Baked Mozzarella Sticks

From Donna Washburn and Heather Butt's "The Best Gluten-Free Family Cookbook"

Crave mozzarella sticks but don't want to deep-fry? These crispy baked sticks are worth the extra care.

Tips

1. To prevent melted cheese from leaking out, be sure each piece is completely coated with yogurt mixture and bread crumbs.
2. Serve with salsa, sour cream, or your favourite dipping sauce.
3. To freeze: Double or triple the recipe and freeze coated unbaked cheese sticks in a single layer in a jelly-roll pan. Once froze, remove cheese sticks from pan and place in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Remove only the number you need -- they won't stick together. Bake according to recipe.
4. Use any leftover savoury bread or cornbread to make extra-fine bread crumbs.

Ingredients (makes 12)

- 8 oz (250 g) mozzarella cheese
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup (250 mL) plain yogurt
- 2 cups (500 mL) extra fine dry bread crumbs
- 2/3 cup (150 mL) freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) dried basil or dillweed
- pinch cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 450 F (230 C)
Lightly grease a baking sheet

Directions

1. Cut mozzarella cheese into sticks 3 by 1/2 by 1.2 inch (7.5 by 1 by 1 cm).
2. In a small bowl, combine egg yolks and yogurt.
3. In a shallow dish or pie plate, combine bread crumbs, parmesan, basil, and cayenne pepper.
4. Dip cheese into yogurt-mixture to generously coat, leaving as much mixture on the cheese as possible. Then dip into crumb mixture, pressing to coat ends and sides well.
5. Place the coated sticks in a single layer on prepared baking sheet and freeze for 2 to 4 hours, or until completely frozen. Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 8 minutes, or until coating is golden.
6. Transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately.

Dairy-free lasagna filling

This is an email from a family friend.

This is to replace the cottage cheese layer. It's from the
Moosewood 'new classics' cookbook:

- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup fresh chopped basil
- 10 ounces fresh spinach, steamed and drained
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 cakes firm tofu (12 oz each), cubed (I use the smooth variety & it works
really well)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a blender or food processor, whirl them all together to make a smooth
filling, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed.

It's easy! Then you just layer it into the lasagna before you cook it.

Peach crisp with maple cream sauce

From The Pioneer Woman Cooks

I don’t know what to say. This is Gee’s recipe, and it’s so good, I…I…I feel like crying. Hold on, I’m going to go have a really good, cleansing cry.

I’m back. That was awesome. And so is this dadgum dessert, people. Make it now, or at the very least, by 2074. Deal? Deal.

The Cast of Characters: Fresh Peaches, Flour, Sugar, Light Brown Sugar, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Salt, Butter, Lemon, Maple Syrup, Whipping Cream, Light Corn Syrup. How could this go wrong?

Start with one cup flour.

Add to a medium bowl.

Now add 1/2 cup sugar…

And 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar.

Now add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon…

Now measure 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg…

And add it to the bowl.

Now add 1/4 teaspoon salt. (I used Kosher because earlier in the day I’d accidentally put my regular salt in the sink full of dishwater. Welcome to my life.) Regular salt is fine.

Now, with a fork…

Stir the mixture together.

Now take one stick (1/4 pound or 8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup) regular butter.

And cut it into bits. This actually works much better if the butter is straight out of the fridge. This was a little soft because I’d left a sack of groceries in my car for two hours because I have a rebellious streak and like to leave one or two sacks of groceries in the car when I get home. Issues.

In any event, cut the butter into small pieces…

And add it into the bowl.

With a fork (or pastry cutter, whatever makes your skirt fly up), begin mixing the butter with the flour mixture.

Just gradually mush in the butter…

Until the butter is evenly mixed in. (If the butter had been cold, it would resemble coarse meal.)

Now peel and slice 5 to 6 cups fresh peaches. Best to use peaches that aren’t overly ripe or soft.

Now take 1/2 lemon…

And grate off the zest.

I’ve sung the praises of this microplane zester before; there’s nothing like it in the world. I’m thinking of proposing.

