Almond Basil Pesto

     This is a great garnish for many things Italian. While I have a specific purpose in mind (more to follow), this will go great atop a pasta dish or a homemade roasted tomato soup. There's only a few ingredients, so it's easy to make. And while pine nuts are typically used for pesto, you can substitute walnuts or almonds (which were on hand here) with great results.
     If you don't have a garden out back, start with herbs. We're in an urban setting, but basil is ridiculously easy to grow (as is oregano and thyme, to complete the triumvirate), and will add more flavor to your dishes when fresh rather than dried. Plus, it's cheaper, and we still have our own dried basil, oregano, and thyme made from last year's leftovers.
     So give it the old college try, but remember it only lasts about a week in the refrigerator. That being the case, I made only half of the recipe you see here.
     Grab the few ingredients needed and your food processor...this won't take long.

Almond Basil Pesto
2 c. fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
2 garlic cloves
1/4 c. unsalted almonds
1/2 c. grated italian cheeses (can be a blend...asiago, parmesan, mozzarella, etc., but err on the side of the harder cheeses)

1/3-1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

     There's nothing to this (well, that I know of). Put the first 4 ingredients into the food processor or blender. Turn on the processor and, add the olive oil until a paste is formed; this will not take long. Salt and pepper the mixture to taste, and store in your refrigerator for up to a week.

Homemade Paneer

     It's fun to make some things from scratch at least once. And then there's things that should always be made from scratch - like biscuits. Cheese is one of those things you don't ever expect to make in your own kitchen. And for good reason. It's a time-consuming and sensitive process. It can be done, but some things are more easily left to the pros.

     Except for this one. Paneer is a hard, crumbly, non-melting farmers cheese with Indian origins. I stumbled upon a list of things to stretch your kitchen resources and someone mentioned making cheese from slightly soured milk. I thought nothing of it until I opened up the milk one day and...

     I went back and researched the idea and gave it a shot. It's easy and it makes use of something you would toss out anyway.

Paneer

slightly soured milk

2 T. lemon juice or vinegar

salt (optional)

fresh herbs (optional)

     The amount of milk used depends on how much you have. I had about a pint of whole milk. Also, the higher the fat content, the more cheese is made. If the milk is curdling up, go ahead and toss it. Fresh or slightly soured milk is what you want to use.

     Heat the milk very slowly in a saucepan while stirring. This will ensure that you don't burn it. When it begins to bubble a bit, add the acid. Lemon juice will yield a slight lemon flavor in the cheese (which I liked). When I used vinegar, the flavor was more neutral. Either way, the acid causes the solids and liquids in the milk to separate. When the milk is fully separated, remove from heat.

     Place a strainer in your sink and lay a wet cheesecloth or handkerchief in it. Pour in your separated milk. You will be left with the solids (slightly wet) in your cheesecloth. This is the time to add any salt or pepper or herbs you may want. I left this batch plain, but salt and finely chopped chives go great with it. Really, it's your choice. Fruit flavors are supposed to work too, but I've never tried them.

     Mix any flavors you added well, and draw up the corners of the cheese cloth. Wring out any excess water. It will yield a drier cheese the more water you remove, but remember that this will never be a creamy, spreadable cheese. You can store the cheese in a container in the refrigerator. 

     Whether you eat it with crackers or fry it like in Indian cuisine, at least you didn't throw it out!

The Burger, Part 1: The Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger

     My wife doesn't eat red meat. So when work took her out of town, it was only natural that I took the opportunity to make a killer burger. For me, that meant reaching for my cast iron skillet. If you know what you're doing, you can make a great grilled or broiled burger. But, if you're not careful, you can end up with a dry, shrunken patty that is dwarfed by its accompanying bun. So I decided to take my grandma's approach and cook this burger on the stove (with a few tips from America's Test Kitchen).
     For me, a burger is like a stir-fry is like an omelet is like a pizza - it's a blank canvas. There are 101 ways to make a great burger, but I like to go with the less is more approach. I go for maximum flavor with minimum mess. For example, trade out lettuce for a spring mix of arugula, spinach, dandelion greens, etc.- there's just more flavor and less mess. Tomatoes are great, but they don't help keep the burger together and are easier to eat on the side. Swap the usual condiments (ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise) for a more flavorful homemade sauce (see below). Try a few different things, and if it doesn't add a lot of flavor, leave it out. If you notice the above picture, I had onions and mushrooms on mine, but they didn't add much overall. So they won't be on this incarnation of the burger in the future.
     This is a simply burger with no fillers. It's about the greens, the cheese, the bacon, an of course the sauce makes this one spectacular.

The Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger
1 lb. ground beef (80-85% lean)
kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

4 slices of cheese (provolone, swiss, cheddar, white american etc.)
6-8 strips of bacon
spring mix greens
4 hamburger buns

The Sauce (the star of the show)
1/4 c. mayonnaise
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 t. soy sauce
1 t. sugar
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. dried parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 t. pepper

Heat the skillet!
     Don't overlook the ability of the cast iron skillet to help you make the perfect burger. Why do I prefer it to grilling or broiling? First, because Grandma's skillet burgers were juicier than Dad's grilled burgers. But I later found out that both grilling and broiling the edges of the burger causing them to constrict. This requires you to create a dimple in the middle of the patty to keep it from shrinking into a less-than-bun-sized meatball-like shape.
     The skillet only heats the burger where it makes contact with the pan - no shrinking edges, no dimple needed. As much as I love my grill, I've abandoned bison meat and the grill for beef and a skillet.
     Also, I'm not a big fan of fillers. Egg and bread crumbs make for soggier patties. And ditch the crazy spice mixes on this one. The flavor is in the sauce. Try it before you go reaching into your spice rack.
     If you have extra-lean beef melt down a pat of butter per patty (this adds in the fat that would normally be found in beef with a higher fat content) and add it along with the salt and pepper to the pound of ground beef. Form 4 patties by hand, but handle the meat as little as possible to preserve moisture. Place the patties in the refrigerator while you make the sauce.
     As far as the sauce goes, mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Yep, that's it.

     Bring your skillet to medium heat (medium-high if not using cast iron). Cook the bacon, and reserve the natural grease it provides. Cook the patties for about 2 minutes on one side or until well browned. Flip them and cook for a minute or two on the second side, again looking for a brown sear. Never press down on the patties! You will only lose juices (flavor).

     Finish the patties off in an oven for about 8 minutes at 300 degrees with the cheese topping them. Meanwhile, toast the buns and spread the sauce over each half. Add the spring mix, and top the burgers with the bacon. Serve with homemade steak fries and enjoy a burger that would cost you $8 or more in a pub!

Italian Meatballs and Orzo

     I found this one after searching through our cookbooks until something sounded good that fit our inventory. We had a zucchini that needed to be used, and I wanted to find a reason to get rid of the ground turkey. Heather  was out of town last week and came back wanting fresh fruits and vegetables. It sounded good to me.
     I normally shy away from recipes that have too many ingredients - the simpler the better. So, I apologize for my hypocrisy in advance, but it is a one-dish meal after all. Of course, the meatballs contain ingredients that may be left out for simplicity's sake. In the end, it turned out to be a keeper.
     Let me note something before we begin. I made the meatballs exactly to the recipe below, but I only used half of them. The rest went into the freezer for later. If you're feeding two, you will want to do the same. If you want to feed 4 or 5, use all the meatballs and double the pasta and vegetables.

Turkey Meatballs
1 lb. ground turkey (beef and/or pork if your wife will let you)
1 egg, well beaten
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 c. sweet onion, chopped
1/4 c. grated Romano cheese
2 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried parsley
2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/3 c. water

Orzo and Vegetables
2 c. beef stock
1 c. orzo
2 c. canned Italian tomatoes, hand-crushed
1 medium zucchini, cubed
1/2 c. green peas, thawed

Toppings
sliced tomatoes
grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
fresh cut basil

     Start by prepping the meatballs. Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs by hand until well-blended being careful not to overwork the mixture. Heather wanted them kept small, so I used a heaping teaspoon as a guide to keeping them uniform in size. You can make them to the size you desire. Spread the meatballs out onto a sheet pan and place them in the freezer to firm up a bit.

     Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in your pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, drop in the meatballs in batches. Again, I only used half of the recipe. When you get a good sear on all sides, remove them to a separate sheet pan. Place them in a 350-degree oven for about 8 minutes. Set them aside.

     Remove any excess oil from the pan and return to medium heat. Pour in the beef stock. When it reaches a boil, add in the orzo and meatballs and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes.
     Stir in the tomatoes, zucchini, and peas. Cook for 6-10 minutes, pausing halfway through to top with grated cheese. At the end of the cooking time, top with the sliced tomatoes and fresh basil.

Enjoy.

Chicken and Dumplings

     This one always hits the spot. While it's a major hit on cold days, I could eat it anytime. I made a small lunch-sized portion for two, so I doubled the recipe to work for four. This is a bit of a departure from my mother's recipe. Her's doesn't involve any vegetables and she doesn't use spoon-in dumplings, but I was just trying something a bit different. And while your favorite is always going to be the one you grew up with, you just might like this one too. There are more time-consuming versions of this, but here's the quick and easy one.

Chicken and Dumplings

2 boneless chicken breasts

2 T. unsalted butter

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

4 c. chicken broth

2 c. whole milk

2 c. flour

2 T. baking powder

1 t. salt

1 t. sugar

2 T. shortening

2/3 c. milk

salt and pepper to taste

Comfort food is on the way!

     Start by placing the chicken breasts in a medium to large sized pot and covering them with water. Boil them until they are cooked through, then strain them and set them aside to cool enough to touch. Pull the chicken apart into small pieces (think pulled pork).

     Bring the empty pot back to the stove, and melt the butter over medium heat. Cook the garlic in the butter for about a minute, then add the carrots and celery. When they begin to soften, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat again to medium, and add the milk.

     Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening (I just use my hands). Incrementally add the milk while mixing until it resembles wet biscuit dough. Spoon the mixture in to the stew in tablespoon-sized pieces.

     Add in the cooked chicken, and give it about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and ladle into a bowl. Garnish it with parsley if you like. I usually don't wait. Grab a spoon and sit back and enjoy!