Italian-Style Turkey Club

We’re back!    Sorry for dropping off, but we were still cooking just not blogging.    I will try and share some of my past experiences in the next few weeks.    Anyway, I just wanted to share this great recipe from last weekend.    It’s from America’s Test Kitchen 30 minute meals.    Hands down, it’s probably one of the best club sandwiches I’ve ever had.    My wife couldn’t stop raving about it, and I think if I were to start my own diner, this would absolutely be on the menu.   

Tiramisu for V-Day

I made this over the weekend for Valentine’s Day.   It’s one of the best tiramisu I’ve had – definitely restaurant quality.    I assembled it the night before and let it refrigerate until the next day, which allowed it to soak up a lot of the flavors.      I got this recipe from my America’s Test Kitchen Season 9 dvd.    One thing, you definitely need a stand mixer for this to whip up the mascarpone.    Also, I ran out of the coffee mixture to dip the ladyfingers and had to make another batch.

Brandy and even whiskey can stand in for the dark rum. The recipe prefers a tiramisù with a pronounced rum flavor; for a less potent rum flavor, halve the amount of rum added to the coffee mixture in step 1.     I halved the rum in both steps.     Do not allow the mascarpone to warm to room temperature before using it; it has a tendency to break if allowed to do so.   Be certain to use hard, not soft ladyfingers.    I was able to find them in the Italian section in the grocery store.    Even on the box, it said perfect for tiramisu.

Two Salad Dressings

Here’s two recent homemade salad dressings that we enjoy.      I like simple dressings that feature olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.   On top of our salad, we enjoy toppings of cheese and sliced, or candied nuts.

Rose’s Vinaigrette – From Martha Stewart’s Magazine – Lisa’s Pick

Balsamic Vinaigrette – From The Best Italian Classics – My Pick

Pizza Bianca with Tomatoes and Mozzarella

My wife and I are big fans of all kinds of pizza, so we were looking for a good homemade recipe.    This recipe I tried out a couple weeks ago and has quickly become my go-to recipe for homemade pizza on a Sunday.      The style is a roman version that is very wet and coated with olive oil.   When baked, it becomes fluffy like a foccacia and has a crisp crust.     I enjoyed making it because it was very easy to pour out in a pan + doesn’t require a pizza peel.     A couple requirements:  you need a stand mixer (Kitchenaid preferred) , pizza stone, and a baking sheet.     For preparation time, I usually start this about 3-4 hrs before serving.    I’ve been making the variation with homemade pizza sauce and mozzarella which I will include below.    Yes, it’s another America’s Test Kitchen recipe.    I’ve developed a bit of a crutch to them so I will have to try out a new recipe from a new source this weekend.

Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup + Croutons

I tried this recipe over the weekend.   It’s from America’s Test Kitchen Season 9 DVD, which I received from my wife on Christmas.    As my go-to recipe source this month,  I’ve tried out several recipes from this DVD with one home run after another.    I’ll have to post some more soon, but I would recommend picking it up.    This is a really great and easy recipe to try out.    What’s interesting about the soup is there’s no cream so the tomato flavor is more prominent.    Also I love the toppings of croutons, chives, and extra virgin olive oil.  

If half of the soup fills your blender by more than two-thirds, process the soup in three batches. I filled the blender half full but was real careful to cover with a towel so you don’t scald yourself.    The liquid is really hot!     You can also use an immersion blender to process the soup directly in the pot. For an even smoother soup, pass the pureed mixture through a fine-mesh strainer before stirring in the chicken broth in step 2.  

Crunch Bars (Heath Bars)

Since it’s the Holidays, I felt like trying my hand at some sweets as I usually cook savory dishes.    I picked this recipe out of Kraft’s Food & Family cookbook, best-loved recipes.   It’s a good magazine for easy recipes with also easy-to-find Kraft ingredients.     I was interested in the use of saltines for that salty/sweet combination.   A favorite of mine is the Sarris chocolate covered pretzels.    The results and combination of flavors were excellent!   The batch went very quickly with the office wolves….

A couple of notes… to toast nuts, I usually put them in a 350 degree oven for 5-6 minutes.   Just keep an eye out on them.    The toffee mixture of butter and brown sugar hardens very quickly so make sure you spread that fast.   That step doesn’t need to be spread perfectly because you will cover the work with the chocolate later.   A few of my crackers had just a couple bits of the toffee.

Italian Pasta and Bean Soup (Pasta E Fagioli)

I love Pasta E Fagioli “Fazool”, but I haven’t tried to cook it for a long time.   There’s a good recipe in the box that I have used a couple times.  It’s been about 3 years, and it is soup season!   Since I’ve been going through a lot of Cooks Illustrated, I’d decided to give their recipe a try.   I was intrigued by the use of anchovies.   The results were excellent as usual, and it has probably replaced my old recipe for pasta e fagioli. 

The recipe stresses serving it right away since in later days, the pasta absorbs the liquid and leaves little broth.   I did enjoy it as leftovers though.    The soup can be made in 2 stages.   Once the beans are simmered with the tomatoes, before the broth and water are added, the mixture can be cooled and refrigerated for up to 3 days.     When ready to complete the soup, discard the Parmesan rind (otherwise it will become stringy), add the liquid, bring the soup to a boil and proceed with the recipe.

Cashew Chicken

This recipe came from my trusty Cooks’ Country magazine.   I’ve been using them a lot lately.   It was a little odd to find an asian recipe in the magazine – since it’s mostly comfort food, but I love cashews and wanted to give it a shot.     It turned out great and provided leftovers for many days doused in Sriracha Sauce.    The prep work is a little long with cutting the chestnuts and the snow peas.     But the results were excellent.     Also the toasted cashews are delicious  just on their own.   They remind me of a favorite place, Tom’s Ice Cream Bowl, which was a stop by on our trips to Columbus back at TU.   The place is in Zanesville, OH.    They had excellent roasted cashews.

Granny’s Tamale Pie

I just made this last week from Cook’s Country’s Best Lost Suppers and it turned out fantastic!   One thing to keep in mind, it takes a long time to make with the 2 cooking cycles and also the prep time for cutting the vegetables.    The sauce is delicious.   I actually had to make a new batch with canned chicken stock.    The one adjustment I made was I didn’t enter the remaining oil at step 3.    It seemed like a lot of oil.

Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole

Just tried this out today.   It’s a recipe from Cook’s Country, one of my favorite magazines for home country comfort food.   It was fabulous and very easy to make.    You can make it the day ahead and it makes a ton of food for a group of people.   I was looking for a recipe like this + we enjoyed the crispy crust on the outside.    The inside had a nice custard center.   I will have to try the variations.    It’s probably key to allow it to soak overnight.    I didn’t have any problem with it overcooking in the oven.   It went for the full hour.