Add the zest to the peaches…

And squeeze in the juice from the lemon half.

Now take real maple syrup…(I’ve never used pancake syrup in this recipe, but it would probably do in a pinch.)

Add 2 tablespoons into the peaches.

Now stir the peaches well.

Now take a relatively small baking pan. This one’s about eight inches long, or you can use a 9-inch square pan. Anything is fine, as long as it isn’t huge.

Pour the peaches into the baking dish.

Now take the crumb topping…

And start sprinkling it over the top…

Until you’ve used it all.

Lightly even out mixture with a fork, but no need to get it perfect.

Now cover tightly with foil and pop into a 350-degree oven for fifteen minutes.

After fifteen minutes, remove the foil and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes, or until top is crisp (get it?) and brown. Sometimes I let it bake for 25 minutes or so, then crank on the broiler for a couple of minutes just to get the top nice and bubbly and crisp (get it?) If you do this, though, DO NOT walk away from the oven to answer the doorbell or change laundry loads. You’ll never forgive yourself.

While the peach crisp is baking, it’s time to make the maple cream sauce. (You can also make this earlier in the day, because it needs to be served chilled. I’ll tell you about my shortcut later, though.) Start with whipping cream (i.e. heavy cream.)

Measure 1 1/2 cups…

And pour into a small saucepan.

Now take that good ol’ maple syrup again…(Never mind the fingerprints. It’s all that butter, man.)

Add 5 tablespoons into the cream.

Now take light corn syrup…

Add 3 tablespoons.

Stir together and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and reduced by about 1/3. This should take about 15 minutes. No need to stir vigorously or anything; just enough to prevent sauce from sticking to the pan.

When you’re finished, it should look like this. And DO NOT taste it. It’s evil and lethal and rude.

Now. You can chill it in the fridge until it’s cold and thick. OR, you can take this shortcut: set the saucepan into a small bowl of ice. The ice will melt a little and turn to ice water, and as you stir the sauce, it will cool and thicken. Within about fifteen minutes, it’s cold!

Here’s what the peach crisp looks like when it’s all done.

And here it is, up close and personal.

When you’re ready to serve, just scoop out a nice big spoonful…(and it’s best to serve it warm.)

And place it on a plate.

Now take this deliciously cold, creamy, sweet, evil, decadent, ridiculous, sinful, ecstasy-inducing maple cream sauce…

And start drizzling it all over the peach crisp.

Don’t be shy…

Really let it flow.

I’m sorry, I know this is cruel.

But I believe in full disclosure. I just don’t think it would be fair for me to hold back any of these photos. I want you to know what you’re getting into.

I’m all about keepin’ it real, you know.

Bacon-wrapped jalapeno thingies

From The Pioneer Woman Cooks

These are evil. And they must be destroyed. My lovely sister-in-law, Missy, brings these little wonders to my house each Fourth of July and they have made a huge impression on my life. I’ve decided that I never want to be without them, they’re so fundamental to my survival at this point. And they’re as simple as it gets: Cream cheese-stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon. Cook ‘em. Pop ‘em in your mouth. Sing praises. Faint. They’re absolutely addictive.

The only problem arises when our father-in-law is on the premises when Missy arrives bearing these puppies. I love and respect the man, but I usually have to fight him off with a cattle prod just to ensure I get one or two. It isn’t ever pretty. He loves these things.

But enough of our family dysfunction; let’s get started, shall we?

The Cast of Characters: Fresh Jalapenos, Cream Cheese, and Bacon. Three ingredients! This is simple stuff.

Start with a jalapeno. Hello, jalapeno! Try to find ones that are 2 to 3 inches long; not too big.

Slice the jalapeno in half length-wise.

Ack! I just love this shot—looks like I’m about to lob off my fingers.

Please, please don’t lob off your fingers.

Now it’s time to seed them. (Or is it "de-seed?" I never do quite get that whole thing.)

With a spoon, gently scrape out the seeds and white membranes. This process moves pretty quickly.

