Summer Squash Lasagna

This is my latest version of summer squash lasagna. It is creamy and filling and a perfect way to make use of in season squash. You can feed a crowd or freeze individual portions for later. The ingredient list follows and to see how it's put together just watch the short video above. Of course I added some of my own music to keep you entertained!

For the sauce:
3 lbs. fresh summer squash (any variety)
3 Tbs flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
Kosher salt
Black pepper

For the cheese filling:
1 24oz small curd cottage cheese
1 16oz whole milk ricotta
1 medium carrot
1 celery rib
1/2 medium white onion
1 large can sliced black olives
2 large eggs
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

To assemble you'll also need:
1 16oz package lasagna noodles (cooked to package directions)
2 lbs. shredded mozzarella
1 cup grated Parmesan

Introduction to pressure canning, beets

I consider gardening just an extension of cooking. Like wise, canning is an extension of both, So here is an example of pressure canning, useful to the home gardener as well as those wishing to preserve in season produce when it's at it's seasonal peak. If you think this is something you want to do, I suggest you purchase Ball's "Big Blue Book" as a first step. It contains everything you need to know to explore home food preservation. And for your listening pleasure, I've included two tracks with the most ridiculous number of vocal parts I've ever recorded. It's not likely to happen again.

The Hard Scrabble Gourmet Pickles some Peppers

Pickling is a great way to preserve summer vegetables. Just about any vegetable can be pickled with the exception of eggplant. Think outside the dill pickle box and try other flavors. Onion, garlic, carrots and herbs like basil or tarragon make great flavor add ins. Below is my basic brine which can be used to pickle an array of vegetables, even fruit!

Makes one quart or two pints
1 3/4 cups water
3/4 cup vinegar
2 Tbs pickling salt

Adjust the recipe for the number of jars your planning to use. If you really want to dive deep into canning I highly recommend Balls "Big Blue Book". It's the bible for food preservation.

Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chili Buttermilk Sauce and Three Cheeses

Welcome back scrabblers! I know I haven't posted much lately but it's been a long summer growing and canning. I'm planning some more videos once the weather cools down. It's hard to get good audio when the window AC is roaring away in the kitchen, trying to beat the Texas heat! It'll be time to process hogs soon, so I may try to make a sausage video. But for now let me share something else. This is a recipe I've been perfecting over the summer that I think you'll really like. It's a little labor intensive, but the flavor depth of this dish makes it worth it. So before we get cooking, lets get the ingredient list.

Ingredients:

sauce
1/2 cup mild green chilies roasted and peeled and chopped(store bought will do, fresh is better)
3 TBS flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup reserved stock

filling:
1 small can tomato sauce
1 clove garlic minced
1 lb boneless chicken breast
remaining reserved stock

enchiladas
1/2 medium white onion chopped
yellow corn tortillas
Cotilla cheese
Oaxaca cheese
Sharp chedder cheese

butter and oil

Just a note on the chilies. I used Hatch chilies this time because they were in season but I've also used Poblano and Anaheim. Canned are okay too, especially in the winter when fresh chilies are overpriced. This is the Hardscrabble Gourmet and cost matters. On the chicken, dark meat works just as well if you want to go cheaper and frankly taste better. I just used white meat to give the fataphobes something they'd like. No judgement here! Use tofu for all I care. Anyway, lets cook!

First place the chicken in a medium sauce pan and add just enough water to cover. Add a teaspoon of salt and bring the pot up almost to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer covered for about an hour. Remove chicken and set aside to cool. Measure out 1 cup of cooking water for the sauce and reserve the rest for the filling.

To make the enchilada filling, first shred the cool chicken and put aside. Then in a large skillet brown the garlic at medium high in a little bit of oil. Add the reserved cooking liquid(stock in chef speak) and the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce to about half, stirring constantly. Turn down the heat and add the chicken. Continue stirring and reducing the liquid until barely wet. Test for saltiness and add more if it needs it. It should look something like this:

Next we need to flash fry our tortillas. You can watch one of my videos demonstrating the technique here. It starts 7min 20s in. I did a partial tray of 12 enchiladas but you'll have enough filling and sauce to do a full tray if you wish. Also, the left over filling makes great chicken tacos. Once the tortillas have cooled place some meat and chopped onions in the tortilla like so,

roll them up and place them in the tray.

There's no hard fast rules for how to lay them out. Use what ever works best with the shape of the pan your using. Now we make the sauce. In a sauce pan on medium melt two tablespoons of butter then wisk the flour into the butter. Wisk in one cup of stock and one cup of buttermilk. Bring heat up to medium high. Stir in the chopped peppers and continue stirring until it becomes thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and pour over the enchiladas like so:

Now we want to grate our cheese onto the enchiladas. Start with a thin layer of queso Cotilla, a generous amount of chedder, and a good layer of queso Oaxaca. It should look like this:

(A little party planning tip. You can prep the enchiladas to this point the day before and pop the tray in the fridge overnite. Then pop them in the oven when your ready.) Next place the tray in the center of an oven preheated to 350 degrees for twenty to thirty minutes until the cheese is hot and bubbly.
Serve with your favorite Tex-Mex sides and some good hot sauce and chow down. Them's good little doggies. Until next time, keep on scrabbling! And I don't mean the stupid word game.

