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).
   
   
   
   
   

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

Risotto with Mushrooms, Asparagus and Fresh Peas

I love risotto. I had never tried it until a couple of years ago (yes, I led a sheltered life) but since then I make it regularly. There are many different types, and I've liked all of them I've tried, but my favorite has mushrooms, asparagus and freshly shelled peas.

I also make chicken stock frequently and this recipe is one of the reasons. Risotto is great with canned chicken (or vegetable) stock but it is VASTLY improved with homemade stock. It's also much easier to control how much sodium is in it since you KNOW how much you put (or don't put) in your own stock.

There are a lot of recipes for risotto out there - and the first time I made it I looked at LOTS of them and pared them down to come up with my own conglomeration that suits my tastes.

Making risotto is really kind of an act of love - it's time consuming and demands constant attention as you stand over the stove. Certainly there are package mixes that don't take as much time but they don't come close to the flavor of the real thing - and though it is a bit time-consuming, it's certainly not difficult.

Feel free to change this in any way that suits you - add whatever kind of mushrooms you like (or none!), whatever vegetables you prefer, make it vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock, etc.

I'll also let you in on a little secret - I had an ulterior motive for making it this time around. I wanted risotto cakes. If you've never tried them (they're patties made out of cooked risotto, dipped in flour, egg and panko and deep fried), I'll be posting that as well, but just to give you an idea how good they are, when my wife bit into one she told me she had just had a mouth orgasm.

Now, I won't claim that's going to happen to you, but they are pretty awesome - good enough that it's worth making the risotto for that alone.

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

Ingredients

• 6 cups chicken broth (homemade or canned)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 8 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (or any kind of mushrooms you like)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• sea salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 6 oz very lightly steamed asparagus
• 4 oz freshly shelled peas

Directions

1. Pour the broth in a saucepan and warm over low heat
2. Pour 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms and onions, and cook until soft, about 3 - 5 minutes

   

   Sauté the mushrooms and onions just until soft

3. Add garlic and mix well. Cook another one to two minutes until garlic is fragrant

   

   Add garlic and cook until fragrant

4. Remove mushrooms, onions and garlic and their liquid, and set aside
5. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to skillet and add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes

   

   Add the rice to the oil, stirring to coat well

6. The rice will start to darken a bit; you want it to get to a pale golden color. When it reaches this stage, pour in the wine and stir constantly until the wine is fully absorbed

   

   Cook the rice until it starts to turn a golden brown, then add the wine

7. Add 1 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed 

   

   Add one cup broth

8. Continue adding broth 1 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 25 to 30 minutes

   

   Stir until the rice is absorbed...

9. When all of the broth has been absorbed, the rice should be ready to remove from the heat. 

   

   ...then repeat until there is no more broth.  The rice
   should look like this before adding the butter

10. Add the butter and stir until melted
11. Add the mushroom/onion/garlic mixture and stir well

    

    Add the mushroom mixture and stir well

12. Add the parmesan cheese and mix well
13. Stir in the asparagus and peas

    

    Add the asparagus and peas and mix well

14. Season with salt and pepper to taste

    

    Enjoy!

15. Serve hot - and enjoy!

Simple Pattypan Squash

Pattypan squash from the farmer's market

Have you ever picked up your share from your local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) or gone to a farmer's market and come home with something that looks really cool but you simply don't know what to do with it?

That happens to us sometimes. We're trying to broaden our horizons but the truth is there are so many foods out there to try that there are times when we get something and we don't know what to do with it.

That happened this past week when we went to the South Windsor Farmer's Market. It's a beautiful market and a lot bigger than some of the others in the area and since we happen to be there every Saturday it makes it easy to try new things as well as pick up old favorites.

This week, I decided to try something I've seen many times but never actually tried before: pattypan squash.

I asked the young lady I bought it from as well as one of the wonderful people that work there what they do with it - and the answer was basically the same both times: cook it very similar to the way you'd cook yellow squash or even zucchini.

That was all I needed to hear.  This week I made it as a side with dinner and loved it. It had a stronger flavor than zucchini or yellow squash but it's definitely something I'll make again.

Here's what I did:

Ingredients

• 2 pattypan squash, cut into 1/4 thick slices
• olive oil (just enough to lightly cover the slices of squash)
• herbs of your choice (I used garlic powder, ground rosemary and oregano)
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Directions

1. Lay the cut squash out on a cutting board and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt. This will draw out some of the water and keep the squash from getting too "mushy"

   

   The cut squash sprinkled with kosher salt

2. Let the squash sit for a minimum of 20 minutes, up to an hour
3. You'll notice that a lot of water has collected on the surface of the squash. Take a paper towel and blot off all the excess water

   

   Notice the water on the surface of the squash after sitting with the kosher salt

4. Spray or drizzle olive oil on the squash
5. Sprinkle on the herbs of your choice
6. Turn over the squash and repeat steps 4 and 5 above
7. Lightly oil a grill pan or a grill and preheat (I used a grill pan this time because it was raining outside)
8. Once the grill (or pan) heats up, place the squash on it and cook until you start to see marks on the underside (three or four minutes)

   

   The squash with the oil and herbs in the grill pan

9. Turn the squash and cook an additional three or four minutes until done

   

   One side cooked and almost ready to eat!

10. That's it - you're done! Remove from the grill (or pan) and enjoy!