Head Start Gravy
Makes 3 1/2 cups
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
3 1/2 cups stock, either reduced-sodium chicken stock straight from the cans or canned stock in which a neck, giblets, a chopped carrot, a small chopped onion and 2 1/2 cups water have simmered until tender, about 2 hours
Melt butter in large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
Whisk in the flour and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
Whisk in stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Once it cools, this gravy can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
After the holiday turkey has been roasted, retrieve and degrease the brown turkey drippings and bits of meat from its pan. Heat up the gravy, bringing it to a boil, and stir in the retrieved drippings and bits. Cook, stirring often until the gravy reduces and thickens, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
--From "Thanksgiving 101" by Rick Rodgers
Seafood Lasagna
Serves 6
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup each milk and reduced-sodium chicken broth
one 10-ounce package frozen cooked shrimp, thawed and rinsed
1/2 pound cooked crab meat or imitation crab
1 cup (8 ounces) ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
5 lasagna noodles, cooked, drained and cut in half
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded parmesan cheese
In a medium saucepan, cook garlic in butter over medium heat until soft, about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in flour, Italian seasoning and pepper until smooth.
Gradually stir in milk and broth until smooth. Heat to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in shrimp and crab meat.
In a separate bowl, combine ricotta cheese, lemon peel and lemon juice. Spread 1 cup of seafood sauce in bottom of 8-inch- or 9-inch-square baking pan. Layer one-third of the lasagna noodles over sauce. Top with 1/2 cup ricotta mixture, one-third of remaining seafood sauce and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.
Repeat layers of lasagna noodles, 1/2 cup ricotta mixture, seafood sauce and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Top with remaining lasagna noodles and seafood sauce. Cover with foil; bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Tester Laura Reiley: "A great do-ahead dish. (If you assemble it earlier in the day, bring to room temperature before popping in oven.) Chicken broth reduces richness of the bechamel sauce.
Janice's Vegetarian Baked Ziti
Serves 6 to 8
SAUCE:
one 10-ounce package white mushrooms, trimmed
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
two 28-ounce cans tomato puree
4 basil leaves torn into bits
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
PASTA:
1 pound ziti
salt
1 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup ricotta
8 ounces mozzarella, cut into small dice
Place the mushrooms in a colander and rinse them quickly under cold running water. (Do not soak mushrooms, or they will absorb too much water.) Drain the mushrooms and pat dry. Slice the mushrooms 1/4 inch thick.
To make the sauce, cook the onion in the oil in a large skillet until tender and golden. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomato puree, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the peas.
Meanwhile, bring at least 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the ziti and salt to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente, tender yet firm to the bite. Drain the ziti and place it in a bowl. Toss it with 3 cups of the sauce and 3/4 cup of the grated cheese.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spoon half the ziti into a shallow 3 1/2 -quart baking dish. Spread the ricotta on top. Pour on 1 more cup of the sauce and sprinkle with the mozzarella. Top with the remaining ziti, sauce and grated cheese. Cover the dish with foil. (The ziti can be refrigerated for several hours, or overnight, at this point. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking.)
Bake the ziti for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 to 30 minutes longer, or until the center is hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Limoncello
Makes about 2 liters or 68 ounces
10 lemons (see note)
750 milliliters grain alcohol (Golden Grain or Everclear)
2 cups granulated sugar
5 cups water, more if needed
Zest lemons (being careful not to get the white pith). Put zest in large glass container with an airtight lid and cover the zest with the alcohol. Put the jar in a cool dark place for 5 days (until the liquid is bright yellow and the zest is pale). Combine sugar and 5 cups water over heat, but don't boil. When all the sugar is dissolved, cool.
Strain the alcohol into another large container using a fine-mesh strainer, and then pour most of the cooled syrup into the alcohol (it will cloud) and sample. Adjust to taste, remembering that the liqueur will mellow and lose some of its bite -- don't over-sweeten. Dilute with water if the limoncello is too sharp after all of the syrup is added.
Note: A batch of limoncello leaves a bowlful of naked lemons in its wake and using them is as easy as juicing them and storing the juice in the refrigerator for lemonade or cooking.
