EZ Apps: Pizza Roll-ups

I love making these pizza roll-ups.  They are incredibly versatile. You could also fill them with Mexican style ingredients such as hamburger or shredded chicken with appropriate seasoning, cheddar cheese, etc.   You can even stuff them with chopped corned beef, potatoes and cabbage for an Irish feel.

In this recipe, I'm going to give you directions for making a simple marinara out of tomato sauce.  However,  you can just as easily use a canned spaghetti sauce.   Jarred sauce will definitely save you time though making it from scratch is pretty simple as well.

The possibilities for these roll-ups are truly endless.  If you prefer pepperoni, throw some in.  Hamburger along with mushrooms and green peppers?  Why not?

You can even make these vegetarian if you'd like.  Simply leave out the meat and use the cheese and whatever vegetables you'd like.  Throw in some of the frozen vegetable crumbles (meat substitute), and if you add Penzey's Italian Sausage seasoning, it will taste just like Italian sausage.  I know this from experience.

Just substitute whatever you'd like for the insides and it will be excellent.

Ingredients*

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 lb Italian sausage (mild or spicy, your choice)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 8 flour tortillas (8 inch)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)

      Marinara

• 16 oz tomato sauce
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried basil 
• pinch of kosher salt

      OR

• 2 cups your favorite spaghetti sauce

*Cook's note:  I used the eight inch tortillas and only had eight of them in the package.  I could have easily made 10-12 of these with the rest of the ingredients, then cut them in half to serve.  If you choose to use the smaller size tortillas it will make quite a few more.  Likewise, if you use the larger tortillas it will make less but you can cut them up into smaller pieces to serve.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven 350° F.
   
   

   

   
   

2. Cook the Italian sausage until it's well browned.  Set aside.
   
   

   

   
   

3. Melt butter in a small saucepan.  Add olive oil.  Add garlic and cook until garlic is soft (about 30 seconds to one minute). Remove from heat and add tomato sauce, red pepper flakes (if using), oregano, basil and salt.  Mix well to completely combine.  THIS STEP IS OPTIONAL.  IF YOU ARE USING PREMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE, SKIP THIS STEP.
   
   

   

   
   

4. Take a tortilla and using a brush, paint one edge of the tortilla with the egg wash.  This will help the tortilla stick together when you roll it up.
   
   

   

   
   

5. Place about two tablespoons of the Italian sausage on the lower edge of the tortilla (opposite side of where you put the egg wash).
   
   

   

   
   

6. Put two to three tablespoons of mozzarella cheese next to the sausage.
   
   

   

   
   

7. Pour approximately two tablespoons of sauce on top of the cheese.
   
   

   

   
   

   
   

   

   
   

8. Roll the tortilla up into what looks like a small log.  The area where you used the egg wash will help it stick together.
   
   

   

   
   

9. Brush the top with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

   

   
   

   
   

   

   
   

10. Line them all up on a lined backing sheet and bake for around 20 - 30 minutes until crisp and golden.

    

    
    

    
    

    

    
    

11. Dip in marinara sauce and enjoy!

EZ Apps: Deep Fried Mac & Cheese

When I'm looking for appetizers, whenever possible I go for simple.  It has to taste good, but simple is one of the first criteria.  This is particularly true if it's a day that I'm making multiple types of appetizers.  I don't want to spend my entire day on them and then have to make my main meal, dessert, or whatever else is going along with it.

That's where this particular appetizer shines.  It's incredibly simple.  It starts with something that you make the day before (or three or four days before): mac & cheese.  The best part about that is that it can be any type of mac and cheese you like.  Are you like me and you prefer to make it from scratch? Good.  That works.  How about the good old blue box of Kraft?  Yup, it works just fine as well.  As long as it's a mac and cheese that you like, it will work just fine.

Why the day before?  That's easy.  You want it to be well chilled so it holds its shape.  You can certainly make it in the morning and then refrigerate it before making the appetizer later in the day.

