Baked Pasta Cravings

I’ve been craving proper Italian pasta al forno for ages. There’s just one hitch. My kids aren’t really into creamy/mixed sauces… in fact sauces are a bit problematic altogether. The only pasta our son likes is Dad’s aglio olio with bits of bacon in, as it leaves the pasta practically bare, so it doesn’t activate the sauce detector alarm.

When you’re cooking pasta al forno, you need to have an army to feed to make it worth the effort of making meat sauce, making béchamel and then baking it all together with the cooked pasta, so I put off satisfying my craving. And then yesterday I did have an army to feed. The four German students, who have come over with two of their teachers to help at our school for a few weeks, all stayed the night with us so that they could all leave early to drive up to Addo Elephant Park today.

It was nearly a week since I’d shopped. But the teacher we are hosting had cooked spaghetti bolognese for us a couple of nights before and had drastically over-estimated the quantities need to feed a family of five with sauce-averse kids. So there was a ton of meat sauce and loads of parmesan just begging to be used up. I seized my opportunity and it tasted great! So good that we finished up the leftovers cold for lunch today.

Cold pasta al forno, doesn't look as delicious as when it is hot from the oven, but it still tastes great!

Our son declined to even taste it last night, but luckily I’d second-guessed him and shoved some potatoes in to bake alongside the pasta. And I’d thrown together a second pot of pasta for the vegan student with fresh tomatoes, rosemary and chickpeas sizzled in hot garlic oil. And the students made a salad. And I’d baked yet more bread. So it was a feast of carbohydrates that even defeated the three seventeen-year old boys at the table, to produce yet more leftovers.

You don’t have to use a meat sauce for this baked pasta dish. Any sauce with a good strong flavour would work well: roasted vegetables, tomato and basil, porcini mushrooms, whatever you feel like adding to it. It makes sense to make a double batch of sauce, use it to sauce normal pasta one night and keep the rest to make this a couple of nights later, then you don’t have nearly so much work to do for your pasta al forno. The béchamel sauce is quite light and subtly flavoured with nutmeg and only a little parmesan, so it needs a contrasting sauce with a bit of oomph to bring the baked pasta to life.

Recipe for Rigatoni or Penne al Forno

Bolognese sauce made with approx 450g / 1lb meat
Or about 4 cups of pasta sauce of your choice
500g / 1lb penne rigate or rigatoni
750ml / 3 cups milk
90g / 3oz butter
4 ½ tablespoons flour
40g / 1 ½ oz freshly grated parmesan
¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
4 tablespoons millk
30g / 1oz butter

Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F.

Make your béchamel first. Melt 90g butter in a heavy based pan. Stir in the flour and keep stirring for about a minute so it cooks, but don’t let it turn dark. Add the milk a little at a time, giving it a chance to warm on the base of the pan and then stirring it in well, before adding the next lot.

Most recipes tell you to heat the milk separately before adding it, which is sensible, but I learned from a friend that if you give it a chance to warm on the base of the béchamel pan before you stir it in it works just as well.

Keep adding milk and stirring it in until it is all incorporated, then carry on stirring until the béchamel thickens to a thick pouring cream consistency. Season with pepper, salt and nutmeg then stir in half the parmesan. Taste to check the seasoning.

Cook the pasta till it is al dente. Take care not to over-cook it, or it will collapse to a dense solid indigestible mass when baked. You want the shapes to hold up and trap the sauces nicely. Toss the pasta with the warmed meat sauce and then with about two thirds of the béchamel.

Tip the sauced pasta into a roasting tin buttered with the remaining butter. Level it off. Pour the milk over, then pour the rest of the béchamel on top. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden and bubbling. Let it rest for at least five minutes before serving.

Yogurt Raisin Bread

Yesterday afternoon, I had the strangest encounter with a door to door salesman. The doorbell rang unexpectedly, and even though I knew this usually portended someone advertising vacuum cleaners or a magic stain remover, I always feel beholden to open the door just in case it's a neighbor or a small child fundraising. Thus resigned, I tugged the door aside to reveal a man in an AT&T Telephone Company shirt squinting at a large clipboard. Glancing at me, he read my name from the clipboard in an enquiring manner, so I answered in the affirmative... and he then proceeded to stare at me openly and unabashedly.

Finally, he broke the silence: "but...you're a girl."

Somewhat taken a back, I answered simply "um, yes..."

"But," he continued to stammer, "I, I thought you'd be some big Spanish dude."

I resisted the temptation to explain to him that words and names ending in the letter "a" are, in Spanish, typically female, not male. Instead, I simply attempted to recover my composure, and settled with "well, no..."

