Leek and Pearl Onion Gratin

For her birthday, I pulled together two of my wife's favorites into one creamy gratin dish - leeks and perl onions.  Turned out to be a great gift!
2 large leeks, trimmed, cleaned, cut in half lengthwise and widthwise
1 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb frozen peeled pearl onions
1 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup half and half
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg

Topping mixture:
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried dill weed
1/4 tsp salt
dash freshly ground black pepper

1 cup cubed Swiss or Gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 375F. Melt butter in the oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add leek, cut side down and slowly brown over medium heat, about 5 minutes.

Watch carefully so as not to burn. Gently turn leek over and add 1/4 cup water.

Cover and braise the leek for about 10 minutes, until very soft to the tip of a knife. Transfer leek to a baking dish.

Melt the next batch of butter and oil in the skillet and tip pearl onions into to skillet.

Brown the pearl onion, shaking often, until they soften and brown. This will take about 10-15 minutes over medium-low heat.

While the onions cook, toss together the topping mixture in a small bowl.

Once the onions are nicely caramelized and soft, add the half and half and bring to a gentle boil. 

Lower heat to a simmer and and reduce liquid by half.

Scatter the cheese over the leeks.

Tip onions into casserole on top of leeks. Top with panko toping mix.

Bake in oven for about 20-30 minutes, until the casserole in browned and bubbly. Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

Fanny’s Lamb and Spinach Casserole

Cooking from the family archives

I'm cooking my way through my late mother in law's shoebox of recipes which I inherited, and I'm finding lots of comfort food.  Fanny was very health conscious and a great cook; a great combo to make an interesting recipe shoe box.
1 large onion, sliced
1 4-oz can mushrooms pieces, drained
1 lb ground lamb
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander

2 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk
5 oz fresh baby spinach leaves, lightly chopped
2 eggs
1-1/2 cup Swiss cheese, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350F. Brown the onions and mushrooms in a skillet with a dash of olive oil.

Salt and pepper to taste. After about 8-10 minutes, add the lamb and brown well - about another 8-10 minutes. Stir in the cumin and coriander and cook another minute.

Add the flour to the mixture and cook 2-3 minutes. Then add the milk and bring to a gentle boil. Add the spinach and simmer mixture until the spinach just wilts a bit and the the sauce thickens.

Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. Add about 1 cup of the spinach mixture to the eggs, stirring, to temper the eggs. Now fold in the egg mixture into the spinach mixture off the heat.

Oil a medium (13x9-inch) casserole and tip the spinach mixture into the casserole. Top with the cheese.

Bake covered for about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10 minutes or so to brown.

Serves 4-6.

Cook's Note:  I took some liberties and switched the beef to lamb.  I also included a bit of roux for thickening.  Having discussed cooking and recipes for so long with Fanny, I'm confident she would approve 😎

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Black Bean and Kale

If you ever do get a cold day this mild winter, warm up with baked squash - a traditional winter dish.  Here I stuff a carnival squash with a mixture of black beans, kale and leek, baked under a toasted hazelnut topping sweetened with dried cranberries. Hearty, warming and stick-to-your-ribs.  And you get to turn the oven on in winter.
1 Acorn squash, quartered and seeded
1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 leek, trimmed, cleaned and sliced
1/2 purple Bermuda onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups Tuscan kale, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup cooked rice

Topping:
1/4 cup hazel nuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil

Toast the hazelnuts in a 375F oven for about 3-5 minutes, just until aromatic. Watch, or they can burn quickly. Remove from oven and allow to return to room temperature. Keep oven at temperature.

Place squash, skin-side down, in a an oiled casserole. Sprinkle with sugar and season with coarse salt.

Roast covered in oven for about 15 minutes. Continue cooking uncovered about 15 minutes.

While squash cooks, sauté leek and onion in a skillet with a dash of olive oil.

After about 10 minutes, add the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add the kale and cook another 10 minutes. Add the black beans and rice and warm through. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss hazel nuts, cranberries and garlic in a small food processor. Pulse to form a coarse meal.

Tip into a small bowl and toss with the olive oil.

