Sweet Potato and Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

Last weekend, my hometown in Massachusetts got about three feet of snow. Yesterday it was our turn, except we only got an inch, if that. Big fluffy flakes fell throughout the morning and afternoon, but it took a while for them to stick. Today, you’d hardly know we were living in a winter wonderland yesterday. A few shrubs in the shade are still dusted with white, and parts of our deck are still covered, but most of the snow is gone. So sad.

It was still snowing when I went to the supermarket. The street and store were strangely quiet for a Saturday afternoon. The Girl Scouts were packing up their cookie stand when I arrived, so I dodged yet another box. I made a promise that I would buy a box each time I saw them. I don’t mind getting a break from that promise.

Yesterday morning, one of my friends posted a recipe for shepherd’s pie on Facebook. I remembered I had pinned a shepherd’s pie recipe that used sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes — a Skinny Taste recipe. I’ve made a few of her recipes – Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy is one of my favorites – and knew that shepherd’s pie would be perfect cozy food for a cold night.

I only made a slight change to her recipe: I used frozen corn and peas, and added carrots to the onion mixture. I also used smoked paprika instead of regular paprika. The shepherd’s pie was delicious. I’m looking forward to having the leftovers for dinner on Tuesday, my next night to cook.

Sweet Potato and Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

You’ll need a large pot, colander, large skillet and casserole dish.

For the potatoes:

• 1-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, smooshed
• 1/2 cup 1% or 2% milk
• 1/4 cup fat free low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons reduced fat sour cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the filling:

• 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 parsnip, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 8 ounces mushrooms, diced
• 10 ounces frozen peas and corn 
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• Salt and pepper
• Paprika or smoked paprika

Boil sweet potatoes and garlic in a pot of salted water until cooked and soft. Drain and mash with milk, chicken broth, sour cream, salt and pepper.  

While the sweet potatoes are boiling, brown the turkey in a large pan. Season with salt and pepper. When cooked, remove to a plate. Add olive oil to the pan. Add the onion, celery, parsnip, carrot, salt and pepper, cook about 12 minutes, until vegetables are slightly softened.

Add garlic and mushrooms, and sauté another 3-4 minutes. Add flour, salt and pepper and mix well. Add peas, corn, chicken broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, cooked turkey, and mix well. Simmer on low about 5-10 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F.

Spread meat mixture on the bottom of a casserole. Top with mashed sweet potatoes. Use a fork to scrape the top of the potatoes to make ridges. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake 20 minutes or until potatoes turn golden. Remove from oven and let it cool 10 minutes before serving.

Original recipe: Sweet Potato Turkey Shepard’s Pie, Skinny Taste

Chipotle Sloppy Joe’s

What are your mandatory kitchen ingredients? I can’t imagine not having onions, garlic, eggs, parmesan, and pasta in mine. I can create enough meals out of those five ingredients, plus olive oil and a well-stocked spice and herb collection, to keep me going for days.

Chipotle should also be on that list. I have at least one can of chipotle en adobo in the cupboard at all times. As soon as I open one can, I buy another, just in case. So, I always have my eye out for recipes to use up the leftover chipotle in the refrigerator.

I found a recipe for 15-minute Chipotle Sloppy Joe’s on the Slow Roasted Italian blog. To boost the flavor, I added onion, poblano pepper, garlic and dark beer to the recipe. Jim said he wasn’t a big fan of sloppy Joe’s because they’re usually too sweet, so I substituted molasses for half of the brown sugar.

They were no longer 15 minute Sloppy Joe’s but, holy moly, they were delicious. Too bad I didn’t find this recipe before the Super Bowl because it would be a great dish for a crowd if the recipe was doubled or tripled. I would still cook it on the stove, but then transfer it to a slow cooker to keep warm.

My side dish, vegetables al pesto (made with zucchini, mushrooms, onion, poblano, corn, and grape tomatoes), was a perfect accompaniment. I was going to serve sweet potato fries as a side, but after having a salad to start, I didn’t think we needed them. That’s another ingredient that’s always good to have on hand – frozen sweet potato fries.

Chipotle Sloppy Joe’s 

You’ll need a large skillet and medium bowl.

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 pound 93% lean beef 
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup (or more) stout or porter
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo, chopped (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from chipotle peppers)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• Hamburger buns
• Bread and butter pickle slices
• Sweet onion slices
• Thin slices of cheddar cheese

In a skillet over medium heat, add oil and beef.  Cook beef until browned, using a heat safe spatula to break it apart as it cooks. When nearly done, add onion, pepper and garlic. Cook until onion is softened. Add beer and cook until evaporated.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine tomato sauce, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, brown sugar, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, and spices.  Whisk to combine well.