He continued, however to insist that he might be dealing with an instance of mistaken identity. "I thought," he persisted, "I thought you'd be some big Spanish dude... with a ponytail."

Perhaps AT&T needs to reevaluate their sales training protocol?

After sending the unfortunate salesman back down the driveway as rapidly as politely possible, the only reasonable response seemed to be to head straight for the kitchen to bake bread. Simple, unflustering, nourishing, slightly sweet and pillowy soft bread. At least some things always make sense... :-)

Yogurt Raisin Bread

2 eggs
1/3 cup fat free blueberry yogurt
2/3 cup 1% milk
2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup applesauce
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup raisins

~ Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 9X5" loaf pan with cooking spray and flour.
~ Whisk together the eggs, blueberry yogurt, milk, vanilla, and applesauce until well blended.
~ Stir in the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until just combined.
~ Fold in the raisins.
~ Scoop the batter into the loaf pan, and bake for 45 minutes - until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Turn the bread into a wire rack to cool, or simply serve the bread nice and warm, right away... :-)

Cham Korean Bistro: Pasadena's clean New Year's eating

Korean rice cakes are starchy, but accompanied with cruciferous vegetables -- "colon's little brooms," says Mario Batali.

At the start of the year, it seems like everyone is suddenly vowing to start "eating clean," posting Facebook resolutions to give up sugar and twittering ambitious exercise plans.
Here's one place to start: Cham Korean Bistro, a five month-old Korean fusion spot. The clean-lined space is just off Lake St., so it qualifies for the cardinal rule of Pasadena eating: Try to get out of Old Town.
Order dishes like bibimbap or a ssam garden bbq platter with beef, chicken, pork or tuna at the counter, then choose a booth made from minimalist laquered plywood. I tried toppoki ($6), a fat cylindrical rice cake that's like a chewy Korean gnocchi, slicked with a sweet teriyaki-type sauce and mixed with either beef or vegetables. Several dishes have a unusual touch, like the big crab claw trying to climb out of my cup of miso soup ($3). Miles' bibimbap (above, $10) and Colleen's short rib Korean stew ($12) were fresh and colorful, but maybe a little more plain and healthy-tasting than in a typical Koreatown joint. Like many places in Pasadena, Cham seems a touch more pricey than it needs to be, but in this case at least there's a good reason: The owner, a garment business entrepreneur, runs the restaurant as a non-profit and donates most of the proceeds to developing countries. After our lunch, the server delivered a bonus slice of creme fraiche cheesecake with a really nice milky tang to it -- not particularly healthy, but worth the indulgence. Sure, you can eat cheaper in Koreatown, but this is clean, healthy food -- perfect for ushering in a vegetable-intensive 2010.

New Chong Quing: Going beyond the hot pot

A darn fine bowl of dan dan noodles for $3.99

Will it displease the gods of Chinese food if we go to a Sichuan hot pot restaurant and do not order a hot pot? Perhaps, especially since the requisite framed Jonathan Gold review on the wall of New Chong Qing is titled "New Hot Pot Spot." But after an 80 degree winter day, we're not in the mood for hot pot, so tough. What we are in the mood for is dan dan noodles, and New Chong Qing is said to have some of the best in the area. New Chong Qing is in a modern mini-mall, and with a brief laminated menu and wall decorations of empty Ikea frames and neon post-it note doodles, it has a slick, yet improvisational quality. The menu translations are some of the most amusing around, from pig waist to a drink called something like Manifold Destiny.
Dan dan noodles are just $3.99 a bowl, so order two -- it's not a large portion, and though they're rich and greasy, you'll likely want more of the nutty, slightly numbing, slick herbal mixture. If the gods are angered because we ordered Kung pao chicken (above), then so be it: This is a tangy dish of chicken, garlic and chiles with no peanuts or sugary, goopy sauce to be found. Ma-po tofu over rice has a similar flavor profile to dan dan noodles, so maybe we should have tried green beans or other vegetables instead. But since that profile is complex, spicy and flecked with alluring Sichuan peppercorns, there's no cause for complaint. New Chong Qing doesn't have the hottest food around or the largest menu, but for a quick bowl of satisfying noodles at lunch or dinner, it's just the spot. There's no beer, but Matt was happy with a blueberry slushie. We'll take more people and try to balance the dishes better next time -- oh yeah, and maybe even a hot pot.

