The Thrifty Foodie

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Zucchini "Pasta"

I often visit a locally owned and operated coffee shop near the North gates of L.S.U.'s campus, Highland Coffees.  They roast and brew a great variety of beans from around the world, provide free wireless access and invite a warm mix of clientele: college students, faculty and other local Red Stick folk.  These are the three main reasons why I am a constant patron of this establishment, and, occasionally, I get to talk "foodie" with some of the other patrons.  Sipping on some iced coffee over the summer, during one particular foodie discussion, I heard about a peculiar and intriguing dish called "pasta-less" lasagna.  The pasta sheets were substituted by lengthwise slices of zucchini - I LOVE zucchini.  This sounded like a unique enough approach to a traditional Italian dish, and last month I finally decided to try it out.  The first attempt, while delicious, was too limp and formless to be dished out in a fashion that even remotely resembled lasagna, so a week later I tried again, adding an egg to the ricotta mixture and one to the butternut squash mixture, and cut the zucchini a bit thicker for extra firmness (*note: the recipe for the butternut squash mixture is the same as the filling for the butternut squash ravioli recipe; one half of this recipe will suffice for either dish, and the rest can be stored in the freezer and used at a later time).

Using a garlic and whole milk bechamel sauce - I referenced Julia's recipe from her How to Cook book - to better compliment the squash stars of this dish, along with a red onion, some parm. and a few sundry and savory cheeses I had lying around in my fridge, I built my own version of the "pasta-less" lasagna.  I served the triumphant, second attempt for a potluck that us painting grads were having with the ceramics grads, and within two hours it was all gone:)  As with the previous squash dish, this was a more involved dish, but I had a delightful sous chef, Elizabeth, to help me put together my second edition.  I would recommend recruiting an assistant to help the time and preparation for the dish go by with greater speed and joy; the smells from the kitchen will entice them and the promise of a free, warm meal will keep them planted and willing to help - anxious with anticipation, and breath bated.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Zucchini "Pasta"

Ingredients:
1/2 portion of butternut squash mixture (see recipe for butternut squash ravioli filling)
2 eggs
1 1/2-2 C ricotta cheese (can save ricotta left-over after ravioli recipe)
2 1/2 T butter, salted
1/2 C flour, and 4 T flour
2 C hot milk
2 cloves garlic, pasted
1 1/2 C shredded mozzarella or Parmigiana Reggiano cheese
1 med. red onion, thinly sliced into half rings
2-3 whole zucchini, sliced 1/6" thick, lengthwise
1 C (or more) olive oil
2 T freshly chopped sage, or 2 t dried sage
1 t dried thyme
salt and white pepper to taste

Preparation:
Slice zucchini, add salt and pepper to 1 C flour to taste, set flour mixture in shallow plate or pie dish and lightly coat each zucchini slice with the mixture.  Heat 1/8" olive oil in large pan/skillet on medium heat and cook zucchini slices on both sides until deep, golden brown; replenish olive oil in pan as needed.  Set  cooked zucchini aside.  In small sauce pot heat butter and 4 T flour together over low heat, and stir until thick and pasty.  Immediately whisk  heated milk and pasted garlic cloves, blend ingredients rapidly; keep on medium-low heat, stirring often.  Let mixture thicken to an almost soupy-yogurt consistency, salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 t of salt will do), remove from heat, and cover surface of sauce with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming.  Slice red onion, and prepare herbs.  Add one egg to butternut squash mixture and one egg to the ricotta; salt and pepper to taste each mixture. Shred cheese(s) of choice (I also added some smoked Gruyere and left-over rogue river blue cheese to the top layer of my lasagna), and add 1 C of shredded cheese to ricotta mixture; set aside remainder to disperse during layering. 

In an 8 1/2"x11" pan set down a thin layer of the bechamel sauce, then a layer of zucchini (about eight slices), next set down spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture (leave about 1/3- 1/2 for the next layer), then one layer of the butternut squash mixture (use the entire 1/2 of the mixture here), a layer of red onions, more sauce, another layer of zucchini slices, the last of the ricotta mixture, red onions, herbs and salt and pepper to taste, any remaining sauce, and a final layer of shredded cheese. 

I recommend setting this dish, covered in tin foil in the fridge over night, or for at least an hour or two in the freezer to let the layers set up.  Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and fifteen minutes, remove foil covering after thirty minutes; when time is up, set fork in center to make sure that the dish has heated all the way through, if not, cook until it is.   Let cool for ten minutes, slice carefully with serrated knife (to cut thoroughly through the zucchini slices) and serve.

Pacific Northwest Salmon Hash

There is a restaurant in Portland called Mother's  which serves some of the best brunch I have ever tasted, in a setting that is somehow both trendy and a bit like your mother's kitchen (if your mother was a sophisticated, cocktail-drinkin' lady in the 1950s).  The emphasis is on homecooked-style meals your mother would make, and I am especially fond of their French toast made with a cornflake crust and deep fried, as well as their creamy salmon hash - something my Oregonian mother would certainly serve at the dinner table.  So here is a rather easy version of salmon hash I came up with myself (not for the faint-hearted or dieter!).

*The coleslaw on the side is my roommate's creation: Asian-style slaw made of the various veggies we have in the fridge at the time, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and other spices she keeps closely guarded.