These are SO much better than any I've ever had in a restaurant.  You have to give them a try!

Ingredients

• Refrigerated, leftover mac & cheese (How much you use is completely up to you. The amount of egg and panko mixture in the recipe is enough to make approximately two dozen mac & cheese balls.  You can opt to make your balls a bit smaller or a bit larger. Again, this is up to personal preference.)
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp rosemary leaves (optional)
• 1 tsp thyme leaves (optional)
• 1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp milk
• oil for frying

Directions

1. Heat the oil to 325 degrees.  For most frying, I heat it to 350-375.  I found that with this, you want it a bit lower.  If you use the higher temperature the outside will brown and even burn before the inside heats up.
2. While the oil is heating up, put the dry ingredients (panko, parmesan cheese, salt, and any herbs/spices you choose to use) in a food processor and pulse a few times until fine.  Feel free to add any herbs/spices you might like to this mixture.  If you like an Italian herb flavor, throw in a bit of oregano, basil and thyme.  You can personalize this to your tastes.  Set aside.
3. Mix the egg and milk together and set aside.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Form the cold mac and cheese into balls.  You want the balls to be about 1 1/2 tbsp in size. I use a medium cookie scoop for this (available here), which helps ensure consistency.  Set aside.
5. Roll the mac & cheese balls in the egg/milk mixture.

   
   

   
   

6. Next roll the balls in the panko mixture and set aside.
   
   

   

   
   

7. Carefully place the balls a few at a time into the oil.  You don't want to crowd them.  They should take approximately three minutes to cook at 325.  They will be a golden brown color.
   
   

   

   
   

8. Remove from oil.  IMPORTANT: Let cool before biting into them.  They WILL be very hot!
9. Eat as is or use your favorite dip (we love it with our Smoky Southern Gold sauce).
   
   
   
   
   

Healthy Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce wraps, ready to eat!

We love Asian foods and many of the "fusion" styles that have come out lately melding different styles of cooking.

We also happen to love a chain called P.F. Chang's.  One of their "signature" appetizers is something called a lettuce wrap.  If you've been to P.F. Chang's, you likely know exactly what I'm talking about.  The taste is fantastic. They are somehow both light (because of the lettuce) and filling at the same time.

We wanted to try these at home and this is what I have come up with.  It's not an exact duplicate, but it is very close.  It also satisfies those cravings we sometimes have without having to spend a lot of money.

I have made it with both ground chicken and turkey and can't really tell the difference between the two, so either will work.

If you love these like we do, or if you just want to give it a try you will be surprised at how simple this is.  It's one of the simpler recipes I've ever written up and just takes a few minutes to make.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp sriracha (Optional.  We don't care for hot foods in our house so we don't use this.  If you love hot foods you may want to use more than one tsp.)
• 8 oz mushrooms, diced (Optional. I use shiitake when I can find them.)
• 8 oz carrots, diced fine (optional)
• 1 (8 oz) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 head butter lettuce (Boston or Bibb lettuce are basically the same thing so are interchangeable

Instructions 

1. Add one tsp of olive oil and ground chicken or turkey to a large non-stick skillet.  Cook the meat until it's just done while making sure to break it up, then drain any fat that you may have left and set aside.
   
   

   

   Ground chicken/turkey after being browned and drained of fat

2. Add second tsp of olive oil and sesame oil to the pan, then add the onions (along with the mushrooms and carrots if using them).  Let sauté until the onions are translucent, about two minutes.
   
   

   

   Before cooking, after vegetables added to pan

   
                        

   

   After cooking vegetables for a few minutes

3. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds).  Be careful not to burn the garlic or it can get bitter.
   
   

   

   Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds

4. Add the meat back to the pan (along with the vegetables).
   
   

   

   Meat and vegetables before adding hoisin, soy sauce, etc.

5. Stir in the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and sriracha (if using).
6. Stir in the remainder of the ingredients (water chestnuts and scallions) along with salt and pepper to taste and cook for an additional two minutes.
   