Pasta shells stuffed with cheese and spaghetti squash

Today on the Hard Scrabble Gourmet we're making pasta shells stuffed with cheese and spaghetti squash. It's a large make ahead recipe that you can freeze for multiple quick week day meals. You'll need sauce for the shells so I'm including my super simple, super cheap, super fast Marinara recipe. Ditch the jar with the added sugar once and for all!

Ben's basic Marinara

Ingredients:
2-3 Tbs olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic minced
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
2 14oz cans tomatoes, crushed or diced(or one of each)

Heat oil on medium high in a large skillet. Add garlic and pepper flakes and saute until garlic begins to turn brown. Add tomatoes and oregano and allow to come to slow bubble. Reduce heat to medium and cook for fifteen more minutes. Your done! See, wasn't that easy? Makes enough to sauce 1 lb of pasta.

Kat's Favorite Pea and Lentil Soup

 This recipe is my wife Kat's all time favorite soup. This is actually strange since my wife hates peas in their normal form including when she comes across one in vegetable soup. I've never been able to wrap my head around this since, to me, pea soup tastes like, well, peas! I will say this, it might because I avoid the traditionally mushy aspect of pea soup by adding lentils and course chopped onions. This recipe is also a good example of my Hardscrabble cooking philosophy. When ever I cook a large piece of meat or a whole bird I always try to squeeze as many different meals out of it as possible without repeating the same meal twice. So ham dinner, then ham sandwiches, ham and cheese omelettes, jambalaya, butter cheese pasta with ham, frittatas, and then finally when we're down to the bone, soup! This is a perfect hearty winter soup so try a hot bowl with some good bread and a salad. I ga-run-tee you'll come back for more.

Ingredients:

1 meaty ham bone or two cups diced ham
2 cups split peas
1 cup lentils
1 medium onion coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery sliced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground thyme
2 bay leaves

Instructions:

Place the ham bone in a large sauce pan or stock pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and continue cooking with the pot covered until the meat pulls away from the bone. About two hours. If using diced ham you can skip this step. When the ham bone is done, pull it out of the pot and set it aside to cool. Add the peas, lentils, onion, celery, and garlic to the pot. If your using diced ham instead of a ham bone, add them now. Add water to cover well if needed. Bring back to a boil and then reduce to medium. Add the remaining ingredients. Continue cooking uncovered, stirring occasionally, and adding water as needed. As soon as the ham bone is cool enough to handle, remove the meat and dice it into 1/2 inch chunks and add back into the soup. Continue cooking until the peas are almost completely broken down but the lentils are still whole. About two to three hours. Remember, when cooking dried legumes, cooking times can vary depending on cooking altitude, water hardness, and how long your dried legumes have been stored. Always trust your senses and sample often! Add salt to taste and remove bay leaves before serving. Enjoy!

Aunt Mary's Jambalaya

The next recipe in my family collection is my Aunt Mary's Jambalaya. I'm pretty sure all the Clark sisters have this recipe but no one owned it like Aunt Mary. It's s a yearly holiday tradition in the Polk household, usually on New Years, to have Jambalaya and tamales. We always felt fortunate to be invited to this final meal of the holiday cycle over the years. This Jambalaya isn't as spicy as the stuff they serve in Catahoula Parrish but that's a feature not a defect. It's perfect for large gatherings where the tolerances for spicy food vary widely. Besides there is always some Tabasco in the cupboard to spice things up, even if it's there just to mix bloody marys. I've taken the liberty of updating measurements and ingredients to more accurately reflect what's on the grocery store shelves these days and for changes in modern cooking techniques.

Mary Polk's Jambalaya

Ingredients

2 Tbs Olive oil or your preferred fat of choice
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cooked chicken, diced
1 cup cooked ham, diced
12 small pork sausages(little smokies) cut in pieces(1/4 inch)
1 20oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup uncooked rice (cooks note: parboiled rice such as Zatarains works best)
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp ground thyme (cooks note: for fresh thyme use one or two sprigs. Remove before serving)
1 tsp dried parsley (cooks note: double or triple for fresh chopped parsley)
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add oil to a large dutch oven or saucepan and bring heat to medium high. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and saute till onions start to become translucent. Add the ham, sausage, and chicken. Continue sauteing for another five minutes. Add tomatoes, rice, chicken stock and spices. Stir well. Transfer the covered dutch oven to the oven or place the mixture in a covered casserole and place that in the oven. Bake for 50 minutes, stirring several times, as it cooks. Towards the end of the cooking time, check to make sure most of the cooking liquid has been absorbed. If it looks too wet leave the lid off and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Pearl Barley Tabouleh