If you’re impervious to the spiciness, you can leave a little membrane and/or a couple of seeds inside. If you prefer things a little on the mild side, go ahead and clean ‘em out reeeeel gooooood.

Now cut the bacon slices into thirds. I usually just go ahead and cut the whole package at once. I like shortcuts.

Now unwrap the softened cream cheese and your assembly line is all set!

Now start smearing cream cheese inside each jalapeno half.

No need to be particularly neat about it…

Just schmear it in there generously.

Just keep going until you have the quantity you want. That’s the great thing about this recipe: you can make as few as two or as many as 49,382! There’s no huge commitment.

Now take a piece (1/3 slice) of bacon and wrap it around the jalapeno.

Wrap it snugly, but not too tightly.

Keep going until you’re finished.

Now stick a toothpick through the middle of each one; this will keep the bacon from coming off in the oven. Place them on a pan with a rack (so bacon grease can escape) and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Here’s what they’ll look like:

Oh, baby. Oh, oh, oh baby.

These are so divine, you should seriously consider making four or five times the quantity you think you’ll need.

In an unexpected twist, Hyacinth’s husband came to our little shindig and plopped a couple of these on top of his burger! What a great idea.

No, go forth and wrap jalapenos with bacon. You’ll never, ever regret it.

Tip: how to check for the hotness of jalapenos

From Simply Recipes

Ever take home a jalapeño chile pepper from the grocery store and have it either be so lacking in heat it may just as well be a bell pepper, or so hot a speck will create a raging inferno in your mouth? Here's a quick tip for choosing jalapeños that can help you decide which ones to pick. Jalapeño chilies start out mild and progressively get hotter the older they get, eventually turning bright red (and quite hot). As they age, they develop white lines and flecks, like stretch marks running in the direction of the length of the pepper. The smoother the pepper, the younger, and milder it is. The more white lines, the older and hotter. Red jalapeños are the most hot, because they've been maturing the longest.

If you are looking for mild jalapeños (say for a stuffed jalapeno dish), pick the chiles without any striations. If you are looking for heat, find a red jalapeño, or a green one with plenty of white stretch marks.

Note that this is just a guideline. There is still plenty of variation among individual peppers. You can find hotter-than-Hades peppers without any white lines. But your chances of picking a mild one are better if you go for smooth. Or if you are looking for heat, you will more likely find that in a pepper with lots of lines.

Kasha varnishkes

From FoodMayhem

Growing up, there were many Jewish delicacies that I truly loved. The nature of them ranged widely including items like smoke white fish (whole or as salad), knishes, wursts, etc. But one of the easiest, most enjoyable items was Kasha Varnishkes.

My mom typically bought it pre-made from the supermarket or kosher deli, but could make them from time to time. There were three ways to enjoy the dish as far as I was concerned. Fresh (always the best), microwaved (which is surprisingly delicious!), or re-fried until the kasha and varnishkes (the Yiddish term for farfalle or bow-tie pasta) were brown and crispy. When I had it the fried way, sometimes I’d add mayo and eat it as a sandwich or with some sliced turkey breast… mmmmm nom nom nom (p.s. I just got my 22 month old niece to say ‘nom nom’).

Jessica managed to pick up some dry kasha during her 9th avenue shopping tour. The smell of this grain drives me nuts, I love it! I couldn’t wait to make it. I found a few recipes, but in the end, I settled back in on my mom’s. It was a little messy, like all home recipes should be, but I’ve cleaned it up a bit for you.

Before getting started, I’ll highlight two points. First, I don’t know where this came from. My mom had it jotted down somewhere, and I’ve adapted it a bit for clarity and my personal taste. Second, my mom and I agree it’s good to have a fairly high ratio of pasta to kasha, but it’s up to you. If you want to vary the ratio just increase or decrease the amount of pasta you use.

