Rosemary Focaccia (bread machine)

From Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook

Makes 1 focaccia, 8 servings

3/4 cup water
2 T olive or vegetable oil
2 cups bread flour
1 T sugar
1 t salt
1 1/2 t bread machine or quick active dry yeast


3 T olive or vegetable oil
2-3 T chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Coarse salt, if desired

Measure carefully, placing all ingredients EXCEPT 3 T oil, rosemary and coarse salt in the bread machine pan. Select dough/manual cycle. Do not use delay cycles.

Remove dough from pan using lightly floured hands. Cover let rest on lightly floured surface 10 minutes.

Grease large cookie sheet. Roll or pat dough into 12-inch circle on cookie sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes or until almost double.

Heat oven to 400. Make depressions in the dough at 1 inch intervals with fingertips. Drizzle with 3 T oil. Sprinkle with rosemary and coarse slat. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm, or cool on wire rack.

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna with Tomato Sauce

This is from the America's Test Kitchen "Cover and Bake" cookbook. It's awesome. The only thing I did different is that I didn't use fresh basil (I used dried) and I didn't use as much cheese as it calls for. I bought as much cheese as it calls for, but holy crap, it's a lot, and I didn't use it all. Oh yeah, and I didn't buy curly-leaf spinach, because I couldn't find it, and my bag was only 9 oz. Okay, here goes.

Serves 6 to 8

Cremini mushrooms are particularly good in this dish, but any fresh mushroom is fine. Smoked mazzarella, Gruyere, or fontina can be substituted for the mozzarella and Pecorino Romano for the Parmesan. Also, 3 1/2 cups of your favorite prepared tomato sauce can be substituted for the sauce in this recipe. Feel free to substitute 3 cups of your favorite cooked vegetables (roasted, steamed, sauteed, grilled, or broiled) for the mushrooms and spinach.

5 tablespoons olive oil
1 (10-ounce) bag curly-leaf spinach, washed, stemmed, and chopped
Salt and ground black pepper
1 medium onion, minced
1 pound cremini or white button mushrooms, stems trimmed, brushed clean, and sliced thin
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
12 no-boil lasagna noodles from one 8 or 9-ounce package
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 5 1/3 cups)
3 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the spinach in handfuls and cook, stirring, until the spinach is wilted, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; transfer the spinach to a colander. Gently squeeze any excess liquid from the spinach; set aside (the cooked spinach should measure about 1 1/2 cups).

2. Wipe the pot clean and add 2 more tablespoons oil; return the pot to medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute until they have released their moisture and are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste; transfer to a bowl and set aside (the cooked mushrooms should measure about 1 1/2 cups).

3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and the garlic; return the pot to medium heat until the garlic is fragrant but not brown, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes; bring to a simmer and cook until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce into a large measuring cup and add enough water to make 3 1/2 cups.

4. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce evenly over the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish (or a shallow casserole dish of similar size). Lay 3 of the noodles crosswise over the sauce, making sure they do not touch each other or the sides of the dish. Spread 1 cup of the prepared vegetables evenly over the noodles, 2/3 cup of the sauce evenly over the vegetables, and 1 1/3 cups of the mozzarella and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan evenly over the sauce. Repeat this layering of the noodles, vegetables, sauce, and cheeses twice more. For the fourth and final layer, lay the last 3 noodles crosswise over the previous layer and top with the remaining 1 cup tomato sauce, 1 1/3 cups mozzarella, and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

5. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a large sheet of foil with nonstick cooking spray and cover the lasagna. Bake 25 minutes; remove the foil and continue baking until the top turns golden brown in spots, about 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Cheesy Stuffed Shells

Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 1 hr 45 min
Level: Easy
Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Sauce:
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
Freshly ground pepper

For the Shells:
1 12-ounce box jumbo pasta shells
8 ounces silken tofu, mashed
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrot, zucchini, onion and celery and sauté until soft but not brown, 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the basil, oregano, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, prepare the shells: Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 8 minutes; drain. Mix the tofu, spinach, cottage cheese, parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, the egg and garlic in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Mist a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread about 1 cup of the sauce in the dish. Stuff the cheese mixture into the shells and place in the baking dish, open-side up. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and bake for 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Italian Sausage Manicotti

1 pkg. ground Italian Sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
15 oz. Ricotta cheese
3 cups mozzarella cheese, plus a little extra for topping
1 cup parmesan cheese, plus a little extra for topping
1 egg
2 cloves garlic
S&P to taste
1 jar marinara sauce
Cooked manicotti noodles or large pasta shells, cooked to al dente, rinsed and drained

Cook sausage and onion. Meanwhile, combine all three cheeses, egg, garlic and salt and pepper until thoroughly mixed. Allow sausage and onion to cool, then combine with cheese mixture. Ladle a couple of spoonfuls of marinara sauce on bottom of casserole dish, then stuff noodles with cheesy sausage mixture and place on top of sauce. Once all noodles are stuffed, top with remaining marinara sauce and cheese. Bake in oven 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until cheese and sauce is bubbly.

Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

We have been getting eggplant from our local farm and I finally found an excellent recipe for it. I halved it for my family of 4. Sorry I always forget to take pictures!

Ingredients

2 lbs (about 2 large) eggplants
Kosher salt
1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
4 large eggs, beaten (I had a lot left over with 2 egss, but I don't know if 1 would have been enough)
1 1/2 lbs of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 cup grated high quality Parmesan cheese
1 packed cup fresh basil leaves

Method

1 Cut eggplants lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Arrange one layer in the bottom of a large colander and sprinkle evenly and generously with salt. Repeat with remaining eggplant, salting, until all eggplant is in the colander. Weigh down the slices with a couple of plates and let drain for 2 hours. The purpose of this step is to have the eggplant release some of its moisture before cooking. (I only did this for about 40 minutes)

2 While the eggplant is draining, prepare tomato sauce. Combine tomatoes, garlic and 1/3 cup olive oil in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper to tasted and set aside. (I used already diced tomatoes and didn't use a food processor. Also I added sauteed onions to the sauce. I'm sure you could add whatever herbs you usually like in a pasta sauce, or probably use jarred sauce for a shortcut.)

3 When eggplant has drained, press down on it to remove excess water, and lay the slices out on paper towels to remove all the moisture. In a wide, shallow bowl, combine flour and breadcrumbs. Mix well. Pour beaten eggs into another wide shallow bowl. Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat, and pour in a a half inch of olive oil. When oil is shimmering, dredge the eggplant slices first in the flour mixture, then in the beaten egg. Working in batches, slide coated eggplant into hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once. Drain on paper towels. (don't you usually do the egg first and then the bread crumbs?)

4 Preheat the oven to 350°F. In the bottom of a 10x15 inch glass baking dish, spread 1 cup of tomato sauce. Top with one third of the eggplant slices. Top eggplant with half of the mozzarella slices. Sprinkle with one third of the Parmesan and half of the basil leaves. ( I used a 9x9 for half the recipe and it fit great)

5 Make a second layer of eggplant slices, topped by 1 cup of sauce, remaining mozzarella, half the remaining Parmesan, and all of the remaining basil. Add remaining eggplant, and top with the remaining tomato sauce and Parmesan.

6 Bake until cheese has melted and the top is slightly brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.

Herbed Tomato Sauce

This is a great way to use some of the tomatoes you may be growing in your garden. Serves 4

2 T olive oil
3 shallots OR 1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, finely chopped
2 T no salt added tomato paste
1/2 C chopped fresh basil
2 t chopped fresh rosemary, or 3/4 t dried crumbled rosemary
2 T snipped fresh chives or minced scallion greens
1 1/4 t salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper (or to taste)
10 ounces medium tube pasta, such as ziti or penne

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil until hot. Saute shallots/onion and garlic, stirring frequently, until shallots/onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to large bowl.

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, rosemary, chives, salt and cayenne to the bowl, stirring well to combine.*

Meanwhile cook the pasta til just tender and drain well. Toss the hot pasta with the sauce and the remaining oil.

*My tomatoes had been in the refrigerator, so I just combined everything in the skillet to make sure they were warmed, putting the herbs in right before tossing with the pasta.

Chicken, Pine Nut, and Basil Sauce

Serves 4

10 oz shaped pasta, such as rotini or radiatore.
1 T olive oil
3/4 poiund chicken cut into 1/2 pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
13 3/4 ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 coarsely chopped sun-dried (not oil packed) tomatoes (I used fresh, but it made it really wet and I had to boil a lot of liquid off.)
1/2 t salt
1/4 t red pepper flakes
3/4 C packed fresh basil leaves
2 T reduced-fat cream cheese
1 T pine nuts

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil until hot but not smoking over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate.

Cook pasta according to package.

While the pasta is cooking, add the remaining teaspoon oil and the garlic to the skillet and cook until the garlic is softned, about 1 minute. Reserve 1/4 C broth. Add the remaining broth, tomatoes, salt, and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes are very soft, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine the reserved broth, the basil, cream chesse, and pine nuts and process to a smooth puree. Stir the puree into the skillet. Return the chicken to the pan and cook until the sauce is smooth and creamy and the chicken is heated through, 2-3 mintues. Toss the sauce with the hot pasta, dived among 4 bowls, and serve topped with freshly grated parmesan and side salad.