This is a variation on traditional Tabouleh that's very popular with my family. The differences are partially due to taste preferences in my household and partially due to availability of ingredients. I use pearl barley instead of wheat curd because I like the extra texture and punch of saltiness it adds. My recipe is also a little different when it comes to the type and quantity of herbs I use. I find traditional versions a little heavy on the parsley. The recipe is as follows:

Ingredients
1/4 cup pearl barley
2/3 cup of water plus 1 tsp salt
1/2 cup diced fresh tomato
1/2 cup diced fresh cucumber
4-5 scallions chopped or 1/3 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic minced or pressed
1 Tbs minced parsley
1 Tbs minced oregeno
1 Tbs minced sweet basil
Juice of 1 lemon
4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

Combine water, salt, and barley in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to lowest setting and cover. Cook for twenty minutes and remove from heat and let cool. Place the cooked barley and any water that's left in a bowl. Add the other ingredients and toss to combine them. Place in the refrigerator for two hours and then allow to come back to room temperature before serving. It's even better if you allow the flavors to mingle in the fridge over night.

Spicy Picadillo Empenadas

This recipe is something of a riff on Tex-Mex tacos and traditional empanadas. I point this out because empanadas are a wonderful vehicle for all kinds of savory and sweet fillings. Think latino hot pockets! They're great for holidays, pot lucks, and even Super Bowl parties. So feel free to experiment with your own variations. The filling I'm using today is a riff on the picadillo taco which is served for breakfast lunch and dinner at family taco stands in my native central Texas. It's a dish that's flavorful, satisfying, and most of all economical. Combine that with an empanada and you have the ultimate finger food! They are best served warm with chimichurri or other hot sauce for dipping. I'll start with the filling then follow with the dough recipe and assembly instructions.

Spicy Picadillo Filling

1lb ground beef
1/2 bell pepper chopped
1/2 medium white onion chopped
1 large russet potato peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
1 Tbs salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprika(preferably hungarian)
1 tsp comino(ground cumin)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbs water

In a medium sauce add potatoes and enough water to cover by several inches. Add a few dashes of salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer covered for twenty minutes. Drain and set potatoes aside for later. In a medium sauce pan(I reuse the same one) brown the meat on medium high until just cooked, about 5 minutes, tossing and breaking up the meat as you go. Add the remaining ingredients except for the potatoes and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the onions and peppers soften. About ten minutes. Add the potatoes, stir in well, and then set aside to cool. Now we can make the dough.

Savory empanada dough for baking

3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz shortening or butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk or water

You can make the dough by hand or use a stand mixer with a paddle but I prefer using a food processor. Add the dry ingredients and shortening and pulse until the mixture becomes grainy. Add the egg. Add the water slowly and pulse until a clumpy dough forms. You may not need all the water depending on how accurate your flour measurement was. Empty the dough into a bowl and knead a few times to make sure any dry flour is worked in then form into ball. Now we're ready to assemble our empanadas. Pinch off the dough and roll it into 1 1/2 inch balls. I prefer to use a tortilla press to flatten the balls into disks but you can roll them out by hand on a floured surface if you don't have one. A note on tortilla presses, buy a cast iron one. The wood and plastic presses are a joke and I broke my aluminum one after a week. A good cast iron press can be had for about 25 dollars and will last generations if properly cared for. To use a press line both faces with plastic wrap, place your dough ball in the middle and give it a good squeeze. I find I get a rounder disk if I flatten the ball slightly in my hand before I press. The result looks something like this.

Place a spoon full or so of the filling in the center and fold the disk and press the edges together. Then take the empanada in on hand and use your other to pinch and flatten the edge. Then fold the edge back toward the body of the empanada and give it another pinch to seal it. Experienced empanada cooks use this last step to create an attractive fluted edge. I'm still mastering this myself so don't worry if your empanadas aren't picture perfect. They'll still taste great. Once assembled place your empanadas on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. If you still have left over filling, no worries! Just pop it in a warm tortilla and reward yourself for all that hard work. To give them a nice golden finish I brush them with an egg wash before they go in the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes and serve while still warm. I hope you find making empanadas as satisfying as I do and stop buying hot pockets for cripes sake. Look for a sweet empanada recipe in the near future!

Mom's Pasta ala Bolognese

This is the first installment of recipes I'm sharing from my Mom's side of the family. Some by my maternal grandmother, "Honeygram", as well as my mother and her three sisters. I and my various cousins have inherited a wonderful culinary legacy from these matriarchs of our family and I'm proud to share some of their recipes here. My first dish is my mom's bolognese sauce. As you might have noticed I didn't refer to it as spaghetti bolognese even though that is the way we usually have it in my family. Although sauce ala bolognese exists in Italy, it is never served with spaghetti there. The Italians prefer a larger macaroni like Rigatoni which does a much better job of holding the thick chunky sauce. Now you know why you have such a hard time getting your pasta and sauce in the same bite! But there are no rules in cooking or the bedroom so spaghetti it is. What follows is my mothers recipe in her own hand. It's a wonderful dish for special occasions and I hope you enjoy it!