Rice Pudding-Tea

Last night I was feeling seriously under the weather but stubbornly marched myself off to work anyway, rationalizing that I didn't have a fever (yet) although I did have quite the case of the sneezy snifflies. Throughout the shift, my co-worker, Shannon, who is one of the sweetest people on the planet, diligently and generously chimed in with "bless you" every time I sneezed. The only issue that arose was that my feeble little coughs sounded remarkably like sneezes, and so Shannon was forced to kindly inquire "was that a sneeze, or a cough?" at regular intervals. Out of compassion for Shannon I finally proposed the following stellar plan - every time I coughed, I would simply follow the act with an exclamation "cough!" in order to clarify any confusion. In my loopy, 3AM state I was quite pleased with this plan, but about that same time my other co-worker, Lucia, took pity upon me and gave me a cough drop, and so I wasn't actually able to put my plan in place for the rest of the night... but I'm still quite convinced that it remains a flawless system, at least on a theoretical level.

The end result of this History of Astra's Night of Illness ultimately equated, as you might guess, to me spending most of the day today huddled in bed with a burning sore throat and an alarmingly high temperature, and finally being forced to call in sick to work this evening. Thankfully, I've been blessedly healthy my entire life, and I fully recognize that I have absolutely no right to complain about something so minor as a fever and a sore throat, but still, I don't seem to handle being sick well - I always feel inordinately frustrated with myself, as though I somehow let everyone down by temporarily succumbing to illness. I also feel the need to clean the house obsessively, as though by expunging the carpet of germs I will also manage to banish all virulent microbes from my system. Then, of course, there are the unfortunate days when I feel so wobbly on my feet that I'm forced to put aside the vacuum cleaner and the laundry soap... and I do believe tonight is one of those nights.

Alas, I thus must humbly confess that I haven't a recipe for tonight... Zach just called and instructed me to take zinc and echinacea and go straight back to bed, so I suppose I ought to do just that. While this isn't a proper recipe, I do, however, want to share with you something comforting and cozy... Along with herbal tea with lemon and honey, my other favorite restorative, soothing beverage is rice pudding-tea. A cross between rice pudding and warm milk, this cozy, earthy, simple, vegan-friendly warm bit of comfort in a mug was first prepared for me by my college roommate, Lisa, who saw me huddled over my desk, studying for final exams while battling the flu, and immediately installed me in a more comfortable chair and oh so kindly handed me the sweet-spicy, warm depths of this pudding-tea...

A Recipe for Easy Baked Eggplant Parmigiana

I realize that most of the country is melting right now, and that everyone is looking for no-bake dinners and salads. But sometimes, in spite of the heat, a girl's gotta have some warm, belly-filling, Italian comfort food, like eggplant parmigiana, or more affectionately, eggplant parm. As far as I'm concerned, eggplant parm is a year-round food, but it's the best from August-October, prime eggplant season.

Eggplants have a long history. The earliest ones were grown in India between 4,000-5,000 years ago. Eggplant was introduced to the Mediterranean region in the early Medieval period. That's when Italians discovered eggplant, and they still prize it for its rich, creamy, flavorful flesh.

Eggplant parmesan, also known as melanzane alla Parmigiana or Parmigiana di melanzane, is a treasure of Neopolitan cuisine. It consists of thick slices of breaded eggplant that are fried in olive oil until golden then layered with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and basil and baked until bubbly.

In the US eggplant parmigiana is most commonly found at pizzerias, delis, and Italian-American mom-and-pop restaurants. It's typically inexpensive, delicious, and satisfying, but not low-cal. So if you love eggplant parm, but don't love the calories that come with it, then make your own baked eggplant parmigiana.

As for the hot weather, just crank your AC, then make a big batch of eggplant parm in your comfortably cool kitchen.



Baked Eggplant Parmigiana
Serves 4
Print recipe only here.

Traditionally, eggplant is fried in oil on the stove top. However, baking it drastically reduces the calories and fat without sacrificing flavor. Plus you get to eat more.

Eggplant:
2 large eggs
a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
a couple of pinches of salt
3/4 cup bread crumbs (preferably plain)
1/4 cup grated Reggiano-Parmigiano cheese
1 large eggplant, cut into 3/8-inch thick slices (yield 10-12 slices)

Marinara Sauce:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 shallot, diced
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano tomatoes*
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more if you like some heat)
a couple of pinches of salt
2 heaping tablespoons each of finely chopped fresh basil and parsley
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Reggiano-Parmigiano cheese

1. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, crushed red pepper, and salt. Pour into a wide, shallow bowl or plate.

2. Mix breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup grated cheese in a separate wide, shallow bowl or plate.

3. Slice eggplant. Dip one slice at a time in the egg mixture, allowing excess to drip into the bowl. Dredge in the bread crumbs, ensuring that the entire slice of eggplant is coated with the crumbs. Place on a large baking sheet. Repeat with remaining slices.