   

   

   Ready to be put onto lettuce

7. Spoon several tbsp of the mixture (how much is entirely dependent on the size of the lettuce leaves you have and your own taste) onto the center of a lettuce leaf and enjoy!



Ready to eat!

Risotto Cakes

Risotto cakes

My wife said it best last night: mouth orgasm.

These really are that good - well, nearly so anyway since I'm not certain that's a real thing. Whether it is or not, I DO know that the three of us that were here all loved them.

I had them for the first time at a small restaurant up in Northampton, MA a couple of months ago and they were incredible.  They have a different type every day and I was actually disappointed the second time I had them. Ditto when I ordered them at Olive Garden (that one didn't surprise me as much, though I actually think their food is quite good for a chain).

That's when I decided I had to make them myself. After all, when something is this good and you can control what goes into it yourself so that you KNOW you're going to like it, it's a win-win situation!

If you've never had a risotto cake, it's basically leftover risotto formed into balls with some kind of coating and then either pan or deep fried. You can use any type of risotto - the one I used is here, but you really could use whatever type you like. I actually made my risotto the day before and made it with the specific purpose of making risotto cakes.

Since you can make them with different coatings, I chose to use a flour/egg wash/panko coating.  I also chose to deep fry them. You can use regular bread crumbs and pan fry them as well - and I'm certain they would also turn out great.

There is something about the creaminess of the risotto combined with the crunchiness of the panko on the outside that turned it from great to outstanding (the swiss cheese I put inside didn't hurt either).

We topped ours with some homemade roasted garlic aioli that I had whipped up earlier in the day and it was the perfect topping.

If you'd like to try it yourself, here's how:

Ingredients

• 3 cups leftover risotto, chilled
• 1 cup flour, for dredging
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 pound cheese cut into 1/4 inch pieces (type is your choice - I used Swiss but whatever you like will work)
• Vegetable, corn or peanut oil, for frying
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan

Directions

Remember when you were a kid and your mom told you not to play with your food? Well, this time it's okay - that's pretty much what you have to do for the first part of this.

1. Set up a dredging station with the flour in one dish, beaten eggs in another and panko breadcrumbs in a third
2. Take a spoonful of the risotto and place it in the palm of your hand (it obviously helps if your hands are clean first or you wear gloves - or both)

   

   Place a spoonful of risotto in your hand

3. Flatten the risotto. It should be about three inches across
4. Take a slice of the cheese and place in the middle of the flattened risotto

   

   Place a slice of cheese on the risotto

5. Take another spoonful of the risotto and place it on top of the cheese
6. Using both hands, make a patty out of the risotto, being certain to seal the cheese inside the risotto

   

   Make a patty out of the risotto - make sure the cheese is sealed inside

7. Dip the patty in the flour, then into the eggs, and finally coat them in panko and set aside

   
   

   

   Coat in flour, then egg, then panko

8. Repeat steps 2 through 7 until you're out of risotto
9. In a heavy pan (or a deep fryer) heat the oil until it's between 325 and 350 degrees.  It's important that it not get hotter than this.  If it does, the outside of the cake will get done before the inside gets hot enough to melt the cheese
10. Very carefully place the patties two to three at a time in the hot oil (how many you can cook at once is determined by the size of your pan - remember, the temperature will drop when you put them in the oil)
11. Fry for two to three minutes and flip them over while still in the oil, until nicely browned, then remove from the oil

    

    They should look like this when they're done

12. Place on a wire rack which will help them stay crispy
13. Place the wire rack with the patties in a 250 degree oven to stay warm
14. Repeat steps 10 to 13 until all the patties have been cooked while maintaining the 325 to 350 degree oil temperature

    

    On a wire rack with a paper towel to absorb extra oil

15. Arrange on a serving platter and serve hot
16. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

COOK'S NOTE:

We served this with garlic aioli. They are great by themselves but are really complemented by the aioli.