Bolognese Sauce(Fancy)

Ingredients:
4 to 5 bacon slices chopped int 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup milk
1 large can(29 oz) plum tomatoes with liquid
1 cup beef stock or bullion
1/3 cup tomato paste (1/2 of 6 oz can)
1/2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1 lb package spaghetti

In large saucepan, cook the bacon pieces over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Reserve bacon for later. Add onion and garlic to the pan drippings and saute until soft and translucent. Add carrot and celery. Continue sauteing until tender. Increase heat to medium high. Crumble beef into vegetables. Saute 2 to 3 minutes until meat has barely browned, stirring and tossing to break up the meat. Increase heat to high. Add wine and milk. Boil rapidly about 5 minutes until liquid has reduced slightly.  Stir in bacon and remaining ingredients except spaghetti. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 90 minutes. Stir frequently and break up tomatoes with a spoon as they cook. When sauce is nearly finished, cook spaghetti in a large sauce pan according to package directions. Drain pasta and serve immediately with sauce. Makes 6 servings, about 510 calories each.

Greek inspired Lamb Manicotti and an Alternate Meatball Recipe

This is one of my oldest recipes. I came up with it when I was 15 or so after a three week trip to Europe when I was 14. My father is an artist and was at the time on the art faculty at Texas State University. At that time we had a sculpture teacher by the name of Alex Kritselis who was originally from Athens, Greece. You can find his bio here. While Alex was at Texas State he always hosted a traditional goat roast each easter and the first one was at my family's home in Wimberley, Texas. I paid close attention to his meat rub of herbs, olive oil and lemon, and the flavor was always amazing even though the meat was always tough as leather. Goat is not something thats available at the local grocery in Texas so I assume he got a freshly slaughtered animal from a local rancher. What I'm sure he didn't know, since only professional butchers know, is the carcass needs to hang under refrigeration for two weeks in order for the muscle fibers to break down and render the meat tender. Fresh meat ironically is tough meat. In any case, in the summer of my fourteenth year, Alex arranged an art showing at a private art gallery in Athens for the entire art faculty and my parents used this opportunity to take an extended European trip for three weeks. We spent the first week in the UK and France, the second in Italy, and the last in Greece. Needless to say I could describe a lot of experiences but I'll leave that for another time. The important roots of this dish involve a dinner we were invited to at the home of Alex's parents in Athens. His mother was an extraordinary cook. She made sheets of Baklava so large they had to be taken to a local bakery to be cooked. Her homemade cherry preserves and goats yogurt was one of the greatest culinary experiences of my life. I can no longer remember all of the courses but it was a meal fit for Alexander the Great himself. The one dish that stayed with me was her meatballs which were simple and rustic yet sublime at the same time. The recipe that follows is a fusion of those meatballs and the goat roasts that cemented in my mind an impression of flavors, while not traditional, of my experience of Greek cuisine. This was originally a meat ball recipe but as my skills in in the kitchen improved I bumped it up a notch and the manicotti version became a family favorite. Stuffing the manicotti does require some skill so I'm including instructions for the meat ball version at the end for those who find it a bit daunting. First things first...

Ingredients:

Meat mixture

1 lb. ground lamb(you can substitute beef but lamb is better)
1 TBS minced fresh flat leaf parsley finely minced
1 TBS minced fresh spearmint finely minced
1 TBS minced fresh oregano(preferably Greek) finely minced
If you must substitute dry spices use half as much(no judgement!)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 lemon
1/2 cup Italian bread  crumbs
1 TBS salt
1 egg

Sauce

1 large can Italian plum tomatoes(pony up the fifty cents for the real deal. It matters)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced or pressed

1 package Manicotti pasta

Place the ground lamb in a bowl and add the parsley, mint, oregano, black pepper, salt, bread crumbs, and egg. Add the zest of the whole lemon and the juice of half of the lemon and reserve the other half. Work the meat mixture with your hands until all of the ingredients are well incorporated and the meat takes on a slightly sticky texture. When your done it should look like this.



