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    Showing posts with label cheese. Show all posts
    Showing posts with label cheese. Show all posts

  1. Lasagna with Homemade Ricotta

    Tuesday, May 14, 2013


    I want to start off by apologizing for not posting all that regularly as of late. 
    I am super busy these days because I am in the midst of planning and preparing for my wedding at the end of June! I'm basically doing everything myself to keep it extremely low-budget, so that means a lot of work and planning on my end. Whew. And on top of that, I have Aria to keep an eye on. PLUS, my cousin and I are in the planning stages of starting a small business which I'll tell you more about as we get further along.
    So. A lot going on as you can see. With all that said, here is a new recipe!

    This meal started off as being Jhony's job. He offered to make a lasagna meal (which doesn't happen that often despite the fact that he can cook). But I ended up taking over because I had found a recipe for homemade ricotta that I wanted to try out, plus I wanted to make the sauce from scratch, and at that point I was basically already doing most of the work, so I just did everything. Not that I minded terribly. I love to cook. And it was the fact that he offered to do it that counts. :)

     

    Lasagna with Homemade Ricotta
    serves 4-8

    Ricotta
    (recipe adapted from here)
    - 4 cups whole milk
    - 1 cup buttermilk
    - 1/3 cup heavy cream
    - salt
    - candy thermometer (optional)

    Lasagna
    (recipe adapted from here)
    - 1 lb. ground beef
    - 1/2 medium onion, diced
    - 1/4 cup sugar
    - 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
    - 1 15 oz. can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
    - 3 oz. tomato paste
    - 2 tsp garlic powder
    - 1 tsp onion powder
    - 1 tsp dried oregano
    - 1 tsp dried basil
    - 1 TB apple cider vinegar
    - pinch of dried red pepper flakes
    - salt and pepper
    - 1/2 lb. dry lasagna noodles
    - 1 1/2 lbs. grated mozzarella cheese
    - 3/4 lb. Parmesan cheese, grated or shredded


    Ricotta
    Line a fine mesh strainer with a cheesecloth (folded over several times) and set it in your sink.
    Combine milk, buttermilk and cream in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
    Bring to a boil until thermometer registers 185. If you don't have a thermometer, keep an eye on it to see when the curds are mostly separated from the whey. This will take about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    Remove from heat and using a slotted spoon, scoop spoonfuls of curd into the cheesecloth-lined strainer; sprinkling it with a little salt every 3-4 spoonfuls.
    Let the ricotta drain for 5 minutes, then taste to check consistency. If you like it drier, let it drain more. If you like it wetter, add a tablespoon or so of milk. 
    (It's best used right away but can keep for a couple days in the fridge.)

    This ricotta tastes so fresh and delicious  I had to keep myself from eating it all before I finished making the lasagna. This recipe made enough for the lasagna with about a half cup left over.


    Lasagna
    Brown ground beef in dutch oven or large saucepan until cooked through. Remove to paper towel lined plate to drain excess fat. Add in diced onions and pinch of dried red pepper flakes. Cook until browned and softened and then add the ground beef back in. Season with salt and pepper.
    Add tomato paste and stir to release the flavors, cook one minute. Add in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, and dried basil. Add apple cider vinegar. Then add the sugar a tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired level of sweetness -- no more than a 1/4 cup.
    Stir and allowed to simmer for 20-35 minutes to thicken. Stir frequently. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I like lots of black pepper.)
    Cook lasagna noodles to al dente according to the package directions (this may be done in advance). Stir often to prevent the noodles from sticking to each other. Add in 1 TB of salt to the boiling water for more flavorful pasta. Drain noodles in a colander and keep in a cool water-filled pan or bowl to keep the noodles from drying out and sticking together.
    In a 9x13 baking dish (I used parchment paper that has aluminum foil on the other side to line the pan to make the lasagna easier to remove) ladle in one cup of sauce and spread along the bottom of the pan. Apply a layer of noodles 3 length wise (edges overlapping). Apply spoonfuls of sauce sparingly over the noodles. Spread a layer of mozzarella cheese over the sauce and place ricotta cheese dollops every 2 inches on top of mozzarella layer, sprinkle a thin, even layer of parmesan on top of the ricotta. 
    Apply second layer of noodles, topped again with sauce and cheese.
    Finish with another layer of noodles, topped with extra sauce and cheese. Tent lasagna with aluminum foil (not touching noodles/cheese/sauce).
    Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. 
    Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.


