being a native New Englander, one of the things I miss most is Steamed soft shell clams or “Steamers”. Especially the beauties from the clam beds of Ipswich, Mass. The Steamed clams that can be gotten here on the dusty roads of Az. are sorely lacking, as most often they are hard shelled Cherry Stone clams, much tougher and certainly not as sweet.
New England fish markets have soft shelled clams most of the year, but so far I haven't found a way to get them here as they are fragile and don't keep well.
Steamers are more casual then Gourmet, but these bivalves are "out of this world". Serve them with lots of napkins and a good bottle of beer. My preference is Fullers ESB ale, stout enough to stand up to the clams.

INGREDIENTES:

2-3 pounds soft shell clams (for 2)
1 stick butter (Unsalted)

PREPARATION:

Proper cleaning of the clams includes rinsing them in a colander under running water followed by an hour or two in a bucket full of water, gently stirring occasionally (the shells break easily) then draining the water. Repeat this until little or no sand is left in the bottom of the pail. Any clams that are open and don't respond to a touch should be discarded as they are dead.

STEAMING:

Add an inch of water to a large pot and bring to a boil, add the clams, tightly cover and reduce heat. At the same time, melt the butter in a small pan. Allow the clams to steam them until they open, about 5 minutes or so. If all the clams are not open, continue steaming, checking every minute or so. Remove the clams to serving bowls with a slotted spoon. (You can remove them as they open).

The liquid (broth) should be gently poured in cups, leaving the sand in the pan, and served along side the clams. Divide the melted butter among small bowls and served along side the clams

EATING:

Remove the clam from its shell, you may have to dislodge the muscle to the shell. Then peel the black skin off the neck. Dip the clam using the neck as a handle into the broth and swish it around a bit to dislodge any remaining sand. Then dip it in the butter. Sipping the broth adds to the flavor.

Mix up a nice tossed salad and serve along side.

Buffalo Stew

Although Stew is not particularly gourmet, I’m presenting it here as another example of the versatility of Buffalo (Bison). This is an old family recipe adapted for buffalo.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb bison stew meat cut
4 carrots
4 medium potatoes
2 medium shallots
2 tbsp flour
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp Butter
2-1/3 cups stock (chicken, vegetable, or bison)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp fresh parsley

PREPARATION:

Clean the meat of any grizzle or fat and cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces. Place the flour in a dish and coat the bison with it. Peel and finely slice the shallots. Wash and peel the carrots and potatoes then dice them. Wash the parsley shaking off the water and finely chop.

COOKING:

Set a 6 quart Dutch oven over a medium high heat. When warm to the touch add 2 tbsp olive oil and continue heating and add the butter. Once hot add the stew meat. Allow meat chunks to sear for 2 to 3 minutes on each side before turning. Watch carefully, adjust heat down if necessary. It should take 10 to 12 minutes. Add the shallots over medium heat, sauté shallots stirring to combine.

Add the stock, pepper, and parsley. Increase heat and stir until pot comes to a near boil, giving everything a quick stir. Cover and reduce heat to just a simmer and Cook for about 2 hours, or until meat is fork tender. Add more pepper if needed. Add the potatoes and carrots and simmer for another hour.

Thin the gravy with some warm water or additional stock if necessary.

Corn bread or Seed Cake* is a good go with.

* Recipe in the future, It's from the Medieval Times

Boston Baked Beans

We shall continue our trip now with a journey to Boston, Massachusetts to sample a century’s old staple and the source of the nick name “Beantown”.

Just a little history here: During the 1700’s and later, a staple of Boston was beans baked in molasses for several hours. At the time, Boston received molasses as part of the Rum making process used in the Triangle Trade. The Caribbean Islands grew sugar cane which processed into sugar resulting in molasses as byproduct. The molasses was shipped to Boston. There it was made into rum which was sent to West Africa as payment for slaves who were shipped to the West Indies.

This recipe is an adaptation of the beans served at the Durgin-Park Restaurant which dates back to the American Revolution and is famous for its Boston baked beans, prime rib, indian pudding and apple pan dowdy.