Cover the meat and place it in the fridge. Next we need to cook the manicotti pasta. This recipe yields eight or nine manicotti, less than a package contains, but I usually cook the entire package. Stuffing the pasta can be tricky and there might be ruptures so having spares is a good idea. I usually either give the extras to my pigs or chop them up for a pasta salad the next day. Follow the package directions, but reduce the cooking time by two minutes. Leaving the pasta slightly undercooked makes the stuffing process easier and they'll finish absorbing moisture from the sauce in the oven. When the pasta is cooked drain into a colander and rinse with cold water till cool. Next we stuff the manicotti. I've used a pastry bag to good effect but I prefer it for stuffing pasta with cheese fillings. Buy one, it's worth the coin. Usually I pinch off small pieces of meat mixture and push them in with my finger. To do this hold the pasta in the palm of your left hand with your thumb covering the opening at one end and your fingers gently curled around the pasta. Use your right hand to pinch off  little bits of meat and push it in the other end. Your thumb keeps meat from coming out the end and curling your fingers prevents pressure from meat accidentally bursting the manicotti. As you fill each manicotti place in a shallow baking dish. Try to choose a dish sized so the manicotti will fill the dish as much as possible. This will ensure good coverage of the sauce. Before you start the sauce preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You'll make the sauce while the oven heats. The sauce is very simple. In a medium sauce pan add the tomatoes. Using a spatula cut the plum tomatoes roughly in half. It doesn't have to be perfect, we just want the tomatoes to be the center of attention. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and garlic. You may add salt if you like but it isn't necessary. Heat on medium high, stirring frequently, until almost bubbling. The sauce will actually cook in the oven. Remove from heat and spread the sauce evenly over the manicotti. Cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil. You want to cover all the manicotti but allow steam to escape at the edges. This will help the sauce reduce and thicken. Place in the middle rack of the oven and cook for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes remove the foil and check the sauce. If it needs to thicken more cook another 15 minutes uncovered. Remove from oven and let stand. Now I promised you a meat ball version. It's pretty simple. Prepare the meat mixture like a above and roll out one inch meatballs and place in a baking dish. Cover with the sauce as before and bake uncovered 30 - 45 minutes until sauce is thickened. Serve over the pasta of your choice!

 I usually start off the meal with a Greek Meze platter of Dolmades, marinaded artichoke hearts, and greek salad dressed with extra virgin olive oil. I slice the remaining lemon in to wedges and add those to the platter. Dolmades are particularly good with a little lemon juice.



After the Meze I plate the manicotti, sauce and greek baked beans, and serve with warm garlic bread. The beans pictured at the top are a recipe from Diane Kochilas for baked beans with spinach and feta.  It was excellent! If you wish to explore Greek cuisine further I highly recommend her site. It not only is a treasure trove of authentic recipes, but a source for Greek history, culture, regional cuisines and influences. You can visit her site here. Meanwhile enjoy the fruits of your labor and keep scrabbling on!

Homemade Dried Pepper Flakes from my Garden

I had a bumper crop of Jalapenos this year so after I finished making hot sauce and pickling nacho slices I turned my mind to using ripened peppers. In the past I've dried them whole and then chopped them in the food processor. I was never totally satisfied with the finished product and it's very hard on the machine so I tried something different this year. First I chopped the fresh peppers in the processor until I had a uniform paste. Then I spread the paste on my dehydrator trays like so.



Most dehydrator manufacturers sell fine mesh plastic screens for this purpose as an accessory. However this is the Hardscrabble Gourmet and we like to do things on the cheap so I made some from left over aluminum window screen. Worked like a charm! Set your dehydrator at 98 degrees if it has a temp control and let her rip. When it's dry it looks like this. It took mine 48 hours but the weather was humid so your mileage may vary.



Using a spatula, I scraped the dried pulp out onto a sheet of newspaper. This is a trick to use with all your dried herbs. When your finished crushing them simply fold the newspaper to transfer your herbs to a container and then through it away. No fuss, no muss, and no clean up. Back to the peppers.



The sugars in the ripe peppers cause the dried paste to clump so I used a rolling pin to roll out and gently pound the stuff until I got a nice fine consistency perfect for measuring in the kitchen. Now I'll really be heating things up! If your looking for something to cook with pepper flakes try out my Summer Squash Marinara. There's still a little summer left to enjoy it!

Easter Sunday breakfast: Eggs Goldenrod

On Easter Sunday morning the first thing I would do is check to see if someone left me a chocolate rabbit during the night, the second thing would be to hunt for Easter eggs in the yard. Priorities! After the hunt my mother always turned my new found multicolored bounty into eggs goldenrod for breakfast. Its a simple breakfast that's fast and easy which makes it perfect for getting the family off to church. Not going to church? Why are you dying Easter eggs in the first place? Come on! Get thee to the chapel, it might do you some good. Without further ado, here's the recipe.

