Vegetable Quiche with Smoked Gouda

409. Quiche love is a real thing.  After enjoying our most recent quiche, post #407, I wanted to experiment with a couple different ingredients.  Oh the possibilities with a block of Gouda Cheese, bacon, fresh chives, zucchini and mushrooms.

I made half a recipe of pie crust and filled a 9" spring form pan with the dough to create a high, deep filling that can stand alone once baked.

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Chop up each of the filling ingredients before mixing your eggs.

The Gouda was a smoked variety with apple and hardwood flavor and it added such amazing flavor.

This quiche was packed with so much flavor, texture and every bite was my favorite.

Once baked, the house smelled intoxicating.  Paired with a light spinach salad, what more could you need or want for dinner?

And what a lovely slice of deliciousness.  Happy Weekend!

"Cooking is like painting or writing a song.  Just as there are only so many notes or colors, there are only so many flavors - it's how you combine them that sets you apart."

~Wolfgang Puck, Master Chef

Stromboli

365. Most Italian food lovers are familiar with Stromboli.  Some people call them "pockets" or "pizza pockets",  "turnover" or "calzone" -which has a different filling.  But truly, the classic Stromboli is what you are familiar with or based on the region of the world you are from.

In Pennsylvania, where I grew up, there was a small Italian pizza shop in town where "Little Tony" served the best pizza, Stromboli and Calzone.  Their Stromboli was stuffed with ham, pepperoni, Mozzarella cheese and the dough was perfect.  The filling would pour out when you cut into it.  Their Calzone was similar but the filling was green peppers, onion, sweet Italian sausage and Mozzarella cheese.  Same dough just different filling and the shape was the same.  This is the image in my mind of these favorites.  Now, if you google either name you will see all types of variations.  Some say that sauce is one of the main ingredients in Stromboli but you serve sauce on the side with the Calzone.  There is no right or wrong to the process.  The little Pizza shop in my hometown had their version of pizza and Italian specialties based on the region "Little Tony" came from in Italy and it did not have sauce inside but was served on the side.

 My version of Stromboli changes with what ingredients are at hand or what my family is hungry for.

I made a whole wheat pizza dough and cut up ham, pepperoni, salami, onion, fresh basil, sprinkle of pepper seeds and garlic salt and spinach.

 Wet the edges of the dough just to make sure they stay sealed and then roll the edge.  You could use a fork to press the edges or crimp the edge...your choice.

 Next, brush the top of each pie with olive oil.  My favorite is this Tuscan Herb Olive Oil from Luceros.

 They are large in size but most Stromboli's are.  They are meant to be a full meal to grab and go.

My process was to bake them in a 425° oven for approximately 50 minutes.

Here is my recipe:

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The Stromboli was perfectly brown and the filling was melty, cheesy and so satisfying.

We also had a side of marinara sauce for dipping or pouring over.  It is like a deconstructed pizza.
The next time you make pizza dough or see pizza dough, pick it up, bring it home and try making your own version of Stromboli.  I assure you, your family will thank you and request Stromboli or Calzone often.

"La cucina piccola fal la casa grande. "  ~Italian proverb

Translation: "A small kitchen makes the house big."

"Paese che vai, usanza che trovi."  ~ Anonymous 

Translation:  "Different places you visit, different customs you'll find."

Cuban Sandwich

325.  It's January and the New Years Celebrations have concluded as well as the extravagant meals and treats.  I roasted pork loin and had quite a large amount left over so I popped the remaining meat in the freezer.

Today, was a great day to pull out the pork and to transform it into another form, Cuban Sandwiches.

Here is my recipe:

Cuban Sandwich

2 to 3 pounds Roasted Pork, cooled and pulled/shredded apart

zest from one lime

Juice from 1 lime

1/2 cup apple or orange juice

1/2 cup dill pickle, chopped

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 cups chicken broth

2 sweet onions chopped thin

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

olive oil

salt and pepper

Place in a slow cooker or large covered pan.  For Slow Cooker:  Place all ingredients except the pork into the slow cooker.  Stir all together well till incorporated.  Place the pork on top of the sauce.  Set the slow cooker on High and cook for 6 hours.  

For large covered pan:  Place oil in pan and heat.  Add onion and garlic and sauté.  Add remaining ingredients and adjust seasoning.  Sauté for 1 hour stirring occasionally and testing pork for tenderness.

Construct the sandwich

long, unseeded Italian bread or soft Cuban bread

soft butter

sliced ham

sliced swiss cheese

sliced dill pickles

mustard yellow or sweet

Slice bread lengthwise and cut length for each individual sandwich.  Butter the outside of the bread.  On bottom side of bread begin to layer mustard, ham, pork and Swiss cheese and pickles.  Place top of bread over cheese and place whole sandwich on a panini press on high or in a cast iron pan with another heavy pan on top for weight.  Toast the sandwich well till cheese is melty and bread is crispy brown.

Remove from heat and cut the sandwich on a diagonal.  Transfer to serving plate and serve with chips and pickles.

 This sandwich is ideal as a make ahead meal or to prepare in a slow cooker  on a busy day.

"Too few people understand a really good sandwich."

-James Beard

Hot Ham and Cheese Panini with Red Pepper and Spinach

294. A hot panini sandwich is always satisfying when hungry.  Occasionally I don't know what to make for dinner, a hot sandwich with a bowl of soup is a go to.

I use two slices of sour dough bread, or any type of bread.  Spread both slices with butter and a thin coating of pesto on the inside and just butter on the outside.

