My mom's lasagna. Kind of.

My mom taught me how to make lasagna the last time I was back east for the holidays. And it is delicious. But I also like vegetables so I've combined her recipe with a classic "Old Favourite" one from Canadian Living. Like most mutants, it's awesome.

Serves 6-8

8 oz lasagna noodles (about 12. And gluten free)
1 pkg (300 g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups of shredded mozzarella
1 pkg of square mozzarella slices, cut into triangles

Meat filling:
1 lb of ground beef
1 each onion, carrot, and celery stalk, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp each dried oregano and basil
1/4 tsp pepper
Pinch hot pepper flakes
1 can (28 oz) tomatoes, chopped
2 cans (5.5 oz) tomato paste

Cheese filling:
2 eggs
1/4 tsp each nutmeg and pepper
3 cups low fat cottage cheese (To be fancy, I've done 2 cups of cottage and 1 cup of ricotta)
1/2 cup grated parmesan
3 Tbsp chopped parsley

Meat filling: In a large dutch oven, cook beef over medium-high heat, breaking up with spoon, for 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Spoon off all by 1 Tbsp fat. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, oregano, basil, pepper and hot pepper flakes to pan; cook, stirring often for 3 to 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, and tomato paste; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often for about 25 minutes, until thickened.

Cheese filling: Meanwhile, in bowl, beat together eggs, pepper, and nutmeg. Blend in cottage and parmesan cheeses. Set aside.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles according to directions. The gluten free ones break like crazy so be gentle when stirring, and draining.

In a 9x13 inch pan glass baking dish arrange a layer of noodles on the bottom. Spoon half of the cheese mixture in. Top with half of the mozzarella (1 cup). Add about half of the spinach then top with half of the meat mixture. Cover the meat with the remaining noodles. Spoon the remainder of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles. Add the remaining 1 cup of shredded mozzarella, remaining spinach and top with the remaining meat mixture.  Finally place the triangle squares of mozzarella on top for beauty!

Cover loosely with foil; bake at 375 F for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Revisions: I've left the spinach out but I prefer it in. I've also thrown in a link or two of italian sausage with the ground beef for a little spicy zest and it's a great addition.

Stick to your ribs chili

It's been a solid two years of trying to find a decent chili recipe that is equal parts awesome and filling. I've tried a few but this most recent one has been the most satisfying. I don't love large amounts of beans, and cumin is a must so this hits all the checkmarks.

Serves 6-8
Source Canadian Living

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 lb of extra lean ground beef
3 Tbsp chili powder
1-1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 can plum tomatoes (I use low sodium tomatoes)
1/2 bottle strained tomatoes (I can't find this to save my life in the grocery store so I add about 3 Tbsp of tomato paste)
1/2 cup water
1 can (19 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic, stirring occasionally until golden, about 8-10 minutes.

Add beef; cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned. Stir in chili powder, coriander, oregano, salt, pepper, and cayenne; cook for 1 minute.

I cut up my tomatoes in the can with scissors. Buying a can of whole tomatoes helps preserve more of the flavour than buying diced tomatoes. Add to pot, along with tomato paste, water and kidney beans. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.  Uncover and cook for 10 minutes.

Mexican burgers

These burgers have an amazing aroma thanks to the great spices. Serve them with fresh avocado slices.

1 egg
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp to 1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 pound of ground pork OR
1/2 pound of lean ground beef and 1/2 pound of ground pork

Whisk together egg, vinegar, garlic, sugar, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, and oregano. Mix in meat. Shape into four 3/4-inch thick patties.

Grill on a greased grill over medium heat, turning once, until no longer pink inside, about 15 minutes. Top with avocado slices.

Courtesy of Canadian Living with some adjustments.

South African Bobotie

This recipe comes from my dad and his South African side of the family. Bobotie is a traditional Malay-South African dish and while the ingredients seem weird you'll just need to trust me because it is mouth-watering delicious. It's sweet and spicy and will warm you up on a winter night. I like to serve it with rice but naan bread would go well too.

Serves 4

A.

2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp tumeric
1 onion finely chopped

B.

1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar (I prefer lemon)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (I use Heinz for a gluten-free version)
2 Tbsp apricot jam
2 tsp chutney (I use Raj Masala Tamarind Chutney sauce as it is nut-free and that can be tricky to find)
1 Tbsp tomato sauce or ketchup

C.

A thick slice of bread, soaked in a little milk, and ripped into pieces (Udi's works for gf)
1 lb of ground beef (I have started using ground turkey and it works too but beef is better)
Topping: 1 egg and a little milk, beaten together

Step 1: Warm a big heavy pot over low heat and add all the "A" ingredients, stirring from time to time to prevent burning. This takes one to two minutes at most, until you smell the spices.

Step 2: Add all the "B" ingredients. Keeping at medium-low heat, mix well til bubbling (1 minute). Add the soaked and broken bread, stir well.  Add the meat. Turn up the heat to medium and cook until the meat starts to change colour from pink.

Step 3: Empty everything into a 9x9 dish. Don't grease the dish. Top the meat mixture with the beaten egg/milk. Bake at 375 F for 30 minutes.

 

And as my dad says, "drink no water, but a little wine for thy stomach's sake." He's liberally stealing from St. Paul there.  Dad likes to plagarize.

 

 

World's Best Spaghetti

This recipe is courtesy of Emeril via the Food Network. I got bored with my homemade spaghetti recipe last year and gave this a try. With a few adjustments it's officially become known as the best thing I make. It does take about 3 hours to cook so free up a Sunday afternoon.

1 giant pot cause this makes a lot. 6-8 servings.
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 ounces bacon diced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
3/4 cup diced carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound pork sausage, removed from casings, or ground pork.
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup red wine
1 28 oz can of tomatoes (I buy whole tomatoes and cut them up with scissors in the can. Don't buy crushed or diced, they loose flavour)
3/4's of a 650 ml jar of spaghetti sauce
1 cup beef stock (gluten free)
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup cream
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 pound spaghetti (gluten free)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until soft about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Add the beef and sausages, and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until half the liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and their juices, the spaghetti sauce, beef broth and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and flavourful, about 1 1/2 hours. Add the cream, butter, and parsley, stir well and simmer for 2 minutes. Pick out the bay leaves and adjust the seasoning to taste. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, cook your pasta. I use gluten-free pasta and it needs to be rinsed well before you serve it or it is super gross and gungey.

Add 1/2 cup of the cheese to the sauce and toss to blend. Pour sauce on spaghetti and serve!

This makes a lot, so invite friends over. But be warned if you do, this might happen.