This makes four servings
5 or 6 hard boiled eggs
2 TBS butter or margarine (butter's better but if you must...)
1 TBS all purpose flour
1 cup milk
salt and pepper
toasted bread (I prefer white. Hey, this recipe's seriously white on multiple levels)

Peel the eggs and separate the white from the yolks and put the yolks aside in a bowl. Chop the the whites into roughly 1/2 inch chunks, put aside. Next heat a skillet to medium high and add the butter. When the butter melts, add the flour and stir until completely incorporated. Next add the milk and continue stirring until it bubbles and starts to thicken. Add the eggs with a dash of salt and pepper. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens to a nice gravy consistency then remove from heat. Spoon the egg mixture on to a piece of toast. Next take a cheese grater and grate the yolk on top until nicely coated and serve. You usually end up with some extra yolk so give the dog a little treat. Don't have a dog? Seriously, get a dog. They'll always appreciate your cooking! I hope you enjoy this little Easter tradition as much as I enjoy sharing it. Happy Easter!

Summer Zucchini Lasagna

 Today I have a perfect meatless Monday dish for summer, Zucchini lasagna. As happens frequently this time of year I have an abundance of summer squash coming in from the garden and I'm always on the lookout for ways to use and store it. Other than pickling, I know of few good ways to store summer squash. It can be frozen or canned but the texture always leaves a lot to be desired. In other words it gets mushy. I prefer to either use it in creamed soups which I can or freeze cooked entrees like this recipe. I'll bake this lasagna and freeze it in individual servings so we can enjoy it for the next six months. This dish is a based on a white bachamel sauce which is also great served over pasta or rice with some grated Parmesan. This recipe will also work well with other types of summer squash.

Here's your ingredient list:

2-3 sliced fresh summer squash, about 4 cups
3 fresh carrots, peeled and julienned thin
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
13 oz can sliced mushrooms
2 Tbs virgin olive oil
3 Tbs all purpose flour
3 cups milk, or 1 cup powdered milk mixed with 3 cups reserved liquid
32 oz Ricotta cheese
32 oz large curd cottage cheese
2 eggs
1/4 chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh chopped chives or scallions
1 1/2 Lb. grated mozzarella cheese
1 small package lasagna noodles

Put sliced squash and carrots in a covered microwave dish. Add water about half way up, sprinkle lightly with salt, and microwave 10 minutes on high. Drain and reserve liquid then put aside. Open the can of mushrooms and add the liquid to your reserve liquid. Take 3 cups of reserve liquid, add water if necessary, and mix in one cup of powdered milk. Next, heat olive oil in a dutch oven on medium high and add onions and garlic. Saute until onions become translucent. Add flour and stir until fully incorporated into the oil. Add milk and vegetables plus a dash of pepper and salt. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce has a thick creamy texture. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.

 Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. While the noodles are cooking prepare the cheese stuffing. In a large bowl combine Ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, parsley, chives, and two beaten eggs.

Once noodles are cooked, rinsed, and drained, grease a large lasagna pan. Add a layer of noodles, sauce, and cheese mixture.

Sprinkle a thin layer of mozzarella and repeat. When your almost to the top add a final layer of sauce and top with the rest of the mozzarella. Place on a cookie sheet in a 375 degree oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until well browned. And this is the final product!

 

Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes before serving. This lasagna can bet a bit wet due to the moisture of the fresh squash. If you prefer a drier lasagna, cook the vegetables a bit longer in the microwave and drain in a colander for about 20 minutes to remove more of the moisture. I hope you enjoy this summertime treat!

Honeygram's Cheese Enchiladas and Chili con Carne

Today on Hardscrabble Gourmet, a new cooking video! In episode 7 I'm cooking up my drunken grandmother's cheese enchiladas with chili con carne. I have no idea where this recipe came from originally. My grandmother lived in Weslaco, Texas which is on the border with mexico and this dish does reflect some influences from northern Mexico. On the other hand the chili con carne is neither Mexican or Texican as far as I can tell. Typical Mexican Chili uses a salsa en polvo as it's base. This is a combination of Ancho, Pasilla, and either Chile de Arbol or Chipotle chiles pulverized in a mocahete. Very spicy! Comino, garlic, and Mexican oregano might also be added. In the US we use commercially prepared chili powder which usually contains ground Ancho, Paprika, and Comino. In contrast my grandmothers recipe contains Ancho, re-hydrated not ground, and garlic. Thats's it. You would think the chili would be less flavorful, but it's not the case. Ancho's have a deep complex flavor that's unique among chiles and the garlic provides a perfect counterpoint. The re-hydrated chile meat also produces a completely different texture and taste experience compared to powdered Ancho. Whatever it's origin's, Honeygram had a winner with this recipe and I'm proud to share it with you. The cooking is going to be a full blown fiesta and after you eat these you'll need a serious siesta so grab a margarita and let's get cooking!

Canadian Bacon and the art of Charcuterie

Pork loin out of the brine, trussed and ready to go!