Remove squash from the oven and carefully stuff the squash evenly with the kale mixture. Top each squash with the hazel nut topping, distributing evenly.

Return to the oven and cook another 30 minutes.

Serves 4.

Creamy Gnocchi Baked with Goat Cheese

Gnocchi - especially fresh - have this toothsome bite to them, that satisfies even meat eaters (I am one of them!).  While I will not claim this to be a healthful meal - too much simple carb, and cream and cheese - it is most certainly a wonderful dish.  Sometimes you should prepare a wonderful dish to enjoy and keep yourself going.  Then you can be good.
1 lb fresh gnocchi (I used Trader Joe’s)
2 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp snipped chives
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1/4 lb goat cheese with herbs

Preheat oven to 400F. Melt the butter in the oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the gnocchi and heat through.

Add the cream and the chives and bring to a gentle boil.

Season with coriander and then salt and pepper to taste. Allow the cream to boil down a bit to thicken up.

Transfer Gnocchi mixture to a medium oiled casserole. Top with the goat cheese and parsley.

Bake for about 20-30 minutes uncovered until brown and bubbly.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Brown and Bubbly Pasta Egg Bake

Cooking the eggs only 7-8 minutes keeps their yokes bright and moist.  This is a variation of a larger dish we have made many times with tofu.  With the peas and eggs, there's plenty of protein in this vegetarian casserole.
1/3 lb small pasta (see Cook’s Note)
4 eggs
1/4 lb sharp Cheddar cheese, chopped or grated

White Sauce:
2 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1/4 tsp coriander
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
2 Tbsp chopped chives

Preheat oven to 425F. Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a medium pot. Generously salt the water for the pasta. Gently add the eggs with a large spoon and then add the pasta. Swirl gently and allow the eggs to cook about 7-8 minutes. Retrieve them from the water with a slotted spoon and immediately place in a large bowl of cold water to stop the cooking.

Continue cooking the pasta until al dente, about 10-12 minutes or according to package directions. Add the peas during the last minute of cooking. Drain the pasta and the peas and set aside in the pot.

While the pasta cooks, make the white sauce. Cook the flour in the butter and oil in a saucepan for about 5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the milk, coriander, mustard and garlic powder and bring to a gentle boil, until thickened, whisking often. When thickened, adjust thickness with milk if necessary. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Peel the eggs and quarter lengthwise. Now pour the sauce into the pasta mixture in the pot and stir in the chives and half the cheese.

Transfer the mixture into a medium casserole and nestle the egg wedges into the pasta mixture, leaving several exposed.

Top with the remaining cheese, cover the casserole with a top or some aluminum foil, and place casserole in oven.

Bake for 20 minutes covered. Reduce heat to 350F and continue cooking uncovered for about another 10-15 minutes, until brown and bubbly.

Serve with a salad or favorite vegetable side. Serves 4.

Cook’s Notes: You can use most any favorite pasta, but I like a small pasta for tis.  For example, you can use regular Elbow Macaroni or large Ditalini pasta. I used Ditalini Rigati No. 257 from Wegemans.

Orange Lies Matter Inauguration Casserole

A peaceful transfer of power is at the core of our American democracy, and everyone should respect it.  But that doesn't mean we can't have just a bit of fun appreciating some of the protester's signs at the post inauguration rally in Philadelphia.  I designed this casserole inspired by one good sign "Orange Lies Matter" and offer a sarcastic crunch of a Cheetos crust to chew on.

Something different, maybe slightly unhealthy - but in certain ways alluring.  Possibly dangerous in regular quantities, perhaps.  The new administration?
1/2 lb penne pasta
1 lb broccoli flowerets
1 lb bulk Italian sausage

Cheese sauce:
1 Tbsp canola oil plus 2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 lb orange sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 lb Monterrey Jack cheese

10 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cups crispy Cheetos

Preheat oven to 375F. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil for the pasta in a medium pot. Salt generously. When pasta is just becoming al dente, add the broccoli and cook 2 more minutes. Drain well and return to pot.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage well in a large skillet.