Kasha Varnishkes
~makes enough of a side dish for about 6-8 people

Ingredients

• 6 cups Dry Large Farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
• 1.5 cups Onion, diced
• 2 tbsp. Shmaltz (a.k.a. Chicken Fat), plus some extra, or if you sadly don’t have any on hand, substitute Vegetable Oil
• 2 cups Chicken Stock
• 1 egg
• 1 cup Dry Kasha
• Pepper to Taste
• Kosher Salt

Instructions

1. Boil pasta, following box instructions for soft (not al dente). Strain pasta and reserve, also reserve cooking water.

2. Saute onion, with just cooking spray and salt. Reserve.

3. In a large sauce pot, heat chicken fat and chicken stock. In a bowl, beat egg, mix with dry kasha. Cook kasha and egg mixture in a dry pan until egg is dry and kernels are separated.

4. Add heated fat and stock mixture. Cook about 10 minutes in a high simmer.

5. Add pasta, onion, and season liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Toss in a little extra schmaltz and some pasta cooking water to give a nice sheen to the whole dish. Serve.

Reheat in microwave or fry in vegetable oil to have an alternative style.

Yuca/yucca puffs

From The Gastronomist

It’s been quite awhile, I know. I have been so consumed with wedding planning I have had no time for blogging or even cooking! I’m definitely looking forward to the time when the wedding has been a sweet memory and I can reap the rewards (aka: play with all the sweet kitchen gadgets I put on my registry).

This Easter weekend was hectic, and part of that hectosity involved having to come up with a Cuban dish for Rus’ family and their Easter dinner. Now, let me get this straight…it was all pretty much planned out and everything was covered, so what the hell could I bring that wouldn’t step over the line of someone else’s dish? This was the problem. Now, when you’re getting married and you’re the only one that can plan out this wedding, your brain turns to mush somewhere in between cottage cheese and mashed potatoes…it’s like that. It’s extremely difficult to think and rationalize. For instance, this morning, my boss asked me why I came into work so early…so I replied and said, “It’s Monday, I come into work early on Monday,” and he said “No it isn’t.” That’s when I started to think, “is it Tuesday? Did I forget to come into work yesterday? Was easter yesterday?” You see, this is my mental state at the moment, so thinking of something to bring for Easter dinner was quite the task.

I looked through a Cuban cook book and came up with Yuca Puffs or Bocallitos de Yuca. I have never eaten these or made these before, so it was hit or miss. I love yuca boiled with olive oil, garlic and onions or fried like french fries….so why not try out the puffed variation?

Yuca is not very well known, but it should be. Don’t be afraid of it! It’s that long root you see in the produce section. Every time I go to the supermarket and buy it, the person at the check-out always asks me what it is because they have no clue. It’s very starchy and is a good replacement for potato. Like I said before, you can boil them or fry them up like french fries and best served topped with olive oil and garlic.

To prepare the Yuca Puffs, you first must peel the Yuca root. Now, this is a VERY daunting task. If you can find yuca already peeled and cut in your frozen food aisle, buy it and save yourself the time and energy. If you can’t find it (like me) you have to go the extra mile and peel it/cut it/de-vein it of it’s little root thingamajig.

Here is a photo of a Yuca root with the waxy coating and one that has been peeled. When you peel it, you will see a rosy colored hue. Peel it until it’s white. It’s like peeling a potato, only a bit harder.

After you peel the Yuca, cut it in half and then cut it length wise. You’ll see a string in the middle of it. Take your knife and go under it removing it.

Cut the Yuca in smaller pieces and then boil it until it softens. This takes about half an hour.

Place the Yuca in a mixing bowl.

Next you’ll need the rest of the ingredients:

• 1/2 a Red Pepper finely minced
• 1/s a Green Pepper finely minced
• 4 cloves of garlic finely minced
• 1/2 a yellow onion finely minced
• 2 eggs well beaten
• 1 Teaspoon of baking powder
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mash the Yuca up as if you were making mashed potatoes. Then mix all of the ingredients up in the bowl together.

Next, grease a flat baking sheet and roll the mixture in a 1 1/2 inch ball.

Place the Yuca puffs in the oven for about half an hour and enjoy!