Today I'm making Canadian Bacon. A wicked expensive deli meat that's created from one the most inexpensive cuts you can buy. And there in lies the purpose of this post, to introduce you to the fascinating world of Charcuterie. Charcuterie is the French word for the art of curing and preserving meats. Techniques in this art include brining, smoking, drying and curing. It deals not only with whole cuts, but sausage making, pates and terrines. Although the roots of Charcuterie are in the preservation of meats, it is in the rendering of inexpensive cuts, trimmings and even offal into sublime culinary creations that makes it attractive to the frugal cook as well as those who prefer to make the best use of the entire animal. For a Texas carnivore like me, the highest form of Charcuterie is the art of smoking. In this post I'll take you through the process of making Canadian Bacon without going into a lot of detail. Think of it as a guided tour. If your interested in exploring further, I'll provide some resources at the end to get you started.

First this pork loin was cured with a combination of salt, sugar, and curing salt(pink salt #1). Cures can be dry or wet, in this case it was a brining solution. Home curing offers the advantage of adding herbs and spices to the brine which are usually not present in store bought versions. In this case I added a healthy amount of garlic and fresh sage. Brining times vary by recipe and cut, in this case it was 48 hrs followed by twelve hours drying time in the fridge. Once the meat was cured and trussed it was time to put it in the smoker.

 

I'm using a vertical propane smoker with a variable temperature control. Smokers like these are fairly affordable, I payed under $200 for mine and it does a good job at hot smoking. Hot smoking should not be confused with BBQ which uses temperatures between 250 to 325 degrees. I still use a barrel pit for that purpose. Hot smoking requires a temperature range of 160 to 200 degrees.

Cold smoking at temperatures below 100 degrees is used for raw cured products such as cheese, dry sausages, and fish. I can cold smoke with this unit, but only on cold winter days. If you are interested in cold smoking you might consider a more expensive electric pellet type smoker. Or, if your handy, you can buy the pellet smoke generator by itself($150) and install it on your propane smoker later.

Doing it yourself also gives you a choice of which woods to smoke with. Some folks also like to add pungent herbs like fresh rosemary to the smoke box for some recipes. In this case I'm using a blend of cherry and apple wood which give a subtle flavor to the pork loin. If I where cooking ribs or brisket I would use one of the three native oaks that grow on my property for a deeper, more robust smoke flavor.

Another must have is an accurate temperature probe. For things to turn out correctly you need to monitor both the temperature of the smoker and the meat accurately. This one also has an alarm that sounds when the preset temperature is reached. Very handy! Finally after 3 hours of smoking, voila!

 

Now that's what it's really all about! If your ready to dive into Charcuterie I recommend Corned Beef as a great place to start since it doesn't require smoking or any fancy equipment. Meat Head Goldwyn has a great recipe on his amazing ribs website here. He doesn't have a lot a Charcuterie stuff but he has probably the most complete knowledge base for everything BBQ and grilling, including great articles on how to choose a grill or smoker. He also has a great article on nitrate/nitrite safety which demonstrates why I think feeding your children uncured hot dogs and deli meats is risky business. If your ready to go further and try sausage making and cold smoking I highly recommend "Charcuterie, The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing" by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn. I can't say enough, the writing is beautiful, passionate, the techniques are clear, and the recipes are comprehensive. Most important of all, the information on food safety is thorough and reliable. Hope this wets your appetite? Take your cooking to the next level and try Charcuterie!

Ben's Carne Guisada

TGIF! Lets celebrate with another Tex-Mex recipe, Carne Guisada. Carne Guisada is one of the quintessential cross cultural dishes that typify Tex-Mex's regional charm. Basically it's pot roast with a mexican flair. It's usually served on a plate with rice, beans, and warm tortillas. You'll also find it at the local taco stands in Texas in a foil wrapped packet of pure bliss. The general recipe just calls for meat but if your frugal like me, you can extend it by adding a couple of diced potatoes and simmering another thirty minutes. And be sure to serve hot tortillas and fresh Pico De Gallo. Like we say at my house, everything's better with Pico! Here's your ingredient list.

4-5 lbs. Chuck or Shoulder Roast
3 Tbs. canola oil
All purpose flour, about a cup
2 Tbs. Chili powder
1 tsp. ground comino
1 Tbs. salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Accent(optional)

Cube the meat into roughly 1.5" chunks. Coat the meat in flour and set aside. Heat the oil in a dutch oven and add the meat. Turn meat to brown on all sides. Add enough water to cover the meat and reduce heat to medium. Stir in all your seasonings and cook uncovered for about 3 hours until meat is fork tender. Add water if necessary but not too much. You want it to cook down to the consistency of a thick gravy. Serve and enjoy!

