Best Receipes for you

Amazing Simple Lasagna Receipe

By Blog - mai 02, 2020

1 lb. lean ground beef or lamb, or 1 (15-oz.) can cooked lentils, or 1 large eggplant
Olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1 (28-oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 bay leaves
4 Tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup potato starch
4 cups milk
1 cup shredded Parmesan
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 egg yolks
Salt and pepper
4 oz. crumbled feta
1 box matzo
Chopped parsley

First, choose your own adventure

If using eggplant: Peel the eggplant and cut into 1" cubes, toss with a generous amount of salt, and put into a colander in the sink for one hour. Rinse the eggplant very, very well to remove the salt and the bitter liquids it has extracted from the eggplant, squeeze to remove any excess moisture, and blot dry with paper towels. Coat the bottom of a hot saute pan with olive oil and fry the eggplant, working in batches if necessary, until brown.

If using lamb or beef: Brown the meat in a hot saute pan with a bit of olive oil, then move to a bowl.

If using canned lentils: Rinse very, very well to remove salt, then set aside.

Next, make the tomato sauce

In a saute pan over high heat, cook the red onion in a bit of olive oil for about 3 minutes or until the onions are translucent, then add the garlic and tomato paste and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant. Stir in the red wine, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, cinnamon, and bay leaves, bring to a boil, then stir in the meat/eggplant/lentils and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until thickened, then remove bay leaves, taste for seasoning, and adjust as necessary.

While the sauce simmers, make the white sauce

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then whisk in the potato starch until there are no raw bits visible. Whisk in the milk, one cup at a time, until the sauce is thick and steamy. Remove from heat; add the nutmeg and Parmesan cheese and whisk for about 2 minutes to help the sauce cool down a bit. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as desired, then whisk in the egg yolks.

Make the pastitsio

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat the bottom of one large or four individual-sized casserole dishes with a bit of olive oil. Line the bottom with matzo, then layer as follows:

Half the tomato sauce
One third of the white sauce
Half the feta
Sprinkling of chopped parsley
Layer of matzo
Remaining tomato sauce
One third of the white sauce
Remaining feta
More parsley
Layer of matzo
Remaining white sauce

Bake the pastitsio until brown on top—between 30-40 minutes for individual sized, 45-55 minutes for large. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Simple plain white bread

By Blog - mai 02, 2020

Basic White Bread

2 (2¼-tsp.) packets dry active yeast dissolved in 1 cup warm water
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup boiling water
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. kosher salt
6 cups all-purpose flour
1-2 sticks butter, melted, depending on style of bread

Put the shortening in a large bowl and pour over the boiling water to dissolve it completely. Add sugar, salt, eggs, flour, and dissolved yeast. Mix well, put into a lightly greased bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

At this point, you need to decide what kind of bread you desire.

For sandwich bread, divide the dough into two parts. Pat each out into a 9-inch-wide rectangle about an inch thick, then roll up the rectangle from the long side so you have a 9-inch-long roll. Place each roll in a greased 9x5 loaf pan, seam side down. Brush the tops with melted butter and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for two to three hours or until doubled in size, then bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes until the loaves are golden brown and they sound hollow when tapped. (If you are worried about underbaking, properly baked enriched bread like this will have an internal temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit on a meat thermometer.) Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and let cool completely before slicing.

For challah style bread, divide dough in half, and then divide each half into three parts. Roll each part into a long strand, and then braid them together. Place the braided loaves on a greased sheet pan, with at least four inches between them. Paint with melted butter, cover lightly with plastic wrap, and let rise at room temperature for two to three hours or until doubled in size. Before baking, brush with an egg wash if desired, and feel free to add a topping like sesame or poppy seeds. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes.

For basic rolls, spray the bottoms of two 9x13 roasting pans with nonstick spray. Divide the dough into 30 equal-sized pieces and roll them into balls. (Or you can roll each ball into a snake and tie it in a knot.) Place 15 rolls in each pan, keeping even spaces between them, and then paint the tops with the melted butter. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for two to three hours at room temperature or until doubled in size, and then bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

For cloverleaf-style rolls, roll out the dough to about one inch thick and use a small biscuit cutter to cut it into rounds. Dip three rounds in melted butter and stack, then place the stacks on their sides in buttered muffin tins. (For Parker House-style rolls, form the dough into small balls and put three balls in each cup.) Let the rolls rise for two to three hours or until doubled in size, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

For rings of break-away bread, roll out the dough to about one inch thick and cut it into 3x3 squares. Dip each square in melted butter (add cinnamon sugar for more of a monkey bread feel) and stack the squares sort of willy-nilly in two greased bundt pans. Or make 4x4 squares and stack on their ends into 2 loaf pans for peel-away loaves. Let rise two to three hours or until doubled in size. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes or until browned.

This dough also freezes well. Flash-freeze rolls or loaves on a parchment-lined sheet pan and then transfer them to a ziptop bag once they’re frozen solid. When you’re ready to bake, arrange your rolls in a greased baking vessel or on a greased sheet pan, brush them lightly with melted butter, cover with plastic wrap, and let them thaw overnight in the fridge. Proof at room temperature for two to three hours before baking.

Angel Biscuit Sandwiches With Honey And Brown

By Blog - mai 02, 2020

Angel Biscuit Sandwiches With Honey And Brown Butter Semifreddo

For the semifreddo

1 egg
6 egg yolks
2/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup brown butter solids
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Whisk the egg, egg yolks, honey, and salt in large metal bowl to blend. Set bowl over large saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl isn’t touching the water) and whisk violently until the mixture is thick, pale yellow, and doubled in volume. How long this will take all depends on how strong you are and how much stamina you have—if you use a handheld electric mixer, you can get that down to about 5 minutes or so. Remove from heat, add brown butter solids and vanilla, and continue whisking until cool.

Whip the cream until it reaches stiff peaks; fold into the yolk mixture in three additions. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish that has been lined with at least three layers of plastic wrap. Smooth out, then cover the top with another three layers of plastic wrap, pressing it onto the surface. Freeze overnight.

For the biscuits

1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
10 Tbsp. butter, plus an extra pat for brushing
3 Tbsp. sugar
3 2/3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. buttermilk

Mix the yeast, water, and sugar together in a small cup; set aside.

Cut the butter into tiny cubes, and throw into the bowl of a stand mixer with the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and shortening. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Add the yeast and buttermilk and continue mixing for one more minute. Put in a large container or zip top bag and refrigerate overnight.

Place the dough on the counter for 30 minutes to come to room temperature. Roll out on top a large sheet of parchment into a rectangle-ish shape (it doesn’t need to be perfect) that’s about 1/2" thick. Using the parchment to assist you, fold the dough in thirds like a brochure. Rotate the dough 90 degrees, then fold the edges into the center. Flip over and roll out into a rectangle a bit bigger than 9" by 13". Use a pizza cutter to trim off the edges, then cut the dough into squares (size: up to you). Move the parchment to a baking sheet, spread the biscuits out a bit, cover loosely in plastic wrap, and let rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. When the biscuits have risen, bake them for 12 minutes, then brush the tops with a bit of melted butter, sprinkle with salt, and bake for another 3-5 minutes until golden.

To serve: lift the semifreddo out of the baking dish, remove the plastic wrap, and cut into biscuit sized squares. Split the biscuits (either hot or room temperature), top with a dollop of honey, and add semifreddo. Serve immediately.