Quick and Dirty Tuna Spaghetti

I got the idea for mixing tuna with tomato sauce from my French Éclair, who fed me one weekend while we practiced our Japanese. In truth, I stole the idea. Stole it, ran away, and—okay, I’ll stop.

Some of you are still eating Thanksgiving leftovers.

I’m not quite sure if that makes you lucky or not. I cooked a small dinner for my two roommates. What was your Thanksgiving like? Huge family or close-knit group? Did you eat with friends? Roommates? If you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, did you have a great Thursday? :D

At any rate, leftovers are gone at my place and I was hungry.




Good college fare. And not “good” in the “can be nuked in the microwave” kind of way. I’m still frightened by most microwavable food.



This is me making use of the only leftover vegetable from Thursday. Don’t judge me.

Tuna Spaghetti:

2 stalks celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
6-8oz angel hair or spaghetti pasta
2 cups pasta sauce of choice
1 small can chunk tuna in water
Various spices

Boil pasta according to directions. In the meantime heat 1 tbsp oil in a small frying pan. Add celery and garlic and cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the pasta is al dente, drain and return to the pot. Add cooked celery/garlic, pasta sauce, tuna, and whatever spices you’ve chosen. I find that canned sauces come lightly seasoned so I like to throw in basil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, a dash or two of lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cook until heated through and serve with parmesan cheese.

+This would also be great with some diced onions. Just throw them in with the celery.

-Jirafa

Pumpkin Applesauce Bread

Sorry about the mild and unexpected hiatus. This quarter is winding down, which means lots of last minute essays and tests to cram for which leave little room for either cooking or posting. The good news is that they’ll be over soon.

The other good news is that I have a recipe.

I like to consider myself a nonconformist but that’s about as nonconformist as conformity. So instead I strive for nonconformist conformity and come out feeling relatively special most of the time. I’m a spoiled only-child, okay? I need to feel different.

Holiday season=pumpkin=conformist.
Pumpkin bread=conformist.
Pumpkin Applesauce Bread=nonconformist conformity.

Get it?



How about saying this is just not standard pumpkin bread?



It’s lighter than your usual fare.



Well it was until I did that.



And that.



(So was I until I did that)

Promise not to tell?

Pumpkin Applesauce Bread

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
¼ cup plain yogurt
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar (DO IT)
1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
1 ½ cups flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda


Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl mix together applesauce, yogurt, eggs, vanilla, sugars, and pumpkin. In a separate bowl sift (if you’re feeling pretentious) together flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and baking soda. Combine. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp butter, softened
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Using a mixer on the medium setting, blend the first three ingredients. Add the powdered sugar in three separate batches, blending until smooth. Let frosting sit in the fridge for 10 minutes before using.

Lick beaters.

Parmesan Basil Risotto (con Saffron)

How do people name their recipes? Honestly, this was going to be Basil Saffron Risotto but then I thought that the Parmesan was important so it became Basil Parmesan Saffron Risotto which sounded ridiculous. What next? Basil Parmesan Saffron Olive Oil Chicken Stock Salt Pepper Nonstick Soup Pot Risotto? *cough*

But saffron is special, so shouldn’t it be in the title?

Saffron optional.

Enough of me.



I love risotto. You love risotto. You will love my risotto.

No promises.

But seriously.



Look at that. I mean…


Look at it. (Not too much please. Clearly I can't photograph risotto. Try not to hold it against me.)



People get whiny when they hear “risotto.” “So much stirring!” “Too much work!” “Arrogant rice!”

The last comment isn’t common.

It’s really easy. I promise you.

Italians, don’t judge me. I only wish to one day meet your level of mastery.

Excuse me.


Parmesan Basil Risotto

*1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup chopped onions (optional. They aren’t in this recipe although they would have been if I had an onion. I weep.)
2 tbsp olive oil (safflower oil works fine if you’re like me)
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
¾ cup milk (you can use 1% but please no less. It compromises the glory. Light cream is spectacular.)
½ cup parmesan cheese
2 tbsp saffron-infused water
1 tsp basil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the rice and cook for about three minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Add broth, saffron, and onions (if desired) and bring slowly to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring two or three times. Once the rice has thickened and the broth mostly evaporated, add milk, cheese, basil, salt and pepper.