    Flavor improves if made ahead of time and reheated in the oven. Leave aluminum tent on for storage - do not allow to touch the lasagna.



    I served the lasagna with fresh salad (I like to grate my carrots for salad) with homemade dijon vinaigrette.


    Enjoy!

    Posted by Katrina at 8:18 PM | Labels: , , , , , | 0 comments | |

  2. Cinco de Mayo* Flautas

    Monday, May 6, 2013


    *Note: I was going to post this on Sunday but my computer decided to go on the fritz, so I couldn't upload until today. Sorry the recipe is a bit late. :)

    Whenever I make flautas it's to re-use some leftover shredded meat. I've made it with leftover shredded chicken, pork and beef from various recipes. This go-round I made it from leftover Salsa Verde Carnitas. Of  course you could also make the carnitas for the purpose of making flautas. I changed up the recipe a little bit to suit my own taste - and the flautas part is really easy.

    I made a couple filled with queso fresco (as you will see in the pictures) for my daughter because the carnitas were too spicy for her. 


    Flautas 
    (filled with carnitas and cheese)
    makes a lot*
    recipe for the carnitas adapted from here

    - 2-3 lbs pork shoulder
    - 2 cups salsa verde (that's the kind we always use)
    - 1 onion, chopped
    - 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
    - 3 cups chicken stock (or whatever kind you have on hand)
    - 2 tsp cumin seeds
    - 1 tsp fennel seeds
    - 2 tsp ground coriander
    - 1 tsp dried oregano
    - queso fresco
    - corn tortillas
    - frying oil
    - toothpicks
    - toppings (crumbled queso fresco, crema and cilantro)


    Salsa Verde Carnitas
    Trim the excess fat from the pork shoulder roast. Put the roast, salsa verde, onion, garlic, stock, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander, and oregano in a large, thick-bottomed pot over high heat. 
    Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.

    Cover and simmer for about 2 1/2 hours, or until meat pulls away easily with a fork.
    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

    Remove meat from liquid in pot and put meat into a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil. With 2 forks, tear the meat into large shreds. Spread out in an even layer. 
    Roast for 15-20 minutes until the shreds are brown and crispy.

    While the meat is roasting, reduce the liquid remaining in the pot to about half.
    Return the browned meat to the pot with the liquid. Season with salt.

    Flautas
    Pour about  3/4 of an inch of oil into your pan (I use my cast iron pan here) and heat to about 300 degrees. If you don't have a candy thermometer, test the oil by sticking in the handle of a wooden spoon, and if bubbles appear around the spoon the oil is hot enough.

    While the oil is heating, start assembling the the flautas. (If the tortillas are too stiff, microwave them in a stack for about 30 seconds to make them more pliable.) Lay out one tortilla and fill it down the middle with a couple tablespoons worth of carnitas and fold the sides of the tortilla over and secure with a toothpick. Continue assembling flautas until you are out of tortillas or carnitas (I made one package of corn tortillas worth, makes about 15 flautas, with plenty of leftover carnitas for later.)

    Place the filled tortillas in the hot oil and fry on each side for about a minute or until they are crispy and golden. Place the fried flautas on a paper towel lined plate as they finish. 
    Don't forget to remove the toothpicks before you serve them!

    Top with crema, crumbled queso fresco, and chopped cilantro.
    Serve immediately.


    The above picture is of my daughters flautas. They are filled with chunks of queso fresco and topped with crema and more queso fresco. She loves them as you can see below.



