Beef and Cheese Cannelloni

This recipe started because I saw a box of oven ready cannelloni at Migros.  I`d never had it before (and while the box said to fill it with salmon, which I had no interest in), it looked like fun. I hadn`t yet chosen as for who: fun noodles for the kids, or a new dish for us. Well, I didn`t have enough fish sauce to create the bao I wanted to tonight, so made this instead.  I know there are tons of different ways to make it. Mine turned out kind of like lasagna, but without all the layers of noodles. We both thought it was quite good and have leftovers for the next few days for lunch :)

What you need:

Box of oven ready cannelloni
ground beef - I used 350 g
250 g ricotta cheese
basil
1 medium onion
1 tsp minced garlic or 2 cloves chopped
3/4 cup grated Asiago cheese
150 g fresh mozzarella (or grated)
1 large jar pasta sauce (about 2 1/2 cups)
butter for greasing.




First, dice the onion and saute it in a little olive oil. Let cook for a few minutes until the onion is softened.

Add the garlic and stir for about 45 seconds.

Add the beef. Mix until cooked.

Add 1 cup of pasta sauce, stir and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Add about 1 tsp of basil (I used dried).

Remove from heat.

Put in a medium mixing bowl and add the ricotta cheese.  When thoroughly mixed, add 1/4 cup of Asiago cheese.

Butter the bottom of a baking dish and turn the oven to 200 C. No need to add sauce to the bottom of the pan with the butter.

Carefully fill the cannelloni. I`m sure there is a proper way to do it, but I just held them in one hand and spooned the mixture in with the other, using the end of the spoon to push it through to the other end.

Lay them in the baking dish and then cover with the other 1 to 1/2 cups of sauce (depending on how big your dish is).

Slice (or use grated) the mozzarella cheese and lay on top. Add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the grated Asiago.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is browned.

Enjoy!

Mushroom Accompaniment

I am not actually sure what to call this. It is a sauce, a spread and a dip. Spraucip?
I made this to try out for our our Christmas Eve Fondue Chinoise for the meat and ended up putting it on just about everything. I found the recipe on Swissmilk - it`s a fantastic website that has their recipes divided up into a lot of categories for simple use. I changed the reicpe a bit to suit our tastes, but overall, stuck to it for the most part.
Unfortunately, I can`t tell you how long it lasts as it was gone by the end of dinner, however you can`t make it more than half a day in advance, so probably not very long.

What you need:

15 g dried porcini mushrooms (you can buy 30 g bags easily)
150 g rahmquark - had never actually used this, so just bought the Coop brand
80 g sour cream
1 1/2 Tbls chopped fresh parsley
1.5 -2 cloves garlic, depending on your taste. I used 2
2 Tbls Cognac (again, depending on your taste)
pinch of salt, ground fresh pepper.



First, you will need to soak the mushrooms in warm water for 10-15 minutes. Remove and pat try, then chop finely.

Mix the other ingredients in a bowl, omitting the garlic and cognac. Add the mushrooms. Add half the garlic and congac and taste. If desired, add more.

Sprinkle with a bit more parsley and cover, put in the fridge until ready to use.

Enjoy!

It`s also yummy spread on fresh bread!

Cornbread

My only cornbread experience was in 5th grade, and they were serving corndogs for lunch. I`m sure part of it was cafeteria food, but it was horrible. Anything that said cornbread, I stayed away from.  Until last night. We had our Thanksgiving a day late as it`s not a holiday here, and I tried to make some things that my husband`s family would eat, as well as my own. This was my first attempt at cornbread, and so of course, I asked my MIL for her recipe. I really have no idea where it came from, but I can tell you, that from someone who didn`t think they liked it, it was delicious.

 This is a slightly sweetened version. I know you can make it unsweetened as well. Also, I poured a bit of gravy on mine as it was a bit dry/crumbly - compared to normal bread. Not dry like you had to guzzle a glass of water after each bite :). Apparently it was supposed to be. Hubby used butter and honey. Enjoy with your favorite topping!

What you need:

1 cup of flour
1 cup of fine grain polenta
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup milk (I used skim)
1/4 cup butter (53g)
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder (1 sachet of backpulver)
1 egg





First, mix the dry ingredients together and set aside.

Mix the liquid ingredients.

In a heavy pan (iron skillet, etc, something that you can bake it in as well as use on the stove), melt the butter.

Add the dry ingredients to the liquid, and mix well. Add the melted butter. Mix thoroughly and pour back into the pan. Bake in a 220 C oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Vegetable Goat Cheese Tart

This is something I saw a picture of on Pinterest. Unfortunately, it was just an image, but if what I made isn`t the exact same as what I saw, at least it looks similar, and what it looks like I thought was very pretty.  Next time I make this, I will make individual ones. It is super simple, with only a few ingredients. So if you want something that looks beautiful, doesn`t cost much, or take a lot of effort, then this is for you.


What you need:

2 large or 3 medium zucchinis
2 large or 3 medium carrots
thyme (fresh or dried)
olive oil
goat cheese (or feta, or any other kind you like)
1 sheet of blätterteig - puff pastry
pie dish, or individual small baking bowls.

You can also use any other veggies that can peel into strips easily, yellow squash for example.

First, peel the outer layer off the vegetable. You do not need to be perfect.

Next, continue using a peeler, and peel strips until you get to the core of it.  Heat some water in a large pot, and when it boils, add the veg strips. The carrots will need a few minutes to begin to soften, the zucchini not more than a minute. Take them out and let them drain on a paper towel.  If you prefer crunchy veggies, you can skip this part.  Also, another option may be to carefully saute them. You want to keep them in long strips as much as possible as it will be easiest to make the tart.

When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, put 1 Tbls olive oil into a bowl and gently mix to coat. Add 2 Tbls fresh thyme or 1 Tbls dried and mix again.

Put your pastry a pie dish (or individual bowls) with some baking paper underneath, long enough to hang over the sides. This will allow easy removal after cooking. Spread some goat cheese on the pastry base (I used about 1 Tbls) and then you are ready to begin. I also added a little goat cheese around the sides of my last veg strip before folding over the dough. If you are using a different cheese, you can mix it in with the vegetables.

Pick up a vegetable strip - whichever you want, and roll it up like a tape measure so it is in a semi-tight coil. Continue to alternate with the different vegetables. When it gets too big to handle, set it in the middle of your pastry dough and then continue to wrap around it. If you do not have enough vegetables to fill your pan, you can push the dough in a little and then with the excess, use a cookie cutter and make shapes to layer around the edge.

Bake at the time and temperature indicated on your puff pastry, or at about 220 for 15 minutes.
For a golden crust, brush some egg on top of the pastry edge or shapes. Sprinkle with more cheese if desired.

brushed with egg

cut in half, you can see the goat cheese underneath

Individual tarts. These I hand rolled before putting them inside. There is parchment paper underneath so I could lift them out easily.