Makes 3 1/2 cups
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
3 1/2 cups stock, either reduced-sodium chicken stock straight from the cans or canned stock in which a neck, giblets, a chopped carrot, a small chopped onion and 2 1/2 cups water have simmered until tender, about 2 hours
Melt butter in large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
Whisk in the flour and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
Whisk in stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Once it cools, this gravy can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
After the holiday turkey has been roasted, retrieve and degrease the brown turkey drippings and bits of meat from its pan. Heat up the gravy, bringing it to a boil, and stir in the retrieved drippings and bits. Cook, stirring often until the gravy reduces and thickens, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
--From "Thanksgiving 101" by Rick Rodgers
Seafood Lasagna
Serves 6
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup each milk and reduced-sodium chicken broth
one 10-ounce package frozen cooked shrimp, thawed and rinsed
1/2 pound cooked crab meat or imitation crab
1 cup (8 ounces) ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon lemon juice
5 lasagna noodles, cooked, drained and cut in half
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded parmesan cheese
In a medium saucepan, cook garlic in butter over medium heat until soft, about 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in flour, Italian seasoning and pepper until smooth.
Gradually stir in milk and broth until smooth. Heat to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in shrimp and crab meat.
In a separate bowl, combine ricotta cheese, lemon peel and lemon juice. Spread 1 cup of seafood sauce in bottom of 8-inch- or 9-inch-square baking pan. Layer one-third of the lasagna noodles over sauce. Top with 1/2 cup ricotta mixture, one-third of remaining seafood sauce and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.
Repeat layers of lasagna noodles, 1/2 cup ricotta mixture, seafood sauce and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Top with remaining lasagna noodles and seafood sauce. Cover with foil; bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Tester Laura Reiley: "A great do-ahead dish. (If you assemble it earlier in the day, bring to room temperature before popping in oven.) Chicken broth reduces richness of the bechamel sauce.
Janice's Vegetarian Baked Ziti
Serves 6 to 8
SAUCE:
one 10-ounce package white mushrooms, trimmed
1 large onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
two 28-ounce cans tomato puree
4 basil leaves torn into bits
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
PASTA:
1 pound ziti
salt
1 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 cup ricotta
8 ounces mozzarella, cut into small dice
Place the mushrooms in a colander and rinse them quickly under cold running water. (Do not soak mushrooms, or they will absorb too much water.) Drain the mushrooms and pat dry. Slice the mushrooms 1/4 inch thick.
To make the sauce, cook the onion in the oil in a large skillet until tender and golden. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Add the tomato puree, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the peas.
Meanwhile, bring at least 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add the ziti and salt to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente, tender yet firm to the bite. Drain the ziti and place it in a bowl. Toss it with 3 cups of the sauce and 3/4 cup of the grated cheese.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spoon half the ziti into a shallow 3 1/2 -quart baking dish. Spread the ricotta on top. Pour on 1 more cup of the sauce and sprinkle with the mozzarella. Top with the remaining ziti, sauce and grated cheese. Cover the dish with foil. (The ziti can be refrigerated for several hours, or overnight, at this point. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking.)
Bake the ziti for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 to 30 minutes longer, or until the center is hot and the sauce is bubbling around the edges. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Limoncello
Makes about 2 liters or 68 ounces
10 lemons (see note)
750 milliliters grain alcohol (Golden Grain or Everclear)
2 cups granulated sugar
5 cups water, more if needed
Zest lemons (being careful not to get the white pith). Put zest in large glass container with an airtight lid and cover the zest with the alcohol. Put the jar in a cool dark place for 5 days (until the liquid is bright yellow and the zest is pale). Combine sugar and 5 cups water over heat, but don't boil. When all the sugar is dissolved, cool.
Strain the alcohol into another large container using a fine-mesh strainer, and then pour most of the cooled syrup into the alcohol (it will cloud) and sample. Adjust to taste, remembering that the liqueur will mellow and lose some of its bite -- don't over-sweeten. Dilute with water if the limoncello is too sharp after all of the syrup is added.
Note: A batch of limoncello leaves a bowlful of naked lemons in its wake and using them is as easy as juicing them and storing the juice in the refrigerator for lemonade or cooking.