    Posted by Katrina at 6:49 PM | Labels: , , , , , , , | 1 comments | |

  3. Buffalo Chicken Pizza

    Thursday, March 14, 2013

    in 

    I'm a huge fan of Buffalo Chicken Pizza. It all started when I went to Houghton College. I worked in the downstairs cafe/snack shop that served wraps, hamburgers, fries, chicken wings, pizza, milkshakes and a few other unhealthy college staples. While the food was not all that fresh and pretty much everything came frozen or jarred, it did start my buffalo chicken pizza obsession. When I first heard about it I thought that it was super gross, until I tried it. Where had been this deliciousness been all my life?! 

    Since I worked in the snack shop, I could customize anything I made for myself to the way I liked it. So now that I'm living in my own home with a family and I have all the ingredients to make it all from scratch it's just that more delicious. 

    Ever since I found a bread machine at a yard sale for $5, I've been using it to make my pizza dough. But I'll be putting in my recipe to make it by hand, which is slightly different, because I know that not everyone has a bread machine - and this is how I used to make my pizza dough before.


    Buffalo Chicken Pizza

    Pizza Dough (makes 2 medium round crusts)
    - 3 1/2 cups flour
    - 1 1/2 cups warm water
    - 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
    - 2 tsp salt
    - 1 tsp sugar
    - 2 TB oil

    Toppings
    - one chicken breast
    - salt and pepper
    - mozzerella and parmesan cheese
    - Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
    - Blue Cheese dressing, preferably with chunks


    Pizza Dough
    Combine yeast, warm water and sugar in a bowl and wait for yeast to activate, roughly 10 minutes.
    Add in oil, salt, and flour (cup by cup) while mixing with a mixer with a dough hook attachment. 
    When the dough becomes thick enough, knead by hand for at least 5 minutes (can also be done with a dough hook). 
    Let it rise in an oiled bowl covered with a dishcloth for 1 1/2 hours.
    It's now ready to shape and make into pizzas.

    Pizza Assembly and toppings
    Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
    While the dough is rising, you can make the chicken and buffalo sauce.
    To make the chicken, simply season with salt and pepper, cut into bite sized pieces and cook in a skillet until done. Set aside.
    Make the buffalo sauce by combining the blue cheese dressing and Frank's Buffalo sauce in a 2:1 ratio (I like mine pretty spicy, feel free to add more or less blue cheese dressing to either tone it down or increase spiciness.) 
    Shape half of the pizza dough into a circle or square (depending on your preference or shape of your pan), and prick the dough with the tines of a fork to keep it from puffing too much. Leave about a inch around the edge of the dough for the crust. Dust the pan with a thin layer of cornmeal to keep the dough from sticking to  it and put the dough in the oven for 5 -10 minutes until mostly cooked though but not browned.
    Once the dough has been pre-baked, take it out and re-prick the dough with a fork. Top with the buffalo sauce, cooked chicken and mozzarella cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown.
    Top the finished pizza with Parmesan cheese if you wish. Let cool for about 10 minutes before cutting into slices.

    Enjoy!


    Posted by Katrina at 5:47 PM | Labels: , , , | 0 comments | |

  4. Steak Quesadillas

    Wednesday, February 27, 2013


    Steak Quesadillas

    - corn tortillas
    - cheese (any cheese you want, I used Muenster here because it was on sale)
    - taco meat (in Mexican grocery stores they have beef cut into tiny cubes, labeled as "taco meat")
    - salt and pepper


    Season the meat liberally with salt and pepper. In a large skillet brown the meat, working in batches if necessary. Set aside on a paper towel to absorb excess fat. 


    Using the same skillet (on medium-low heat) place one corn tortilla topped with a couple slices of cheese and a small pile of the browned meat. Top the meat with another tortilla, press down on it lightly to help it stick. Let the cheese melt slightly before flipping the quesadilla. It should be lightly charred/browned. Once flipped let it sit on the skillet about a minute to fully melt the cheese before removing to a plate.




    Cut the quesadillas in half to serve. 
    Serve warm.


    Posted by Katrina at 5:29 PM | Labels: , , , , , , , , | 0 comments | |