If your risotto looks too thick, add either a splash of broth or milk to loosen it up some. The risotto is done when you pull a spoon across the bottom of the pan and it takes a second or two to slide back into place.

Serve by itself or with steamed asparagus. Also makes a decadent side dish to pan-fried chicken!

*For those of you unfamiliar with Arborio, it really is a different type of rice. You might have to look hard to find it at your grocery store. Here’s an example!


-Jirafa

Not Another College Quesadilla

Not Another College Quesadilla

Hearing a college student say “quesadilla” brings images of either Taco Bell or greasy fake cheddarized tortillas to mind. Wait, did I say “or?” I’ve shied away from quesadillas for most of my life, considering them food for picky children and people who refuse to eat “ethnic” food (thus depriving themselves of any worthy food experience and wasting their taste buds *COUGH*).



Oh. Nevermind. Hello, Beautiful. Come to change my mind, have you? Well I refuse to be affected by you.



I…refuse… Oh, who am I kidding? This quesadilla is just darn delicious. Underneath the colorful toppings hide the real stars of this show.



That’s right. Pan-fried chicken, cut into strips. Juicy strips. Juicy strips of love and joy.

*cough*


Who says being a college student means having to eat lame food?

Not Another College Quesadilla:

1 thinly-sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 cup medium cheddar cheese, grated
1/3 cup sliced grape tomatoes (any other tomato would work fine, too, this is just what I had)
½ cup baby spinach
2 soft taco-sized flour tortillas
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Lightly coat both sides of the chicken breast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry chicken until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. When the chicken is cooked, remove and slice into strips.

In a medium-sized frying pan set 1 tortilla in the bottom of the pan. Cover with ½ of the cheese, spinach, chicken strips, tomatoes, the rest of the cheese, and top with the other tortilla. Cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes on each side or until cheese is melted and tortilla is browned and slightly crispy.

Serve with plain yogurt or sour cream and salsa.

Next recipe: Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Cake (Scheduled post: Tuesday, November 18, 2008).

Spinach-Ricotta Lasagna

Spinach-Ricotta Lasagna





Lasagna is a family-food for some, a comfort food for many. It works best for dinners parties, served with garlic bread and salad. It’s one of the few foods I will eat leftovers from, so it holds a heralded spot in the recipe center of my brain.



The secret to a fabulous lasagna is in the ricotta center. I see so many lasagnas that don’t include this portion; it makes me sad. If you’re cooking for kids, I understand why it’s easier to just leave it out. As a child I remember scraping the visible vegetables out of my lasagna and eating only what had cheese touching it.



As an adult, I’ve learned to love this spinach-ricotta center. Lasagna feels barren and lost without it.



Does anyone know why lasagna noodles have those cute ruffled edges?



I can’t tell what’s more fun: putting together lasagna or eating it?

Spinach-Ricotta Lasagna:
Mama Pita’s Pasta Sauce (see previous post)
1lb lasagna noodles
16oz medium cheddar cheese, grated
16oz mozzarella cheese, grated
*Spinach-Ricotta Filling (see below)

Boil noodles as directed on package.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using a 12x18 glass or ceramic baking dish, spread a small amount of sauce on the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. Layer with noodles, more sauce, and 1/4 of the cheese. Layer with noodles, all of the ricotta mixture, more noodles, followed by sauce, another fourth of the cheese, more noodles, the rest of the sauce, the third-fourth of the cheese, more noodles, and top with the remaining amount of cheese.

Place into the oven for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted on top and looks golden and crispy.

Spinach-Ricotta Lasagna Filling:
2 cups fresh baby spinach
15oz ricotta cheese
¾ cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 ½ cups parsley

In a large bowl mix together all ingredients.

Next Recipe: Cinnamon-Sugar Apple Cake (Scheduled post: Wednesday, November 19, 2008).

Mama Pita's Pasta Sauce

Mama Pita’s Pasta Sauce



I had a spoiled childhood. I didn’t start eating jarred pasta sauce until college because I learned that 1) some jarred sauces are pretty good when modified and 2) when you want food NOW, there’s no time to make a sauce that takes nearly an hour to cook.