INGREDIENTS:

1-½ pounds navy beans

1/2 tsp baking soda
1 pound salt pork
1 medium onion
4 Tbsp turbinado sugar *
1 cup Grandma’s molasses **
2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp pepper

* Natural sugar made by partially refining sugar cane extract
** Do not use Peter Rabbit brand

PREPARATION:

Soak beans overnight. In the morning, rinse the beans in a colander. Add the beans to a Dutch oven and fresh water just to cover and the baking soda. Loosely cover the pot, bring to a boil and gently boil for 10 minutes. Watch them as they have a tendency to froth over (It’s a real mess to clean up). Drain beans in a colander and run cold water through them. Set aside. Peel the onion and leave uncut.

Preheat oven to 300° F

Dice the salt pork into 1-inch squares. Put half of the salt pork on the bottom of the 4 qt. bean pot (ours is a McCoy #343), along with the onion. Put beans in the pot. Put the remaining salt pork on top of the beans. Don’t fill the pot past the bottom of the shoulder as they will boil over.

Mix the sugar, molasses, mustard and pepper with 3 cups of hot water and pour over the beans.

BAKING:

Cover the pot with the lid and place the pot into the preheated oven. Bake for 6 hours. Check pot periodically to check the amount of liquid. Add water to the beans slowly as needed to keep them moist; do not flood them. Remove the pot from the oven and serve.

Reheating the beans at 325 deg for 30-45 min. the following days only enhances the flavor, but do add more water. If it seems too much, just freeze the extra, they store well

--- Yields ten full servings.

Recipe is adapted from the original Durgin-Park Restaurant, Boston, MA

Greek Chicken with Oregano

The Greek chicken was served with

baby roasted potatoes and marinated cucumber salad.

There is a little story here, when I was attending school some years ago, a small Greek restaurant served Greek roasted chicken with rice. An excellent tasting half chicken that was tender, juicy and tasty. Here’s my interpretation.

INGREDIENTS:

1 chicken, about 2-1/2 - 3 lb cut in half lengthwise
1/4 Cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1-1/2 Tbsp fresh oregano
1 large Shallot
2 cloves garlic
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine (divided)
Fresh oregano or Rosemary sprigs

PREPARATION:

Preheat an oven to 400°F

Peel and finely chop the shallot and garlic. Cut two wedges from the lemon and Juice the rest. Wash the oregano shaking off water and strip leaves then chop finely. Wash and trim any excess fat and waste from the chicken.

In a small bowl combine the oil, lemon juice and oregano and stir to mix well. Brush the mixture over both sides of each chicken half, including under the wings. Place in a roasting pan, skin-side down. Tuck the onions and garlic in the hollows of the chicken halves and season to taste with pepper.

COOKING:

Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Turn the chicken halves skin-side up, stir 1/4 cup of the wine into the pan juices and baste the chicken. Continue to roast, basting twice with the pan juices, until tender and golden, another 40-45 minutes. Add more wine to the pan as needed to keep the chicken moist.

Arrange the chicken on a warmed platter. Strain the pan juices, spoon off grease and pour over the chicken. Garnish with the sprigs and a lemon wedge.

Sausage Steeped in Beer with Wine infused Red Peppers

This recipe does not fall under the 1– ½ hour category, BUT it’s worth the effort

INGREDIENTS:

26” long 12oz. French bread loaf “Baguette”*
1 pound Italian Sweet sausage links (Anything BUT Johnsonville brand)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Large Sweet red bell peppers
1 (12 fluid ounce) bottle of beer
2 X 1/3 cup of burgundy wine

PREPARATION:

Wash the sausages & straighten. Clean the Peppers, remove the white rib and cut into ¼ -3/8” Julian strips. Cut the hard ends from the Baguette and cut into 5” sections; then cut lengthwise, but not through to form a bun just about the length of the sausages.

COOKING:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium (3-4) heat. Cook sausage until browned on all sides (I turn them about every 5 min. or so) for 30 min. slice the sausages lengthwise down the center in the pan do not cut thru! Just so you can open them. Remove sausage from pan pour any juice back in the pan. Place the sausages in a slow cooker or crock pot** and pour in a can of beer to cover.

Pour 1/3 cup of red wine into the pan deglaze, scraping any blackened bits from the bottom. Place the red peppers in the pan. Let them simmer for about 10 min. Then turn continue simmering (3-3 ½) until peppers are tender turning frequently for another 20 min. don’t let them burn.
Transfer the peppers and sauce into a container. Deglaze the frying pan with 1/3 cup of wine; scraping the bits loose, adding it to the peppers. Place the container in the pan with the steeping sausages to keep warm! Cover and simmer until sausage is cooked through (2 to 3 hours or longer).