A Note on Stocks...

I have been making my own vegetable stocks for all the recipes so far and have found it gives me a lot more control over the vegetable and spice flavor of the overall meal.  During the "Month of Lentils" I would make a stock with all the typical adds, celery, onions, carrots, garlic, thyme, etc., but featured an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce in the mix to compliment the lentils well.  This is "Squash Month" so I have put together a stock that features chopped, tender yellow squash, purchased from the Red Stick Farmer's Market!  Additionally, to this current stock I added a few cubes of demarrara sugar (I have it on hand in this manner, because sometimes I love to drop one cube in my morning cup of French-pressed, Stumptown coffee, with a splash of soy milk...YUM), some cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little ground cloves.  Besides adding vegetable stock to most of the savory meals I offer in my weekly recipe contributions, I keep some on hand to use for steaming extra flavor into sauteed vegetables, to warm-up navy beans over the stove, or to make a quick brothy soup of noodles, stewed tomatoes, chopped cabbage and garbanzo beans.  I find it absolutely essential to have some homemade stock on hand at all times;  I usually go through one recipe's worth within a week, and replenish my supply by making more on Sunday mornings.  Here you will find recipes for my basic vegetable stock and the quickie soup mentioned above.

Creamy Dreamy Pumpkin Soup and Rosemary Mascarpone

Recently, I was visiting some friends in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  They are enthusiastic foodies as well, and were anxious to share their own foodie finds from the town with me.  After a splendid, crunchy homemade pizza on my first night there, we walked to a gelato shop on the Route 66 strip near the University of New Mexico campus.  This gelato shop had some peculiar, yet intriguing flavors that I had never come across in all my gelato-eating days: honey, rosemary, whiskey cream, etc.  I decided to combine the rosemary with their pumpkin spice gelato.  I was completely enthralled and inspired by the sweetness and earthiness of this creamy combination.  My recipe-making brain switched on and after some quick calculations and possibilities entertained I came up with this sweet and savory soup .  It is fairly rich, so I'd suggest serving it alongside thick slices of baguette bread and butter or olive oil.   A good drink pairing?  A dry Riesling, a Barbera d'Asti or your favorite, nutty amber ale brew. 

Like a good gelato, this dish is best enjoyed with friends.

Twice as Nice Baked Red Lentils and Mashed Red Potatoes

            

Originally, I had planned to offer a red lentils and potato soup for this third recipe in my "Month
of Lentils" repertoire, but a fellow artist friend,
Veronica, had different plans: "Mash those potatoes up and bake the whole thing in the oven!"  I couldn't see any reason not to, and thusly embarked on creating a warm,
gooey, savory casserole .

Baked in a cast-iron skillet, and garnished with one
of my all-time favorite cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano,
this recipe turned out to be quite worthy of
"comfort food" status.  This dish is just the thing to
bring one's memory back to all those yummy baked
casseroles from childhood.  Enjoy, and, go
ahead, have seconds.  I did.
 

Lentil Cakes and Salmon Patties, Oh My!

This recipe was inspired by my time at Der Rheinlander as much as it was by a recipe my mom used for sauteed tuna patties, often paired with buttered rice.  Mama Dietrich used this recipe whenever she wanted to cook up a quick, light meal for my sister, father and me. This family recipe was simple and easy enough to adapt for both the salmon and last week's cooked lentils, and references the thrifty ingenuity that Mama Dietrich instilled in me to use left-overs to create a new meal.

My first sight and whiff of fresh chopped dill was at Der Rheinlander's cook station.  I was fascinated by the wispy, bright-green leaves and pungeunt, earthy aroma these herb stalks yielded amidst all the hub-bub of the kitchen and wait staff goings-on.  My mom did not yet cook with many fresh herbs at this point in my life, so I watched, with intense curiosity, to learn where this strange new herb would be used. Busing many tables, I soon discovered the intended dish: baked salmon and steamed green beans - a healthy alternative to the fattier and meatier Bavarian dishes which dominated the main course options.  After that whenever I would happen to pass by the cook's station to re-stock clean plates I would breath in deeply, searching for the fresh dill to offer olfactoral relief from the fried schnitzel and simmering medeira sauce.  Since then, I have always associated fresh dill and salmon (prepared in any manner, it's all delicious to me) with that initial moment of discovery.

*The photo does not include the dollop of dairy. I forgot to add it when the picture was taken, and by the time that it was added all my friends had begun digging in before another photo could be taken. Nevertheless, I think it is a delicious addition, and one that I always prefer.  Here is the recipe.

Thrifty Nifty French Lentils, Brown Rice & Sour Cabbage Sautee

Swiss cheese fondue, bite-sized cubes of dark and light rye bread, warm, crispy, golden sourdough rolls slathered with butter and pflaumenmuss (plum jam), humongous steins of beer, and accordian music accompanying raucous renditions of German beer-drinking songs waft to the fore of my memories from my time as a durndle-wearing busser at Der Rheinlander German Restaurant in Portland, Oregon.  However, it is the lentil soup and cooked red cabbage Der Rheinlander offered that have become staple and healthy comfort foods that I now love to cook and love, even more, to eat.  I hope you enjoy this satisfying and budget friendly dish that I like to think of as a throw-back to my tenure at this popular Portland restaurant.
You can find the recipe for it here.