Lasagna Timbales

A few months ago my uncle sent me a bunch of old cookbooks that used to belong to my grandma.  I love looking through these- mainly to gawk at the disgusting looking depression-era recipes that people thought worthy of publishing.  One of them is "The American Woman's Cook Book," published in 1947.  Although most of the recipes in here are far from inspiring I did find an idea that looked interesting.  The book has a quote from the Canned Salmon Industry describing it this way:  "The clever hostess will make timbales of shredded potatoes, spaghetti or fine noodles and fill them with Salmon a la King- for instance."  Obviously I was not going to fill them with Salmon a la King, but I did like the idea of the pasta timbale.  I decided to test this out with a lasagna-style filling.  They turned out pretty well and make a unique appetizer.

Here's what you'll need:

1 15 oz. container ricotta cheese
1 clove garlic, quartered
6 oz jar artichokes, drained
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 lb bucatini
1 1/2 tsp oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
1 24-oz jar good pasta sauce (I used Wegman's Pomodoro Sauce)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Start by pouring the ricotta cheese in a mesh strainer.  Let the cheese drain while you prepare the other ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place garlic, artichokes and mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse chop until vegetables are in a small dice. 

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook mushroom mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has been expelled.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the bucatini until al dente.  Drain and rinse with cold water so that the pasta is cool enough to handle.

Spray muffin tin with olive oil.  Coil pasta strands around the outside of each muffin cup, leaving space for the filling in the middle.  You will probably have enough pasta for 18 muffin cups.  Set aside.

Stir together drained ricotta cheese, mushroom mixture, oregano, salt, pepper and 1 cup of pasta sauce.

Spoon mixture into pasta cups.  Top each cup with mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven.  Put cookie tray over muffin tin, hold the two tightly together and flip over.  Lift muffin tin off very carefully.  Gently remove each timbale from the pan and plate individually.  Serve, with the remainder of the sauce heated and passed at the table.

Caribbean Night!

My boyfriend and I got back from a Caribbean cruise yesterday.  After returning to work today we experienced major vacation withdrawal.  I decided to ease our adjustment back into real life with a little taste of the tropics - Peanut Porridge with Tempeh Bacon, Jamaican "Meat" Patties, and Coconut Rice & Beans.  I have altered all of these recipes quite a bit, but my inspiration came from this website.

Peanut Porridge with Tempeh Bacon

2 tbsp butter
1 small onion, diced
1 stalk celery, sliced
2 tbsp flour
3 cups un-chicken broth
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp sherry
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp canola oil
1 pkg tempeh bacon

Melt butter in a sauce pan.  Add onion and celery.  Saute until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add flour and mix into vegetables.  Slowly add un-chicken broth, while stirring constantly.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat canola oil on skillet.  Spread out tempeh bacon slices in a single layer.  Cook until browned on each side.  Chop into pieces and set aside.

Remove broth and veggies from heat.  Stir in peanut butter, sherry and lemon juice.  Add tempeh bacon and serve.

Jamaican "Meat" Patties

Start by making the dough...

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsps turmeric
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup butter, cold and cut into pieces
2 cups ice water

Combine flour, turmeric and salt in a bowl.  Using a pastry cutter, blend in butter until the mixture is well-combined and crumbly.  Add the ice water a 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough gathers into a ball.  Set aside.

Now make the filling...

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 package imitation ground beef (I used Gimme Lean)
2 tbsp curry powder
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup un-chicken broth or water
1 egg, beaten

Heat oil in a large skillet.  Add onion and garlic and saute until softened.  Add imitation beef and cook until browned.  You may need to add a little extra oil if it's sticking too much.  Add curry powder and black pepper.  Cook another 5 minutes.  Add broth.  Stir in bread crumbs.  Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Divide dough into quarters.  On a lightly floured surface roll each piece into a circle, about a 1/4 inch thick.  Put 1/4 of the "meat" filling in the center of each round of dough and fold over to create a half circle.  Press the edges with a fork.  Place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and brush with beaten egg.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until browned.


Coconut Rice & Beans

1 -15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
1 -15 oz. can light coconut milk
1 -15 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place black beans, onion, jalapeno and garlic in a large frying pan (with a cover) and cook over medium heat.  Stir until onion and pepper are softened.  Add tomatoes and their juices.  Stir in uncooked rice.  Add coconut milk.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the rice has absorbed the liquid.  Add some more water, if necessary.

Play some reggae, mix a mojito and enjoy!