But Mama Pita taught me well and while jarred sauce might work for an I-have-an-essay-due-in-nine-hours-and-I’m-starving kind of occasion, it will never do for such things as lasagna and manicotti. Such food deserves the best sauce I can give it and this is that sauce.



What makes the sauce so savory and good is not only the meat but the vegetables that are snuck in. I ate this for years before realizing that it was good for me. I actually felt a little betrayed when I found that out.



I’ve made some slight modifications to my mother’s recipe and you’re welcome to make changes of your own. This sauce is very forgiving and VERY delicious.

Mama Pita’s Pasta Sauce

1lb lean ground beef
1 zucchini, grated
1 carrot, grated
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 26oz can tomato sauce
1 cup sliced black olives
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon basil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large frying pan, brown ground beef over high heat. Drain the fat and lower the heat to medium-high. Add carrot, zucchini, mushrooms, and olives; cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally. At this point, add the rest of the ingredients and stir thoroughly. Turn the heat down to low and cover. Allow the sauce to simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the sauce begins to look too thick, add a little chicken stock to loosen it up.

Serve overtop of plain pasta, lasagna, manicotti, or stuffed shells.

Vaguely Greek Salad

Vaguely Greek Salad



I love a good salad. The best part of salads is how forgiving they are. Mix a little of this, a little of that, and you’ve got a masterpiece.



I call this Vaguely Greek Salad for the reason that throwing olives and feta onto lettuce and calling it Greek seems a little presumptuous. But it really is quite good.



Mmmmmmmmmm…

Vaguely Greek Salad

1-2 bags prewashed mixed greens
½ cup black olives (Kalamata also work well if you have some on hand)
1 avocado, sliced
½ to 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
1 cucumber, sliced
1/3 cup plain feta

Fill a large salad bowl with mixed greens and arrange the various vegetables on top, ending with the feta cheese. *Serve with your favorite dressing.

*I enjoy using balsamic vinaigrette for this purpose.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting



I have one memory of carrot cake in my early childhood. It’s the night before my 5th birthday and, dreaming of chocolate, frosted roses, and creamy fruit-filled centers, I open the fridge and find a Costco sheet cake with tacky frosted carrots. In that moment, my dreams are shattered.

Fifteen years later, I’m suddenly captivated by the idea of carrot cake. A homemade, delicious cake without tacky frosted carrots. I plan to make it and spend four days writhing in carrot cake anticipation.

It’s worth it. Oh is it worth it. Biting into it last night, I shed a tear for all the years of my life that have been spent shunning the glory of carrot cake.

It is deceptively simple to make a great carrot cake. Yesterday morning I rounded up the two amateur photographers in my apartment and demanded their services in return for cake, so most of these pictures are courtesy of them.



In fact, the only hard part of making carrot cake (besides waiting to eat it), is dealing with the carrots themselves. This recipes takes about six good-sized carrots, peeled and grated.



Only give this job to someone you trust not to grate their fingers. Seems straightforward enough but I have plenty of friends who aren’t qualified for this dangerous job. Well, only one really. *cough*Czech Biscuit*cough*



If you can get someone to help you pour, it’s always nice.



No trouble finding someone to help with this problem.



When it comes out, it should look golden and delicious like this. Inhale. (Wait until they’re out of the oven to do this, by the way. Trust me.)



*NOMNOMNOM* Devour. Rest. Repeat.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

3 cups unbleached flour
6 medium carrot, peeled and grated
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
1 1/3 cups white sugar
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar (any shade works)
3 large eggs
½ cup plain yogurt
½ vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, combine grated carrots, flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt.

In a separate bowl, combine sugars, eggs, yogurt, and oil. Add this to the dry mixture and stir until just combined. Divide between two GREASED 9-inch round cake pans. (Flour spray or unflavored PAM works great for this. I prefer this to the traditional butter/flouring method.) Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8oz cream cheese (low-fat works fine, doesn’t harm the flavor)
4 tbsps softened unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups of powdered sugar, sifted

Mix the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together in a large bowl on a medium speed setting until just blended. Add the powdered sugar in three batches and continue to blend until smooth.

Let frosting sit in the fridge for 10 minutes before using.

Note: Let the cake cool completely before frosting! Otherwise your delicious frosting will melt everywhere.