Add chipotle sauce to beef mixture.  Stir to combine.  Cook 4-5 minutes, until sauce is thick.  Remove from heat.

Serve on toasted hamburger bun with pickle and onion slices and cheese.

Original inspiration: Smoky Chipotle Sloppy Joe’s in 15 Minutes, Slow Roasted Italian

Moussaka

I don’t know how other bloggers do it. When I make a good meal, the last thing on my mind is taking photos and writing about it. By the time I’m done cooking, I’m ready to sit down with my guy and eat, not take photos. But every now and then I feel the call of the blog, whip the phone out and take a crappy photo. My motivation: I get lots of great ideas from other cooking blogs, so someone out there might get a great idea from mine.

What do you do while you’re cooking? If Chopped is on, I like watching that. But usually I’m making a protein, veg and side, and sometimes it can get a little crazy trying to get them all ready at once. I’m stirring and chopping and I hear Ted say, “Two minutes!” All of a sudden, I’m in turbo mode.

And then, I’m done. Already? I’ve got time to spare. I feel like I was just involved in some kind of athletic event. Am I sweating? It’s time for a glass of wine. I stand there sipping, leaning against the counter, and feel victorious. Because I just cooked a five star meal.

That happens to you too, right?

Here’s one of those five star meals. I know ground lamb is pricey, but this dish will last a few meals so it works out. I made this for Sunday dinner, we had it again Tuesday, and there was plenty left over for lunches too. Now that I sit here thinking about it in retrospect, I bet spinach would be a fantastic addition to this dish. Next time, I’m adding it.

This dish does take time – about 2-1/2 hours if it’s a lazy Sunday and you’re not watching Chopped. I broke up the recipe below so the ingredients are listed just above their part of the preparation. 

Wait for a cold day, and take the time to make this. It’s not much to look at (photographer’s fault) but it’s sooooo good. The meat sauce is incredibly flavorful and the bechamel on top puffs up, thanks to those egg yolks, into something like a light custard. Opa!

Moussaka

You’ll need a small bowl, 6-1/2-quart pot or Dutch oven, strainer, two sheet pans, 2-quart saucepan, whisk, and a 3-quart baking dish.

Allow 2-1/2 hours to prep/cook.

• 1⁄4 cup dried currants

Preheat oven to 400. Put currants into a small bowl and cover with boiling water; let soften for 30 minutes. Drain currants and set aside.

• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound ground lamb
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground allspice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 4-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, cored, and finely chopped
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 28-oz. can crushed tomatoes 

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 6-qt. pot over medium-high heat. Add the lamb, cayenne, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, salt and pepper and cook, stirring to break up the meat, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer lamb to a large strainer set over a bowl and drain; discard any liquid left in the pot.

Return pot to the heat and add the remaining olive oil along with the garlic, onions and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost evaporated, 10-15 minutes. Add the tomatoes, currants and lamb and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and set meat sauce aside.

• Cooking spray
• 1-1⁄2 pounds eggplant, cut crosswise into 1⁄4″-thick slices
• 1 large russet potato (about 1 lb.), cut crosswise into 1⁄4″-thick slices

Spray two sheet pans with cooking spray. Spread the eggplant and potato slices on the pans and spray the tops with cooking spray. Roast until tender, turning over after about 10 minutes.

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter and/or margarine
• 1⁄2 cup flour
• 2-1⁄4 cups milk
• 1 bay leaf
• Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• 1⁄2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup grated Parmesan

Make a béchamel sauce: Melt butter in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until pale and smooth, 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, add the milk in a steady stream until incorporated; add the bay leaf and cook, whisking often, until reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and discard the bay leaf. Let sauce cool for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt and egg yolks, temper it with some of the bechamel and then whisk it into the sauce until smooth.

Reheat oven to 400. Place the reserved potato slices in the bottom of an oval 3-qt. baking dish (or two 1 1⁄2-qt. baking dishes) and season with salt and pepper. Put the eggplant slices on top, season with salt and pepper, and then cover with the meat sauce. Pour the béchamel over the top of the meat sauce and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle Parmesan evenly over the top and bake until browned and bubbly, 35-45 minutes. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.  

Original recipe: Moussaka, Saveur 

Russian Teacakes

As long as I can remember, my mother has made Russian Teacakes at Christmas. She still does. I expect to see a container of them when I visit soon, if not I’ll make some.

Your family may have another name for these melt-in-your-mouth cookies — butterballs, snowballs, or Mexican wedding cakes. I think the Italians have a similar crescent-shaped cookie.