With homemade garlic aioli as a topping

Irish Egg Rolls (corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots)

If you're Irish like I am (and even if you're not) there's a good chance you may have had corned beef and cabbage recently since today is St. Patrick's Day.

And if you make large quantities of food like I do, then there's an equally good chance that you have plenty of leftovers (we actually plan it that way because we enjoy them almost as much as the first time we serve it).

If that's the case, you may be wondering exactly what to do with some of those leftovers. I'm here to help!

I usually either just heat them up as is, make reuben sandwiches or chop them up to make hash (I can't stand the hash from a can - it looks and tastes too much like dog food) but it's awfully good when it's made from scratch.

I wanted to try something a little different this time around - and I've been making eggrolls recently so I decided to combine the two.

They came out fantastic. My son loves the corned beef and the potatoes but refuses to eat the cabbage and carrots so I wasn't certain how he'd react to the eggrolls with all of the above in them. I was more than pleasantly surprised when he told me (repeatedly) how much he loved them and that he'd REALLY like for me to make them again.

We used thousand island dressing as a dip which really gave them the flavor of a crunchy reuben.  If you don't happen to have any on hand, you can do what we did and make your own by combining catsup, mayo and a bit of pickle relish.

Keep in mind that you can also make this with packaged corned beef (or some from the deli) if you want to try it and don't have any leftovers to use.  You can also make it with or without any of the other ingredients - don't like cabbage?  Leave it out. Same thing with the carrots or the potatoes. I used all of it but it's certainly not necessary. Likewise, I'm listing the amount of leftovers I used but you can use more or less depending upon how much you have or simply how many eggrolls you want (the recipe below made about 15).

Finally, I use the eggroll wrappers that you find in a Asian market as opposed to the ones that you find in your local supermarket.  Both will work, but the ones you find in a supermarket are far more "bubbly", aren't as crispy and are "chewier".  Conversely, the ones in an Asian market are MUCH crispier, very smooth and have a wonderful "crunch".

These are the wrappers I prefer to use, but any will work

If you try them, let me know what you think!

Ingredients

• 1 pound cooked corned beef
• 1 1/2 cups cooked cabbage
• 3 small cooked potatoes, diced
• 4 small carrots, diced
• 2 ounces Swiss cheese, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 12-15 egg roll wrappers
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• oil for frying
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Mix corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots in a bowl
2. Melt the butter in a skillet and then sauté diced onion until soft and just starting to brown (about three minutes)
   

   

   
   

3. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant (about two minutes) 
   

   

   
   

4. Add the corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally until heated throughout

   

   
   

5. Season to taste with salt and pepper
6. Remove from heat and set aside
7. Mix the water and cornstarch well
8. Place the eggroll wrapper on the counter with one corner pointed towards you

   

   
   

9. Add about 2 tbsp filling and a bit of Swiss cheese on top of the wrapper
   

   

   
   

10. Start rolling the wrapper up and around the filling. It's very important to wrap as tightly as you can. 

    

    
    

11. Fold the right and left corner to the center

    

    
    

12. Roll towards the remaining corner but stop just before you get to the end

    

    
    

13. Brush the tip with the cornstarch water mix using a pastry brush (if you don't have one, your fingers will work)

    

    
    

14. Continue rolling and then lightly press the edges to seal

    

    
    

15. Repeat steps 8 through 14 until you use up all of your filling (or your wrappers)
16. Heat oil to 375° F

    

    
    

17. Fry for 2-3 minutes until golden brown

    

    
    

18. Drain the egg rolls on a cooling rack with paper towels until cool enough to serve

    

    
    

19. Serve with thousand island dressing or your favorite mustard
20. Enjoy!

NOTE:  You can actually make these and freeze them to cook later. Simply place a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and put the eggrolls on top of them (make certain they are not touching). Place in the freezer for a couple of hours until they are frozen solid, then place them in a freezer bag and pull them out when needed and fry in 375 degree oil until golden brown.