I then placed slices of ham and provolone cheese, a handful of fresh spinach and a red pepper slice in oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

Place the top slice of bread on top 

Set on the center of a preheated hot sandwich/panini press.

The sandwich will compress and heat through toasting the bread golden brown.

Heat the sandwich to your desired crispiness.  Make sure the cheese is melted and oozing around the edges.

"Hors D'oeuvres...a ham sandwich cut into forty pieces."

~Jack Benny

Gourmet Ham and Cheese Pockets

288.  Here is an easy snack or appetizer you can fill with anything from savory to sweet.

 

It starts with Puff Pastry Sheets.

I roll out one sheet to a large square of 12"x12".  Then cut them into equal squares of 6 or twelve.

In a small bowl mix one egg with about a Tablespoon of water to make egg wash.  Brush the egg wash onto each square.

My filling for these yummy Ham and Cheese Pockets is sharp cheddar cheese, ham cubed or sliced into strips, one scallion (green onion) chopped, salt and pepper, dash of garlic salt, dash of soy sauce.  Mix together.

 Then dollop the filling evenly divided into each of the pastry squares not overfilling. Pull up one corner, brush the outside point with egg wash.

 Continue with each corner brushing four times

Once the filling is completely covered, pinch the center to ensure the pocket will not open in baking.  Brush egg wash over the top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  I like to use black sesame seeds for contrast and texture.

 Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes or till the crust is golden brown.
 Remove from oven and serve hot!  So yummy!

"Hors D'oeuvre:  A ham sandwich cut into forty pieces."

~Jack Benny

Shaker Bean Soup

179. I have the perfect soup recipe for you on a chilly autumn day. This recipe was in an old "Taste of Home-Country Woman" magazine many years ago. If you know anything about ToH, they include pull out recipe cards for you to place in your recipe box. And that is where this jewel is...in my "favorites" file.

When you first read the ingredients, it is difficult to assimilate the tastes with the finished product. But trust me, you will be in awe as you take the first couple bites and the richness and full body flavor of this soup surprises you!

Fresh ingredients are always my first choice, but frozen or canned substitutes work just as well.

Shaker Bean Soup

Country Woman (Taste of Home) Jan/Feb 1992

Grand Prize Winning Recipe

1 pound dry great northern beans

water

1 meaty ham bone or 2 smoked ham hocks (don't use a ham bone from a ham baked with cloves or spices.)

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 large stalks celery, diced

2 carrots, shredded

kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes in puree, or 6 fresh tomatoes chopped and crushed

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 cups finely shredded fresh spinach leaves, or one frozen package of spinach, thawed

Sort and rinse beans. Place in a Dutch oven or soup kettle; cover with water and bring to boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; let stand 1 hour. Drain beans and discard liquid. In the same kettle, place ham bone or hocks, 3 quarts of water and the beans. Bring to a full rolling boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until meat easily falls from the bone. Remove bones from broth and, when cool enough to handle, trim meat. Discard bones.

Add ham, onion, carrots, salt pepper and thyme. Simmer covered, 1 hour or until beans are tender.

Once beans are tender, continue with remaining ingredients.

Add tomatoes and brown sugar. Cook for 10 minutes. Just before serving, add spinach. This gives the soup a beautiful color with the bright green of the spinach.

The cook who shared this homemade recipe was Deborah, of Michigan.

You will be delighted to serve this delicious and beautiful, colorful soup. It is very hearty and filling. Perfect on a cold evening. And you will wait in line for seconds!

"Omit and substitute! That's how recipes should be written.

Please don't ever get so hung up on published recipes that you forget that you can omit and substitute."
~Jeff Smith (the Frugal Gourmet)

"Recipes are like poems; they keep what kept us.

And, good cooks are like poets; they know how to count."

~Henri Coulette

Thyme Honey Glazed Ham

68. Easter Dinner is always one of my favorite meals. This year we stayed close to home and prepared an easy delicious meal with trimmings. I went online and found several yummy recipes and they were all very pleasing. My centerpiece was a flower scape with grass and mini daffodils.

We made a scrumptious baked ham and used

the "Thyme Honey Glazed Ham" recipe and it turned out beautifully.

Instead of mashed potatoes and gravy, I made "Scalloped Sour Cream Potato Bake",

Ham gravy is so very salty and I never seem to enjoy it.

My mother told me that the Polish always have beets and horseradish with their Easter meal so for color I served Buttered Asparagus and Beets. I found several recipes for beets but didn't like all the extras that were added...a cooked, buttered, beet is one of the most delightful flavors of childhood for me.

Horseradish and pickles on the side, to be Polish.

And Brioche with butter...now that is French...oh well.

Dinner was so delicious...I wanted it to last for hours and hours.

For dessert we had coffee, savored

"Strawberry Mascarpone Fruit Tart" with "Chocolate Covered Macaroons"

and Polish Easter Bread. And, played several rounds of "Dutch Blitz"

(..are you practicing K?)

We enjoyed a restful day, besides my tumble onto the kitchen floor with hot asparagus tossed up in the air! Yes, I slipped and fell on a patch of water...from the ice cube our dog was eating...slipped with a pot of hot asparagus I was taking to the sink to drain and landed on the floor. My family thought I passed out...I was just mad the asparagus was on the floor!!! But, I'm ok...a little sore...and shook up...but ok. No more ice cubes for the dog!

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference."

~Winston Churchill