I don’t remember where I got this recipe. Because I wrote it on an index card, now nicely yellowed with age, I’m assuming it’s my mother’s. My recipe may have more almond extract than others because I love that almond flavor. Keep an eye on these cookies toward the end of baking. They can overcook and get a bit dry. 

These Christmas cookies make a great snack, dessert, or, if you must know, breakfast. Santa loves them too.

Russian Teacakes

Yield 48

 You’ll need two mixing bowls and a baking sheet.

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, sifted, plus more for coating the cookies
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/4 cups flour, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped (or pecans)

Mix butter, sugar, almond and vanilla extract thoroughly. Sift together and stir in flour and salt. Mix in walnuts. Chill dough.

Preheat oven to 400. Roll dough into 1” balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet. The cookies won’t spread so you can put them close to each other. Bake until set but not brown, about 10-12 minutes. Tops and sides will be pale yellow and bottoms will be light tan.

While still warm, roll in confectioners sugar. Cool. Roll in sugar again.

Italian Fig Cookies – Cucidati for Christmas

I love Italian cookies. My grandmother’s neighborhood in East Cambridge, Massachusetts had a fantastic Italian bakery, Royal Pastry Shop. Whenever we went to Grandma’s house, she would send out my Grandpa to get donuts, Italian cookies or Portuguese sweet bread. But the Italian cookies were always my favorite.

Even today, Italian cookies from Royal are bound to show up at a family event. My cousin even had them at her rehearsal dinner on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I’m hoping someone brings them to Christmas this year. But just in case, maybe I’ll make some of my own, starting with these fig cookies.

Every few years, I bake a lot of Christmas cookies. Last year was one of those years. I made these delicious Italian fig cookies along with several others. They take some time since you have to make candied orange peel – unless you’re lucky enough to find high-quality peel in a store. Plus, there’s the rolling and cutting. But, by gosh, they’re worth it. I made five different cookies last Christmas, and these were our favorites.

Italian Fig Cookies – Cucidati

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

You’ll need a vegetable peeler, small saucepan, tongs, food processor, plastic wrap, two baking sheets, parchment paper or Silpat, rolling pin, pastry brush,

Dough

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces cold unsalted butter or 1/2 pound cold lard, cut into pieces
• 4 large eggs

Filling

• One 12-ounce package dried Calimyrna or Mission figs
• 1/2 cup unblanched almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup plump golden raisins (rehydrate in hot water if necessary)
• 1/4 cup candied orange peel, diced (see recipe below)
• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 large egg beaten with a pinch of salt, for egg wash
• Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

Put flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor fitted with the metal blade; pulse just to mix. Add the butter pieces and pulse 20 times. Add eggs and pulse until dough forms a ball on the blade. Remove from processor and knead briefly on a lightly floured work surface until smooth. Shape dough into a log and wrap in plastic.

Remove stems from figs and cut the figs into medium-size dice. Put figs and remaining filling ingredients into the food processor and pulse with the metal blade until finely chopped. Scrape filling onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead to blend it, and shape it into a rough log. Cut the log into 12 even pieces.

Position racks to divide oven into thirds and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, on a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough under your hands to form a 12-inch rope. Use a rolling pin to roll the rope into a 3- by 12-inch rectangle. Run a blunt knife under the dough to make certain it hasn’t stuck to the work surface and brush the top of the dough with egg wash.

Roll a piece of filling into a 12-inch rope and center it on the rolled-out dough. Pull the dough up around the filling, making a seam, and roll it into a cylinder, about 15 inches long. Cut them as long as you want.

Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet. Bake cookies for 15 minutes, or until a light golden color. Transfer to racks to cool.

Icing

• 1-3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Multicolored nonpareils

Sift sugar then add milk slowly to form a soft, smooth icing. If icing gets too thick, microwave it for 10 seconds to thin it enough for dipping. Hold cookie in your hand and turn upside down so you can dip the top half in the glaze; turn over and place on pan. Do about six quickly then immediately top with sprinkles (nonpareils) so they will stick. Allow icing to harden overnight; then store in air-tight containers or freeze.

Original recipes: Cucidati (Italian Fig Cookies), Proud Italian Cook and Cucidati (Sicilian Fig-Filled Cookies), Nick Malgieri, Great Italian Desserts, page 198

Candied Orange Peel

• 1 large navel orange
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Using a vegetable peeler, cut the orange part of the peel from the stem end of the orange down to the navel end, forming long 3/4 to 1-inch-wide strips.

