Busy Nothings

My parents hosted the Mother’s Day celebration today.  Here’s some pictures:

More pictures can be found here. 

A few more pics can be found here. 

This year, Easter included eating, Easter Egg hunting, and, for the very first time, swimming at Casselton, ND’s very own indoor waterpark. 

More pictures from Easter can be found here. 

This recipe is based on the Joy of Cooking’s Classic Italian American Lasagna (1997 edition, pg 314).  I have made that recipe as written at least 3 times to very, very good effect.  The sauce created by the pork and tomatoes is just amazing.  However, there are a few things about the recipe that I didn’t like as written.  First, it asks the cook to layer meatballs into the lasagna.  It’s an inventive idea but I just don’t see the purpose.  Inevitably, the layers will be uneven due to the size and shape of the meatballs, which means empty pockets in the lasagna and that is not a good thing.  Plus, it takes a bit of work to shape all of those meatballs which I am not necessarily opposed to but if you’re going to go whole hog on the thing like I do (i.e. making fresh pasta to go along with it), you’re not really looking for extra things to do.  Second, it asks the cook to layer in Italian sausage “coins” into the pasta.  For me, again, it makes for an uneven lasagna but more importantly, the sausage sort of takes over the dish.  I like Italian sausage but I don’t really like it as the dominant flavor in a lasagna.  Especially after you’ve spent 3-4 hours braising a piece of pork in the sauce.  I’d much rather taste that richly flavored sauce.  Finally, the recipe calls for a pork loin or a beef beef bottom round.  (This will be seem more clear when you read the recipe.)  I’ve never made it with the beef but using a pork loin seems just a poor choice because it’s so lean.  Sure, there’s a bit of fat right on top but that isn’t the same as having the fat and connective tissue that a pork shoulder or pork rib would have.  And since you’re braising it so long anyway, why not take advantage of being able to use a tougher cut of meat that will, in my opinion, add a lot more flavor the party.  So, with those thoughts in mind, here is my modified recipe:

Tony’s Best Lasagna

For the sauce:

2 T extra virgin olive oil

2 1/2 pounds country style pork ribs or pork shoulder (also named Boston Butt)

1 medium yellow onion, diced

6 oz bacon, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup water

2 28 oz cans whole tomatoes, with juice

1 cup red wine

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 tsp dried basil

For the meat filling:

2 large eggs

3 slices white bread

1 large handful parsley

about 2 oz Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp salt

Ground black pepper to taste

For the lasagna:

1 lb ricotta cheese

1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese

about 1 lb fresh lasagna noodles, cooked slightly, preferably Fresh All-Egg-Yolk Pasta

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Begin by making the sauce.  Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven or a pot large enough to hold all of the sauce ingredients.  Season the meat liberally with salt and pepper and deeply sear the pork on all sides, working in batches if needed.  Remove the pork to a plate.  Add the onions, bacon, and garlic.  Sprinkle some salt in the pot as well (to ensure that the onions release their juices).  Saute, stirring often, until the onions are softened and have taken a bit of color.  At this point, your pan should have a “clean” bottom as the onion juice has deglazed the pan.  (Don’t worry if it hasn’t happened, though.)  Put the meat and any accumulated juices back in the pan and then add the water.  Increase the heat to medium high and cook until almost all of the water has evaporated and it looks saucelike in the pan.  Then add the tomatoes, red wine, tomato paste, and basil.  Bring the pot to a boil and then stick the pot into the oven uncovered.  Bake for about 3-4 hours or until the meat is fall apart tender, stirring every hour or so. 

When tender, remove the meat from the sauce and let it cool on a plate.  Take your stick blender to the sauce and puree it.  (Alternatively, process the sauce in the blender or food processor.  If you don’t have any of those, crush the tomatoes in your hands before adding them to the pot or use crushed or diced tomatoes.)  Taste the sauce and adjust any seasonings, even adding a bit of sugar if the sauce is too acidic. 

Then place the meat in a food processor and process until shredded finely.  (Or shred by hand.)  Remove the meat from the food processor and then place the eggs, bread, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in the food processor and process until finely chopped.  Mix everything together.  (Alternatively, chop everything by hand and mix it up.) 

Now you can assemble the lasagna.  Using a large, glass rectangular baking pan, place about 1/2 cup of the sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Then start layering in this order: lasagna smeared with ricotta cheese, meat filling mixture, mozzarella cheese, salt, pepper, and about 1 1/2 cups sauce.  After each layer, using a spatula, even everything out and make sure the sauce reaches everywhere.  The last layer should be simply noodles with ricotta, the remaining sauce, and then the remaining mozzarella cheese and the 1/4 cup Parmesan.  Use your judgment to juggle the amounts as you’re building it.  It’s not an exact science and don’t sweat it if you’re layers are a bit uneven.  It will still be delicious. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until well-browned and bubbly.  Let is stand for 15 minutes before serving. 