Hot and Sour Soup

Hot and Sour Soup



Before I start this entry, I want to inform you that this weekend is going to be post-heavy. I’m having a late birthday dinner party on Saturday and I’ll be posting everything from it on Sunday.

That said, let’s have some soup, shall we? Hot and Sour Soup is popular among Chinese restaurant-goers, myself included. I have my own special place that makes the best Hot and Sour Soup in my opinion. Some nights I dream about it.

Okay, the last bit is a lie. However, I’m not always able to go downtown for some delectable soup so I played around with various recipes and came up with my own.



In truth, the recipe is very simple. You’ll have to make a trip to the International Foods aisle of your grocery store or an Asian market if your city/town has one. Pick up some Pocky while you’re there and make the trip really worthwhile.



And be sure to plate it accordingly. I happen to be incredibly fond of my lacquer bunny trays (admittedly, they are plastic).



This is Daikon-kun. Isn’t she adorable? I want to take her everywhere with me.

I’m not witty today, I know. I’m sorry, it’s been a long week. I want to be doing this:


Hot and Sour Soup:
6 cups chicken stock
1 8oz can of bamboo shoots, drained and sliced thinly
¼ cup rice vinegar
3 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil (this is really strong, be gentle with it)
1 tbsp ginger (optional)
½ tbsp chili garlic sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 ½ tbsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water
10oz firm (extra firm is fine too) tofu, cut into strips
1 egg, beaten
Green onions (optional)

Mix chicken stock, bamboo shoots, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, ginger, chili garlic sauce, and rice vinegar in a medium pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. While stirring, add in cornstarch mixture. Continue stirring until soup has thickened, about 3 minutes. Add tofu and cook until heated through. Slowly add beaten egg while stirring. Salt to taste. Garnish with chopped green onions.

Next recipe(s): Pita Goes Greek...Salad!, Slow-cooked Tomato Sauce, Traditional Lasagna, Garlic Bread, Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (Scheduled post: Sunday, November 16, 2008)

Apricot Almond Cake

Apricot Almond Cake:



I love the idea of jam. So colorful and tasty. So I buy jars of it and never eat it. It’s a sad thing but even beautiful jam pales in comparison to cream cheese and honey. I’m always trying to find ways to incorporate jam into other mediums and this Apricot Almond Cake was a definite winner.



Look at the color on the apricot jam. Isn’t it just gorgeous? I’m all about colors. Another amazing part of this cake is that it contains PLAIN YOGURT. Plain yogurt is my favorite ingredient these days, as it makes cakes deliciously moist.

If you want a cheap and healthy dessert, mix 1 teaspoon of any flavor jam or jelly (I like to use Smucker’s Simply Fruit) into plain yogurt, stir and enjoy! You can even top this with granola and eat it before a run.



When the batter is poured into the pan, cover the top with sliced almonds. If you’re me, you literally cover the top and eat whatever is left in your hand. Don’t be like me.



Mmm, smells so tasty.



Now dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar. Do not dump a cup of powdered sugar into your sift while holding it over the cake. Do not be like Pita. (Hey, I’m all about honesty, too).

Sweet Potato Lesson #2: A little powdered sugar goes a long way.

Apricot Almond Cake:

1 ½ sticks of butter, softened
1 ¼ cup of sugar
2 eggs PLUS 1 yolk
*½ cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup apricot jam or jelly
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ¾ cup flour, sifted
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup sliced almonds
Powdered sugar for dusting


Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and butter or spray a 9-inch round cake pan; set aside. Cream together sugar and butter with a mixer for 2-3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add jam or jelly, plain yogurt, and vanilla extract. Mix. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold into batter with a wooden spoon or spatula. Spread evenly in greased cake pan and sprinkle with almonds. Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick/fork inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool and dust with powdered sugar.

*If you don’t have plain yogurt, you can also substitute 1/3 cup of sour cream for the ½ cup of plain yogurt. But for Heaven’s sake, go out and get some plain yogurt and eat it all the time!

-Pita

Next recipe: Tuna Noodle Casserole (scheduled post: Friday, November 14, 2008).

First Post! Red Ashe.

Today is a celebration of both my first post AND my birthday! Yay!