Bring a heavy small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the peels and cook for 1 minute. Drain and then rinse the peels under cold water. Repeat cooking the peels in the saucepan with fresh boiling water and rinsing under cold water.

Stir the sugar and 1/2 cup of fresh water in a heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Add the orange peels and simmer over medium-low heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the peels to a sheet of parchment paper to dry slightly, about 1 hour.

Original recipe: Candied Orange Peel, Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network

Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

Most of us here on the east coast, even those of us who didn’t suffer from the wrath of Hurricane Sandy, are more than ready for comfort food. The temperatures have dipped, the wind is gusting, cozy slipper weather is here. I found a dish on The Lemon Bowl blog that’s a little different than the usual meat, pasta or potato version of comfort: acorn squash stuffed with a mixture of Italian sausage, eggplant, tomatoes and herbs.

I bought two squash thinking we would have two halves each. Well, that was silly, and not at all what the recipe said, if I had bothered to read it carefully. I made four halves, but we only ate one each for dinner and had the other two later in the week. I served green beans and a brown rice mix on the side.

Even though I overfilled the squash cavities, I still had filling left over. Strangely enough, it disappeared from the refrigerator some time during the next day. I guess somebody really liked it.

I will make this again. You can get creative with the filling ingredients. We loved the combination of Italian sausage and eggplant, but I can imagine all kinds of substitutions.

Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

You’ll need a glass microwaveable and oven-safe baking dish for the squash (or another dish that’s safe for one or the other) and a large deep skillet.

• 2 acorn squash
• Olive oil
• 1-1/2 medium onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme or 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary or 2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
• 1 pound Italian turkey or pork sausage (sweet or hot, bulk or casing)
• 4 cups eggplant, diced (about 1/2 large eggplant)
• One 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  
• 1/4 cup some panko breadcrumbs
• 1 thin sliver of butter or drizzle of olive oil for each squash cup

 Cut each squash horizontally to form two cups. Shave off the bottom of each “cup” to create a flat surface. Scoop out the seeds. If you’re like me, you toss the seeds with olive oil, salt and spices and roast them later.

Place squash pieces in a glass container with 1/2 inch of water, face down, and microwave until tender. The original recipe said it would take 6-8 minutes, but mine took about twice that, probably because I had more than one in there.

Meanwhile, heat up the olive oil and sauté the onion in a skillet over medium high heat for 5-6 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and dried herbs (basil, thyme and rosemary) and cook for an additional 60 seconds. If you’re using fresh herbs, add them later with the eggplant and tomatoes.

Add the sausage from its casing to the pan. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to it up sausage into bite sized pieces. Brown the sausage for 4-5 minutes, continually breaking it up with the spoon. Add the eggplant and tomatoes (and fresh herbs, if using) plus a pinch of salt and pepper to release juices. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until the juices cook down, about 8-10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, turn the oven to broil and place the squash cups in a glass baking dish. Fill both cups, I mean, overfill them, with equal parts sausage stuffing. Mix together the parmesan and breadcrumbs. Top each squash with 2 tablespoons of the cheese/crumb topping and a drizzle of olive oil or sliver of butter. Broil for 2 minutes or until the topping is browned.

Original recipe: Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash, The Lemon Bowl

Summer Squash “Pasta” with Tomatoes and Herbs

Quick, before all the summer squash is picked, try this “pasta.” Ok, it’s not really a pasta; it just sort of looks that way.

I’ve seen pseudo-pasta recipes before, usually for spaghetti squash. In colder seasons, when I’m getting tired of butternut squash, acorn squash, and their winter squash cousins, I often make an Italian “pasta” side dish using spaghetti squash.

This “pasta” recipe from Whole Foods Market comes together quickly. Instead of using the whole squash, I only peeled it down to the seeds. Once I hit the seeds, I stopped, and used the remaining squash skeletons for omelets and other sides.

I didn’t have oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, so I heated my dried sun-dried tomatoes (oy, that’s redundant) in some olive oil to plump them up a bit before adding them to the other ingredients.

The leftovers made a good snack and would also probably be good tossed with real pasta, like fettuccine or tagliatelle.

Summer Squash “Pasta” with Tomatoes and Herbs

You’ll need a vegetable peeler (or mandolin) and a large bowl.

• 2 zucchini squash, shaved thinly lengthwise with a vegetable peeler
• 2 yellow summer squash, shaved thinly lengthwise with a vegetable peeler
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 5 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and thinly sliced
• 1/2 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped basil
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped oregano

In a large bowl, gently toss together all ingredients. Transfer to a platter and serve immediately.

Original recipe: Raw Vegetable “Pasta” with Tomatoes and Herbs