While the sausage browns make the cheese sauce by melting the butter in the oil in a sauce pan. Add the flour and whisk together, cooking about 3-5 minutes. Whisk in the milk and mustard and bring to a gentle boil to thicken. Grate half the cheddar and half the Monterrey Jack cheese and whisk into the cheese sauce until melted. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.

When the sausage is browned, tip it into a large oiled 9x13-inch (or two smaller) casserole. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and let them brown up nicely, about 5-8 minutes.

Add two thirds of the sauce to the pasta and broccoli, and layer the pasta over the sausage.

Cube the remaining cheese and mix with the mushrooms in a bowl.

Layer the mushroom mixture over the pasta and cover with the remaining one third of sauce. Top the casserole with Cheetos.

Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly.  Makes 1 large or 2 medium casseroles.  Serves 6.

Protestors exercising their freedom in Philadelphia the day after Inauguration day, 2017

Baked Carnival Squash with Chorizo Brown Rice and Black Bean Pilaf

Stuffed acorn squash is such a warming fall and winter dish - every time I have it I wonder why we don't eat more of it.  There are myriad ways to stuff acorn squash, and you can call one your own.  As a start, try this.
1/3 cup short grain brown rice
1 Tbsp rainbow quinoa
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 cups water
1/4 tsp salt

2 Carnival acorn squash, sliced in half through stem and seeded
1 Tbsp brown sugar

1/3 lb ground pork
1/3 lb raw chorizo
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic
palmful cilantro
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp whole grain mustard

1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400F. Sauté the rice and quinoa in the oil for about 5 minutes until fragrant.

Add the water and salt and bring to a gentle boil. Place acorn squash halves in an oiled casserole with 2 tablespoons water on the bottom.

Season evenly with brown sugar, salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the pork, chorizo, shallot, garlic, cilantro coriander, cumin and mustard in a medium bowl.

Mix gently with your hands or two forks. Sauté mixture in a large skillet until the meat is well browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Then add the black beans, and the rice when it is cooked. Mix well.

Stuff the squash halves with the rice mixture.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake in oven covered for 15 minutes, and then uncovered for 15 minutes.

Serves 4.

Oeuf et Bon Pain Casserole

Single serving casseroles have a certain personalized quality I love.  And casseroles in general have a warmth and comfort appreciated by most family and friends.  Add a French accent and you might just have a winner.

Here I use fresh bread (ready NOW) instead of the oft-used day-old or 'pain-perdu' available only the day after you are actually on the line to produce dinner!

Bread and water won't cut it - but bread and eggs make a great base for a welcoming, soothing dish.  ...one that you might well have ingredients for on-hand already - what a gift; just open the 'fridge and get cooking...

Missing something?  Improvise!
6 eggs
3 cups cubed good bread
2 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 cups baby spinach leaves
1/4 lb good aged cheddar cheese, cubed 1/4-inch, about 2/3 cup
2 green onions, sliced
Favorite hot sauce (I used Texas Pete's)
4 Tbsp panko crumbs
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, diced 1/4-inch, about 1-1/3 cup
2 plum tomatoes, sliced

Sauce:
2 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 400. Place eggs in a medium pot and just cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and cook 8 minutes over a gentle boil. Drain eggs and fill pot with cold water.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet. Gently brown the bread in the butter, tossing often for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minutes, stirring often.

Make the sauce. First melt the butter in the canola oil in a small sauce pan. Add the flour and whisk for about 2 minutes as the mixture bubbles. Add the milk and bring to a gentle boil, whisking every so often. Add the salt and mustard. Cook until well thickened and remove from heat.

Peel the eggs and quarter lengthwise. Place a quarter of the spinach in each of four oiled mini casserole dishes. Distribute half the bread cubes among the dishes. Nestle six quarters of egg in each dish among the bread cubes. Sprinkle a quarter of the cheddar on each dish followed by about a tablespoon of the green onions (you should be able to reserve about 2 Tbsp of the green tops for garnish). Season with hot sauce to taste.

Now distribute the white sauce evenly among the 4 casseroles, covering the egg and bread. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon pano crumbs on each casserole followed by a quarter of the mozzarella on each.

Top with 3-4 slices tomato and garnish with remaining green onion slices.

Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, until brown and bubbly.

Serves 4.