Red Ashe (pronounced “osh”) is my favorite soup ever. Mama Pita learned to cook it by watching Papa Pita’s cousins and I learned to cook it from watching her. (Let it be known that the best way to learn to cook is through observation. And demanding taste tests.) There are many variations of Ashe (“soup” in Farsi) and I’ve only tried a few, but loved them all. I hope to one day visit Iran and taste authentic Ashe for myself; until then, this will have to do.

There is much to be said about the herbs in this soup. I like to fill the sink with cold water and soak them; the smell of cilantro, parsley, and green onion mingling is heavenly. It’s enough to pique even my scent-challenged roommate.



Have you ever seen a more beautiful sight?



The real challenge is separating the cilantro and parsley from the stems. If you’re lazy like my father, you can cut the leaves off before you untie the bunches and soak them. I prefer to do it the hard way and separate them by hand because then I can be sure that no stems will sneak into my soup. It’s really a matter of how much stem you can handle.



After you’ve separated the leaves off the cilantro and parsley, throw them into a large soup pot. Chop the green onions and toss those in too, followed by ½ stick of butter, 6 oz tomato paste, 1 cup of rice, and enough water to just cover the vegetables. It will look like quite a lot in the pot, but it will wilt down as it cooks.



While this is going on, it’s time to prep the saffron. You’ll want a pinch of saffron to about one cup of HOT water. Put the saffron into a mug or a measuring cup and pour one cup of boiling water over it. Cover and let it steep for a few minutes. It will turn from a lovely golden color to a deep and beautiful orange color. Be sure to admire it for a few minutes.

Let the soup boil for about 20 minutes., then turn the temperature down to medium and add the black eyed peas. At this time, salt and pepper it. There’s no good measurement for the amount of salt needed since I’m a salt-a-holic and tend to hold a container of Morton’s over the pot while I yawn. So be sure to taste the soup frequently and adjust to your tastes. At this time you can also add in the saffron and lemon juice. Again, lemon juice somewhat to taste. I am also a lemon-a-holic in addition to being a salt-a-holic and Mama Pita would be cross when she found her soup suddenly saltier and sourer than it had been before she’d left the kitchen.

Sweet Potato Lesson #1: Never leave food unattended if I’m around. I firmly believe there is nothing that can’t be improved with copious amounts of lemon juice.

Let the soup cook for another 5-10 minutes, so the beans can heat through and the saffron and lemon juice have time to share their glorious flavorfulness. Yes. Flavorfulness. Learn it, love it, share it.

At this point, feel free to steal one of your roommate’s photogenic Mikasa bowls and plate the simple, delicious soup. Then promptly trip over your fat cat that snuck under your feet when he saw you had hot food that could burn him.

Devour. Well, let it cool a bit. Then devour!




Red Ashe

½ stick butter
1 cup of basmati rice (long-grain)
6oz of tomato paste
2 bunches each of cilantro, parsley, and green onion
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
*3 tablespoons saffron-infused water
2 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the vegetables and separate the leaves from the stems. Chop the green onion and add all herbs to a large soup pot. To this add 1 cup of long-grain rice, a 6oz can of tomato paste, and ½ stick of butter. Fill with water until the vegetables are just covered. Turn onto high and let soup boil for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to mix in the tomato paste. After 20 minutes, turn the heat down to medium and add two cans of rinsed black-eyed peas, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and saffron. Heat through for another 5-10 minutes.

*To make saffron-infused water, add 1 cup of boiling water to 1 pinch of saffron threads. (1 pinch being whatever fits between your thumb and forefinger. If you’re using your knuckles to pick up a gumball-sized amount you’ve gone way too far.)

You can find saffron at most grocery stores now, for the low-low price of $1000 per thread. Trader Joe’s sells Spanish saffron for a reasonable price—Spanish saffron will work just as well, although I prefer Iranian-imported saffron. Your best bet is to find a Middle Eastern or International market. Very few markets will keep saffron out because of how much it’s worth so if you don’t see it, ask the cashier.

This soup is good to make when you’re expecting a few people. If you’re making it for one or two, expect to be eating it for at least three days.

-Pita

Next recipe: Apricot Almond Cake (Scheduled post: Tuesday, November 11)