4. Bake eggplant at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes, or until golden and crisp.

5. While the eggplant is cooking, the marinara sauce can be made. In a medium pot over medium heat, warm 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add shallots and saute 2-3 minutes or until translucent. Add the canned tomatoes, crushed red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir until well combined. Reduce heat to medium-low. Let sauce lightly bubble for 8-10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Turn off heat. Stir in the fresh herbs.

6. To assemble the eggplant parmigiano, use either one 9-inch round or 8-inch square baking dish. Start by covering the bottom of the dish with a layer of marinara sauce. Add 4 slices of baked eggplant (larger slices on the bottom), and top with 1/3 of the shredded mozzarella and 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat two more times, or until all ingredients are used.

7. Bake at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until the sauce begins to bubble and the cheese turns golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

*San Marzano tomatoes are Italian plum tomatoes that are prized for their sweeter, less acidic flavor. They can be found in Italian specialty markets and some major supermarkets.

Recipe Favorites: Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup

(Updated and added to Recipe Favorites January 2010) This is one of the Phase One recipes you could find in the new Index of South Beach Diet Phase One Recipes from Kalyn's Kitchen, and I first featured it on the blog in January 2007. Since then the recipe has accumulated a lot of fans. A faithful reader recently told me that she makes it every time she does Phase One, and mentioned it deserves be a recipe favorite. Then I made it over the weekend for my annual New Year's Day soup party, and a lot of people there raved about it too. When I went to lunch today with my friend Bonnie she told me her husband George loved this soup at the party. The signs from the universe are clear; it's time for this soup to be officially made a recipe favorite.

When I pick recipes to add to Recipe Favorites I usually look forward to updating the photo with a better one, but this time when I looked at the post I liked the original photo for this soup too, so I'm keeping it. I always eat this with sour cream, and I remember when I photographed it the first time I couldn't get the sour cream to look right so I used a photo without it! Sour cream or not, if you try this recipe it might become one of your favorites too!

Start by heating the oil, then cooking the ground beef until it's well-browned. Don't rush this, because browning adds flavor. (This is the batch of soup I was making for the party, so in these photos the recipe is doubled.)

While the beef is browning, start simmering the two kinds of stock, canned tomatoes, sauerkraut, Splenda or brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, parsley, and dried sage.

When the beef is well-browned, add it to the soup pot and let the soup continue to simmer.

Heat more olive oil in the frying pan and saute the chopped onions 2-3 minutes, then add the minced garlic and saute 1-2 minutes more. Add the onions and garlic to the soup and simmer on low about one hour. (You want the sauerkraut to soften until it's almost melted into the soup.)

After an hour taste the soup to see if it seems too strong and add some water if needed. (Simmer a little longer if you add water.) Season to taste with a generous amount of fresh-ground black pepper and serve hot, with or without sour cream.

Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup
(about 8 servings; I know I was inspired by a recipe I saw somewhere, but I can't remember where I saw it!)

1 lb. very lean ground beef (less than 10% fat)
2-3 tsp. olive oil (depends on your pan)
1 cup chopped onion (one large onion)
1 T minced garlic (or less if you're not that fond of garlic)
2 cups homemade chicken stock
(or 1 14 oz. can chicken broth)
2 14 oz. cans beef broth
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
(I like Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted Tomatoes)
1 14 oz. can sauerkraut with juice (or use bottled sauerkraut)
1 cup water (if needed)
1 T Splenda or brown sugar (use Splenda for South Beach Diet)
1 T Worcestershire sauce
3-4 dried bay leaves
3 T minced parsley or 1-2 T dried parsley
1 tsp. rubbed sage
fresh ground black pepper to taste

In heavy frying pan, heat 1 tsp. olive oil, add ground beef and brown well, breaking into small pieces with turner. This will take as much as ten minutes but don't rush the browning step.

While ground beef browns, combine chicken stock, beef stock, canned tomatoes, sauerkraut, Splenda or brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, parsley and sage in large stock pot. Bring to a low simmer.

When beef is well browned, add to soup in pot. Deglaze pan with a bit of the soup liquid, scraping off any browned bits, and add to soup.

Wipe out frying pan and add other 2 tsp. olive oil. Saute onions 2-3 minutes, until starting to soften, then add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes more. Add to soup, reduce heat under soup pot and let soup simmer at low heat about one hour. After an hour, taste for seasoning and add water if soup seems too strong. Simmer 15 minutes more if adding water. Season to taste with fresh-ground black pepper before serving. Serve hot, with sour cream if desired.