The lasagna can be assembled one day ahead.  Keep in the refrigerator.  However, adjust your baking time if you’re are baking a cold lasagna. 

OK, so that’s a lot of work.  I know it.  It takes at least a half a day to assemble but this is worth it.  And it’s a great thing to make for a special occasion, like making it for Christmas Eve as I did for my family.  Here’s a picture of a piece:

My late Grandmother was one of the finest cooks I’ve ever known.  Everything she made just sparkled with good, homely goodness.  She made excellent pickles, pies, salads, lefse, rommegrot, and cookies.   I sometimes feel a little sad that I won’t ever be able to eat her food anymore.  No one has been able to replicate the quality of food that she created. 

These cookies are good representation of her style.  They are a solidly good cookie that just feels so comforting in your mouth.  There’s a bit of tang from the sour cream as well.  These are the type of cookies that I think, if made for your kids, would be remembered by them as something that symbolized their childhood.   

Here’s the recipe.  The recipe is written as my grandmother hand wrote it to my family.  My additions are in brackets.

Grandma Gert’s Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter

2 cups white sugar

Cream good.

Add 3 eggs.

Stir good.

Add 1/2 cup sour cream.

Stir good.

Add 4 cups flour

1 tsp soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

[Mix all dry ingredients together first and then add to the butter/egg mixture in 3 additions.  Mix the vanilla into the butter/egg mixture before the dry goods are added.]

Let stand a couple hours [at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap].

Make in balls, press with sugar coated glass, press down good.  [Dust with more sugar; for a festive look, use dyed sugar.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake on parchment paper or a greased cookie sheet for 11 minutes or until they are just done.  They will not necessarily have brown around the edges.  In fact, if they do, you probably overcooked them.  Cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack.]

And here’s a picture of my grandmother with her husband Bill, my parents, and my nephew. 

I spent Thanksgiving at my parent’s house as I have done almost uniformly for the entirety of my life. Even more impressively, I think, is the fact that my family has done the celebrating at the same house for that entire time.  I feel quite lucky to have that sense of continuity in my life; it gives me a sense of permanency and connectedness.  But on to the food.  Here’s our Thanksgiving spread for 21 guests:

The menu was classic Thanksgiving fare: turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce.  But with such a big crowd, some other dishes made an appearance: Ham, a ramen noodle salad, buns, corn, and a separate dressing.  It turned out to be a lot of food.  I made a ham and the sweet potatoes.  I’ll post those in separate posts. 

More Thanksgiving pictures can be found here.  My favorites from that web album are the following pictures.  The first is a foster child my sister is looking after:

The next is my sister Jessy sampling the Ramen Noodle salad:

This one is just a happy nephew:

And finally, my nephew is helped by my sister Jessy in singing karaoke:

My nephew turned five yesterday.  Here are some pictures.  The first is of me and my littlest nephew:

Two more nephews:

My sister-in-law is enjoying Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii:

And here’s the birthday boy:

And finally, the gift of the day (Elefun):

More pictures from the party can be found here. 

This is one of my favorite cheesecakes.  The cake itself is not too sweet and has a rich, velvety texture but what really makes it good is the sour cream topping that is added at the very end of cooking.  It’s a “wow” ingredient that separates it from any other cheesecake I’ve ever had.  I also really like this recipe because it is so darned simple and is about being a cheesecake instead of some other flavor.  I like chocolate and turtle and raspberry cheesecakes and the like but sometimes, a good, simple cheesecake is more satisfying.  This is a truly great recipe.  Here it is:

Charcoal Room Chessecake, recipe courtesy of Bridget Carns

3/4 cup fine graham cracker crumbs

2 T butter, room temperature

1 cup plus 5 T sugar

1 1/2 lb cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 eggs, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup blanched, slivered almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together graham cracker crumbs, butter, and 2 T sugar with fingers.  Press on the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese well.  Slowly beat in 1 cup sugar, then eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition.  Add 1 tsp vanillla and pour into prepared pan.  Bake for 50-60 minutes or until set.

Meanwhile, mix together sour cream, 3 T sugar, and 1 tsp vanillla.

When cheesecake is set, remove from oven, and increase oven temperature to 500 degrees.  Spread sour cream mixture on cake and bake 5 minutes longer.  Chill, remove from pan, and sprinkle with the almonds. 

A few notes about the recipe:  1)  Sprinkle the toasted almonds on as late as you can.  They will take on some moisture from the cheesecake and lose crispness.  Better yet, just have your guests sprinkle them on as they take their piece.  2)  Cherry pie filling is good on this cheesecake as well. 

Enjoy!  People really like to eat this recipe.  I brought it to a baptism and recieved a lot of nice compliments about it. 

ADDED: An updated picture with a new serving idea can be found here.