This is a truly bizarre combination of ingredients that somehow all work together really really well.  The overall effect is a fairly light dish with umami out the wazoo.

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This is a vegetarian version of my Cincinnati-Style Chili.  (Vegan, actually, if you don’t put cheese on top.)  You can make it fat-free by omitting the olive oil, but you won’t get the flavor benefits of the fat-soluble elements in the chili powder or cumin.  This is the first time I have ever made it in a slow-cooker, and it was quite successful!  The beef version of this chili really does need high heat in the beginning to brown the meat and develop a fond, but the veggies did quite well simply simmering on low for about 8 hours while I went about my day.  The other change I made on this round was to use a can of crushed tomatoes instead of diced, which I think was a good change.

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I think this would make a great backyard pasta salad on the grill during the summer - grill the shrimp & sausages, prepare everything else beforehand.  Yum.  The only real change I made to this was that instead of using Italian turkey sausage, I used the pork & parsley rope sausage I had in the freezer.  Oh, and I completely forgot to buy a red bell pepper, so that didn’t make it in either.  I don’t think I’ll add it back next time - this cookbook throws red bell peppers into everything whether they’re wanted or not.  Anyhow: Continue reading →

The original recipe title was “spicy mac & cheese” but since I was making this for a 20-month old I left out the cayenne and the jalapenos.  Still very tasty though!  I also added some roasted veggies because I like my mac & cheese with roasted veggies.  I’m still going to count it as having made this from the book because I followed the recipe’s directions regarding the types and proportion of cheeses.  Also the cumin and coriander in the sauce, which was a nice touch that I think I’ll keep. Continue reading →

Epic fail #2, unfortunately.

Growing up, tuna casserole was what we ate when Mom was too tired to cook anything else. Or maybe we were low on groceries.  In my current household, tuna casserole is what we eat when we can’t afford to buy fresh food.  When we kids were old enough to know not to repeat the word in school, this dish was affectionately referred to as Tuna Shit.  It’s cheap, it’s easy, it’s comforting.

It does not involve making a bechamel sauce or chopping or sauteing anything.  It involves opening a lot of cans and a bag of frozen veggies from the freezer and dumping it in a big bowl. The only ingredient that can even remotely be considered fresh is the cheddar cheese (which, by the way, the WF Cookbook version does not contain). Continue reading →

Another non-WF recipe!  There are several recipes for chili in that book, but none of them are my mom’s.  This one is.  Texans will probably want to stop reading now.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Cincinnati-style chili is a savory, spicy affair with several unusual ingredients and an even more unusual serving style.  Growing up, I had no idea it was weird to put chocolate in chili, or to serve it over spaghetti, and I plan to raise my own son (as well as any future children) in the same state of blissful ignorance.  But on to the recipe.  I’ve been making this since I was allowed to use the stove, so assume any actual numbers below are made up.  (Except for the things coming out of cans.  Those I’m pretty sure of.) Continue reading →

This is not from the WF cookbook.  You can tell because it involves BACON FAT as the primary flavor base.  Nom nom nom.  (It is, in fact, from the Jan/Feb issue of Cook’s Illustrated, and will be online free until the next issue comes out.  Or you can join the site for $20/year.  I think.  Maybe a different price.)  Or you can read it free here forever! Continue reading →

Last week was orzo week, this week seems to be pine nuts week.  This recipe bridges the gap.  It was Teh Yum.  (Once, naturally, I’d tripled the salt.)

Saute in a large skillet with EVOO 3-5 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown:

1 medium onion, chopped

2 leeks, chopped (white parts only)

1 large eggplant, cubed

1 large red bell pepper

Add to a 9×13 baking dish along with:

2 large chopped tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, pressed

1/2 lb par-cooked orzo

1/2 c chopped fresh basil

1/2 c tomato juice

SALT & PEPPER

Top with dollops of ricotta cheese.  Then top THAT with a mixture of 1/2 cup each pine nuts, bread crumbs, and grated parmesan cheese.  Bake at 375F for about 15-20 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

There’s not a lot too this dish - pasta, vegetables, cheese.  But it’s got a good balance of ingredients, and was a nice twist on some familiar flavors.  Oh, and top each individual serving with some fresh chopped parsley.

Dylan Report: He mostly ate around the vegetables (in spite of happily snacking on some of the fresh chopped tomato while I was cooking), but otherwise this was a big hit.  It’s pasta and cheese - hard to go wrong!

This is fairly similar to the kind of pasta dishes I make all the time so I’m not going to bother transcribing the recipe - heat EVOO in a skillet, add some kind of leafy green (broccoli in this case) + garlic/red pepper flakes/pine nuts and serve over whatever kind of pasta is on hand.  The wrinkle in the WF recipe, and one I really like, is the addition of a splash of soy sauce and lemon juice at the end just before you toss everything together.  I was a little dubious at first, but it really complements the flavor of the pine nuts.

The other wrinkle I added was that I made the whole wheat linguine myself, and it was NUMMY.  I tried the recipe that came with the pasta maker attachment and it was like trying to knead a brick.  So I threw out that batch and used Marcella Hazan as a guideline instead.  I also used half white and half wheat flour instead of 100% whole wheat.  It came out much better the second time.

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