A little aside on our optional ingredient, Accent. Accent is the commercial name for the much maligned MSG. This is probably the most over hyped ingredient in the food world. MSG is the synthetic form of glutamate that occurs naturally in most of our foods. Some of the highest concentrations are in vegetables. If your a vegetarian, your already consuming more glutamate than you would hitting the chinese buffet. In fact recent studies have discovered separate structures on the tongue that detect only glutamate indicating that we've evolved to seek it out in our food. There are no solid studies showing that MSG acts in the body differently from natural glutamate. There have been indirect indications that glutamate might be problematic, but nothing conclusive. That said there is a rare subset of people who get headaches from glutamate. But guess what, if you can eat mushrooms, your not one of them. There is a strong health risk associated with high sodium intake, but here's the kicker. MSG has half the sodium of salt with many times the flavoring power. I've actually reduced the over all sodium content of my dishes by using it without compromising flavor. If you have high blood pressure like me that's a good thing. And finally, let's get real. If your worried about MSG you have no business eating Carne Guisada anyway. That just leaves more for the rest of us who think sacrificing a few years of lifespan are worth decades of Tex-Mex bliss!

The Zen of Soup

As I was digging into a hearty bowl of "whatever happens to be in the fridge from the garden" soup I thought it might a good time to expound on the art of soup making. If your in the habit of trolling the internet for recipes (that's why your here, right?), stop looking at soup recipes. A soup recipe is an oxymoron when it comes to home cooking. There are of course, classic recipes, and the various signature recipes of renowned chefs and restaurants. In professional cooking such recipes ensure a consistent product over the course of time which is essential in the restaurant business. The goal of the home cook is entirely different. In the home kitchen we're more concerned with nutrition and frugality as well as flavor and appearance. Prep time is also a concern and this means not having to run to the store for a particular ingredient because we're tied to a specific recipe. What you need instead is to develop a palate of soup techniques that have wide application. The most important is the art of stock making. Pay attention to leftovers from meat prep, every roast fowl carcass and meat bone is a future soup. One of best sources for stock that most cooks overlook are raw shrimp shells and heads. Basically all you do is stick something in a pot and boil it until you get all the flavor out and then reduce the liquid to concentrate it. If you want clear stock strain it through cheese cloth. That's it! If your buying stock in a can your wasting both money and flavor. Keep some basic ingredients always at hand such as carrots, onion, celery, and canned tomatoes. These are the basis for literally hundreds of soup variations. Learn the basic art of the chowder, the stew, broth soups and then vary the ingredients. Learn the basics of herbs. Your main guide should be vegetables in season and affordable cuts of meat. Most of all be creative and be willing to take risks. There will be disasters but I assure you they will be rare. I found out the hard way that certain shellfish and green beans have an unfortunate chemical interaction. The odor was nothing short of indescribable. That said, in the roughly 40 years I've been cooking, I can count the bad soup batches on one hand. So get in there and boil something. It really is hard to go wrong. Look for future posts on more basic techniques and maybe even a few of my signature soup recipes.

Summer Zucchini Marinara

Sorry I didn't take photos for this and I'm not going to fake you out with some stock footage food porn. However this is a perfect recipe for the summer season when the squash starts to swamp my kitchen with our gardens abundance. It's super easy, super fast, and super healthy plus it's vegan. What's not to like? Here's your ingredient list(did I mention it's super cheap?).

2 12ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 12ounce can tomato sauce
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 medium zucchini cut into bite sized chunks, roughly 1/2 inch
2 Tbs virgin olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
basil and oregano to taste

Heat olive oil in large skillet, medium high. Add garlic, red pepper, and saute till garlic just starts to brown. Add onions and continue sauteing until onions become translucent. Add tomatoes, sauce, squash and herbs. Turn heat to medium and simmer 20-30 minutes until squash softens and becomes slightly translucent. Serve over the hot pasta of your choice. That's it! This also makes a great go to sauce for vegan lasagna, pasta bakes, and even pizza.

Ben's Sausage Mushroom Stuffing

My mother is wonderful cook but stuffing was never her forte. No matter how much stock she poured on it at all stages of cooking it always came out dry. After a childhood of dining on the ubiquitous stuffing brick I decided as an adult to master the art of dressing. As a result of my experiments I discovered two secrets to moist stuffing. Make sure you don't overcook it and add fat to maintain a moist texture. I've made many variations over the years but the following recipe always pleases all palette's and is easy to prepare.

Here's the ingredient list: 1 package Pepperidge Farms herb stuffing mix(any variety), 16 oz. roll sage breakfast sausage, 1 onion(chopped), 4 stalks celery(chopped), 1 stick butter, 8 oz. can sliced mushrooms, chicken stock.

Brown and crumble sausage in a small sauce pan then set aside(do not drain). In a large sauce pan melt butter and saute onions and celery until soft. Drain mushrooms and reserve liquid. Add mushrooms and sausage to pan. Add enough stock to reserved liquid to equal two cups and add to pan. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat. Add stuffing mix and stir just enough to combine ingredients and then cover. Let stand five minutes. The stuffing is now ready to eat or put in the bird. If you need to to reheat in a casserole, do it covered at 350 degrees for ten or fifteen minutes. Just enough to get it hot. Corn bread or white, in the bird or out, this one won't fail. Enjoy!