Start the steamer at 300deg and reduce to 275deg after about ½ to ¾ of an hour.
Place the cut Baguette buns in the accompanying steamer and steam for about 15 to 20 min. before serving.

SERVING:
Remove a bun from the steamer, open it and place a sausage in it, spreading open the sausage. Scoop out a ladle of the juice (off the bottom avoiding the fat) and ladle it over the sausage and bun followed by peppers placed along the split in the sausage. Place in a wax paper lined basket and serve the best Sausage ‘n Pepper sandwich you ever had!

* In our area, I call the Safe Way stores bakery the day before and ask that they stretch the Baguette to the full length of the pan which results in a loaf about 26” long. Their Baguette are about 12 oz. avoid the 1 Lb. variety as they are too dowey.

** I use a contraption I built to hold everything in one place.

Ike’s Famous “Chicago Classic” Deep Dish Uno's Pizza

Well here it is as promised. Ike Sewell created the Chicago Deep Dish Pizza in 1943. This is my interpretation of it and is as true to the original Uno's pizza as you can get. It is not a “Build your own Pizza” as the balance to achieve the correct flavor is delicate.


PIZZA DOUGH:

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 Package of Active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp sugar
½ Cup of milk
1 Tbsp Vegetable oil
½ tsp salt
½ cup &  ¼ cup of warm water

In a pan heat the 1 Tbsp of butter until it melts, add ½ cup of milk, add ½ cup hot water and heat. Add 1 Tbsp vegetable oil, 1 Tbsp Sugar ½ tsp salt. Stir to combine.

In a large bowl dissolve 1 pkg. dry yeast in ¼ cup of warm water. Pour in the previously prepared mixture into the bowl. Stir in 1-1/2 cups flour. Mix vigorously (Beat) for 1 min with a spoon. Add another 1-1/2 cups of flour and mix well.
Toss dough on floured bread board and knead for 5 min.
Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 1-1/2 hours. Punch down. Knead again for 1 to 2 min let rise again for another 1-1/2 hrs.

I have found that removing the sausage from the skin and frying to a golden brown first, removes a lot of grease and shortens the need for extended cooking time. I also recommend the use of Hot Italian sausage BUT NOT MADE BYJohnsonville they have put in more fat and changed the spices.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound Hot Italian pork sausage ( Anything BUT Johnsonville brand)
1 ea  28 oz. Can of peeled, crushed plum tomatoes
1 lb. Whole Mozzarella cheese (Fresh if you can find it)
1 Tbsp fresh basil (1 tsp. dried )
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary (1 tsp dried)
1 Tbsp fresh oregano (1 tsp. dried)
extra virgin olive oil - as needed
Yellow corn meal - as needed

PREPARATION:

Remove the sausage from the casing and crumble. Add to a frying pan and fry till golden brow. Pour off the oil and set sausage aside. Thinly slice the Mozzarella. Finely chop the fresh herbs.

Place the tomatoes in a sauce pan, add the herbs and mix well. Simmer very slowly while you prepare the dough . (At least one hour).

ASSEMBLY:

I use a 12” Iron frying pan with the handle cut off. It’s very close to UNO’s (Not cast Iron). Most any 3” deep frying pan will do. No rack in the pan.

Using your fingers, coat the pan with the olive oil sides and bottom. Then sprinkle a coating of yellow corn meal to lightly cover the pan, spinning the pan and shaking the corn meal at the same time (Sides to). Spread the dough out, place it in the pizza pan and stretch it up the sides of the pan. Using your fingers coat the dough with olive oil. Then spread about 2/3 of the Mozzarella over the dough. The cooked-crumbled sausage comes next, spread to cover the cheese. Spread the sauce over the Sausage. Top with the remainder of the Mozzarella.

COOKING:

Place the pan on the lowest rack in the lowest position of the oven. Crank up the heat to 475 to 500 deg. And bake for 10 min. Move the pan to the center of the oven and reduce the heat to 350 deg. (Don’t wait for the oven to cool) just bake for 20-25 min. ‘till the crust starts to brown on the edges.

Let set for 5 min. Cut and serve.